Here Comes The Boss

Frequent visitors might already knew that besides working as mechanic at Pancalen Cycles I also designed frames for Pias Cycles. So far I have three Pias frame designs under my belt. You've probably seen the road and cyclocross frames before, now let me talk you through the redesign I've done to the frame that put Pias Cycles on the map, the Agra.

Wheelbuild: High and Low

Say whatever about disc brakes on 700c-wheeled bicycles, but one of the advantages of such design is the separation of braking function from the rim. This means longer rim life since you don't have to replace them every other season after the sidewall become too thin to handle the tire pressure.

Not a Diamond, But Lasts Forever

Working on bicycle repair business for quite a while, we occasionally stumbled upon some iconic bicycles from different eras. This just goes to show that even though it was agreed that the conventional double-triangle or diamond design is regarded as the most efficient means to construct a bicycle frame, some people went through further means to think out of the box and created something that will be remembered forever; whether to achieve significant improvement or just to be able to stand out of the crowd.

Urban Pursuit

Track cycling aficionados are familiar with pursuit-styled track frames. Mainly designed for pursuit events, the most noticeable feature on these frames is the forward-sloping toptube. This feature is achieved by shortening the headtube length that further lowers the cockpit height, which leads to more aero riding position needed to complete the pursuit races.

With the popularity of urban fixed gear riding getting on the rise, some bicycle manufacturers brought the pursuit-styled frames back to the market; one of them is Affinity, with their Lo Pro model.

The Japanese Italian

The last couple of years saw the rise of interest in bicycle touring. You can see them everywhere, from brand new builds that you can literally take wherever your minds set you or the classic, timeless setups from decades ago that haven't lost their relevance. You can tell that this adventure cycling bug is here to stay when a popular blog skipped their yearly Red Hook Criterium coverage in lieu of more backcountry cycling features...

First Experiences are Unforgettable

When was the last time your did something for the first time? That was probably the kind of questions you'll find on self-help books or motivational memes your friends posted on Facebook. But in our case, it was a couple months ago (yes, call this a #latepost if you will, since it's been three months since the last time we updated our blog) when Themma Suwandana dropped boxes of parts for his dream bike.

Throwback Thursday?

We've come a long way when it comes to mountain biking. Gone are the days when the dudes from California converted their balloon-tired cruisers—or as commonly called, klunkers—to shred the dirt on fire roads down the Repack track at Mount Tamalpais, replaced with bicycles made from exotic materials equipped with long travel suspension, hydraulic disc brakes, electronic shifting, and gearing range that allows you to climb all the way to the moon.

Somewhere along the way, romanticism sets in. The need of a throwback, to return to the days where things were much simpler. Those kind of moments where you feel a bit nostalgic.

A Pleasure to Ride

Ah, Japan. The land of manga cartoons, technological breakthroughs, and vertically-stacked, automated underground bicycle parking lot. Speaking of which, you cannot remove bicycle from the Japanese culture. Apart from being home of the largest bicycle component manufacturer, bicycles are still largely used as main form of transportation.

Since many people still rely on bicycles to get around, Japanese have a different approach when it comes to urban/city bicycle design. These bicycles are considered as efficient, functional machines that will stand the abuse of daily commuting: potholes (not that Japanese roads are full of them), train crossings, and worse, being buried under stacks of other bicycles should someone toppled a herd of them in the parking lot.

Instant Recognition: 1954 Bates Vegrandis

We have a special place in our hearts for British bicycles, especially since we have one in our family for quite a long time. Our brakes are even set in moto-style, proper British way. So when Akmal Haris Rusdi challenged us with a ground up restoration built project, we're really excited.

A Gift of Two Wheels

A family that rides together, stays together. Or that's what I remembered written on the wall of a bicycle-themed coffee shop I visited many moons ago. So it is very natural for cycling enthusiasts to spread their love of bicycles to their significant others.

A Long Overdue

Some people are drawn into restoring bicycles because of the excitement during the restoration process itself. You can make a solid plan as you like, but more than once, things weren't going according to it. A good friend once said, "When it comes to old bicycles, it's never the case of finding the bike that you really want. More than often, the bike finds you."

More Than Meets The Eye

Got to admit, classic exotic road bikes or high-tech full suspension mountain bikes are great, but nothing brought more people aboard bicycles than urban bicycles. You'll see more people riding folding bikes than, let's say, a pristine Colnago C40. Primarily used as means of first or last mile transportation—the trips between your departure point or destination to the nearest public transport station—a folding bike will let the rider carry it aboard the bus, train, taxi or whatever, which then allows even the people with the most mediocre athleticism to cover more miles.

One to Piss Off Purists

There are times when we stumbled upon a bicycle, or frame for that matter, that was the technological leading age of its era. Naturally you'll want to maintain the purity, rebuilding the frame with period-correct parts to recreate the superbike of its age. But since not all of us are blessed with wealth and time in our disposals, what if you want to build a superbike within a budget? What if you want to get the taste of decades-old frame technology combined with modern amenities such as wide-range-but-close-ratio gearing or integrated brake and shifter levers?

The Bicycle That Grows

Dear Reyhan,

First of all Dad would like to tell you and your little sister how lucky we are to have both of you.

You know, the moment where I finally able to balance myself is the second most exciting moment I've ever have involving bicycles. The first, was watching you finally able to master the ability to propel yourself forward and defy gravity with two wheels.

Tsunoda Grand Prix: The Japanese Randonneur

One of the pleasures of working with old bicycles is that you can't stop wondering what the two wheeled machine was going through. The miles it was collecting, the conversations it overheard, and many a self revelation achieved after a long, meditative hours on the saddle. There are bicycles that needs a thorough make over after going through a lot of things over the decades, and then there are the ones that you simply glanced over and immediately thought, "Nope. Let's leave it this way."

Babah Bikes x Pancalen Cycles Songolikur Project

You've heard so many stories about custom built frames. A common practice for people who basically knows what they're looking after from a bicycle, the process is basically like getting yourself a tailor-made suit: done correctly, it will be a one-of-a-kind creation that will perfectly fulfill all your needs, be it mainly looks or just plain function.

From St. Etienne to Jakarta, via London

At Pancalen Cycles, we believe that bicycles have their own personalities. The large number of people who named their bicycles rest us assured that we're not the only ones who personifies these two-wheeled, human powered machines. When we talk about aged bicycles, they didn't only have their own personalities; they have their own life stories. And this is where things got interesting.

Pias Cycles Peregrine Prototype

On Pias Cycles, we have a thing for steel. It's our material of choice to make our frames: let's face it, it's been with us way longer than any other bicycle-making materials available. I can wax on nostalgic thoughts about it's riding characteristics and stuffs, but to make things short: we just love to ride properly designed steel frames.

Because people are making steel frames for as long as we can remember, a couple things comes to mind. For instance, how can we improve it? Can we incorporate modern features using the humble steel that we all know and love? Can we do that while retaining the proven classic design lines that we all adore?

Enter our fun little project, the Pias Peregrine.

Born Again Peugeot

Sometimes, postponing something can be good for you. There are times when we wanted to start a project just for fun, neglect the project many moons or even years later, then came up with a total different direction for it. We can draw similarity from said metaphor to Rimba Patria and his Peugeot that we just recently built.

Irfan "Ippe" Wahyudi's Scarab

Pias Cycles' Scarab project is considered as a success. We managed to sold the limited batch of 100 framesets, and preparing ourselves to produce the second batch with some improvements here and there. Since now there were plenty of them roaming the streets, how do you make your Scarab stands out in the crowd? In Irfan "Ippe" Wahyudi's case, he simply have his repainted.