Tag Archives: track

Vogue X Cycle Aki Road Bike with Suntour Superbe

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The latest vintage restoration from my shop is this stunning Vogue road bike, built up with its original Suntour Superbe components.  It was a surprise find on Yahoo Japan Auctions, sold complete except for wheels and cranks. It was coated in layers of grease, grime and dust.  Once I removed the parts and began to clean the frame, a masterpiece of a bicycle came into focus.

Vogue is a true connoisseur’s brand, rarely seen outside of Japan.  In the USA, the marque is more often associated with Keirin track bikes.  Road versions of Vogue bicycles are very rare. This particular one is a collaboration between Vogue and a Japanese bicycle store called “I Love Cycle Aki” which had a contract with Oriental Kogyo (“Industries”), the formal name for the frame builder behind Vogue, Hiroshi Takahira. Takahira-San made these bikes as one-off customs for Aki customers. It has Vogue and Aki engravings on the seat stays and fork crown.  Read on to learn all about Vogue and this bike! Continue reading →

Nagasawa Special NJS Track with Suntour Superbe Pro

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In December of 2021 I wrote about a Nagasawa track bike I restored.  It was actually my second Nagasawa; this article is about my first one.  I acquired it in early 2017 as a lucky eBay find; only $800 complete!  Based on the serial number, it was made in 1984, and I think it had been repainted at least once in its life, since the paint was in excellent condition.  It was built up with cheap parts which I quickly discarded, opting instead for an all-Suntour Superbe Pro track build.  I also had an additional challenge: I don’t ride brakeless fixed in the streets, but I also did not want to defile one of Nagasawa-san’s forks by drilling it for a brake.  Instead, I purchased a fork from a different NJS bike that had already been drilled, and which used the same fork crown and dropouts as the Nagasawa.  I acquired new decals and sent it off to Allan Wanta, who did a marvelous job matching the pearlescent yellow paint of the original.  Read on for more info on the build, plus a cool interview with Nagasawa-san from 1983! Continue reading →

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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Bridgestone Anchor Carbon Track Bike – FAPCPT

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Is a carbon bike “vintage” if it’s old enough to buy beer?  This Bridgestone Anchor track bike was born in 1999 (making it technically “Gen Z”) and represents their first foray into monocoque carbon frames.  “FAPCPT” is a convoluted and unfortunate model name, evocative of onanistic internet slang.  It’s all relative I suppose, considering the brand name is “Anchor,” a word that doesn’t convey a sense of lightness or speed (or even motion itself).  Both the brand, and this bike in particular were created for the Japanese market and not with an English-speaking audience in mind.  Silly names aside, this bike is a work of art, with clean, sculptured lines and a svelte profile.  Read on to learn more about this rare early carbon track bike.

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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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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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