Boutique Cycles / Latest News

Building the Team Radio Shack Trek Madone

2010-01-01T00:21:58+00:00

Love it or loathe the design of this bike. It’s always interesting to see how stuff gets put together.
Check this video of Lance Armstrong’s Team Radioshack Trek Madone being decaled.

See more at Boutique Cycles / Building the Team Radio Shack Trek Madone

Hong Kong Private Collection

2009-12-29T13:01:46+00:00

Some interesting bling bikes from a private collection in Hong Kong. Love the “bones” finish on the Klein.

View the rest of the bikes here

See more at Boutique Cycles / Hong Kong Private Collection

Gold Sprints

2009-11-15T12:54:37+00:00

Around 9.30 on Saturday I got to Jones St, Ultimo to find the warehouse where the Sydney Bicycle Film Festival Gold Sprints were to be held. I could not see anybody around but the gate to the delivery dock was open. Kirk and his friend turned up in a taxi and we walked in and around the storage area of this warehouse for a bit. It was a little spooky that it was all open. We later found the sprints down the road a bit. Some technical drama delayed the start of the sprints but then they were off and so were the clothes. Josh, one of the co-organisers was rocking some fruit patterned lycra (someone send us a photo to put up please) and the girls from Three Point Turnz made an entrance with their bicycle bells and baskets. Thanks to Michael Prechtl for taking some photos.

See more at Boutique Cycles / Gold Sprints

An interview with Francesco Bertelli

2009-11-09T12:09:15+00:00

Francesco Bertelli is the guy behind the beautiful bicycles on bertellibici.com. Matt sent me his site a couple of months ago. Wow, we were impressed, not only by the bicycles but by his choice of locations to photograph them - backgrounds that match the colours of the bikes perfectly. Francesco submitted a couple of his builds to the site, Performa Brakeless and Domenica. We wanted to know more, so we asked Francesco some questions.

You mentioned you are Italian. Are you from a family of cyclists, bike builders or riders?

Yes, I’m Italian and I moved only few years ago to NYC, job related reasons. In my family no one is a real fan of the bicycle but everyone has his own. The bicycle is a natural tool that we use everyday. Actually this question recalls me that, when I was a kid, my father used to participate some races that he always lose, but I remember he used to have a beautiful bike with all Campagnolo groupset that I was never able to use - too tall for me at that time…anyway I can say my passion for bikes exploded here in NYC…I never thought about the bike as a design object before and I can’t say that I’m passionate about the sport itself but more about the design and the fact that you can compose it like a piece of art.

I read that you have been cycling for life. What made you start cycling and why do you keep riding?

My hometown is a small town, very safe - or it used to be - and I remember I (actually all kids at that time) used to go to junior school at 6 years on my own with my bike (a cross bicycle with banana saddle). Ever since I used the bike everyday (almost…when possible) to commute…school, work and so on. As I said I’m not a real sport guy. I simple like designing and on the other hand I really love to ride in NYC with the bike. The city fells so small and you can reach and streets in minutes. You fell free form subways cars and buses. You can visit New York one day if you had a bike.

How many bicycles do you personally own?

I used to have three but now just one because I sold them… my apartment is small so I would need a big garage if I wanted to keep em all!

What is your favourite bicycle to ride? Can you tell us about the components which make it?

The bike I’m using now is this one:
Sentinella - Francesco’s current ride

But I cant say which one is the best…initially my dream bike was the Performa Brakeless but I ended up selling it…I’m entering the tunnel of the market haha ...now I feel like I have to build for others not for me..you know…I will ended up riding a junk bike soon, kidding.

This bike is kinda good example of what I like: Nitto steams, seat posts and bars, MKS pedals and toe clips + toe straps, clean frame, clean rims (Alien in this case but I love Velocity as well and DODICI that I would love to try soon), a leather or suede saddle the important is that it has to be monochrome not funky…a clean handlebars…that’s it.

