Not many bike related things would get me to Indianapolis in February but NAHBS is simply too good to pass up. With a slew of the builders that represent the best in bespoke cycling and a setting like Indianapolis (which is everything Vegas and Interbike are not and every bit of it in a good way…) there was simply no way I was going to miss this one.
Also deciding not to miss this year were the sultans of Saratoga who brought a few ponies down from New York.
Serotta Bicycles decided to roll out what I thought of as the “MudVici”, their new Cross rig…
Kicking carbon tubes and lugs for the main frame and tossing in a Ti rear end and BB in a way that added a really good look that blends some easy cleaning with a bit of rear end weight distribution…
They also brought their early proto Meivici AE…
The AE is easily the most complex and advanced frame for Serotta (or for most folks really), who build every bit of the frame in house rather than ordering out for their tube sets.
Every section of this bike is tuned for the rider… joints, wall thicknesses, the works.
They also brought their latest production version.
A new saddle clamp and seat tube clamp are just a few of the updates.
Serotta also tossed up a bike that melds an old school look with a full compliment of modern bits.
Their standard full custom carbon Meivici with a few new school parts like EE brakes and one of the first production sets of solid carbon link Nokon Cables (shift only)…
Pearl white dressed with red clear-to-carbon lugs…
And of course example 237 of 400 Chris King Head sets on pretty much all the bikes at NAHBS.
The Custom matched finished Zipp cranks with gold Ceramic BB caps mixed well.
Serotta have what I believe is the largest custom offering available on the planet. The range runs from lugged steel through Ti and into full custom carbon as well as combinations of materials and that speaks volumes. As other builders make up catchy phrases about their chosen material being best, Ben and his boys simply make a commitment to new material technology then set about making bikes…
Brooks Saddles were on hand and of course had the Old school sweetness on hand
And in keeping with any show, Brooks tossed up an exceptional display bike… Yes the Brooks bar tape was nice, but I’m not sure that anyone pulled their eyes off of the Pegoretti holding everything in place…
But the best bits are the several raised accents that make taking a “quick” look at this bike pretty hard to do…
There were some trick components on offer but one display caught me a bit off guard…
Shimano rolled out a little bling that would fit neatly on a lot of the bikes rolling round. This chain would have been a nice touch to Serotta’s gold accented Meivici…
But the bits getting far more attention were their new Electronic Di components. I can’t think of a single time the bike wasn’t occupied and, honestly, getting pounded like Jenna Jameson.
In fact they got a going over by several big name bike builders…
and everyone that climbed of came away VERY impressed.
That’s also the Same demo bike that got hammered by loads of folks at the Tour of California and despite the fact that this groupo took more abuse in a day than you’ll likely give your groupo in the next 6 months, I don’t think the damn thing missed a shift once…
One of the fun “finds” at Shimano were the not yet available tubeless carbon clincher prototypes…
Still dirty from TOC, but Shimano’s new hoops are pretty hot, tubeless or not.
Cyfac were also a surprise for some at the show. As one visitor commented “they just look too good to be custom”…
It’s easy to take a quick glance and miss the fact that these guys have been knocking out very good custom carbon for quite a while. And while they’re comfortable with tube to tube tech like the Absolu…
Cyfac are also very much at home with lugged custom carbon…
Their kit, when broken down to basics looks a lot like what you might think comse from some of the guys you would more quickly recognize and while the hands building these are French rather than American, the skill level is, as we say in Arizona, "Tray maggnerfeek!"
Cyfac are not short on tube molding tech which allows them to throw together one of the best butts but the custom game…
They also have loads of patterns from basic to complex and they roll out loads of color combinations…
Cyfac are near the top of the list of under appreciated brands and I would bet that changes in the next few years… We have another stock frame test already done (having reviewed Cyfac a few years ago as well) and that test will run this Spring. I can say that putting the ride character of the stock bikes into custom geometry and tuning the ride would make for a very impressive rig that need not shy away from any comparison…
Anyhoo, that’s round one… More to come.
Have Fun,
Charles Manantan
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