Music for this post is the by the band “Gypsy” from near my old hometown in Wilkes-Barre, PA.  Formed by members of hardcore bands Cold World, Mother of Mercy and others, Gypsy’s style is a bit of a throwback to the early-to-mid ’90′s post-punk sounds of Jawbreaker, Quicksand, and their ilk.   Definitely a bit of an old school sound.   And “throwback” is the segway into the topic of this post…as the stainless steel tubes of the I.F. SSR MAX is definitely a bit more old school when compared to all the carbon bikes floating around these days.

I first laid on eyes on an Independent Fabrication SSR MAX at the 2012 North American Handmade Bicycle show a few months back when it rolled into Sacramento.  I was able to “work” a few days in the I.F. booth at the show which allowed me to stare for hours on end on their beautiful SSR show bike which they brought along with them to display.  Something about the classic thin tubes (in contrast to the wildly shaped and manipulated carbon that you see everywhere else) and the ovalized stays for increased power transfer spoke to me.  As my current road bike was showing it’s age, I knew it was only matter of time…..

…and now  a few months later, there’s a new road bike in the house.   Custom fit, custom geometry, built up with 2012 SRAM Red and Ksyrium SL’s for day-in/day-out training.  Columbus XCR stainless steel drawn on the Max tooling that ovalizes the tubes for increased stiffness.

Thanks to Jesse, Ryan, and the whole gang at Indy Fab for creating this for me (and especially for the surprise on the bottom of the BB shell).

Thanks to Adrian at Ikon Cycles on J Street in Sacramento for the fitting.

And thanks to the entire crew at Folsom Bike (Andrew, Scout, Justin) in Folsom for the build and final fit adjustments…you guys rock.

Fresh out of the box, this view captures the oversized PF30 BB shell in contrast to the thin stainless tubes.   The chainstays are slighly ovalized for improved power transfer.

Custom painted ENVE Road 1.0 fork:

The nickname my friends here have given me.  I originally thought it would be cool to paint this on the top tube, but then after thinking about it, I decided that I am just not the sort of guy to put his name across the top tube, so just in the nick of time, I told the guys at  I.F. not to do it.  But then when I’m unpacking the bike, I find this thoughtful touch on the bottom of the BB shell instead where no one can see it.  Total surprise and I’m stoked that they did it….thanks guys:

The green saddle is a demo until I get that sorted out, and the steerer tube needs to be cut one last time while I finalize the bar position:

King stainless bottle cages, handmade in Colorado, were a must to match the frame.  Carbon or plastic cages just wouldn’t be right:

2012 SRAM RED 53/39 crankset:

The integrated chain catcher of the SRAM RED front derailleur:

 

You can learn a bit more about the Indy Fab SSR right here (you’ll have to call them to chat about the MAX option):
-SSR Overview:  http://www.ifbikes.com/OurBikes/Road/SSR_(Stainless_Steel_Road)/

And you can browse photos of other SSR’s over at the I.F. Owner’s Club website: http://www.ifrider.com/category/register/ssr/

 

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