brunop

i'm thinkin' about getting an alternative needs transportation (ant bike) club racer for brevets and long rides. anybody have one? opinions?

bmike

talk to bf member spokenword... he's doing the same. i think he's ordering one this fall.

i'm waiting on my IF club racer. similar lineage, and i think mike from ANT helped start IF?

brunop

you're right bmike. mike flanigan was one of the original IF dudes and is credited with the club racer. i have an IF steel crown jewel set up as a fixed gear. i love it like a son. i would think that the IF club racer and the ant club racer are essentially the same bikes.

spokenword

ask me in 10 months

As bmike mentioned, I'm going to Holliston on Saturday to get fitted by Mike Flanigan for a Club Racer. I had talked to him and to IF and while I like both shops, I felt a better rapport with Mike. I think IF are great guys and fun to hang out with, but the emphasis of their business is on racing and cutting-edge performance; whereas ANT is focused on utility and everyday use. That falls more in line with my philosophy. I don't do club rides. I don't race. But I like riding my bike and I like using it as a part of my life. I also liked the fact that Mike, as one of the co-founders of I-Fab, was the designer behind the Club Racer so it was a bonus to have a bike built by him, as opposed to having bike built by someone else according to his original specs.

This is not to take away from bmike or anyone else who's picked up a Club Racer from IF. As I said, I think that IF is an awesome shop. I've loved their bikes since I first started thinking about custom frames two years ago, and the guys definitely have their strengths. ANT doesn't do Titanium nor do they have the relationships that encourages folks like Reynolds to say, "here's our latest, bleeding-edge new steel alloy. Build some bikes with it" IF bikes also have a flash that ANT still can't match, so if you have fancy paint or decal ideas, then you're probably better off with IF. ANT has a 10 month turnaround and bmike is getting is IF Club Racer in August, and I think he put his deposit down only a month ago.

But none of those advantages really clicked for me or trumped the fact that Mike likes bikes in the way that I like bikes, as something that isn't necessarily fancy but is still a joy to have in one's life. That made me trust him and want him to be the one who would build the bike that I could foreseeably ride for the rest of my life.

bmike

i'm waiting 10 weeks for mine. i should have it august 22. visited the shop before i finnalized and liked everything i saw.
i too like bikes the way you do, hence giving up on my carbon steel lemond for most of my riding and going more for a rando / brevet bike. my IF will be stealthy - aside from the naked ti, with a black steel fork, no graphics.

we'll compare next year on brevets!
just fell in love with

angelo

I have a club racer from Antbikemike.

Love it to death! Versatile. Handles great. Fits like a glove. Mike Flanigan has a really unique vision. I hope he goes far with it.

I wanted a bike that would be the ideal day-tripper-- something to just take off with on a Saturday and come back whenever. This bike is perfect for that.

voshchev

What size tires can you fit on the club racer with fenders?

bmike

not sure on the ANT - but the IF with long reach brakes can take a 28 with fenders.
larger, i presume if you use canti's...

spokenword

Short answer-- whatever size you want. It's more determined by the brakes than the frame.

I dropped in on ANT two Sundays ago to consult with Mike about my Club Racer. The bike that I'm getting will be using long-reach sidepull calipers and will be sized for 28mm tires with fenders. I believe that those brakes can fit around a tire that's up to 32mm and still have fender clearance, but it will probably be rather tight. Any higher and you'll have to start talking about using cantilevers. If you're going up to 32mm, he might start steering you to his XO model, which is built around cantilevered brakes, where the Club Racer is built with long-reach sidepull calipers in mind.

angelo

I ride with 25's, although I am certain that 28's and probably even 32's will fit.

The japanese fenders I have are the "narrow" version, wider fenders will fit even bigger tires. The dual pivot tektro calipers have a lot of clearance.

voshchev

Another question: can club racers safely pull trailers?

bmike

its a steel frame, so my guess is yes.

bmike

honjo's?
hammered or fluted?

where did you get them?

angelo

Hammered Honjos, I bought them with the bike from Mike.

They are also available from boutique-type outlets like this. Apparently, these guys make custom architectural gutters and do bicycle fenders as side work.

I use them in the fall, winter and spring.