Rendy Sasongko's Custom 2012 PIAS

My father once said, a bicycle is not unlike a pair of trousers. To get the most comfort out of it, you must get them in the size that fits you most. There are ready-made trousers, and there are custom-made ones. And sometimes you like the color, design, or the material, but the trousers doesn't fit you well. One of the solution is to have them custom-fitted according to your preferences.

Rendy Sasongko is one of the household names in the Jakarta fixed gear scene, especially on the alleycat races. Hailed from Jogjakarta, he's well known of winning many alleycat races with his Ayodya, a custom-made frame from his hometown. During the PIAS 2012 launching Sumvelo hooked him up with one of their sparkling-black frame. As an avid urban fixed gear rider, Rendy's image suits PIAS really well.
Rendy is proud of representing PIAS, but the problem is its geometry was too relaxed for his aggresive riding style. So just like a pair of trousers that doesn't fit, he brought the PIAS frame back to Jogjakarta and have his framebuilder frame modify the geometry for him.

The result is radical. Untrained eye would only notice the steeper-sloping toptube, but if you compare this bike to a stock PIAS you'll find differences everywhere. The steeper headtube and seattube angle, along with the shorter seatstays, reduced the wheelbase significantly. The bottom bracket height was also raised, allegedly giving him extra stouter rear end that helps during acceleration. The headtube was also shortened, giving him extra aggresive riding position. Although the fork remained stock, the steeper head angle gave this frame extra agility on the tight city traffic.

The parts mix on this bike is also interesting. The front brake, the only available on this bike, is a Campagnolo Mirage rear brake modified with longer recessed nut. Shimano Dura-Ace 7400 crankset spins smoothly on Tange bottom bracket. The rear wheel is a borrowed high-profile Dodici laced to high-flange Phil Wood, while the front wheel is Araya ADX laced to high-flange Phil Wood, built by yours truly. The chrome-plated steel stem was proudly hand made in Jogjakarta. And although he prefers riser to trackbar or bullhorn, Rendy choose to wrap them with bartape instead of using handlebar grips.

According to Rendy, this reborn PIAS feels almost similar to his Ayodya, geometry and all, apart from the lighter weight. With this bike he continued defending his title as one of the fastest urban racer in Jakarta. Great job!