“Good Work Ain’t Cheap and Cheap Work Ain’t Good” — We live in a period where people want everything under the moon for the cheapest price and then blame someone else when it doesn’t perform to the same level as the more expensive option. We’re continuing to appreciate less and less quality work. We want the “quick fix” and throw …
Black Ops: “Moonlight” Jack Kane One-of-One
Would you believe that when Matt and I first started talking about his bike, he wanted bright colors?! He was gunning for serious flash. As if his neon cycling shoes and socks weren’t enough, he wanted something else to complement his style. So, how did we do a 180 and arrive at the most murdered out bike we’ve seen? As …
Carbon Seat Post Modification UCI Legal
What happens when you find your ideal position, but it’s not in compliance with UCI sanctioned rules? Are you out of the luck? Not always. Read on. This was the rider’s problem: I ride an ISM Adamo Time Trial saddle in UCI races, so I’m restricted to a maximum fore position of 5cm behind the center of the bottom bracket. …
Our Bikes Have Stories: Virginia Tech Hokie Custom Paint
You hear this story all the time, a new cyclist spends $20 on a raffle ticket and wins a custom painted carbon road bike…. Yea right! But, that’s exactly what happened to one lucky rider. For most of us, there is an unwritten journey of getting into cycling. We borrowed a friend’s bike, rode our parent’s bike that was too …
Sanding to Raw Carbon Fiber? Custom Bicycle Painting Tips
There’s no doubt carbon fiber is sexy. When companies leave it exposed on a frame, there’s a sleekness added to the bike. Thus, when riders come to us for their bicycle’s custom paint job, occasionally some inquire about sanding the paint down to raw carbon fiber, with the idea of leaving it exposed. However, it’s not as easy, cost effective, …
Professional Bicycle Paint Chip Repair & Paint Touch Up
Bikes are meant to be ridden. It’s built to battle through the elements. It will take and give back what you throw at it. Barring a crash, most frames won’t let you down. All that wear and tear is expected, but we still dread…That.First.Chip. The first chip is always the worst. You tried your hardest to baby it, avoided the …
Example of Little Details in a Restoration: Merckx Team SC
Restoration — what does it mean to you? For some, just bringing it back to where it was is fine. For us, we bring it back and improve it. Little details matter in a restoration. Yes, the first thing about a restoration is reviving the bike, but sometimes it needs to go a step further. We recently had a bike …
Matte Finish vs. Glossy Finish Paint
Matte is in. “Blacked out” or the “Murdered” look are drooled over. Put them together and you’ve struck bike lust gold. Matte finishes are being marketed by a few brands and are certainly sought-after by riders. So much so, most of the inquiries we’ve received lately have been for matte finishes. Riders are gung-ho for matte, especially matte black as …
My “Last” Bike & Setting a Record
You know those moments when you see something and instantaneously say “I’ve got to have one!”? That happened to John when he came into our shop a few years ago. His attention was captivated by a specific Jack Kane triathlon bike displayed on the wall. It was at that moment, John would later tell Jack and me, that he realized …
SOLD: The Pink Lady: 49cm Carbon Fiber K Pro Carbon
A beautiful carbon fiber frame with an elegant and finely masked pink to purple fade. The finish is a high gloss pearl which radiates in the sun. It’s equipped with SRAM Red. Full spec’s are at the bottom.
Should I Buy My Bike Locally or Online? Part 1
Congratulations, you’re in the market for a new road bike! It’s an exciting, but sometimes overwhelming time. There is a plethora of information out there and you don’t even know where to begin. Up until the last decade, you never had to figure out where you were going to buy your new bicycle. You would always go to your local …
Trek Opposes Carbon Repair | Read Why They’re Wrong
This past August, we were one of the companies interviewed by Bicycle Retailer and Industry News about our carbon fiber bicycle repair services. The full article (BRAIN, 8/15/2012, Vol. 21, #14) is located at (opens in a new window): http://www.bicycleretailer.com/2012/08/14/mag-crack-problem. In the next issue, Trek’s Vice President & General Counsel sent a letter stating Trek is against repairing carbon fiber. …
Our Bikes have Stories: Break Free of the Mold
|| Break free of the mold. Stand Out. Add a little flavor. || Three visions I had for my bike. My bike will catch your eyes. Either you’re going to love it or you’re going to hate it, but what you can’t say is that it’s not authentic. I gave it a story and soul. A lot of bikes are …
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, …
Shimano Di2 Road Bike – Internal Cable Routing, Hidden Battery, Custom Paint
We recently completed our first official Shimano Ultegra Di2 build with internal cable routing and a hidden battery. Being a bicycle company that custom paints every bike that leaves our headquarters, aesthetics are pretty important. Thus, hiding the electronic wiring and reducing wire clutter was a priority, while maintaining practicality. Plus, we wanted to hide the bulky battery! The removable …
Here’s a Blank Canvas — Create your Dream Bike
Here’s a Blank Canvas Now, it’s your turn to create a one-of-a-kind dream machine Instructions: Click the desired canvas Save the image to your computer Conjure up your creative juices and design a bike no one else will ever have. Don’t worry if you’re not an artist. Just have fun! Send your design to info[at]kanebikes[.]com or call us: 910.455.1011 You’re …
Endurance Films Racing Team Bike Design
The design and build-up process of the K Team Carbon Krono triathlon bike for Endurance Films. The Disc Wheel: We needed a completely flat wheel for the design we settled upon for the bike. Thus, Renn’s 5ive 5ive 5ive wheel came into the picture. Frank, at Renn, was very nice to work with, so if you’re in the market, check …