The 19th stage of the 2013 Giro d’Italia, from Ponte di Legno to Val Martello, was cancelled due to treacherous conditions, reminding us of Andy Hampsten clambering over the summit of Passo di Gavia in a blizzard back in 1988. The bike Andy was riding wasn’t a Huffy, the brand emblazoned on the down tube, but a Land Shark built by the legendary American builder, John Slawta.

Slawta set out to become a professional artist, but was waylaid by another interest: building bicycle frames. After developing a reputation for his fine fillet brazing, Land Shark Bicycles was born—named after a Jaws-parodying Saturday Night Live skit. Where else could John pursue his passion for painting but on his frames? Frame by frame, the Land Shark cult grew.

Word spread, eventually reaching the ears of one Andy Hampsten. There was a time, not that long ago, when a lone steel frame builder could be contracted to supply a team’s worth of bikes for a season, and this was Slawta’s time. So, despite the Huffy decals, Andy’s Giro bike in 1988 was a Land Shark, and despite the True Temper decals it was actually constructed from Tange tubing.

Just as there are passionate fans of Dario Pegoretti‘s hand painted frames, so there are one-eyed fans of both Slawta’s artwork and frames. Eric Baumann is one of the former, a Boston photographer with a great passion for fine steel bicycle frames and fine photography. This is his Road Shark, a non-surprising title for a tarmac-eating Land Shark.

“I saw my first Land Shark about 5 years ago,” Eric says. “I’d never seen anything like it before. The first thing anyone notices about them is the paint. But you look a little closer and realize that not only is the thing a work of art, it was also meticulously constructed by one of the best builders in the world. That stuck with me for years and kept me scouring the internet for my own.”

“I finally found this one last year and couldn’t believe my luck. It had everything I was looking for: crazy awesome paint work (I still can’t figure out how it was done), fully fillet brazed, 1-1/8 headtube and in perfect condition. I immediately snapped it up and built it with an SR11 group, Ciamillo Negative G brakes, Edge carbon bits then threw some Reynolds SDV66′s on there to top it off.”

John Slawta is one of the few extremely lucky artists who become recognized for their work during their lifetime. It’s easy to see why Eric loves his Land Shark. See more of Eric’s photography (including his fantastic work for Royal H Cycles) on his tumblr, Ride Metal.

Cycle EXIF supplies a daily dose of commuter bicycles, custom bicycles and classic bicycles.

Even though Canada’s French connection is a distant one, Calgary locals Jason Wall and Evan Hu are intent on cultivating an appreciation for the constructeur style of bikes in the tradition of René Herse and Alex Singer. Their new enterprise, Cycles Toussaint, aims to supply elegant tourers and commuters designed to enjoy a slower pace of cycling.

Toussaint is French for All-Saints Day, a fitting solemnity to brand Jason and Evan’s bikes. In a typical French style, Herse and Singer developed a reputation for elaborate frames that were able to integrate a full suite of panniers, luggage racks, lamps and other accessories. If you’ve been looking for their modern reincarnation, you’ve found them.

Two models are available so far. Both designed specifically for 650B wheels, they accommodate fenders, handlebar bag rack, panniers and a rear rack. There’s a commuter, the Citie, and the Velo Routier—a light tourer / randonneur. This is Evan’s personal Routier, dressed impeccably with French Huret and Stronglight components and guarded by cycling’s patron saint, the Madonna del Ghisallo.

Find out more about Cycles Toussaint via their website and Facebook page.

Cycle EXIF supplies a daily dose of commuter bicycles, custom bicycles and classic bicycles.

If you list the Rapha blogs among your daily reads, or read Prolly Is Not Probably, you’ll have come across these two Speedvagen road bikes dressed in Sacha White’s unmistakeable liveries. They belong to Michael Tabtabai and Andrew Hudon, who embark this morning on a 3,465 mile odyssey in 24 days from Oregon to Massachusetts. The bikes are beautiful, that’s for sure, but the reason they have been created is to draw awareness to and raise funds for colon cancer research.

