The term custom is thrown around quite a bit in the bicycle industry. Sometimes it describes a stock bike frame with a hand-picked parts assortment. To others a custom bike is one with custom geometry and tubes designed to best suit a specific persons needs.
The YiPsan pictured is a wonderful example of what a truly custom bike can be. Each and every detail of this machine is tailored to one rider's desires. His name is Dan and his goal was to own a bike that is comfortable for long rides and built tough to tackle foul weather and averse conditions.
The bike began with custom geometry (as you can tell Dan is very tall) and extra heavy duty frame tubes. Next a selection of parts were identified to suit the rider's needs. The bike was equipped with the bomb proof Rohloff 14 speed internally geared Speedhub. To accommodate the twist shifter required for this drive-train Renold at YiPsan Bicycles made a special stem with a shifter mount. The bike is also equipped with a Schmidt Dynamo/SON generator front hub to power both the front and rear light. Fenders, a Nitto front rack and Tubus rear round-out the build. This machine is not limited to the road, the 40mm tires and stout wheels will be right at home on dirt and gravel roads.
This bike is one mans dream and perfectly illustrates what a custom bike can be.
More pictures available here.
2 comments:
hey, what bar wrap is that?
The bar wrap is Selle Anatomica. This was the first time I used it and I was disappointed. The sides are not tapered and the leather is inconsistent. Some portions stretched quite thin while others did not stretch much at all. I think Brooks and VO are better options.
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