Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - these bikes are hot...how come i haven't seen any around?

i found this shop while walking around berkeley one day...but it was the day of that large bicycle swap, so they were closed that day with a note posted that they were attending that meet....ahh what could of been...

but anyway what does anyone know about them?

http://www.momovelo.com/atelier/gilman.html

um...do a search for MOMOVELO in this forum...you'll see. Guess there are issues with the shop owner's business acumen and ethics.
sucsk too since there is a good deal cool stuff "available" according to the site

the "gilman" is essentially a surly steamroller frame, painted differently. the coolest thing about them is the way they're set up. i like the "gentleman" model.

so his shop still open then? i'll be out west this summer and would like to check it out. i am obsessed with the website, but alas everyone says ordering from him is a nightmare.

not to kick (or revive) a dead horse, but doesn't their news page say "see you in the spring"? IE, closed for the winter...

so...in theory, the shop may be back and active in the spring. i don't see any reason why it couldn't be a glowing success...the bikes are beautiful, and they obviously have the passion for it.

Don't bring up Momovelo... there's many unsatisfied people that tried the buy something from Kai and got screwed.

karmical, i just PMed you.

Don't bring up Momovelo... there's many unsatisfied people that tried the buy something from Kai and got screwed.

thanks for the heads up...i'll make sure and leave my bankcard at home when i drop by and peep the shop...just to be on the safe side.....

I love the look too, but with a lil patience and the same amount of money you can acheive it yourself.
They've got a great idea to sell there but there have been an inordinate amount of complaints about them, usually I dismiss peoples complaints about problematic ordering out of hand, but so many..where there's smoke there's fire and you could have the best product in the world it doesn't matter one whit if you don't know how to treat people.

If they want to be artisans rather than bike dealers they should allow customers to commision not buy what isn't there yet and make it clear that is what is going on. From what I've read momovelo wants patrons, not customers and there is a huge difference.

when I emailed him about some products he was responsive, polite, and completely honest (to the point of dissuading me from making the purchase). sad to hear a guy like that turns out to be a poor businessman

hey you can't even order from him anymore, his ordering site is down...

the "gilman" is essentially a surly steamroller frame, painted differently. the coolest thing about them is the way they're set up. i like the "gentleman" model.

This is certainly true. All of the items on those bikes can be purchased separately from a wide variety of sources.

I think people are (understandibly) responding to the beauty of a well-thought-out aesthetic bicycle-- but in reality, these are mostly stock frames with custom powder coats and boutique component touches.

If they want to be artisans rather than bike dealers they should allow customers to commision not buy what isn't there yet and make it clear that is what is going on. From what I've read momovelo wants patrons, not customers and there is a huge difference.

Actuall thinking about it this is a pretty good idea for this guy, isn't there a regular here that communicates with these folk? It'd suck to see them go away altogether just because they got overwhelmed.

Yeah you totally can build something up better for the price. Plus you can have a vintage lightweight lugged steel frame with quality tubing rather than a modern heavier tig-welded frame probably made in Taiwan. I guarantee you can find a frame on ebay with either Reynolds 531 or Columbus tubing for under 100 bucks, sometimes with many components still on them. Then you can set it up however you want with better components than this guy does for less money. I have done this many times. But these really do look like surly frames, not only because they are tig welded steel but also the dropouts look pretty much identical from what I can see. My Surly looks more and more like a stock piece of crap every time I look at it.

i passed by momovelo the other day and the shop was empty. This is the one in downtown Berkeley near jupiters right?

i passed by momovelo the other day and the shop was empty. This is the one in downtown Berkeley near jupiters right?

that was the old shop there is a new shop near university...can't think of the cross....but i wasn't planning on ever buying one of the bikes, just wanted a little background 411, cause there were plenty of goodies all over it....and yes i could find some of them online, ebay...yada yada....but i like having stuff in my hands right now.....just kind of wondered why i have not seen any of there complete bikes riding around....being that close to cal, if kai was half as bad as some of the posts i read in the momovelo thread, there should be more than one of them around the campus....you'd think...

you coming out thursday night?

