There’s never a queue to get to the back room of the internet’s bike shop, so off I went a rummagin’. Here’s what I found this month.
Doom Bars
Nope, not purveyors of Cornish beer, but a maker of handlebars based in Albuquerque in the USA and, to be honest, they’ll make you pretty much any kind of bar you want, the only thing they won’t make for you is a bar that will accept drop bar brake levers.
They have a couple of base models, the 15mm rise, 21 degree backsweep ‘Legal Drinker’ (geddit? 21, they’re American…) and its more accomplished, same spec but titanium, brother the ‘Professional `Drinker’. Then there’s the ‘Lucky Riser’, with a 2” rise and 14 degrees back sweep (‘Because you cant stop at 13’), also available in 4130 Steel and Ti.
One thing I haven’t yet mentioned is the width of these bars, as it shouldn’t get lost in the rest of the text, they are a massive 875-880mm wide, so you may need to take a saw out with you to the trails for any trees, or lamp posts on the roads to them, that may be too close together to let you slip through. Of course the idea is that the customer cuts them to fit, but you never know…
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Here’s the Lucky Riser Ti Bar
And the Professional Drinker, again in Ti.
All the bars come as 22.2mm BMX standard, but each set ships with a shim so you can run either 25.4 or 31.8mm stems, no 35mm options though. Weight for the Ti models is a rather hench 425g (at 880mm remember) but there isn’t one listed for the steel, I guess if you are asking, they aren’t for you.
Prices are $185-$195USD for the steel option, dependant on finish, and around $250USD for the Ti which for the sheer amount of material, never mind the labour that goes into them, isn’t as eyewatering as I was expecting. (plus shipping and taxes etc).
If the standard models aren’t for you, drop Doom an email and they will create your every desire. Want a BMX style brace? Done. Different rise left and right? Done (On purpose). Hot Pink bars? Done.
Obviously price on application for these and the lead time is about a month, but head to @doom.bars on Instagram or www.doombars.com for some more inspiration.
Endless Bikes
Endless are another brand making cool stuff in America, this time North Carolina. Endless’ focus is on the singular, either one gear ideally, or one chainring at a push. Like any good queue, starting at the back are their Kick Ass Cogs.
As you can see they are available in all the colours, ranging from a relaxed 25t, down to a torturous 14t. Whilst that small a cog may allow you to tear the legs off your more mortal friends, it won’t tear up your (HG only at the moment) freehub, on account of being over 6mm wide at the base. Curiously, Endless don’t recommend SRAM PC1 singlespeed chains, but the PC7, 8, 9, 11 and 12 models have had no issues. Prices range from $50-60USD.
Moving forward, We get to the chainrings, and a myriad of different options. Cinch & SRAM 3 bolt direct mount rings, 110BCD, 104BCD, 96CD, 64BCD, narrow wide, odd numbered tooth counts in All. The. Colours, as shown here.
Tooth counts go from 26t to 36t (not in all fitments, obviously) and prices range from $70-90USD
They also produce some very funny stickers with some very sweary singlespeedy slogans, but you’ll have to go to the website www.endlessbikes.com to see those or @endlessbikeco on Instagram.
Kellys Bikes
I know, I know, you come to read these articles to find out about small niche brands selling lovely things (or tut at how much it all costs, whatever lights your candle) and Kellys are a well established, relatively big brand with worldwide reach. But the original brief of this feature as cool and interesting stuff. How cool does a 9lb magnesium race bike sound? Mega expensive, elite level only? Feast your eyes on Kellys Kiru Race!
This was one of my favourite looking bikes that I saw wandering round the Malverns festival, and given the intensity of the balance bike world champs there, a full on race bike would surely help?
12” wheels, Magnesium frame and fork, comes in tons of cool colours and retails for a nowhere near as expensive as some, £170. There’s even a lighter version! The non race version is 8lbs (ish), because it has no brakes, meaning it’s even faster!
Anyway, enough of me thinking that if this was around when I were a lad, I’d have some rainbow stripes somewhere, that’s all for this month folks.
Peace. Out.
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