#bikes and frames

Is a cross bike the ultimate fast do it all bike?

You’ve probably heard of N+1 when applied to bikes, yes? It’s a tongue-in-cheek formula for working how many bikes do you need, with N being the current number of bikes you own. But what if you could only have one bike? I remember my old dad telling me how “back in the day” riders only had one bike to cover all their riding and racing needs. A steel frame and a selection of wheels meant he could…

Argonaut Custom Bike Builder

  Argonaut Custom Bike Builder

  Josh Ross

  The Argonaut Custom Bike Builder could help with some of those difficult choices to be made around your first custom bike build.

  Despite Portland Oregon being consistently one of the most bike centric cities in the US, it’s rare I get to discuss something from my home town. So, when I heard that Argonaut cycles had an exciting new website update…

Bird of Prey Bicycle

  Bird of Prey Bicycle

  Yuri Gonzaga

  The inventor of the Bird of Prey bike says it’s faster than yours!

  It was while riding downhill on a steep section of road in San Diego, California, that the architect John Alridge, 69, decided that his regular road bicycle simply wasn’t doing its job. “It was a fairly steep hill, and I expected to go really fast, but I wasn’t. It was difficult to…

  Duncan Moore

  A review of the Malcolm Custom Bicycles’ Custom Steel Frame.

  In this modern age of carbon framed bikes available for less than a £1000 it might seem strange that someone would spend upwards of £1600 on a steel frame and fork package. However, bespoke doesn’t come cheap and that’s exactly what you get with a Malcolm Custom Bicycles frame – a one-off, made-to-measure frame and fork.

  The Malcolm Custom Bicycles’ Custom Steel Frame loiters, waiting to show off it’s old school ride

  Given the very nature of going custom the exact choice of steel tube and geometry, and to a lesser extent the lugs used at the joints of the tubes will be different for each frame. On this particular build, the tubing came from Reynolds 853 collection and the lugs are custom cut Ritchey designs. There is very little point discussing seat and top tube lengths or frame angles as these will be specific to each frame to suit the rider and the use the frame will be put to.

  One feature of Malcolm custom frames that may appear strange to today’s riders is the use of a one-inch headtube, but as Ashley Malcolm, the man behind the eponymously-named business doesn’t like carbon forks and, instead, builds his own steel ones it is not really an issue. A similar nod to the old school of road cycling comes with the inclusion on this particular frame of a race number tab under the top tube and a chain pip on the drive-side chainstay.

  Yes, that’s a 1″ headset on a hand-built steel fork

  There is little point concentrating too much on the componentry either on a full custom build bike, after all each bike will be specced differently. Nor for the same reason is there much point discussing how it works. However, this particular model, built as a race bike runs a full Ultegra groupset. Its finishing kit is a slight mix and match featuring RHM D1 handlebars and Zero 1 stem from Deda above the Chris King headset. While the other end of the bike sees a Fi’zi:k Arione saddle mounted to a Thomson inline seat post.

  A set of Ultegra hubs laced with double butted spokes to a pair of Mavic Open Pro rims might not sound very exciting to a generation of cyclists used to factory system wheels, but these hand-built hoops should last a lifetime and should you ever break a spoke replacement will be easy as is maintenance of the hubs themselves. If you’re in any doubt of Ashley’s ability as a wheel builder a quick look at his bike shop CV reveals he was formerly head mechanic at London’s legendary Condor Cycles and if you go to the internet you can find a video of him building a set of wheels while blindfolded.

  Reynolds 853 tubing was used for the Malcolm Custom Bicycles’ Custom Steel Frame

  Everyone should ride a top end steel bicycle at least once in their life. Sure carbon and aluminium frames offer stiff and fast rides, but with a quality steel frame like the ones coming out of Ashley Malcolm’s workshop there is an additional benefit that is difficult to quantify in words alone. Many reviewers will talk about the springy feel of steel frames, but that does them a mis-justice suggesting to many that steel frames are flexy. It is more complex than that. Where an aluminium frame with over-sized tubes or a carbon frame will transmit road shocks to the rider a well-designed and carefully built steel frame like this will absorb them.

  The slim profile of the frame’s tubes might suggest that out of the saddle climbs would have the bike waggling and flexing, but despite my near 90kg bulk pushing through the pedals on steep climbs there was no evidence of brake rub or the cranks clipping the chainstays, both of which are sure signs of a frame flex. Heading downhill and the bike was remarkably stable and sure-footed. So much so that I found myself staying off the brakes more than I normally would. Then again that could have had something to do with my trying to keep up with Ashley, the builder of this bike and a former World Championship, Olympic and Commonwealth medallist in his native Australia.

  A hand-cut headtube badge adorns the front of the Malcolm Custom Bicycles frame

  My only criticism of the fork and frame package is the toe clip overlap. Then again this is a race frame with a short wheelbase and straight bladed forks, and if I was having the frame built for myself I would request geometry that avoided this. Even then once you become aware of the overlap it’s something you soon learn to accommodate and it can be forgiven for the speed with which the bike can be made to change direction thanks to those custom steel forks that also help to provide such a comfortable ride.

