Our Bikes have Stories: I Want a Badass Bike

Brendan had been riding a Trek Madone for a few years. He thoroughly enjoyed it, but he was ready to move up. I met him when he came into our shop and he had a mission — he wanted one bad-ass bike.

He had done his homework and discussed with me what he was gunning for his bike to have, but he still had questions. The bike industry is chaotic because there is a plethora of information. Articles seem to change with the wind about what’s good and what’s not. Good luck with each company’s white papers. Thus, it can be hard to figure out what’s right for you. After we talked a little more, Jack came in to discuss sizing, components, paint design, etc.

As I worked on another project, Jack and he were going to town about the bike. He was shown different graphics we could paint on his bike, sample lay outs, etc.

We love what we do because it’s, seriously, kids before Christmas when we work with our riders.

After the discussions concluded, Brendan was stoked for a couple things — He wanted his bike to be mostly exposed carbon with red accents. He wanted a Jack Kane signature. He wanted the newest 2013 SRAM Red and carbon wheels. The rest he left in our hands.

I went to work. Our goal was to have a bike that flowed together as one. Some of the bigger companies have been trying to do this, but they don’t get down to the nitty gritty like we can. We wanted to find some cool and light handlebars. As I reviewed our database for handlebars, nothing was popping out at me. I walked by a Lynskey we were repairing, and then I saw it — the 3T Ergonova bars with a red stripe! Oh, baby! Then I saw the 3T stem with the matching red line. The flow of “bad-ass-ness” was coming together. The Michelin Pro4 Race tires in red and the red handlebar tape matched our paint and the 3T components very well. The bike had its own attitude about it.

As with every bike we paint, our customers never see his/her bike until it is completely done. Most of the time, we never get to experience the unveiling with our riders because they are in other states. This time however, Jack was able to witness and present the bike himself. When words like “overwhelmed” and “mind-blowing” are used and a smile doesn’t go away, you know you’ve done well. He says the bike is “super fast” and people cannot stop complimenting him on his bike.

Invest in your Uniqueness. What’s Your Bike Story Going to Be?

The full gallery can be seen at: http://kanebikes.com/mastergallery/?album=3&gallery=59