Originally Posted by SamHall
Hi folks,
I don't know if this question really has an answer, but recent picture threads have kindled my curiousity- so I must ask. What makes the NJS track frames (Kalavinka, Samsen, et all) so desireable?
To be clear, I'm not trolling with this- I love the look of the lugged, tight clearance frames- but since I've never seen one of these in person, much less ridden one, I don't see why they are better than a Cinelli, Walker, or any other quality frame.
It can't be the geometry, track is track pretty much. I doubt they are super light, you don't need/want that in a bike intended for serious track racing.
So is it just, as I suspect, an "it's NJS so it's cool" thing?
A) It leaves little doubt about the quality if the product.
Stamps of approval are very useful when you aren't familiar with where a product came from or it's level of quality. They also keep the manufacturer honest, meaning that the manufacturer will be careful not to let sub standard parts make it to the market even though they lose money by throwing them away.
Some common stamps of approval that we use every day:
- DOT
- USDA
- Bachelors Degree
- Kosher
- Made in the USA
B) It's a little more exclusive because some of the parts are hard to find. And a 100% NJS bike is possible, but rare. Some people are perfectionists and will strive for that in a project bike, like people will strive to build an All-Italian or all-Japanese bike. Sort of like having an all AC Schnitzer, Brabus, or VW Motorsport car.
So, depending on what you are into NJS can mean different things.