It’s going to be inspiring to observe the journey of Michael and Andrew on Instagram as they traverse the United States from west to east. A mammoth journey, but they’ll have the bikes to go the distance. Sacha White measured the boys and designed frames around their individual geometries, ensuring a comfortable trip. There will still be pain, the sort that comes with what will seem like countless days in the saddle, but there’s is an honest and empathetic quest, which will provide a pure salve.

ENVE, Rapha, Chris King, Poler and SRAM are also on board as sponsors, among others. These are more than partners, more than just stickers on a frame. Michael and Andrew are aiming to raise $52,000 for the Colon Cancer Alliance and The Colon Club, which is a hefty chunk of cash, but perfectly proportionate to the sweat and gears that the two guys are contributing to the cause.

These days, it’s safe to say that each of us has been affected by cancer in some way, or know someone who has. Follow Michael and Andrew’s progress on their website. If every reader of Cycle EXIF and Prolly Is Not Probably, every Rapha customer, each contributed at least one dollar, that goal of $52,000 could easily be reached—which is a sucker punch to the face of cancer. Donate here.

Cycle EXIF supplies a daily dose of commuter bicycles, custom bicycles and classic bicycles.

The story behind Hojmark Cycles‘ brand identity recently made the rounds of the world’s great graphic design blogs, with good reason. Ineo Designlab, a Danish studio, created a logotype and stationery inspired by the latent forms of lugs and tubes before they’re assembled, resulting in an ID that summarizes Hojmark’s appreciation for craft. Hojmark Cycles regularly collaborate with Germany’s Moulinette Bicycles on frames and bikes that are half vehicles and half artworks.

‘The Raw One’ is the latest project to spring from the creative partnership, which already includes some astonishing bikes, like a Hirondelle Retro-direct frame and an immaculate ‘road bike’ named Zeus that’s topped by a cast aluminum saddle. Impractical? Sure. But it’s beautiful, too, which is the point. Another, the ‘Del Campo Bicicletta‘ is a Gran Turismo that’s a picture of green, leather and gold pinstriped elegance, dressed in polished Campagnolo, but ‘The Raw One’ is its antithesis.

There’s almost nothing to see here. No painted opulence, no leather upholstery or gears or brakes. What you do see, instead, is the bicycle stripped bare, back to its original form. The frame by Danish-born Brian Højmark Larsen is a combination of steel tubes and lugs, but it’s the heat and his craft that turns them into a bicycle frame. That, and a gorgeous pair of drilled Curtis Odom hubs, laced to a pair of mirror-polished rims.

Special thanks to Ineo Designlab and Katharina Kritzler for the photography. See more on the Moulinette Bicycles’ Facebook page, and Hojmark Bicycles, too.

Cycle EXIF supplies a daily dose of commuter bicycles, custom bicycles and classic bicycles.

Alongside Bridgestone, Michelin is one of the world’s two largest tire manufacturers. The French concern is not just focused on keeping the rubber side down, it’s also known for their travel guides and maps, the Star restaurant rating system and the Michelin Man, Bibendum. Where did this massive industrialist begin? By inventing the first removable pneumatic bicycle tire back in 1888 in Clermont-Ferrand—home also to another manufacturer of quality bicycle parts, Victoire Cycles.

Victoire Cycles are known for their high-quality French-made hubs that include the Supersprint, designed in association with Chris at Bishop Bikes. They now offer a series of ‘Bespoke’ road, track and hard court polo frames. Choose a geometry, TIG or fillet brazing, steerer tube diameters, bottom bracket options and finish. Julien Leyreloup is a French ex-MTB and BMX pro living in the Auvergne region who recently built up a Victoire Véloce frame to his own specification.

