Fermaguiana: 3/1/11

Thursday, March 31, 2011

Saturday, March 26, 2011

Maybe you’re a big guy, like to sprint, not afraid to grab a jersey or bump an elbow, do ok on the short hills, do better on crappy descents, double espresso at the coffee stop, a beer and a brat or two after a long ride. The spring classics are what get your blood pumping, full of rain, cobbled bergs, cow shit, and rabid fans. Ghent-Bubbelghum, De Ronde van Vlaanderen, Parigi-Roubaix - now them are proper bike races. Maybe add Amstel Gold and Liege-Bastogne-Liege in a pinch and certainly the new Strada Bianca race in Tuscany.

Here at HampCo we’ve distilled our long-standing love of the Spring Classics and sketchy roads into a single frame; we call it “MAX”. Based on the famed MAX tubeset from Columbus Tubi - which Columbus has so graciously re-introduced using their top-notch Niobium tubing - we make a few tweaks to the package:

1 - We lose the lugs and BB shell. Yep, the lugs have their own appeal but we like welding Niobium and we save some weight.

2 - We drop the MAX fork. Carbon works well here for short or medium-reach calipers or we can build our own. Choose from Enve, Co-Motion Nor-Wester, or HampCo steel. We build these to work with up to 28mm tires for better cush and more traction.

3 - The swaged seat tube is awkward to weld around and we try to avoid brazed-on front der clamps so we substitute our own seat tube. This gives us the seat tube option of 28.6mm or 31.6mm - one more chance to fine-tune the ride and stiffness of the frame.

4 - Those smooshed seat stays have never looked quite right so let’s save them for that coffee-table project and we’ll use Columbus Spirit or Zona stays, 14mm, 17mm, even 19mm - single-or-double-taper - it all depends on the rider.

This leaves us with Columbus MAX 31.8mm bi-ovalized top tube, 35mm bi-ovalized down tube, 38mm tall chainstays, normal head tube. We get a frame weight here of about 3.4 pounds, unpainted, in a 55cm frame. The lack of lugs, the lighter fork, and the tubing substitutions both save weight and allow more tweaking of the end product: light and comfy or stiffer and burlier - your choice.

Max frame with choice of fork - $2400

1.125” headset required
English BB shell
27.2mm seat post
28.6mm or 31.8mm clamp-on front derailer
Fender capability upon request

MAX sale!

Spring is here, the Classics are underway, our new MAX model is getting closer to completion (and back from paint), so let's move some MAX frames. Ok, for the month of April all MAX frames will be $200 off - $2200 for a custom frame of your choice using our blend of Columbus MAX and Spirit tubing. Choose from Enve 2.0 fork, Co-Motion fork for 57mm-reach calipers, of HampCo steel fork for brakes of your choice. Delivery will be in 2-4 months.

Operators are standing by - 206 524 6010

Thursday, March 24, 2011

"On second thought, I won't take the stairs"

Travelissimo 2:

Numbers, please...

Ok, it's a new spring and we're getting this bikebuilding thing back underway. For those ordering bikes the first time here is a look at the numbers we like to see off your currents ride, assuming the fit is close to what you like.

Namely:

Saddle from center of BB shell

Saddle from floor

Bars from floor

Saddle tip to center of bars

Saddle tip behind BB center - a plumb bob is good here

Et voila!

Monday, March 21, 2011

Tee shirts

Courtesy of Rich at House

Designed by House Industries, lovingly constructed from spun cotton, these fit like real tees and not those skinny imitations. Weight is on the lighter side, perfect for summer or under your new Woolistic sweater (coming soon).

Tees as shown, $24 includes shipping. Black and red are men's sizes S - XL; pink and yellow are women's S - L.

Why not add on:

Sweater (soon) - $125

Gavia poster - $30

Boar sox - $10

Mopha bag - $38

And we'll pay shipping.