I might sound like an idiot but I don’t like lights or funny accessories. If it is to dark to ride I don’t ride. If is to slick and rainy to ride I don’t ride, period. My bike is not meant as a workhorse like it has to be for a messenger guy.

What are your favourite places to ride?

Where I live, i.e. Manhattan. I love the city, the streets more than Central Park or the riverside…there is a messanger soul in me! But actually I would love to experience San Francisco with a bike.

Mocciosa - 53cm Black Alien Frame

What made you start building bikes?

It all started because I couldn’t find the design I had in mind. It seems that a lot of manufacturers have not enough taste and they need to put big logos and ugly colors for their bikes (how cheesy is the Derosa logo?). So basically I wanted to create a “MUJI” philosophy for bikes. With a designer point of view, but wait, not as designer superstar that have to push their own style (what about the not so good MOTO by Stark, what about the Marc Newson Biomega and for Lance? me not likey those, at all). I also don’t like chefs that try to push “deconstructed” recipes. I just like tagliatelle col ragu, so please do it as my granny knows to do it. So the bike has to be “The bike” and its design has to live within its own “natural” primitive details and limits.

So you are a graphic designer. How do you balance building bikes and full time work?

Building bikes to me is fun, and it doesn’t take lot of time assembling one. The time the I really spend the most is on the web, in order to find the right components.. and since I spend already all my day on internet for my job it was easy to me to stay a little longer.

I see you have a brushed frame finish. I imagine this takes a long time. How do you prepare the frame?

It takes one/two days. It could be done in less but I don’t have the industrial tools or facilities right? So it is wire brushed. In the future I hope to find a more practical, clean and fast way to do it though…!

What tool do you use to brush the frame and do you clear coat afterwards?

I don’t clear coat because I would need a real paint booth and now I don’t have it. Besides the coat can darken the metal in some ways. So in the end I just cover the frame with wax (Johnson wax from home depot) in order to protect the frame from humidity and in case I remove soem rust spot with steel wool…that’s it. This kind of frame obviously requires a little bit more maintance than a regular one but the result is definitely different from what other people have.

Stoica - Brakeless track bike

The bikes you build are subtle in colour. What influences your colour palettes?

Army vehicles/airplanes and sports car from the ‘60-‘70.

What is your process when you build up a bike? Do you have a vision already set out or do you collect parts slowly during the build?

I collect parts based on any good deal I can find. I try to never lose a good item on sale espacially if it rare and nice as I have in mind… and then when is time to create a new build I make a rough sketch in Illustrator based on the parts I already have, just ot have an idea and then I buy the remaining parts that I need…but sometimes happens that the final result is not as expected so I start form scratch or change some components…is not easy to find the same shades of color and texture though…the industry runs against designers…and you have to spend hours to find the right part and sometimes you discover that no one produce the components in the color or shape that you have in mind (and for a reasonable price)...disappointing..

Do you build multiple bikes at a time or just focus on one?

One at time…I’m just starting so I don’t have the queue, yet.

Will you ever make a bike with gears and machined rims?

...I don’t know. I don’t see the real need to have machined rims, and for gears maybe. I saw a new hub 3 speed designed for fixie bikes…but I never thought about it, but I think the answer is no, for now.

Are there any other bike builders/designers doing what your doing? If so do you have any web site links.

The guy who inspired me is defintely My Old Bicycle...the only difference is that I don’t use old frames, I don’t restore or reclaim bikes.

Why did you choose to use Viking frames?

Because Joseph (the owner) is a great guy, and I fell in love with his frames because after a real extensive research on the internet his frames where the ONLY lugged/old school/threaded fork/track frames with no logos/no holes at all (bottle cage or crakes) and for a good price, the best I could find. The only competitor was Sparton but the price was higher for the same frame/same tubing. So aftersome time we got in touch and we collaborated on building his new brand; I helped him out on choosing the colors for his collection and that’s it…everything happened on the internet.

I read that you will collaborate with Viking frames to sell a Bertelli frame. Can you tell us anything about this? Will you sell a Bertelli frameset or only complete bikes?

