ANT Loop Frames: a History of Sorts
An inadvertent side-effect of my time in Mike's shop, is that I am now fantasising about an ANT loop frame. Ideally I'd like to build something very similar myself, but alas I am far from that being feasible. The frame I'd make would have slightly unconventional geometry and I'd want it to look a certain way. But it would still be a welded ANT at heart. Mike understands about step-through city bikes like no other custom builder I know. It's exciting to watch him work on them, to talk about them with him.
Every time I see one of his new loop frames, I remember the Boston Roadster project. When I first learned about ANT 4 years ago, Mike was selling complete Boston Roadster bikes, men's and ladies', for $2,000. This included everything, I think, even racks and fenders. The components were inexpensive and you didn't get any choice in specs, but for that price you got a handmade city bike, fully equipped for commuting. I remember how I contacted Mike about the bike. This was even before Lovely Bicycle came into existence; I knew very little about anything. I asked him some questions, then got nervous about paying what seemed like sooo much money for a bike that "wasn't even lugged." So I gave up the idea and eventually bought a Pashley Princess, which I sold a year later. Would I have been better off with an ANT? Who knows. The subjective/emotional utility of getting a lugged bike, and an English bike were high for me at the time. Maybe it's best that I learned things in the roundabout way in which I learned them.
The ANT Lady Roadsters were slightly different pre-2010 than they are now. Here is one from that era, and another. Shallower curves. Straight unicrown forks were not uncommon. Threadless stems. A utilitarian/ post-IF look. Understanding its origin, I appreciate the look now more than I did then. In the Fall of 2009 I went to ANT's Open House, back when the shop was in the old location. There I saw Lacey's red-orange Roadster and test rode it very briefly. For the life of me, I cannot remember what that test ride felt like, but I remember being inexplicably attracted to the bike - despite hating the colour, the fork, and the lack of lugwork. There is a funny picture of me clutching the bike as if I don't want to return it.
The following year we did an indoor photoshoot for Mike and he brought an elegant full-custom loop frame to our old studio in Quincy. This one had a deep curve to the top tube and resembled a Raleigh DL-1 in its proportions. This time I thought the frame and fork looked perfect, but I remember arranging the bike for the photos and thinking about how I'd want this and that completely different if it were mine. Still, something was inherently compelling about it, just the way it was. I took that bike on a short spin around Quincy center, and again cannot remember what the test ride felt like. This is odd, because I have fairly distinct memories of most bikes I've ridden. Maybe this is the city bike version of the purple handlebars/ bike disappears effect.
Now Mike has a new loop frame in the shop that he assembled with spare parts and is selling for a ridiculous price. I could use a dedicated winter bike right about now, and would probably have jumped at this, were it equipped with drum brakes instead of calipers. Well, there is always something. Some day there might just be a loopy LANT (Lovely Bicycle x ANT?) riding around Boston, with bits of it welded by me if he'll let me.
