— By Kevin Montgomery (@kevinmonty) |
In case you didn't already have enough ways to acquire a track bike, Low Bicycles has come onto the scene with their rad, handmade track bikes. At $945 for a frame and fork, the setup is no doubt pricy, but Low builds these frames right here on Florida Street, unlike Mission neighbors Public Bikes and Mission Bicycle Company who mass-produce their frames in Asia. Low's website explains:
Having had it with the endless search for a no-nonsense aluminum track frame, Andrew Low took it upon himself to build his own. Like many of us, he was frustrated to find that most options out there were either discontinued, too hard to find, in poor condition, or just plain ugly. Harnessing his background in metal design and fabrication, Andrew started Low Bicycles.
Low Bicycles takes pride in producing high quality bike frames right here in San Francisco because we love this city. We are passionate about this bike culture and intend to grow an intimate connection to it. While we realize that our stiff and aggressive design philosophy is not for everybody, we hope to satisfy and evolve with the needs of the most hardcore riders out there— those of whom are influenced and inspired by the same spirit which gave birth to this company.
And if you need more convincing that their frames are the jam, their Tumblr is packed full of shots both of the manufacturing process and the finished product. Unfortunately there's already a 3 month waitlist to get a frame, so if you want yourself a fresh bout of credit card debt by Spring, you better get moving.
Comments (8)
MrEricSir | [Permalink]
You have to draw the line at bicycles that cost as much as a used car.
Kevin Montgomery | [Permalink]
A grand for a handmade bike is extremely reasonable. Most handmade ti road bikes cost upwards of $3,000 for just the frame. And it’s nearly impossible to get a quality (mass-manufactured in Asia, might I add) full-suspension mountain bike frame for under $1000.
So, yeah, it seems pricy but not if you are aiming for quality. Just don’t lock it up mid-Market.
MrEricSir | [Permalink]
Christ, you could buy an entry-level Segway for that price!
(Of course, the real cost of a Segway is your dignity.)
Herr Doktor Professor Deth Vegetable | [Permalink]
Wha… huh.
I can not even wrap my head around someone paying $1,000+ for a bicycle to ride around the city on. In the words of Mr. T, that’s absoludicrous.
Anonymous Coward | [Permalink]
cool
another track bike shop
katie | [Permalink]
dear Herr,
can you wrap your mind around playing $1,000 for a shitty ratty old car to get around the city – not including the towing fee for when it breaks down on yo ass?
Buster | [Permalink]
Oh boy, ANOTHER custom frame builder. < 3% of those sold will ever see a velodrome or a day at work.
Kevin Montgomery | [Permalink]
Yeah! Fuck people who just want to enjoy riding bikes!