We will sell the frameset only based on Viking but with different colors and for now I can build bikes only for the NYC area. Maybe in future, depending on shipping methods etc I may start to sell complete bikes outside my city.

I see you don’t like logos. Will a Bertelli/Viking frame have a logo on it?

About my frame it will be the same as Viking but it will come in different colors we still have to decide and with my name stamped very small on the droputs only. As I said I like the MUJI philosohpy and the brand is in the design not in the logos. I’m not saying I don’t like logos at all but I don’t like em big on the bike. Would you really ride in a Porsche with a big logo on the hood? not me.

Have you sold a bike and regretted the sale?

Not yet. Even though I’m really sad selling bikes because I love em all and I would use a different one for ever day of the week…but my apartment is too small to store them all!

What would your dream bike be and what components would it have?

I don’t have a dream bike in mind but my dream about bikes is to have the possibility to have all the components I want with the colors or finish I have in mind. Unfortunately the supply itself has limits, obviously due to the market demand. Simple example: recently I was looking for some bars tape. I research all the kind I could but I couldn’t find the color I wanted. Brooks, fizik, velo Orange. none of them had the right one. and sometimes happen that if you fin the right color or shape from a very small manufacturer in the middle of nowhere it produce his components with an ugly logo, just to ruin the good work done. So that’s it, my dream is one day to have control on components, as now I’m trying to have control on frame set design and colors.

Anything else you want to tell us?

I think I talked a lot but for anyone who has question I can answer anytime at my email you’ll find on my website.
ciao!

Francesco’s site: www.bertellibici.com. The frames he uses: www.vikingcycles.com

See more at Boutique Cycles / An interview with Francesco Bertelli

Top 10 (+1) Cycling Brand Logos

2009-10-23T11:03:48+00:00

I know there are a lot of designers in the Boutique Cycles community, so I thought i would construct a Top ten list of inspirational cycling logos. These logo’s are my personal favs, i know Cameron and Matt will have there own take too. It would be good to get some feedback and see what other people like too. The logo’s are not necessarily reflective of how good the product or the overall brand is, but normally a good logo is the foundation of a good brand as we all know. There are so many good ones it was really hard to choose, so hard i had to put in 11 not 10! Anyhow here goes…

No.1

Cinelli

I’m a sucker for fat type and Cinelli has it in buckets. I love the wings on the “C” too which can be used on it’s own. Simple and perfect.

No.2

Rapha

Rapha is a beautifully formed script that just oozes class.

No.3

Yeti

The stencil style of yetis logo is appealing to me. The shapes all seem to just work so well together. This logo means business.

No.4

Skyway

It’s not the most perfectly crafted logo but i used to spend my days as a kid redrawing it just for fun. So it means a lot to me.

No.5

Cervélo

Cervélo’s logo is just fluid and is the perfect mark for a quality brand.

No.6

Klein

Some people don’t like this logo, but i think it works well. I love the letter “k”, it’s so distinctive. It’s a touch Star Trekky but i don’t care.

No.7

Dean

I couldn’t find a decent image of the logo on it’s own. But Dean’s primitive shapes are just plain cool. It’s a shame they updated it in recent years. This logo is circa 1990.

No.8

Onza

Onza’s mark is plain rad, i bought the tyres and grips just for the logo. Their product was actually pretty good too.

No.9

Colnago

Classic and timeless, this logo is probably as famous as cycling itself!

No.10

Canyon

I love the chopped type, just works so well. And the logo looks hot on the bikes.

No.11

Rockshox

I couldn’t leave this logo out so it made number 11. Rock Shox has stood the test of time. Your eye just flows through the shapes effortlessly. Love it.

