As I navigate my way through all the (mostly boring, non inventive) bright and shiny things that are at Interbike this year, I have found quite a few interesting examples of the passion and drive for progression in this industry. However, I had yet to be astounded by anything until I ran across this 16 pound "auto shifting" titanium hardtail custom built by Fairwheel Bikes out of Tucson, AZ.
Hit the jump to see more on this machine....
Fairwheel Bikes does a lot of high end work and quite a few interesting projects including a DI2 mountain bike which led into this project they brought to Interbike 2009.
They also have claim to having built the world's lightest bike at under 8 pounds.
Of more interest to mountain bikers would be the sub- 900g 29er wheelset they built.
Sorry to digress, back to the topic of conversation...
This hardtail is so interesting because it is such a leap forward in what is possible. As you may or may not know, auto- shifting bikes are not necessarily new but one of this caliber and sophistication has not been seen by the public as far as I know. One of the most important things to note here is that this bike's shifting is programmable and not exclusively "auto- shifting". The bike can be shifted manually, similar to a regular bike, as well as have the ability to dump* gears as many as 13 at a time depending on the setting. This is all done with only two buttons. Jeff, a friend of Fairwheel who programmed this "brain", said "if you can think of it, it can probably do it". This includes the possibility to use two button sets for each derailleur and as a few people noted in the comment's on Fairhweel's blog post for the bike, the ability to coordinate this sytem with a power meter to create an automatic transmission!
However, my favorite part is this.
First off, a custom carbon stem from ENVE (formerly EDGE Composites) is awesome. Hiding a computer chip inside it is just unreal. This sort of ingenuity was also used in deciding to hide the DI2 battery in the seat tube.
To top it off, Fairwheel used a ridiculous array of high end parts including the Cannondale Lefty with adapter from Project 321 which is pretty trick in its own right. Add other lightweight parts from KCNC and Tune and you have one expensive bike.
Whether or not you could afford or would want to afford it, every rider could admit wanting to at least throwing a leg over and trying the system out. I really appreciate Fairwheel's effort in creating this bike and pushing the limits of what is possible.
*dump(ing)- As in dumping gears. The term for when you increase or decrease more than one gear at a time with a single shift. Oftentimes, this is done when approaching a steep hill or hammering a downhill after cresting a climb.
Hit the jump to see more on this machine....
Fairwheel Bikes does a lot of high end work and quite a few interesting projects including a DI2 mountain bike which led into this project they brought to Interbike 2009.
They also have claim to having built the world's lightest bike at under 8 pounds.
Of more interest to mountain bikers would be the sub- 900g 29er wheelset they built.
Sorry to digress, back to the topic of conversation...
This hardtail is so interesting because it is such a leap forward in what is possible. As you may or may not know, auto- shifting bikes are not necessarily new but one of this caliber and sophistication has not been seen by the public as far as I know. One of the most important things to note here is that this bike's shifting is programmable and not exclusively "auto- shifting". The bike can be shifted manually, similar to a regular bike, as well as have the ability to dump* gears as many as 13 at a time depending on the setting. This is all done with only two buttons. Jeff, a friend of Fairwheel who programmed this "brain", said "if you can think of it, it can probably do it". This includes the possibility to use two button sets for each derailleur and as a few people noted in the comment's on Fairhweel's blog post for the bike, the ability to coordinate this sytem with a power meter to create an automatic transmission!
However, my favorite part is this.
First off, a custom carbon stem from ENVE (formerly EDGE Composites) is awesome. Hiding a computer chip inside it is just unreal. This sort of ingenuity was also used in deciding to hide the DI2 battery in the seat tube.
To top it off, Fairwheel used a ridiculous array of high end parts including the Cannondale Lefty with adapter from Project 321 which is pretty trick in its own right. Add other lightweight parts from KCNC and Tune and you have one expensive bike.
Whether or not you could afford or would want to afford it, every rider could admit wanting to at least throwing a leg over and trying the system out. I really appreciate Fairwheel's effort in creating this bike and pushing the limits of what is possible.
*dump(ing)- As in dumping gears. The term for when you increase or decrease more than one gear at a time with a single shift. Oftentimes, this is done when approaching a steep hill or hammering a downhill after cresting a climb.
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