  It’s safe to say that a Malcolm custom frame is now on my list of bikes to own before I die. Having been fortunate enough to have ridden steel, aluminium, carbon fibre and titanium frames, and even frames that use various combinations of those materials, I always find myself coming back to steel as my frame material of choice and that feeling has now been reinforced by my time aboard one of Ashley Malcolm’s custom steel frames.

  Malcolm Custom Bicycles

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Broken Spoke: Which Frame Material is Best?

  Broken Spoke: Which Frame Material is Best?

  Duncan Moore

  In this week’s Broken Spoke, Duncan ponders on frame materials.

  Once upon a time buying a bike was a simple affair. You went to the shop, found the right sized frame, paid your money and rode away. If you had a bit more money there was the option of having a frame made to measure from a custom builder. The common theme…

  Duncan Moore

  In this week’s Broken Spoke, Duncan has some first ride nerves as he tries out a new bike that he’s built for himself…

  Thanks to a life lived in the cycle trade I’ve lost count of the number of bicycles I’ve owned, nor can I remember how many I’ve built not just for myself, but for customers during my time working in bike shops. One thing that has never changed for me over the years is the first ride nerves…

  I rode all the bikes I built when I worked in cycle shops. It was always better to find any potential problems before the customer got on the bike by taking it out for a ride myself. This was always the case whether it was a complete bike that just needed the brakes and gears tweaking, the handlebars straightened and the wheels fitted, or a ground-up custom build.

  Photo courtesy of Daniels Lee

  Even though it’s been a few years since I worked in a cycle shop, I still build the occasional bike up and the most recent one was for myself.

  Strange though it might seem despite being able to easily get bikes for review purposes, I’ve actually gone out and spent money on a ride of my own. Of course, I couldn’t simply go and buy a bicycle off-the-peg. Oh no. I haven’t bought a complete bike for something like 15 years. No, I’m one of those people that pores over catalogues and websites endlessly comparing parts, trying to decide the ‘just so’ specification for the build. Putting it all together once I‘ve got everything is the easy part, it is the deciding what to use that causes me the sleepless nights.

  The real kicker though is that moment when it’s time to go for the first ride. The first ride on a bike I’ve built for someone else doesn’t cause me any concern, that’s just a shakedown ride to make sure everything is working as it should. The first ride on a bike I’ve built for myself isn’t just to check that I’ve got the gears properly adjusted or the seat height spot on. Oh no. That first ride has to justify my component choice, and, of course, the money I’ve spent buying all those parts.

  So, no pressure then…

  Duncan’s Handsling RR1 lived up to his expectations

  Why do I worry? The Handsling RR1 carbon frame and fork package at the centre of my most recent build is every bit as stiff and responsive as I’d expect a race-bred chassis to be. The 11-speed Campag groupset shifted flawlessly, and the brakes were impressively powerful. All that was needed was a quick tweak of the saddle position.

  Really, deep down I knew this would be the case. I’ve built enough bikes over the years to know what I’m doing when it comes to setting them up, but there was and always will be that little voice at the back of my mind questioning my choices.

    Handsling Bikes

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Kundo 16″ Smart Trail Review

  Kundo 16″ Smart Trail

  Josh Ross

  Review of the Kundo 16″ Smart Trail children’s bike

  I’ve mentioned before that I try to integrate the different parts of my cycling life; in fact, that’s a big part of the “Do It All” project bike series and I often train with my little one in tow. I love my boy and, while I do sometimes enjoy getting away from it all on my bike, I’m typically just as…

  Gary Stanesby

  Review of the aluminium framed Obsydian Invictus

  When I first got the email about the Obsydian Invictus bike test, I was really excited. It was highlighted that this was a bike specifically designed for heavier riders, with maximum stiffness at the heart of this true thoroughbred.

  It also held the banner of being ‘designed for life’ and when looking into this further on their website, it described ‘life being tough’ and the same applying to your bike; with this in mind Obsydian offer a lifetime warranty on the frame which for an alloy frame is quite rare!

  Their first design principle is related to the real-world phenomena of the heavier rider of 110kg plus, who wishes to race or hold a good chance of keeping up with the pack on Sunday rides sprints, so this bike truly sounds right up my street, as I currently way 98 kg. Interestingly the frame still weighs in at less than 1.5 kg, which in this price bracket is very credible indeed.

  Throughout my last 20 years of cycling I’ve always owned or been in possession of an alloy bike, be it race, cyclocross, mountain bike or fixie! So all in all I feel pretty qualified to take on this test… Read More >

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    The frame has classic lines and aggressive geometry which instantly gets you excited about the first ride out. I planned to test the bike in two areas of the UK, the first being a week in Yorkshire riding with friends, all of whom weigh considerably less than myself, ride extremely lightweight carbon machines and as the local expression goes “have muscles in their spit”!

  Classic lines and aggressive geometry

  The second week of testing was to be carried out where I live in South London, on the commutes to work near Tower Bridge and then on extended weekend rides through the Surrey Hills, Kent or with the Richmond Park collective.

