Fairwheel Bikes showstoppers – Interbike 2013

Arizona boutique puts six highly unique machines on display

September 18, 2013 at 7:38 am

The custom boutique shop Fairwheel Bikes has consistently delivered incredible creations to Interbike for the last few years, and 2013 is no exception. BikeRadar got a sneak peek at the six machines Fairwheel brought to this year show, with a guided tour from Fairwheel Bikes owner Jason Woznick.

This year’s eye candy run the gamut from 8.9lb/4.04kg flyweights to a modified Di2 bike with custom software to the world’s lightest BMX.

Bike No. 1 – English

Although you might miss it at a glance, this frameset has no steerer tube. Instead, the stem runs down through the head tube, and the fork clamps onto the stem extension.

Prototype ee brake calipers are used on the frame, which features an ultra slim seatstay yoke.

Fairwheels bikes interbike 2013: there is no steerer tube; instead, the fork clamps onto the stem extension: fairwheels bikes interbike 2013: there is no steerer tube; instead, the fork clamps onto the stem extension

Ben Delaney/Future Publishing

No steerer tube here

The front and rear skewers screw into the fork and frame, and internal Di2 wiring is capped off with a battery plug-in tucked under the Tune saddle.

The complete bike as shown weighs 14.9lb/6.7kg.

Bike No. 2 – Holland Travel

Despite a largely metal frame, this coupled bike weighs a mere 13.8lb.

With some small incisions in the hoods, Shimano’s sprint shifters are cleverly used to make some Campagnolo-style thumb shifters.

Fairwheel bikes interbike 2013: shimano sprint shifters are used to create a campagnolo-style thumb shifter:

Ben Delaney/Future Publishing

Campagnolo levers? Nope, they’re Shimano – with a custom Fairwheel touch

Bike No. 3 – Crumpton

Tipping the scales at 8.9lb/4.04kg, the Crumpton road bike features German parts aplenty, from the Schmolke carbon post to the Mcfk saddle to the Fibula brakeset.

Fairwheel bikes interbike 2013: an 8.9lb crumpton:

Ben Delaney/Future Publishing

Complete bike weight? 8.9lb/4.04kg

Bike No. 4 – Kelly Bedford

This longtime Serotta builder welded the frame that – in addition to looking beautiful – has some unique electronic internals and functionality. Using Di2 wiring as a base, the bike features only two buttons, one button to shift up and one to shift down (instead of two buttons for each derailleur). Custom software calculates when to shift between the small and large ring in conjunction with the cog shifts for steadily progressive gear changes.

“We make a computer chip, and I have a friend who writes software for it,” Woznick said. “If we sold it, this bike would probably be $40- or $50,000, just based on the time invested. So this is just for fun.”

Fairwheel bikes interbike 2013: only two buttons (one on each lever) are needed to shift the system, as custom software makes the calculations for the chain rings and cogs and adjusts to make progressive gear changes:

Ben Delaney/Future Publishing

Fairwheel created an automatic transmission of sorts with custom Di2 software

Bike No. 5 – Cherubim

Built by Shin-ichi Komo for a collector who has perhaps hundreds of bikes (not to mention a sizable collection of Lamborghinis), the Cherubim features a fantastic down tube — or down tubes, as the case may be, and an absence of seatstays.

“Shin-ichi loves the excuse to do things like this,” Woznick said.

Fairwheel bikes interbike 2013: shin-ichi komo’s unqiue down tube – or down tubes:

Ben Delaney/Future Publishing

The down tubes aren’t much wider than the cable housing

So who is this collector? Woznick declined to name names, saying the man prefers anonymity, but that he does ride the bikes in his collection as often as is possible.

Bike No. 6 – The world’s lightest BMX bike

Woznick got back into BMX bikes as his kids dove into the sport, and being a custom craftsman and a weight weenie’s weight weenie, it wasn’t long before this project was born.

Weighing in at 11.8lb/5.35lb, Woznick’s Crumpton carbon BMX features Bombshell bars and an ENVE stem bonded together by Calfee.