Courtesy Omnitracks
MATERIA Vilebrequin bicycle.
Handmade, wood-framed bicycles are the latest offering from Inside Edge on Glen Street in Glens Falls. Being handmade, each is distinct from the last.
“It’s a singular item,” said John Jacobs, owner of Inside Edge. It’s like riding a piece of art, a press release announcing the line said.
Starting at about $3,800, according to the Omnitracks website, wood-framed bikes are most likely not for the average rider. But for the right audience, they make sense, Jacobs said.
“You’d be surprised by the number of people who can purchase them,” Jacobs said. “Someone with a Hacker Craft wood boat would probably love a wood frame bike to go with it.” (Hacker Craft wooden boats are made locally.)
Omintracks bikes, both their electric bikes and wood-framed, are the creation of Glens Falls native Sean Fair, who was looking to rehabilitate after knee surgery and of Tom Davidson of Wayland, Mass., a geologist and bike engineer.
Inside Edge is not the sales floor but the demo location for all the models. This is a new arrangement for bike production and sales, Jacobs said.
Instead of the dealer buying bikes, assembling them and selling them from the floor, Inside Edge has a number of display models that can be taken for a quick test drive around the parking lot or on the Lake George bike path that runs nearby, he said.
The Inside Edge was chosen for this due to its cycling history and close proximity to Coles Woods and the local bike path, Jacobs said.
“We have the expertise and experience to keep things rolling,” he quipped.
Sales are completed on the manufacturer's website, but people who buy are given a code that ties the sale back to the Inside Edge, Jacobs said.
“It’s a little different. This is a new company, and they’re doing some unique things,” he said. “This is really a special order arrangement.”
They say in the promotional materials that materia wood frame bikes offer far superior vibration and shock absorption over carbon and aluminum frames.
Each wooden frame is handmade from hardwoods, and is finished with Shimano and Ritchey components. They range from a beach cruiser, to a single speed urban bike, to a road racer that goes toe-to-toe with the world’s finest. The Tempo race bike was recently ridden by the Latvian road race champion, the press materials say.
Anyone interested in testing one is welcome to contact Inside Edge and make arrangements to do so. The bikes take four to six weeks to arrive. Bikes can be delivered to Inside Edge where they will be assembled and prepared, or they can be delivered to a home.