See more at Boutique Cycles / Top 10 (+1) Cycling Brand Logos

Damian Breach Photography

2009-10-20T10:14:12+00:00

Chances are if you have ever picked up a MTB magazine, or for that matter even seen one on the shelf of a newsagency you have seen Damian Breach’s work

He has been featured many times on covers as well as many adverts and editorial spreads. What caught my attention was his recent “negative attitude” shoot at the Stromlo World Champs here in Australia. A personal favourite (conceptually) is the way he has taken the classic “sunflower Tour de France” images across to our local events in XC. Super happy with him crossing over to his dark side XC which mean he doesn’t really have many bike genres left to cover. His recent shots from the Scott 24 are awesome. I love the last image of Gordo - the legend caught perfectly with his trademark grin of pain.

Needless to say all image are copyright Damian and cannot be used without permission.
(Boutique Cycles asked for permission, thanks Damian.)

Check out his blog: www.damianbreach.com

See more at Boutique Cycles / Damian Breach Photography

It’s time for a road bike

2009-10-14T07:05:02+00:00

I never thought I would become a road cyclist but living in the city it’s the most accessible form of the sport. I finally sold my old urban street bike today to add to the kitty for the new bike. Now it is decision time. Ultimately I would like a steel or titanium bike but I don’t have the money to drop on an Independent Fabrication Crown Jewel or a Litespeed. Carbon would be nice but I still don’t like the idea of it and the chances of it cracking (but that’s a myth right). So I am set at the moment of getting a modern aluminum racing bike.

I have slowly made a short list of the bikes I want to try. They are the: 2009 Cervélo S1, 2010 Cannondale CAAD9 and the 2010 Canyon Ultimate AL 8. I am a bit crazy and really am affected by the colour and decals on a bike, so preferably it’s a black frame. The CAAD9 and Canyon obviously fit the bill however the Cervélo name is very enticing. The Cannondale will soon be in stock at the local shop to try and a friend of a friend rides the Cervélo if I really want to give it a whirl. In terms of price the Cervélo would be the most expensive, unless I can find a bargain in Australia it would most likely be an order from Competitive Cyclist, if they still have stock. Once duties and tax are included it all adds up.

2009 Cervelo S1

The CAAD9 is the most accessible of the bikes and there are a number of options on the setup and what will fit within my budget.

2010 Cannondale CAAD9

On the top of the list at the moment is the Canyon. The spec. of the 2009 Ultimate AL 8 was really good considering the price. Their brand and bike graphics are so tight. However there is very little information on the German bike company and not many reviews or bike tests. Since Cadel is now the world champion they are bound to get more exposure as a real bike company. The biggest set back is that there is no way of test riding a Canyon unless I found someone in Sydney who owns one, not a big chance of that. I will have to wait for Canyon to release the specs. and price on their 2010 models before I can make a decision.

2010 Canyon Ultimate AL 8 (2009 image)

So what do you think? I’m up for any advice or opinions.

(The feature tunnel image for this post is available to purchase here from Rapha.)

See more at Boutique Cycles / It’s time for a road bike

London to Paris

2009-10-12T08:37:42+00:00

London to Paris - 10 riders from all over the globe ride from London to Paris to meet up with Lance Armstrong at the end of the Tour De France 2009.

I have no issues with Mash, Macframa, Pedal etc (love the first two and still trying to get hold of Pedal) but for me this seems a little more enticing. There’s a journey for the 10 guys involved in what I estimate to be a few days riding from London to Paris to meet up with Lance at the 2009 Tour De France. The fact they aren’t just hacking around the local haunts skidding, bar spinning etc is a really nice shift from the fixed cultured videos around at the moment. London to Paris is due for release October 2009.

Directed by Amazing Grace and All or Nothing Production

See more at Boutique Cycles / London to Paris

Their Off Season = Cyclocross Dreams

2009-10-11T10:38:14+00:00

As the warmth approaches (yes - just get on with it!) our northern friends move into their off season and that means cyclocross. It’s unfortunate that we don’t really have a large cyclocross scene in OZ, but that’s not too much of an obstacle with the interweb thing. A combination of road(like) frames with super lightweight parts, 700c x 30+ knobby tires, thrown around on road, grass and mud, then carried or bunny hopped (for the super skilled) over man made vegetable patch style edging. Even better still are the crowds that seem to have the enthusiasm of a fixed gear alley cat event. In all honestly what more could you ask for?

