Tag Archives: single speed

Cuevas Bicycles – A Queens NYC Legend

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Cuevas Bicycles was a multi-generational family of bicycle frame builders based in Astoria, Queens.  I have owned two Cuevas bicycles: the one shown above is a one-of-a-kind custom made pursuit bicycle with a 650c front wheel and a 700c rear, with an integrated handlebar/stem.  It was hand made by Fernando Cuevas, the third generation of this incredibly talented family.  I also had a Cuevas Custom randonneur / touring frame by the patriarch of the family, Francisco Cuevas. This article features both of these stunning examples of custom, lugged steel bicycles and traces the history of Cuevas Bicycles.

Fernando’s grandfather and founder of Cuevas Bicycles, Francisco Cuevas, hand-built over 35,000 frames during a 70-year career that spanned three continents. Renowned for his ability to build frames without the aid of a jig or pins, brazing exclusively with brass, and incorporating many unique and thoughtful details, Francisco was a true craftsman of the old world. The Cuevas Custom randonneur frame is testament to his vision and artisan skills.

The pursuit track bike restoration took me two years to complete, and when finished, I brought it to the famous Kissena Velodrome in Queens for an afternoon of laps and photos.  Read on to learn more about these incredible bikes and the Cuevas family.

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1950s Bianchi Sport City Bike

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It’s been a few years since I’ve restored a bike older than the 1970s, and this Bianchi Sport was the perfect candidate.  With a timeless, classic design and high quality details, it was born to cruise the streets in style.  Mechanically simple, it retains a few distinctively Bianchi features that set it apart from the rest.  Read on to learn about this lovely ladies’ bike and the restoration process.

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Lucky Penny – My Handmade 3Rensho Tribute Fixed Gear

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In the fall of 2015, I embarked on a project to build myself a fixed gear bicycle using a set of the famous 3Rensho Modeulo lugs.  The build is chronicled in this Bikeforums thread, where I kept a photo diary of the process.  At the time, I didn’t know this would be the last frame I’d build for several years.  I’ve been riding and loving this bike for years since then, but I never got around to photographing and writing about the finished product.  This is my favorite bike, and I finally have some great photos of it.  Read on to learn about the inspiration for the frame, the copper plating, and the build.

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Unknown Cycles Combat Fixed Gear Build

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Unknown Bike Co. is a new California-based manufacturer of fixed gear bikes.  Based in Long Beach, they currently offer five different frames.  Most are aluminum and all offer an extremely lightweight and stiff ride.  This particular bike is their “Combat” model, which is more of an urban fixed than a purebred track beast.  I got a size 52cm new in a trade earlier this year, complete with Unknown carbon fork and their “K6” track crankset.

unknown3The Combat is a surprisingly well-made frame, considering the $175 price tag, making it very competitive with aluminum fixed frames from the big names like Bianchi or Cinelli.

The fork will set you back an additional $225 and the cranks are $200, bringing the overall cost up quite a bit.  However both pieces of kit are impressive, both in looks and manufacturing quality.  Where many other companies cut corners with steel forks and cheapo single speed cranks, Unknown sets the bar high.

I built it up with a brand new Bianchi Pista wheelset, matte-black track pedals, classy black saddle, SRAM PC-1 chain, Specialized stem, and lightweight OS aluminum riser bars.  The logos are very low-key and blend into the frame and cranks beautifully.  It’s up on NYC Craigslist right now as I’ve got too many bikes already, and hopefully it will go to a good home soon.

Check out more hi-res photos after the jump…

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Gold Pake single speed

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Here’s a Pake “Rum Runner” single speed that I built for a friend of mine.  It’s a 56cm frame with a KHS track fork, an Surly wheelset with flip-flop rear hub, front and rear brakes, and riser bars.  The tires were the stock Avocet 700x32c skinwall slicks came from my RB-T, which should deliver a comfortable ride on broken urban pavement.  Simple!

Sparton fixed gear bike

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Sparton is a Chilean brand that was briefly imported into the USA from 2007-2010.  They were initially sold via eBay for under $200 for a frame and fork.  At first a handmade, lugged steel track frame at such a low price made a big splash in the fixed gear scene, but then a number of negative reviews came out.  Most of the issues were concerned with the fit and finish, unsurprising considering the low price and 3rd world origin.  They operated a retail store in South Carolina briefly, but now the store, website, and owner have all disappeared.

This particular example was bought used (frame & fork) from a girl who had been riding it for the last three years.  It was marked 53×53 (the size of the frame) on the bottom bracket, and had the Sparton logo cast into the seat stay end caps.

It was notably heavier than other track frames I’ve seen, leading me to believe it was made from cheap hi-tensile steel as opposed to lighter and stronger cromoly steel.  The only issue I noticed was that the seat stay bridge had been placed too low, preventing the rear wheel from being mounted all the way into the rear fork-ends.  An amateurish but not serious mistake by the builder.

I built it up with a set of Alex wheels, a Sugino ALPS 144BCD crank which I think is identical to a Suntour Cyclone, stock WTB saddle from my Surly Long Haul Trucker, and the original Bridgestone tires that had come on my RB-1.  It was purchased by a young art student from Paris.

Picture gallery after the jump…

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59cm IRO Mark V

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Another IRO Mark V rebuild / repaint project.  I love building up and selling these bikes, as they are one of the most solid, no-nonsense urban single-speed / fixed gear bikes out there.  They have the perfect geometry for city streets, and use high-quality steel in the frame construction.  For a fixed-gear under $500, it beats all challengers.

I got this frame as part of a trade, and I overhauled and refinished it.  Dismantled, cleaned out, and re-packed the headset and bottom bracket, added some shiny new silver deep-V’s, a Fuji Feather saddle, and a new cockpit with front & rear brakes with nifty pink housing.  Crankset is a Sugino RD 170mm with a 48-tooth Rocket chain ring, 16 tooth Dura Ace cog, KMC K710 chain, and MKS Stream track pedals.

More pics after the jump…

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