14 Bike Co. Frameset
 

this thing looks incredible. aero 853 tubing, very cool looking, hand made. what's the catch?

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2506/...c5063a9aba.jpg

it is £1000. or, $1650. for the frameset.

This was on pedal consumption.

the catch is that it's a complete ripoff. $1650 for a frameset? haha.

Also, why not just get an aluminum frame? $10 says that this thing feels the exact same as a FTP or pista concept. That steel is drawn so thin and the tubes are so fat that it's going to have a lot more vibration than skinnier steel tubes.

Why?

Seriously. Why?

This bike solves no problems yet creates a big one...high cost. $1,650 for a Pista Concept / Vigorelli knock-off made of steel.

"Andy at FGLDN based the concept on a couple of frames he had owned in the past." I'll bet a dollar to a dime it's based on a Pista Concept.

"Many times this has been mistaken for Aluminum." Yes, That's because you copied an Aluminum bike.

"14 & FGLDN believe steel has soul because of the skill and time that goes into making a frame like this." Riiiiight. "soul". Because "steel is real" but doesn't exist on the periodic table.

There is a reason why this isn't popular and it's not that anyone hasn't thought of this before. As ATX stated before the tubes will be very thin to be just as light. Thin steel tubes may buckle under shock or load.

Blah, Blah
I don't care.

aero tubing + non-aero seat post = gross

14
 

I kind of like that thing. Unfeasible concept designs please me greatly.

Aside from their looks and copying, their tubing, Reynolds 853 is supposed to be good stuff, Reynold's high-end tubing that's stiff and light:
http://www.worldclasscycles.com/JACKSON-HOME.htm
http://www.worldclasscycles.com/reynolds_853.htm

It's silly to spend that much on an off the peg frame, you could get a custom geometry Yamaguchi or similar for the same price or less.

For $200 more you can get a custom Tiemeyer.

For $200 you can get a Kilo TT frameset which is going to work just as well for all of you pu55ies.

Edit: I take that back. The Kilo TT frameset is probably better.

Boo-yeah!

Man, talk about a fishing expedition for clueless consumers. 1650$!?! Holy Crap.

Sand in your vag today?

Almost correct. I forgot to grease up my chamois this morning.

pedallingATX, i think you didn't get the point. i was trying to say that the catch was the ridiculous price.

here was my e-mail i sent to prolly about this:


....i guess i'm just kinda pissed that the "fixed-gear culture" is becoming more of a "fixed-gear market" revolving around endless consumption of expensive stuff, and to me, putting out a $1650 frameset then acting like that's a good thing kinda seemed insulting. i mean, there's almost no medium quality stuff in the fixed-gear market nowadays, and what i see is the market splitting in two directions: independent, creative people making boutique items at sky-high prices, and bikesdirect putting out $300 taiwanese catalog bikes. there's no real middle ground, and i think that's ridiculous.

so, that's why i posted my formulaic hater comment. but seriously.. this street fixed-gear thing is a "culture" based around consumption, which is enough of a Bad Thing, let alone having to pay either $300 or $3000 to gain entry, with no real middle ground.

:-(

of course, boutique companies can't operate on the economies of scale big enough to make things affordable, unless we have a TON of local boutique companies in every local area. the big bike companies have completely dropped the ball on what people want, as well. so...

Dude, the same thing happend with sneakers (among other things). The sneaker game used to be about *finding* the rare shoes and still paying MSRP (or less) for them. That was the real sneaker game. Then some folks (ahem...rich kids) decided that they were too lazy to search around, establish relationships, and actually have taste for cool stuff and they just throw money around to buy game. The thing is, the game that's bought is only recognized by others that buy game. So, it becomes a "I can spend more than you" contest. Lame indeed. But, hey, if you want to pay $200 for some of my *used* sneakers that I paid $80 for...who am I to not separate a fool from his money?

luno, i don't think you reallly know what you're talking about. The price point for FG bikes isn't "split" b/w two ends. There is a bike at nearly every price point. Cheapest ones are from bikesdirect, then you can get IROs then steamrollers/sputniks/fujis/pistas/etc. Then above that you have custom framesets. There are also soma rush, alien, etc. So, wtf are you talking about?

give me a price and i'll name at least one production bike/frame that fits that price. Also, did you seriously write that letter to prolly lol?

Yeah, I was thinking that exact thing.

John Prolly isn't an authority on this stuff. He's just the most narcissistic.

Alright... I'll bite. I've been looking for a new frame, but I'm looking for geometry, specifically steeper geometry. I'm looking to spend about $500 for a frameset and I'm currently riding a Kilo (but looking for something more track specific, as I'd be taking it to the track).
I should note that I'm looking for steel only.
If you can find me a decently track geo frame for $500, thanks [whoever said we could name a price and you'd give a frame]

damn, now that you mentioned it.. i made bank buying and selling NikeSB's 3-4 years ago.

i didnt write a letter to prolly
i made a funny hating comment on his post like "oh rich kids"
then he replied to my email like "hey thats not nice"
so i was like "here is why i said that" which is what i posted here
and then he said "im feelin that bro rad"


PATX, i suppose you're right. but i think it's stupid that this scene is almost more based around buying and spending as much as you can rather than just riding bikes around. i guess what i meant to say is that the market is split between "uncool" people who don't customize their bikes that much and keep them mainly stock, and then people who change out every single part on their bike and spend $3000 on their NJS barspin bike.

You forgot the people who actually um race their track bikes.

I do.

Why steel only? If you are looking to race, there are few track racers that actually race steel. You are definitely limiting your options by choosing such a small sub-set (steel) of an already small sub-set (track/FG bikes) of the bike market as a whole. Then you limit it to $500. Sorry, man. You are asking a lot. You can get a lighter, stiffer, better racing frame for your $500 if you are open to considering aluminum.

lol at this. I remember being 15 :) you get points for being more articulate than the typical high schooler though.