“This frame is based on their Véloce road frame, that can be heavily customized,” Julien tells us. “I chose the Columbus Spirit tube set with Biconic custom chain stays that offer a bit of flex on the rear triangle. The frame has been TIG welded and clear coated in a ruby finish after the anti-rust treatment. The complete bike just weighs 7.3kg with not so expensive components, hand built wheels with Chris King hubs and Velocity alloy rims, so I’m quite psyched on it.”

Check out the Cycles Victoire hubs and ‘Bespoke’ frame program on their website. Massive thanks to Julien for the photos.

Cycle EXIF supplies a daily dose of commuter bicycles, custom bicycles and classic bicycles.

Yesterday, we were bewildered by the ‘Fauxnago’ Super Commuter by FYXO, which wasn’t all that it was made out to be. To get us back on track, let’s turn to a completely authentic and exceptionally individual Colnago. Here’s a ‘Tipo Roma’ model that was restored by Italy’s premium providore of NOS and rare vintage Italian components, Eroica Cicli.

Andrea and Alessandro, proprietors of Eroica Cicli, have dated the Tipo Roma to 1970, although ‘Aficionagos’ may attest that it was made earlier, due to the lugs that appeared on earlier models. Another distinguishing feature are the circular drillium designs around the chain ring—if you were to turn the bike upside down, you’d find the same design drilled into the bottom bracket shell.

According to Ale and Andrea, the Roma was purchased directly from the Colnago factory—which is how the previous owner managed to acquire a fully-chromed frame. There’s no record of that finish actually being offered in the relevant catalogs. It’s in fantastic condition for its age: the decals have been replaced (but are correct for this model), as well as the brake hoods and cables.

If you need help with a restoration, Eroica Cicli offer a full service—from a complete strip down and new paint with repro decals to simply sourcing color-matched NOS Silva bar tape and toe straps. You can browse their wares in their online store, or contact them for a particular request.

Cycle EXIF supplies a daily dose of commuter bicycles, custom bicycles and classic bicycles.

As kids, we all encountered a Fauxnago or two in the neighbourhood, but this is the real deal. Sergio Fauxnago was employed at the Colnago factory during the late 70s, before he was frog-marched off the premises by Ernesto himself, over an artistic disagreement.

Sergio wreaked havoc on the Italian racing scene by plastering his own decals over random frames in an effort to undermine Ernesto’s credibility, but he also produced a few frames of his own—from Columbus ‘Tubo Idraulico Speciale’.

Jokes aside, this is the epitome of the improvement that can be made to a cheap frame—if you already own a small amount of technical skill and can match your bar tape and cable housing to your decals. Andy ‘FYXO’ White took a standard Charge Plug and a budget of $900 to apply his own style.

For a full feature on his well-read FYXO website, Andy outlined the steps and components required to turn a generally mediocre bike into a ‘Super Commuter’. After scoring the ubiquitous Plug on eBay for $599, Andy stripped the frame and sent it off for powder coating.

Cyclomondo supplied the decals, designed with a satirical touch. A ‘Regalesque’ saddle was sourced via eBay and tires, bars, levers and tape were also found online, including the H Plus Son TB14 wheels. The original stem, headset, bottom bracket, Sugino crankset and brake calipers stayed.

The cake’s icing was the indomitable Cycle Underground chain ring. Andy has been selling the BREV. FYXOMATOSIS edition for years and they’ve been extensively field-proven. Here’s an exclusive offer: enter ‘cycleexif’ on checkout for free postage WORLDWIDE including Saudi Arabia.

All orders include free FYXO sticker packs. Overall, the Fauxnago is an impressive machine. After selling back the bars, levers, post, saddle, wheels, freewheel at the Bicycle Swap Meet, the entire cost came in at $935. Quite inspirational, for a fun, rock solid and weather-proof bike.

Cycle EXIF supplies a daily dose of commuter bicycles, custom bicycles and classic bicycles.

What middle-aged male raised in the British Commonwealth wasn’t entranced by stories of the Blue Bird land speed racers, attempting to break the ‘Flying Mile’? Or the streamlined Golden Arrow? Numerous airstrips and Royal Air Force bases in the United Kingdom have played host to record attempts over the years, a list which is about to include a Donhou Bicycle.

