Independent Fabrication (IF) built the Grasstrack fixed gear bike for Interbike 2009. Grass track racing was popular in England in the thirties and forties, so IF decided to go retro and make a grass track racing bike. The bike has a bit of spirit about it with its “Join or Die” snake logo on the bar. It is a white bike with white rim Dugast tires and camel colored leather seat and handlebar wraps.

The bike has a vintage feel to it. It features Blake Sugino 75 cranks, courtesy of Jason at Superb Bicycles in Boston. A beefy 49 tooth chain ring from 3RRR, machined in Massachusetts, combine with a Wippermann chain to transfer the power. It has beautiful polished 32H Phil Wood track hubs, 130 spacing in the back for tire clearance, laced 3X to silver Mavic Reflex rims.

IF built the Grasstrack to bring to an event that they co-sponsored – a party at the Artisan Hotel, with the Rapha, Knog, Embrocation Cycling Journal, and Fi’zi:k saddles. They had to come up with a bar drink to represent Interbike so they stuck with the retro theme and served a Ward 8 — rye whiskey, lemon juice, orange juice and grenadine. The Ward 8’s name is derived from its power to sway votes in the early 19th century, and prevent hangovers.

The Grasstrack is a classy bike with Vanilla Shake paint and Knog lights. It has a nice monkey skull detail on the end of the handlebars. You might want to check it out if you are looking for a new bike with a special retro feel.

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Left astray at an InterBike booth that wasn’t its own stood this Independent Fabrications fixed gear bike titled The OX. It was the frame’s Asian inspired them and aggressive race geometry that called my attention. The boys at Independent Fabrications chose to name the bike The OX because the frame was completed on January 26th, “the year of the OX”, relating to the Chinese zodiac. The Chinese calligraphy that runs down the seatpost and saddle was mocked-up by an old lady they found in Chinatown. It is said to read “Independent Fabrications” but hasn’t been verified yet. Aside from its custom paint job, the Independent Fabrications fixed gear bike features a fixed integrated seatmast, a Steel Aero tubeset, a carbon saddle, Cane Creek Endurance 85 rear wheel and a 50 front wheel. Unfortunately, because I found this straggler out of place at this years InterBike, I wasn’t able to learn more about it. [...]

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