Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Never Will He Boost Loose Phillies With The Barcode

I agree with Mark Westlake over at the Pijin blog that, as a rule, flipbooks suck. Part of the allure of the web is that it doesn't have to adhere to the same rules that books and magazines do. A web page that you have to flip through page by page is like a motorcycle you have to pedal. But as with all rules, there is the occasional exception.

The history of the T1 Barcode is one of these exceptions.

Much like the web flipbook, the T1 Barcode itself was a bit of a throwback, a beefy (at least in appearance—although I suppose a five-and-a-half pound frame qualifies as heavy these days) fuck you to all the cookie-cutter frames that followed. And while it's temporarily out of production, all signs point to a return sooner rather than later. Please, no matter what happens, don't change that toptube/seatstay junction. Let the spirit of the original live on. And keep it over five pounds, please. Over five and a half, even. We're not ALL trying to get down to the 15-pound UCI weight limit.

(In semi-, not-really-related news, this is awesome.)

•••••••••••


22 comments:

Mark Westlake said...

Saw my name on here, got scared, then relaxed, haha. But yeah, T1 are most definitely allowed to use the flipbook format simply due to the face they can do whatever the hell they want and chances are pretty high it'll be rad.

Cheers for the link in any case ;)

Russ said...

And I figure a flipbook is appropriate for the history of the Barcode. For new products from Subrosa or Fit? Not so much.

Keep up the good work over there!

Anonymous said...

That Shaman is enough to make me consider Standard frames again as an option.

Maxime Rousseau said...

The Standard Shaman will look AWESOME! I'd love to see a frame which is a mash-up of several old school frames, with all the newer stuff. Dual top tube, T1 seat stay wishbone, Shaman downtube. Then add butted tubing, integrated headtube, integrated SPC, and maybe even the Fly uni-dropouts.

It'd be sick.

Stephen said...

So stoked on this post. I loved the flip book and it was cool to pinpoint the time frame on the only barcode that I ever owned (first run of the MAAS ones). I ride a Garrett now and will do my best to ride a T1 until the end.

Bobby is fucking amazed at this. I wonder if Rick will send him one?

Anonymous said...

i pulled my shaman out of the closet last week and threw it together to ride it around a little. absolutely amazing frame but the weight was ridiculous.

forever ago i met the guy who had the shaman cruiser. that thing was nuts.

Anonymous said...

Bobby Fischer is one of a few person that got me riding again after 10+ years of absence.

i wonder where he is now

DBZ said...

BARCODE4LIFE

Unknown said...

Stephen, please convey message to Bobby that we are all as stoked as he is and would love to hear from him.

Share this with him.

http://www.standardbyke.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/img_9779.jpg

bk said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
bk said...

the tajcode:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/brienk/3630325969/sizes/l/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/brienk/3630326815/sizes/l/

Anonymous said...

the tajcode is brilliant

trask said...

tajcode is tight, haha.

i got to ride the first one when I saw Joe at woodward that year. fuckin amazing to see it again.

i had one of the first 100, the blue one (not green), but then someone broke into my car and stole it in Springfield, MA. fuckin miss that thing.

replaced it with one of the later models, not sure which one, but it had the two diff size dropouts on it for freewheel protection. that post really brought back some sweet memories.

Stephen said...

Brien, those stickers are amazing.

bk said...

if I get an angry email from Taj, I'm blaming you.

Anonymous said...

is bobby going to get a royalty off this? i mean, yeah it's custom, but it's more-or-less his signature frame (and they're referring to it as no less than). it's 10am and i can't phrase this question well enough.

bobbyp said...

i have a maroon first batch barcode chilling in my office right now. gotta love 3/8" drops. T1 is no joke.

DBZ said...

I have a blue Kastan Barcode in my storage unit that I have no idea what I'm going to do with. Even the powdercoat is invincible: Nitromors just made it fog up a little.

Verification word: painogre!

SpaceBagels said...

^^^
I remember Taj pretty much got ripped off by Kastan because they used high tensile steel instead of chromoly.

Oh and 3/8" dropout/axles suck, unless you're using 20mm 7075 helicoiled axles with 3/8 bolts. I've broken so many 'heat treated' 3/8" axles in the past it's not even funny.

Also Euro BBs suck too...

SpaceBagels said...

^^^ Oh I didn't even run pegs with 3/8" axles, and they were fronts...

youaintno said...

I've had five Barcodes, two Progressions and one Garrett.

I'm down for life.

RJ said...

Frank The Welder is the Man.