To build a serious land speed record breaker you need to be both a brilliant engineer and a little nutty, perhaps less so if it’s a bicycle. Still, Tom got the bug and, with a disused airstrip just near his house and the skills to fabricate any beautiful bicycle he likes, designed a contender for the British land speed record on a motor-paced pushie.

Tom maintains that despite appearances, this is a relatively ‘normal’ bike, similar in construction to one he’d build for any customer. There’s extra rake on the forks to increase stability at speed, assisted by the frame’s oversized Columbus Max tubing and the extra low bottom bracket supporting that incredible chain ring.

The 104-tooth ring was machined by Cliff Polton and the team of four engineers that make up Royce UK LTD, who also donated the rear hub to the project. The hubs were laced into tubular ENVE SES rims by August Wheelworks, to minimize the risk of losing a clincher tire at untested speeds. Naturally, an Avid disc brake was used to brake the front wheel and avoid cooking the rim.

By the way, I came up with the name ‘Flying Miler’ myself, as Tom’s land speed bike didn’t have a romantic title such as ‘Bluebird’ or ‘Golden Arrow’. Perhaps it should be named ‘The Gannet‘, after one of the United Kingdom’s fastest birds—although it can be used as reference to someone who eats too much, similar to ‘glutton’. Still, that chain ring does bear a certain resemblance. What do you think?

For the full build process and complete component list, head to the Donhou Bicycles website. Tom is also producing a short film in association with Spindle Productions. The full length version will be released shortly but here’s a teaser to tide you over:

Donhou Bicycles: Experiments in Speed from SpindleProductions on Vimeo.

Cycle EXIF supplies a daily dose of commuter bicycles, custom bicycles and classic bicycles.

Artisan Magazine is an iPad magazine that focuses on stories of the local, personal and unique—all things handmade, simple and beautiful. It started as a collaborative project between three friends and colleagues: Natalie Hunfalvay, Leigh-Ann Thomas and Bhavani Konings, who wanted to combine skills and share in the creative process. The latest issue features an interview with one of Australia’s ‘new breed’ of framebuilders, Keith Marshall of Kumo Cycles.

“Telling stories through rich imagery and interactivity was really important to us”, Bhavani tells us, “and we found the perfect medium – an iPad Magazine. We want to share and tell stories that inspire us and bring out the artisanal side of life. Whether an interesting do-it-yourself project on natural dyeing, a food story and video on how to make cheese, a peek inside a beautiful rose farm or an artist studio—the emphasis is on highlighting the simplicity and beauty of ‘local’, small-scale artisans creating meaning through their work.”

“For example, in Issue 4 we share a story entitled ‘Made of Metal’ and introduce you to an interesting artisan named Keith. Keith, the owner of Kumo Cycles, invites us into his workspace to reveal the process behind handcrafting bicycle frames. A long and laborious process but well worth it, Keith’s craftsmanship reminds us of an older time when things weren’t mass produced, but instead designed and constructed by hand, not machine.”

“To see the full story about Keith and his process download Issue 4 and to find out more about Artisan and the Artisan Team head to our website.”

Artisan 4 Kumo Cycles Braising Video from Artisan Magazine on Vimeo.

Cycle EXIF supplies a daily dose of commuter bicycles, custom bicycles and classic bicycles.

If there’s one thing to be said for Boston’s Firefly Bicycles, they’re happy to try new things. While the trio of Tyler, Jamie and Kevin have produced a steady stream of exceptional world-class road-going weapons, a look through their list of recent builds will reveal some highly innovative and individual commuters, randonneurs and mountain bikes.

Like this one: unassumingly named FF-217. The owner serves in the US military and has the opportunity to ride over various international terrains. Kevin, Lead Frame Designer at Firefly, conjured up this machine that’s at home on the streets in Germany as it is on Iraqi dunes or Texas fire roads. FF-217 is a modern, military-grade, two-wheeled adventurer.