that was the old shop there is a new shop near university...can't think of the cross....but i wasn't planning on ever buying one of the bikes, just wanted a little background 411, cause there were plenty of goodies all over it....and yes i could find some of them online, ebay...yada yada....but i like having stuff in my hands right now.....just kind of wondered why i have not seen any of there complete bikes riding around....being that close to cal, if kai was half as bad as some of the posts i read in the momovelo thread, there should be more than one of them around the campus....you'd think...

you coming out thursday night?

ya, i'll be there tonight. Has anyone seent the ebisu guy on bancroft? now that we're on the topic of bike shops in berkeley.

that was the old shop there is a new shop near university...can't think of the cross....but i wasn't planning on ever buying one of the bikes, just wanted a little background 411, cause there were plenty of goodies all over it....and yes i could find some of them online, ebay...yada yada....but i like having stuff in my hands right now.....just kind of wondered why i have not seen any of there complete bikes riding around....being that close to cal, if kai was half as bad as some of the posts i read in the momovelo thread, there should be more than one of them around the campus....you'd think...

you coming out thursday night?

milvia and university.

Maybe everyone else is already thinking this, but I'm guessing he closed down the Internet order thing because the e-business was getting out of hand. Probably a good decision if you ask me.

I had no problem getting a wheel from him awhile back, but the thing got stolen. rrrgh...

Has anyone seent the ebisu guy on bancroft?

http://www.jitensha.com/eng/e_index.html

they are always closed when i am in berkeley...

sometimes they're not really closed. i used to always think they were, because i never saw anyone in there, but hiroshi is sometimes in an upstairs loft that's hard to see/notice from outside. one day, i just tried their door and it was unlocked, so i went in. according to the website, he keeps pretty straight hours. he has a TON of NOS suntour and shimano stuff in there. and a ton of really nifty handlebars. and of course, all the euro-asia stuff like MKS pedals and toe straps, nitto parts, and other miscellaneous parts and accessories. a really great shop.

does anyone know what kind of fenders are on that first bike, i guess the "pista" one? i can't see where they are mounted anywhere, but i'm mostly blind as a bat. those fenders are pretty cool though.

sometimes they're not really closed. i used to always think they were, because i never saw anyone in there, but hiroshi is sometimes in an upstairs loft that's hard to see/notice from outside. one day, i just tried their door and it was unlocked, so i went in. according to the website, he keeps pretty straight hours. he has a TON of NOS suntour and shimano stuff in there. and a ton of really nifty handlebars. and of course, all the euro-asia stuff like MKS pedals and toe straps, nitto parts, and other miscellaneous parts and accessories. a really great shop.

good to know....i'll hit up both places....

those fenders would be sogreni, found here: http://sogreni.dk/Mudguards.php
don't even ask about the wood ones, they are "vapor-ware"

momovelo frames are like the sasquatch. none of fgg (except his), none here. did he ever actually produce them?

those fenders would be sogreni, found here: http://sogreni.dk/Mudguards.php
don't even ask about the wood ones, they are "vapor-ware"


wallbike has the sogreni stuff (when its availabe), and has a better selection of it to boot.

Momovelos issue is that he takes orders (and money), then places the order with his vendor. He keeps no stock. When a vendor is out of an item, it takes a huge ammount of time to hear back, and even longer (if at all) to get a refund.

He means well, but has no business sense.

i've witnessed those wood fenders with my very own eyeballs at kenwood cyclery in minneapolis...very alluring.

great shop, and hiroshi makes one of the coolest ladies frame i've ever seen...

As far as I know, momovelo doesn't make any of their own frames. They're all just repainted.

The above is a standard mixte frame. Check Google images if you want to see more.

does anyone know what kind of fenders are on that first bike, i guess the "pista" one? i can't see where they are mounted anywhere, but i'm mostly blind as a bat. those fenders are pretty cool though.
Actually they're not sogreni, they're honjo... not sure where they're available except momovelo... maybe rivendell?

As far as I know, momovelo doesn't make any of their own frames. They're all just repainted.

The above is a standard mixte frame. Check Google images if you want to see more.

sorry for my confusing post, what i meant to say is that it's from jitensha studio in berkeley. OneTin was talking about hiroshi iimura, the owner, above. my reply was in response to him but i was distracted when i sent it and forgot to quote. that is a standard mixte style frame, other than the top tube being a single tube. but as far as ladies bikes go, this one looks slick to me. if i were a girl, i'd ride it. (sans gears, of course).