Calfee cleans up and goes adventuring
Tech Editor Nick Legan reports from Sacramento at the North American Handmade Bicycle Show
Heading out the door? Read this article on the new Outside+ app available now on iOS devices for members! Download the app.
AUSTIN, Texas (VN) — At this year’s North American Handmade Bicycle Show (NAHBS), there was a room full of clever ideas and beautiful craftsmanship. And I’ll attempt to pick out some highlights and personal favorites from the show floor. First up are two creations from Craig Calfee.
Get dirty
Before the show, Michael Moore, of Calfee Designs, approached me about collaborating on a one of Calfee’s new disc-brake Adventure bike. I was thrilled to help. We picked the parts spec together and the geometry is custom for gravel and dirt roads. After the show I’ll be putting in some miles on the bike, so a full review is coming.
A couple cool features of the bike include a Schmidt generator front hub that powers a fork-mounted headlight. A pair of vintage Scott Drop-In handlebars is shimmed to 31.8 mm and with the Team Z logo on the top tube, one is reminded of the time when Calfee built bikes for Greg LeMond.
Zipp 303 Firecrest clincher rims are shod in Clement USH tires. Ultegra Di2 shifts a 11-28 rear cassette and a 42-30 XTR crank. Bring on the hills!
A Calfee PowerPost powers the shifting and now features external charging. The socket is on the front of the seat post and also allows a rider to charge a phone on a commute to work, if necessary.
Get clean
Calfee and his crew also showed a new integrated bar, stem and fork that entirely hides all the Di2 wiring and control box. The SuperClean front end is a system that must be purchased together. Calfee routes the wiring inside the handlebar after it exits the shifter. It then goes to the stem, inside which is the Shimano control box (which indicates battery level and allows adjustment of the shifting). Two holes on the bottom of the stem allow access to the control boxes button and a view on the battery level LED.
The wiring then goes over the top of the steerer lip, but still inside the top cap and exits through a small hole in the back of the steerer into the frame. Very precise cutting of the steerer tube is required for the system but the effect is amazing.