Given such an environment, the transmission and drive were required to be impervious to sand and dust. A Gates CenterTrack belt and Rohloff internally geared rear hub was the solution, with no greasy chain or derailleurs to coagulate sand and dust. The completely custom frame is constructed from titanium, Firefly’s specialty, which doesn’t even need to be painted to resist elemental effects.

You can contact Firefly Bicycles through their website. Special thanks to Tyler and Kevin for the photography and information; head to their flickr stream for more

Cycle EXIF supplies a daily dose of commuter bicycles, custom bicycles and classic bicycles.

The second round of the 2013 Red Hook Crit kicks off tomorrow and while we’re rooting for another win by a Stanridge Speed Highstreet Pursuit, Cinelli will be making a very strong presence. The Italian concern has always held itself, throughout it’s 70-odd year history, at the forefront of current trends, with great style and panache.

The Cinelli Vigorelli frames that will grace the course at the Red Hook Crit Navy Yard are starkly different to the original Supercorsa you see here, but their bloodlines are inextricably tied together. The Supercorsa has existed in the Cinelli catalog for over 40 years, its fastback seat stays and ‘spoiler’ bottom bracket unchanged in that time.

This example still rides today, owned by Johannesburg’s Greg Gamble, a member of the Hunter Cycling crew. It’s in impeccable condition for its age, the Campagnolo Nuovo Record groupset and Cerchi Nisi wheels still functioning smoothly—as you’d expect from the finest Italian engineering. Special thanks to Guy Bower for the photography.

Cycle EXIF supplies a daily dose of commuter bicycles, custom bicycles and classic bicycles.

There was a time, not so recently, when the only bicycle to be seen dead with was a Japanese Keirin frame built up only with NJS-approved components—that is, the manufacturers of the wheels, seat post and saddle, drive train and cockpit had been ordained by the Nihon Jitensha Shinkōka, the governing body of the sport.

That may no longer be the case, but at least there’s more people riding bicycles as a result, seeking out bikes more suited to everyday needs. In some cases, those magnificent racing machines have been re-configured in a more practical, albeit oddball, format. The purists are still out there, so it will be interesting to observe the reaction to Pratama Radityo’s 3Rensho frame.

If you’re not attending regular racing events at your local velodrome, it only makes sense to stick a rack on the front to assist grocery-getting or a pub run, and Jakarta’s Pancalen Cycles, a husband-and-wife operated bicycle shop, took care of the installation. Luckily, Pancalen Cycles specialize in high-end rebuilds and anomalous requests.

The new format started with a fork by Wound Up Composites that supports a Gamoh rack. There’s still a few NJS stamps here and there, appearing on the Superbe cranks, Sugino Aero Mighty chain ring and Nitto seatpost. 3Rensho roughly translates as ’3 Victories’, referring to the rare occurrence in when a racer would place first on 3 consecutive days of racing: qualifiers, semi-finals and finals.

Find out more on the Pancalen Cycles website. Special thanks to Rangga Panji for the photos.

Cycle EXIF supplies a daily dose of commuter bicycles, custom bicycles and classic bicycles.

Unless you’ve a strong interest in the American custom bicycle scene, you might not have heard of Doug Fattic. Doug teaches frame building classes from his home in Niles, Michigan, drawing on a history of tuition that dates back to 1976. By the end of one of his 2-3 week courses, you can expect to have created a frame to the level of Daniel Schaumann’s Pachyderm CX001.

Doug hasn’t got a website with lavish testimonials from previous graduates. Like a sensei, he prefers potential students to seek him out and contact him via email, thus initiating an interview process which helps him gauge a willingness to learn. Still, you may have to wait for a vacancy in a future class before he will impart his knowledge to you.