Combine all of this with a spectator holding a red camera, a birger lens adaptor with Canon EOS lens attached ... pfft heaven appears before your eyes (nice work jesse)

Thanks to the boys for the invite to submit news. I promise to at least attempt to spell better and keep the quality level high.

See more at Boutique Cycles / Their Off Season = Cyclocross Dreams

Surly have a new website

2009-10-01T11:35:49+00:00

Surly Bikes have just launched a brand spankin’ new site. It’s a whole lot easier to navigate than the old beast of a site they had but there doesn’t appear to be any new bikes or colours yet but I could be wrong. All the specs. on frames and complete bikes are a lot easier to get to now, go check it out: surlybikes.com

(for the web nerds the site is built with Expression Engine)

See more at Boutique Cycles / Surly have a new website

Canyon Bikes

2009-09-30T11:16:54+00:00

Canyon Bikes continue to impress me with their attention to detail. You can’t help but think that a company that is so meticulous with the presentation of their brand that the quality of their bike building must be of an even higher standard. Check out their site and product range here. Damn they have one of the hottest bike brand logos too!

See more at Boutique Cycles / Canyon Bikes

GT Pulse 2010 - is this for real?

2009-09-29T03:03:50+00:00

I saw this post over at T-White-Bikes for a reissue of the classic GT Pulse. They say it’s a comeback of the classic GT track bike for 2009. The bike photographed is a prototype for the New Zealand region. The frame is alloy with the same dropouts as the Gutterball and has a carbon fork. The frame has a modern look but I wish they could have reissued the classic GT Pulse frame. I couldn’t find any more information on this frame. Was it previewed at Interbike?

See more at Boutique Cycles / GT Pulse 2010 - is this for real?

Cinelli Mash Colour Option 2010

2009-09-24T02:19:08+00:00

For all the hipsters out there Cinelli have introduced an another colour for the Mash frame – green. The current colour option will still be available too.

A second colour option for 2010.

Booth 128 at Interbike
[via Mash SF]

See more at Boutique Cycles / Cinelli Mash Colour Option 2010

Speedbicycles Virtual Museum

2009-09-23T03:19:24+00:00

You can now stop work for today, here’s an amazing collection of bicycles to look at for the rest of the day www.speedbicycles.ch.

Here’s the blurb and some of the bikes, there are a LOT more to be seen on the site.

“In early 1980s Stefan Schaefter started in collecting and restoring vintage bicycles. Over the years this collection specialized into lightweight bicycles and got selected and refined.The brand “Speedbicycles” was first time used in early 1990s. In 2003 Speedbicycles Gmbh (Ltd liab. Co) (SARL) was founded. Today Speedbicycles offers purchase, sale, repair, restoration and advice of vintage lightweight bicycles. It is the target of Speedbicycles keeping the bikes as authentic as possible. For to preserve the flair of the bikes repainting, rechroming, etc. is avoided wherever applicable.”

No. 328 BIANCHI PISTA Italy, 1973

No. 111 COLNAGO MASTER PIU Italy, 1989

No. 257 CINELLI SUPER CORSA Milano, Italy, 1984

No. 259 EDDY MERCKX MOLTENI REPLICA Belgium, 1992

No. 130 MASI PRESTIGE RC Alberto Masi, Milano, Italy, 1979

See more at Boutique Cycles / Speedbicycles Virtual Museum

Scott 2010 Catalogue

2009-09-21T23:00:30+00:00

Scott has released their 2010 bikes on their site and the catalogue is available on Issuu. Here’s a couple of my favourites. I’m loving the white tyres, not sure how long they would stay white though. This is the first year I have looked at more road bikes than mountain bikes, does that mean I am getting old?

Addict Ltd: Lightest carbon frame on the market

Addict R1

CR1 SL

Scale RC

See more at Boutique Cycles / Scott 2010 Catalogue