Wolgich Composites

24/08/2018

Not too many people in the custom bike business IMHO have a clear and unique vision, something in which if you took the decals off you'd instantly know what bike it is.

Dario Pegoretti was one of those people, and sadly today we have learned of his passing.

Dario was not only a true character, but he also legitimised the artistic side of bicycles, beautifully juxtaposed by the functionality and simple lines of the bikes themselves.

He'll be deeply missed.

26/10/2017

Mountain bikes are currently going through arguably the biggest change to 'accepted' geometry since the inception of the mountain bike itself, which make me wonder how long it will take for road bikes to catch on? (Think: Disc Brakes).

Here's my very abbreviated take:

• Chainstays are generally too short, so STA has to be 73-74 degrees to get proper clearances.
• That's too steep, so to get the correct saddle setback you need a mega layback seatpost.
• That puts too much weight over the rear wheel, which you try to counter by having an aerodynamically flat-back as possible to help shift some weight forward.
• However, Top tubes are often too short, so you have to run a 130-140mm stem to get the correct reach.
• Steering is too quick for bikes that barely need to steer at all, so the long stem artificiality slows that down to bearable levels.

Sound about right?

19/09/2017

Super impressive meet'n'greet with James and Ben of Bastion Cycles, and Mark of Prova Cycles just now. Both groups of guys are doing amazing things and you should totally throw your well-earned at them if you're in need of a new steed.

06/07/2017

Wolgich Composites designed seatstays, chainstays, and dropouts on a Cryptic Cycles concept bike showcasing the new Shimano urban gruppo, 'Metrea'. Now showing at Shimano Bike NYC!

SHIMANO BIKE NYC proudly showcases 33 bicycles hand-made by a select group of expert manufacturers in the US and the EU. These bikes feature the latest METREA, ALFINE, and STEPS components designed to provide the ultimate cycling experience in an urban environment. Our participating manufacturers include Moots, Seven Cycles, 8bar bikes, schindelhauer bikes, Cryptic Cycles, Raleigh Bikes, Trek Bicycle, Opus Bike, and Evil Bikes.

24/06/2017

Cryptic Cycles displaying at the new Shimano NYC display in Manhattan, showcasing the new Shimano 'Metrea' gruppo, and also showcasing a new carbon chainstay/seatstay assembly designed by yours truly. Mold design and fab by Dave Bohm @ Bohemian Bicycles.

19/06/2017

I was thinking about this podcast recently, largely because after going into a bike shop over the weekend and noticing that there was quite differing philosophies from bike companies on the proportionality of bike frames and the tubes they utilise.

By global 'standards', the tubes I use (and most tube-to-tube builders use) are diminutive compared to semi-monocoque construction. Some of the frames I saw like the Pinarellos for example, I wonder if they have any movement in any direction at all, and others, such as Cervelo and Cannondale, seem more in tune with the philosophies of tube-to-tube construction.

The interesting parallel I came up with regarding frame stiffness is this.

My other sporting love is Badminton, and in respect to Badminton rackets, there are varying degrees of stiffness when it comes to the rackets' shaft. It's generally deemed that the stronger you are as a player, the more stiffness you need, and that if you can't bend the shaft adequately when you swing, the racket will generate less power and will also 'push back' on the user, increasing stress to the joints. These concepts are accepted as gospel, and seem to definitely play out in the real world from my own experience.

My other experience came in the early 1990's after riding a Slingshot for a couple of years. If you're not familiar, a Slingshot is a bike that has no downtube, but instead a flexural top tube and a cable/spring for a downtube. Sounds all sorts of wrong in the modern context and probably is, but the only time I felt like it was a detrimental design is when the flex-plate started to wear out and get TOO flexible. When it was new, it felt fine - good even - despite the fact that the bike would visually torque very easily.

So where to I stand on frame stiffness? I believe that there is a symbiosis between human and machine, and with many things there's a balance to be played out between stiffness and forgiveness. This will be different for everyone, but I think aiming for the symbiosis is what we should be aiming for, not some marketing-driven "Now 5% stiffer!" garbage.

It all lies in to a very Design Anthropology concept of - as a designer - not fighting or trying to dominate nature, but working with it. A bicycle should disappear underneath you, and work with you, not against. It should dissipate load, not concentrate it. It should connect, and resonate with you. It shouldn't be an objectified and infantilised concept of the unapproachable and the unworthy.

It shouldn't be an engineered product, but a humanised product.

CyclingTips Podcast: Does frame stiffness matter?

03/06/2017

If I had to distill down my 80's mountain bike experience and the two guys that always resonate with me in terms of design and ethos and just plain ol' cool-factor, it's John Parker and Chris Chance.

https://youtu.be/0OugSJXrLeY

The Pro's Closet caught up with Chris Chance at the "Mountain Bike Hall of Fame" in the spring of 2015. In this mini-doc, Chris describes the early days of F...

11/05/2017

Time to take things to the next level.

27/04/2017

Now that the seat and chainstay molds are made, it's time to start designing some tubes for the front end.

Currently playing around 'squoval' shapes and fairly (okay, not really) complex transitions.

17/04/2017

I think if you buy a steel bike, then you should get a steel fork built at the same time to match.

I know the trend is to just whack a 44mm head tube on there and buy a tapered steerer carbon fork, but to me this just seems a little......yuck.

Why? Well, if weight mattered that much to you, then why all of a sudden are you interested in the 300g you'd save going with a carbon fork over a steel one?

Secondly, steel headtubes don't need to be 44mm. They're big, heavy and unnecessary. The 44mm standard makes sense for titanium and carbon, but it's totally unnecessary for steel. Extra weight and visual bulk for no good reason.

And speaking of visual bulk, when I look at a steel bike, my eye is instantly drawn to this grossly mismatched gigantic fork on a proportionately svelt steel frame. It's an abomination.

So if you decide to get a nice steel frame, go with a standard headtube and get your builder to make a nice matching fork, too.

15/04/2017

Gravel has been ground.