Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Conscience Is The Mirror Of Our Souls

Well, we haven't looked at a new frame here in a while. How about the Superstar Mirror, the new signature frame of Antony Lille (as discovered on the Pijin blog):


You'll note that it's only available in 21/13.4", making it a true signature frame, i.e. this is exactly what he rides. Well as far as you know. The built-in seatpost is closer to that of the old T1 Garrett than the Sunday Ian or the Mutiny Cosmotron, and not only because it uses those quaint old railed seats (can you still get Marvin's Guts?). It's also an actual seatpost as opposed to guts welded to the toptube/seatstay junction. There also appears to be a groove near the base that you can use as a guide if you'd rather just hacksaw the whole mess off and run a regular seatpost setup. Neat.

The dropouts are pretty incredible. You couldn't cut them much thinner. It doesn't surprise me that peg use would void the warranty (although, presumably, Micropeg usage wouldn't, since they say they're fine right before mentioning the whole warranty-voiding thing). I'm also impressed by the 75.3 degree headtube, as I've always thought that 75 degree headtubes were just a touch too slack. Brilliant! Now I can finally stop running a 1.75" up front. Toss in the laid-back 69 degree seattube angle, and, well, I have no idea whether the toptube length even means anything anymore.

Other than that, just the necessities—built-in tensioners, removable brake hardware, post-weld heat treating. Which means it should cost somewhere in the neighborhood of...what? $420? $450? They tell you everything except the price. Of course.

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18 comments:

Smitty said...

I just can't understand that "seatpost" configuration...can anyone tell me how it makes any sense?

Anonymous said...

YOU SEE WHAT HAPPENS LARRY?

Anonymous said...

DEL!!!!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

I assume they're not serious about the peg thing, except as a way of denying warranty claims and advertising their weird giant axle nuts (that I use and love). I have no idea how pegs on that could make the dropouts more likely to fail than running micropegs would.

If they're larger in diameter, and most pegs are, they'd decrease the odds of pinching the axle slot shut or twisting the bit that's below the axle inward, which are the only ways I've ever seen anyone mess up dropouts that shape.

Are they so flimsy they'll get crushed around the hub collars/etc. by tightening pegs on them? That's too thin for nuts; they'd gradually spread the dropouts open.

Anonymous said...

im psyched to a street frame that your recommended not to run pegs. the world is finally coming to an end.

Anonymous said...

Why have D-Shaped "dent resistant" stays if you're not running pegs and are going no way near any grinds??

Design for designs sake. Wank.

Anonymous said...

why are the dropouts so small anyway? Seems like they'd sell more frames with the slightly larger peg-compatible dropouts that everyone else is using.

Never Met The Gooch said...

Edwin first animal video. Didn't know there was a video for this.

bobby p said...

i accidentally clicked on some random link thing on this site and it brought me here....way cooler than sprfls.

http://brightcosplay.blogspot.com/

Anonymous said...

Edwin part in the second animal vid(circa 2000?). From the looks of it, the dropouts are designed to be just small enough so the Micro pegs cover them on the bottom. Since when did you have to run pegs to ride street? Unless youve been hiding under a rock the last two years, many people have sheading the trick sticks.Some of you old schoolers need to stop bitching about muse issues. The reason for having dent resistant chainstay tubes is because when using superstar micro pegs, doing pedalgrinds, or just grinding pegless you tend to slip off the axel and dent the chainstays. And remember this is a sig frame designed around anthony's riding. If youve seen him ride youll know that he does alot of pedal grinds and pegless stalls and these design features would assist him in doing exactly that. I like this frame, and thats saying alot because its one of the only frames ,other than the stricker and bloodwolf, ive seen recently that I would actually ride. Oh yeah; I ride all street and havent ridden pegs for over a year.

wade said...

"pegs are street"
Actually, pegs are flatland.
And perhaps they have always been cheating? In the third issue of Freestylin' (Winter 1984/85), in an article on converting your race bike to a freestyle bike, they wrote “…sooner or later the freestyle organizations WILL come up with rules regarding add-ons – but right now you can use as many extras as you want, adding a dimension to your freestyle riding.” (pg 21)
15-16 Intermediate Flatland With Pegs class?
So, is it cheating or expanding your options? Freestyle means you get to choose?
If brakes are over, maybe pegs should be over?

Anonymous said...

No brakes, no pegs, no seat.....

sometimes the most cynical part of me thinks that these trends are just cost cutting measures so companies can decrease costs and keep selling completes for the same amount.....

then I remember that the average BMX company owner is doing well to keep the lights turned on at their company....

Anonymous said...

Greatest. Movie. Ever.

am i wrong? am i wrong? am i WRONG?

back on topic:
This frame is confused.

Anonymous said...

I can't listen to this song without thinking about the sound grinding

Josh said...

I have always taken functionality over appearance but those dropouts are hideous. Not to mention anytime I did so much as hop a curb I would question if they were going to crumple underneath me. Peace of mind has no price. It may cost you a couple of ounces but that's about it.

Anonymous said...

Fuck it, Dude--let's go bowling.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gU2ZgaQ_H-Y

Loop said...

"Fuck this new 400$ frame shit...I dont want to save 1 more lb that costs 150$ extra to fuckin save"

In the UK a Fit Dak frame would cost you the princely sum of £429.99 which according to xe.com is $631.18!

Russ said...

Yeah, well, you know, that's just, like, your opinion, man.