“Trick or treat?” Hmm, let’s see…should I take the Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup, the weird, homemade popcorn ball, the candy apple with the razor blade in it, or…the Independent Fabrication Titanium Factory Lightweight with its new script decal, integrated seat-mast, and “Iftop” saddle adjustment device? Tough choice. The latter option has a few attributes that make it slightly more appealing than the former three. For one thing, it has a 44.5mm down tube (a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup doesn’t even have a down tube) made possible by the combination of a BB30 integrated bottom bracket and large diameter head tube, which is designed around the new 44cm inset headset standard.
This isn’t just another IF with a pretty paint job either (not that there’s anything wrong with that); it boasts many brand new features, more on that and a bunch more pics after the break…
The TFL is the first IF to, as my grandmother says, “rock,” the Iftop integrated seatpost mast. Apparently a fluorescent indicator will appear when the clamp reaches its maximum height. Another interesting fact about the clamp is that is is rated for use by a 500 Lb. rider. That’s right. As impressive as that may be, former Sumo champ, Chad “Akebono” Rowan is out of luck. If only he could lose those two pesky pounds, he could get an Iftop seat clamp on his bike. And while we’re on the subject of Akebono…do you think there’s maybe a Sumo wrestler out there with “Chad” as his nickname? Yoshikaze “CHAD” Masatsugu. Ya, that doesn’t really sound right does it?
If worked closely with aarn_wrks_dsn on the final 3D drawings for this snazzy new clamp.
Part of what allowed IF to use a 44.5mm down tube is the utilization of an over-sized bottom bracket shell and press-fit BB30 bottom bracket.
This is also the first we’re seeing of the 2011 script decal. The one pictured here is painted on, but the decal will be ready for production soon(ish).
These dropouts were designed specifically for the Factory Lightweight, “Featuring a smaller overall size, drilled out faces and an engraved backside.”
And yet, they still hold a wheel in the frame, just like their heavier, uglier counterparts.
That would be the over-sized head tube.
According to the guys at IF, this bike is not a comfy ti bike designed for a fat dentist; (My words not theirs. Hey, I had to make somebody cry today and fat dentists can not only afford Gucci Ti bikes, they can afford great Psycho Therapists as well.) this bike is a mean, racin’ machine, meant to put out MAXIMUM HORSEPOWER! Maybe they should have called the bike MAXIMUM HORSEPOWER! Nah, then it would sound like something made by Colnago.
Happy Halloween everybody.
