Monday, August 8, 2011

Single and Loaded


Hey.


Nathan Shearer is the intended victim of this bike.


Nathan lives in the DC area and rides decidedly rocky,
steep, technical, long rides.
The geometry of the bike follows his lead.
Relatively relaxed angles, and a bb height to allow clearance for the rocks.



The paint scheme on this one is inspired by
a metal smithing process called mokume gane.
Came out pretty neato.




Sometimes when Nathan heads out into the woods, he stays there for a while.
He asked for the ability to carry a bit of sleepy time supplies.
I ended up making some racks to reflect his desire to ride
technical singletrack while, ahem, loaded.


The bikepacking scene right now is all about bags
mounting to handlebars and seatposts,
claiming all the typical light weight virtues.
Seems to me though that the bags are mounted in such a way
as to prohibit full mobility on the bike.
Its hard to make the steeps and tight switchbacks
if you can't get off the back of the saddle.


The racks have three mounting points to allow for moving and
bending in case of a crash (instead of breaking)
while still staying stable with weight.
The racks are not designed for panniers, just mounting cargo
on top to keep the weight tight, centered, between the wheels,
and as low as possible while keeping a very slim profile.



I'm sure those bags work great,
but I'm better with a torch and tubing
than I am with a sewing machine.


Makes me want to go spend a few days
riding around in the woods.



The Ergs! is your new favorite punk
band that doesn't exist anymore.
Thought you'd like to know.

Select Dorkrockcorkrod
Hit "Play all".
Freak out.

11 comments:

Johann Rissik said...

I think this is the best yet. Stunning.
Poor bloody Nat, if her tires of her, let me know ;)

dRjON said...

outstanding!

chad said...

Wow!!! That's all I can say

blackcatbicycles said...

thanks fellas.
this one did come out pretty nice.
sometimes the stars align and i get an eager customer willing to go with whatever pops out.
i'm jealous of those racks myself...

nathan shearer said...

righteous! now he can haul 2 sixers into woods

blackcatbicycles said...

those racks are rated for 12ers.

msantos said...

cans or bottles? what are the extra bolts for on the front rack, bottle mounts? i need front rack like that. blackcat just keeps gettin better...fuckin loaded gun.

blackcatbicycles said...

santos,
yep, bottle mounts. i don't like the idea of swiss cheesing fork blades, especially at the top, near the crown, where they take most of their hurtin'.
bottles or cans, just clap yo hands.

nathan shearer said...

"single and bloated"

Hamilton said...

This is an exciting place to visit. Thanks for the tunes and the inspirational craftsmanship. Just throw some lead in the next bike ya make for G.Martin, o.k.? I'm dreamin' on some cross sweetness as we speak.

Russ B said...

Saw this beast locked up today and had to look up your site. Fine work; beautiful joints.