A bike with a difference - it will burn

General cycling advice ( NOT technical ! )
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mercalia
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A bike with a difference - it will burn

Post by mercalia »

Another boutique item for the rich posers in Hyde park or Central park?

Prices range from $3,500 (£2,600) to $11,000.

"American firm Renovo, whose bikes start at $3,995, is probably the number one producer of wooden bikes worldwide. And yet it told the BBC it had only sold 1,000 models since it was founded in 2007"

Seems like even the rich wont bite then?


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-41412627
pwa
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Re: A bike with a difference - it will burn

Post by pwa »

I've worked with wood for decades. Including ply. It warps. Even ply warps a bit. A mm or two doesn't matter at all if you are making furniture. Are you happy with a few mm of warp in a very expensive bicycle frame? Wrong material for the job. A wonderful material for other things.
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Spinners
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Re: A bike with a difference - it will burn

Post by Spinners »

Did anyone manage to set fire to a Kirk Magnesium?
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Bmblbzzz
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Re: A bike with a difference - it will burn

Post by Bmblbzzz »

Spinners wrote:Did anyone manage to set fire to a Kirk Magnesium?

Not to my knowledge, but it would be a sight to see! Shame though as they seem to have been good bikes. In fact I kind of fancy one now.
PM999
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Re: A bike with a difference - it will burn

Post by PM999 »

And I'm doing my best, hic, to speed up Renovo's raw materials acquisition from a well known distillery.

Cheers. :D
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Mick F
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Re: A bike with a difference - it will burn

Post by Mick F »

Bmblbzzz wrote:
Spinners wrote:Did anyone manage to set fire to a Kirk Magnesium?

Not to my knowledge, but it would be a sight to see! Shame though as they seem to have been good bikes. In fact I kind of fancy one now.
Back in 1985/6 I was planning on buying a Mercian frame, but before that, the Kirk was on my short list.

What stopped me getting one and going for the Mercian?
I decided to stay on the traditional side.

Do I regret it?
Not sure really, but I doubt I'd still be riding a Kirk like I do a Mercian. So perhaps I was right in the end.
Mick F. Cornwall
Bmblbzzz
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Re: A bike with a difference - it will burn

Post by Bmblbzzz »

Yeah, the real reason this thread makes me fancy a Kirk is not cos I want to set light to one(!) but because I'm reminded of a review in either New Cyclist or Cycling Today (I think) from around that time. Sounded fun. But I don't recall ever seeing one in the metal. Mercians, on the other hand, are two a penny... :wink:
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Si
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Re: A bike with a difference - it will burn

Post by Si »

Kirks tended to snap so you dont see many these days. They were also very flexible.....i remember following one down some single track and i could see it bending under the rider....most alarming. But they were reported to give a nice ride.
Grarea
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Re: A bike with a difference - it will burn

Post by Grarea »

Depends if you are talking about the later MTB kirk or the Kirk Precision (The road one).

The road bikes would crack but a key issue was the bottom bracket problem as well.

I had a few goes on one at the time when they were first out.
They were really stiff.
Well, stiffer than anything else I had ridden.
Until that day i hadn't realised how much bike frames flexed.
It felt like all your pedal power went straight to the back wheel.
Especially on hills.
I thought it was great.

But, yes, apparently the frames cracked and they couldn't get the process quite right.
Al Wright
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Re: A bike with a difference - it will burn

Post by Al Wright »

A couple of years ago a query arose on this forum concerning ash cycles. Before I encountered a firm of this name I thought the query referred to this;

http://woodelo.colmanreilly.eu/bikes/leaf_speed :)
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