  The frame

  The frame is made up of 7005 alloy tubing and is manufactured at the Velocite factory in Taiwan. The Invictus is based on the same designs as their Selene frameset although comes in a far more attractive, hand painted, stealthy black finish applied here in the UK. The main characteristics of the frame are that the down tube is about as wide as one could possibly get across the bottom bracket area to improve stiffness not only to transfer power, but also truly assure the confidence of those heavier riders. The bottom bracket is a PF30 and the head tube is tapered too. These are tried and tested principles used by many of the best frame manufacturers in the world, perfect for a true thoroughbred race frame.

  The down tube is about as wide as one could possibly get

  The welds on the frame, though not the prettiest, look bombproof, essentially deep enough, with 110% coverage, to give confidence for the heavier rider to really throw the power down. On the website it describes the welds as ‘double pass’ ensuring that the tubes’ connections are as strong as possible. These are all hand welded, which will contribute to the relatively higher price tag, but when buying a quality alloy frame like this, you expect it to perform much better and offer a higher quality of ride than the cheaper carbon frames at the same price point.

  the welds on the frame are bombproof

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  The bike comes with a straight bladed fork, which gives a good clearance between the front wheel and down tube, which is great considering the larger riders’ feet size – and my loafy size 11’s!

  Great, subtle paint job

  The test bike was a extra large and, if I’m completely honest with you, was still quite small for me at 6’4” (193cm), as you’ll see from the height of the headset stack in the photographs.

  Gary needed a few extra spacers

The ride

  As described earlier the bike was tested – in the dry – in two locations. The key characteristic about the frame is the feedback you receive from the road. Sheffield is notorious for poor roads. The road noise and the feedback from every bump, crack, ripple, bit of gravel and little hole in the road took some getting used to, but eventually when we arrived on the smooth surfaces around Windermere the bike really came to life.

  One thing you notice about this bike is its straight-line speed and the confidence it gives you when really putting the power down. This is down to the extreme stiffness of the frame. On the flip side, it’s this same characteristic that means it ‘hides nothing from the road’. Some riders love this, whilst others want more comfort, so you have to be very honest with yourself about the type of riding your going to be doing on a bike like this – and also in the specific end build you choose.

  Offers great straight-line speed

  Out on the road, for the first time in a while I was actually a real contender on the lamppost sprints on this bike, even over my fighting weight at 98kg. This is quite a feat and gave me a buzz like I’d not felt for quite sometime, which was truly addictive.

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    On climbs the bike feels really light at the front end. On the really steep stuff, when hill starting – after the occasional break – the bike tended to wheelie easily. The geometry is aggressive which would suit crit races.

  The spec

  The test bike was excellent fitted with a SRAM Force 22 groupset with the standard 53/39 chainset offering a wide selection of gears suitable for all conditions and challenges. I’ve seen a lot of the H Plus Son rims on custom builds and especially at last years Bespoked exhibition at the Lee Valley velodrome and they seem to be the rim of choice. I won’t concentrate on the wheels, as the frame is the point of focus here but, with the characteristics of a true race frame, I would have chosen deeper section, carbon wheels to better complement the ride, feel and speeds of this bike.

  Fitted with SRAM Force 22 group set

  Conclusion

  The fact is I really enjoyed this test ride but, in all honesty, unless I was going to make a crit racing comeback, this isn’t the bike for me. It’s extremely good at what it does, offering the stiffest ride, combined with probably the most reliable feedback from the road I’ve ever experienced. As a result it’s fast – bloody fast in fact! – but at 45 years old and with the type of riding I do now, extra weight or no weight, I would be looking to invest in a bike that is a little more forgiving and comfortable that I can ride for 4 to 6 hours comfortably. If, on the other hand, you’re looking for a full on crit and road racing, sprint machine, or the fastest commuting bike ever ridden, a bike that is hungry to go fast at every instance, then this may very well be the bike for you.

  For a lot of riders the overall weight of the bike may still be an issue. The fact that it’s alloy rather than carbon might be too much to swallow. The thing to remember though, is that in the real world, when you look at some of the ultra-light bikes that you see at the start of Sportives, races and regular Sunday rides, by the time these featherweight’s riders have finished putting their double water bottles on, carrying two spare tubes, a banana, mini toolkit, lights (perhaps plus mudguards in winter), waterproofs, overshoes, smartphone, Garmin and money for the essential cake stop, you have to wonder why so many people concentrate on the bike weight! Even worse when you look at the shape of some of the riders. They’d be better off concentrating on fitness and remembering that the only proven, immediate way of lowering riding weight and improving performance is starting the day with a “nice cuppa tea and a good poo before you head out door.”

  And that’s the purpose of this frame; it offers confidence inspiring performance to riders who’ve got over the light bike thing, especially if those riders are on the heavier side themselves, plus if that performance – and the longevity – is superior to its carbon competitors, the price tag for the frame alone starts to look like really good value.

  RRP £550

  Invictus

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