Originally Posted by Matthew A Brown
And for probably-nicer-than-it-needs-to-be entry-level stuff, Kogswell is making a 26" utility bike AND a dynamo hub.
Boy, that's the first time that model has been refered to as nicer-than-need-be...
For now we're calling it the Porteur/Randonneur.
It's TIG welded and has a brazed (crown) fork.
Three forks, actually, of varying offsets that yield different amounts of trail. That was Jan Heine's idea. He'll have a test of the frame and forks in the next issue of VBQ.
We think it will be a dandy touring bike. The frames and forks are loaded with rack and fender mounting points. We supply the frames with steel fenders painted to match. And you adjust the geometry for front/rear loading bias by choosing the right fork.
If you don't like 650B wheels, we'll have 650A (590) available. 590 tires are great for tourists. Every Walmart in America sells them. Nice ones, too. Can't say that about 700c tires.
Utility is a good description. Beside touring duty it can be used as a delivery bike (Porteur). And Jan thinks that it will make a good rando bike as well.
But at sub $500 for frame, fork, fender, HS, and seatpost, I don't think that anyone needs to worry about about it being overly nice. All Kogswell's are a screaming value. Ask an owner.
For more info, see our web page:
http://kogswell.com/PR.html