Daniel, an Industrial Designer by trade, happened to make the grade, updating his blog daily throughout the experience. It’s a wonderful (not to mention inspiring) insight into what it is like for a complete novice to pick up a torch and two pieces of steel and braze them together. His Pachyderm cyclocross frame demonstrates a natural proclivity for the alchemic process of building a bicycle.

For now, the pictures can do the talking. But for the full story, click through to Daniel’s blog.

Cycle EXIF supplies a daily dose of commuter bicycles, custom bicycles and classic bicycles.

Whoever has had a beloved bicycle stolen from them will know what anger and anguish it can cause. Woe betide those who perform the unspeakable act of bicycle theft, especially when the bicycle they steal is the custom Geekhouse Woodville tourer of John ‘Prolly’ Watson, author of the Necronomicog and one of the world’s most popular bike culture blogs, Prolly Is Not Probably.

This is the second incarnation of John’s treasured Woodville, built to order by Boston’s Geekhouse Bikes. In many ways, it’s a more evolved and simplified version of his first, which was tragically stolen shortly after an 850 mile tour from Portland to San Francisco in 2011. There’s no S&S couplers, triple-triangle frame layout and no fancy anodizing.

What’s left is a military strength, long distance #adventuremobile built, once again, to John’s personal specification with the experienced touch that only Marty Walsh and his Geekhouse team could contribute, like a custom fork, detachable low-rider pannier mounts and a custom stem with integrated cable routing (the cables for the SON delux dynamo hub cables also neatly route through the fork leg).

Bradford Smith, master of colors at the Geekhouse workshop, created a matte khaki scheme that started with powder coating the down tube logo black, a cleanup around it, a layer of khaki, including the stem and forks, a cleanup on the black logo, and a final matte clear coat to the entire ensemble. Those racks were also fabricated in-house and weigh less than a full Tubus system.

A lot of thought went into the component choice, emphasized by John’s ‘Hatchet Approved’ Made In America ethos: A SRAM XO rear mech is matched to a 11-36 cassette and a Chris King hub which, chained to a White Industries VBC crank set and a 50T outer ring / 32T inner, provides a wider range than a triple chain ring setup. The Paul brakes and post and Thomson collar are also US-made.

The Woodville sure is a beautiful thing, for those of us who appreciate the utilitarian, pared-back functionality of, say, a Series 2 Land Rover. But the real beauty will be the all-American adventures this bike will carry John Watson on. Thankfully, John being Prolly, we’ll all get to witness them. See more on his blog, Prolly Is Not Probably.

Cycle EXIF supplies a daily dose of commuter bicycles, custom bicycles and classic bicycles.

For all the proselytizing on Cycle EXIF about steel frames, there are a couple of composite riding machines that I’d happily turn for. One is an Argonaut Cycle by Ben Farver, the second is a Colnago C59 Italia, which are still made by hand in the Cambiago factory. Mark McGrath, director of Dutch & Wolf, the UK’s premier Colnago distributor, recently had the pleasure to assemble a C59 for himself.

When it comes to frame technology, Colnago has often lead the industry over the years. The lugged construction of the C59, however, shows that Ernesto Colnago can still be a stickler for the old ways. Even the ribbed profile of the original Master frame’s top and down tubes make a reappearance on the C59—proof that Ernesto believes in their contribution to the ride quality.

Ernesto likes to personally monitor the manufacturing process of his high-end frames, which start out as tubes of carbon fiber made by the same specialists who create F1 chassis and Ducati MotoGP frames. After each section is glued and baked together, they’re hand finished and sent to Colnago’s color house to be painted—without the use of decals.

Mark and his C59 will be spending a lot of time together on a round robin ride that starts in Cheshire’s Alderley Edge and careens through the country lanes off the A34 before climbing into the Peak District and a return to Alderley Edge via Macclesfield, on the A537. It’s a regular ride so if you’re interested in joining in, Mark would love to hear from you. Get in touch via the Dutch & Wolf website.

Cycle EXIF supplies a daily dose of commuter bicycles, custom bicycles and classic bicycles.