BOTD #21 – Scapin Style

Today’s bike comes to us via Italy and Umberto Scapin, a builder that puts together Angelo Columbo’s tubing and builds a bike that is comfortable, stiff and beautiful. The Scapin Style is a steel-carbon hybrid, reminiscent of a classic lugged bike with contemporary styling and ride characteristics.

OS carbon downtube, OS carbon seatmast (!), shaped carbon stays on a carbon Columbus fork, mated to a Columbus Spirit triple-butted steel spine make this bike both a looker and a performer.

Hands-down the best feature of this bike is that carbon seatmast, connecting the rider directly to the BB while also providing just enough flex to soak up the road chatter.

The Ratings

Ride-quality & Comfort: 10/10 –adequate feedback from the road but the subtly suspended saddle makes it very comfortable
Front-end Stiffness: 8.5/10 – the downtube-headtube junction with the carbon inside the headtube really makes this a tight front-end
BB Stiffness: 7.75/10 – that big oversized BB lug and campy’s chorus crank keeps it stiff, but this is not like an all-carbon unicorn
Style/Aesthetics: 9/10 or 5/10 – love it or hate it. I love it.
Technology/Weight/Value:  8/10 – the technology is pretty old, but the oversized tubing, triple butted steel, under 18lbs mass (with pedals, cages and a bell, chorus11, 303 clinchers) makes this a great bike. Price is up there.

The Good: Rides quick, responds when you mash the pedals and smooths the road out.

The Bad: Cut once, adjust up to an inch seat-mast makes this only your bike, the fork is nothing special and the weave of the carbon may be a little dated to some (how about UD tubing next year?)

The Skinny: Get this bike as your go-to for weekend riding, gran fondo participating and flat road drag racing. The XL weighed in at 17.15 lbs with those portly 303 clinchers so you could easily make this into more of a climber with a set of shallow, lightweight wheels. Around $6,000 for this build.

Sh*t Cyclists Say

I have definitely uttered my fair share…

Secret news: Blacksmith Bike Project coming soon

As promised, 2012 will bring big excitement to Blacksmith Cycle! One secret project we have been working on with our boys from Alchemy Bicycle Co. is our own line of Blacksmith branded bikes.
The goal: great value, cool looks, high-performance, and unique technical features.

First model up, code-named… Blacksmith Cycle / Alchemy MS2 Mach 1 Di2 Stainless: a stainless steel racer that was high on comfort + stiffness, and low on weight.

After visiting the Alchemy Austin facility a few months back to discuss tube selection and finishing options, we settled on:
- KVA MS2 stainless steel with ovalized chainstays and super-thin seatstays;
- Standard external headset with ENVE 2.0 fork;
- Internal Icarus Di2 battery with micro-USB charging port;
- Satin finish with bead-blasted panels and polished logos.

To be sold through our shop and online, we will offer options for:
- ISP or normal seatpost;
- internal, Di2 or external cabling;
- stock geometries or full custom sizing – this one is built for my freakish proportions!

Some more pics:
3/4 rear shot: Blacksmith Signature MS2 Di2 Stainless | Flickr – Photo Sharing!
Rear stays: Blacksmith Signature MS2 Di2 Stainless | Flickr – Photo Sharing!
Repainted ENVE fork: Blacksmith Signature MS2 Di2 Stainless | Flickr – Photo Sharing!
Side view: Blacksmith Signature MS2 Di2 Stainless | Flickr – Photo Sharing!
Outdoor view of mini-USB port: Blacksmith signature stainless mach 1 | Flickr – Photo Sharing!
Outdoor side: Blacksmith signature stainless mach 1 | Flickr – Photo Sharing!

Hope you guys like the finished project, albeit still missing the head-badge which we are having laser-cut.  Our next project is more of a “monster” steel race bike, so stay tuned for that one in a few weeks!

Cervo Rosso Winter Clothing Details – 10% OFF NOW!!

We have been thrilled with our experiences with Cervo Rosso’s winter lineup.
We have complete sizes of most of the winter range, so drop by to check things out!

To check out their complete winter catalogue and pricing, click HERE.
Plus take 10% off any Cervo Rosso winter item if you mention this blog post!! 

Here is what we now have in stock in the shop, ready for local or mail-order sales…

Cervo Intermedio Wind/Rain Jacket - reg $235 / now $210

Winter-weight Stretch Jacket - reg $310 / now $279

Leg and Arm warmers w/extra-long cuffs - reg $70 + $50 / now $63 + $45

Winter tights without pad - reg $168 / now $151

Winter tights with amazing HG11 Pad - reg $189 / now $170

Winter tights with HG11 Pad - for the real hard men - reg $175 / now $157

Awesome materials, build quality and style highlight the Cervo Rosso range

Looks good, even standing still

Email info@blacksmithcycle.com to place your order or drop by the store!

BOTD #20 – Independent Fabrication Ti Factory Lightweight (IF TiFLw)

Independent Fabrication are still some of the finest craftsmen around, building bikes in the heart of New England.  (Click on all pictures to enlarge, btw)

After a recent move by the company from their more urban digs, I.F. is now back up to speed in their new facility, producing world class bikes in pretty much all materials, sizes, colors and types.  One model you may not have heard of, and which is not yet advertised on the I.F. website, is their brand new Ti Factory Lightweight, usually found in lime-green or neon-orange livery, as below:

Blacksmith Cycle’s new 57 cm bike, however, is somewhat more subtle, with a simple bead-blasted finish…

The TiFLw is meant to be I.F.’s balls-to-the-wall, no-weight-limit, ti-carbon racer.  And on the one hand, the ENVE fork, Press-fit BB30, and massive ti tubing, all aim at this target.  But the gorgeous build quality, beautiful lines, carbon seat-tube and exciting ride quality were the aspects of this bike that really surprised me.  To find out why, read on…

Passoni…so sexy it hurts and straight from Italy

Passoni factory shot: 2012 colors, saddles and materials.
Drool…
(click to enlarge)

Click for our Passoni Nero XL review!

Lance is at Canadian Tire?

It’s true.  There he was sitting up on a podium surrounded by $45 dollar Dora the Explorer tricycles.  This is a guy that won SEVEN tours, has FIVE kids, and only ONE….well you know. I almost didn’t even go out there, I mean it was all the way in the east end.  Like, 5km away.  In the end I figured that if he can ride 1 million kms for my enjoyment, I can ride 5 to hear what the man has to say.  I respect his riding and influence immensely.  I respect his LiveStrong foundation and the efforts he has taken to bring more recognition and research to a disease that has affected nearly all of us in some way, shape, or form.  I know a lot of people that claim doper and cheater and all that jazz, but personally I choose to look forwards to a different era of professional cycling, rather than look back at what might have been.

The session was a quick promo trip for a new line of LiveStrong exercise equipment, something that was thankfully not really talked about while I was there (admittedly I arrived fashionably late, but fully caffeinated).  What I saw was a well polished Q&A with pre-approved questions and some candid, off the cuff, genuinely funny answers from a man that clearly knows how to handle himself in front of a modest crowd of aged cyclists, middle aged moms, and mildly fascinated Canadian Tire employees.  He is clearly a charming and affable person in front of a crowd, drawing everyone in with his mundane humanity, a stark contrast to his herculean athletic career.  Lance is also clearly a business machine, whisked away by security in a Chevy Tahoe to his next public appearance.  No time for an autograph session, just a few scribbles for some lucky onlookers and then gone.

The Back of Lance's Head.

In the end I never really got a good picture of him, just a fleeting shot of the back of his head.  A view that many professional cyclists were no doubt sick of seeing over the course of his storied career.

BIKE-PILE