Originally from Lithuania but now working in London, Tsubasa cycles has taken things to their logical minimalist limits. The goal? Pure performance without regard to aesthetics. That said, we find them absolutely stunning and, in the case of the Crow road bike, downright lustworthy.
Above, the T.Kuricin track bike was designed by the same guy that used to design for the Soviet cycling teams. The original name of the frame, which was designed by R.Vorontsov in late 70s, was Takhion. The headset and overall design won world and Olympic championships before being banned, but was never made in carbon fiber. Until now. Tsubasa made two of them – one was auctioned to benefit orphanages, the other sits before you.
Race through for some of the most unique bikes at the show…
The handlebar design is such that it engages more of the lats, which allows you more pulling power when really cranking out the watts. The seat, if you can cal it that, was covered with a piece of leather.
The fork is a modified Pinarello track fork since they don’t make their own forks.
The downtube and chainstays have internal bridges to make them stiffer, important since the tubes are so thin.
What you’d never guess about this bike is that it’s a true one-piece design. There are continuous fibers running throughout the entire frame, front to rear and all around. Design exercises like this are fun, but they can also be practical…
The real world product of this design practice is their Tsubasa Bee road bike.
It, too, uses a single piece carbon construction with a Kevlar honeycomb over it to protect it, make it stiffer, and, thanks to the dimples, a bit more aerodynamic.
The design is purpose built in a way that’s maybe not the prettiest, but this next one is something we’d like to see in our garage:
The Crow is named after the bird and is a pared down race bike that eschews the final clear coat and paint, leaving its raw, textured finish intact straight out of the mold.
Frame weight is claimed just under 700g for a large size (roughly a 58, but it’s full custom).
