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welcome you have entered sacred ground this is the birthplace of dreams within these hallowed walls your desire and our expertise come together resulting in more than just a bicycle our mission is to fuel your passion for cycling through the wickedly personalized if experience over weeks months and years of riding many different bicycles a cyclist will begin to understand the effect of different frame materials and geometry on the handling characteristics of their bikes it is from this knowledge and experience that the desire for something greater is born this is where the if custom process begins to begin the custom process first locate your nearest if authorized dealer see our dealer locator online our authorized dealers are adept at fitting and coaching you through this process at our website www.ifbikes.com you will find a downloadable custom fit form which you your dealer and if will use to help create your custom bicycle next take the time to fill out the forms with your dealer
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designers and builders at independent fabrication we do it all our experienced design team takes your provided body measurements fitting information ride expectations and aesthetic concerns and turns them into a bicycle design they utilize their years of design experience to translate all of the provided information into angles tube diameters wall thicknesses and butt lengths our designers create a blueprint and work order for your bicycle that is referenced throughout the process of building and finishing your frame we have been working since our inception to create a process that lends itself to the infinite variations of tubing materials and options this process continues to evolve as bicycle and material technology advances our extensive database of every possible option grows daily and is put to use in the bikes that we design and build from initial design to painted frame your bike will pass through each of our talented framebuilder s hands we treat every frame with the utmost re
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machining tacking this is where the building begins after the tubes are selected they are cleaned extensively measured and cut slightly longer than the length of the finished mitered tubes the build sheet is used to set up the jigs on the machines so that everything is cut at the correct angle and length we have different machines for different processes the use of dedicated tooling makes our machinists extremely efficient so that their work is executed accurately most of the tooling and jigs are also extremely adjustable making for quick changeovers between different sizes and types of tubing after all of the tubes are cut the tacking jig is set up based on the geometry provided by our design team the tubes are then deburred cleaned again and set into the jig the frame jig is then grounded to the welder and small tacks of metal are welded to the frame just enough to hold the tubes together if a titanium stainless or factory lightweight frame is in the jig the inside of the frame is
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welding the welding of bike frames involves both science and art all of our frames are tig tungsten inert gas welded by hand this process takes years to learn and is extremely specialized utilizing processes and tooling that are as custom as the bikes themselves our welders not only need to know a lot about metal but also about bicycle frame dynamics the tubing we use is extremely thin and requires a steady hand we take great pride in the quality of our welding which can bee seen on the bare polished stainless or titanium shotpeened frames after the frame is welded it is fully inspected and sent on to the finishing department the ssr a new era in materials technology the ssr is the pinnacle of the modern steel bicycle the ssr frame is made out of reynolds 953 a martinsitic age-hardenable stainless steel this super metal has an ultimate yield strength of 2000 mpa for comparison 3al-2.5v titanium has ultimate yield strength of 900 mpa this builds a stiff and super light frame that retai
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final machining brazing and final machining take place in the finishing department the frame is essentially ridable when it is completed at this stage but without its surface treatment thusly we call it the finishing department when the frame is received in this department it is visually inspected and referenced to its corresponding work order final machining involves many procedures first the frame alignment is checked the bottom bracket threads are chased and the outer rim is faced to the proper dimension the seat tube is reamed to its final dimension and then slotted the headtube is reamed and faced to perfectly fit a headset and the headbadge holes are drilled and tapped after this point titanium frames are sent to be shotpeened at an aerospace shotpeening facility and ssr frames are hand polished the factory lightweight an exercise in minimalism this frameset is an exercise in pushing the limits of modern steel every aspect of this frame has been dialed in to maximize its potentia
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advanced concepts the xs pursuit bike bad ass mofo in order to create inspiring bikes for our customers we must first create them for ourselves introducing another one-off concept bike straight out of the indy fab special ops department the independent fabrication xs pursuit bike winner of the best track bike first place trophy at the 2007 north american handbuilt bicycle show.
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brazing only steel frames get their small parts brazed on titanium frames have all of their cable stops and small parts welded on in the welding department the brazing process begins by selecting all of the appropriate parts and cleaning them the frame is then set up in the brazing area and cleaned as well then the areas that will be receiving the small parts are coated with a flux flux acts as a vehicle for the metal to flow through as well as an oxide and contaminate preventative very much like the argon purge used in welding for an added measure of purity assurance we use a gas fluxer it is installed in the gas lines between the acetylene tank and torch this device adds flux to the gas further deterring contamination we use two different brazing metals for the different parts applications low stress areas such as cable stops and pump pegs receive a silver alloy and highly stressed areas such as brake bridges receive a brass alloy we have various custom jigs that hold parts in their
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painting when our ppg-certified painting department receives the frame it fully inspects it confirms all of the details and prepares the frame for paint steel frames are set up to be sandblasted by masking off critical threads machined surfaces and any purge holes as the frames are blasted they are again inspected for any irregularities on the surface sandblasting cleans the surface of the frame and provides a microscopic tooth that the primer mechanically bonds to after blasting the frame it is then ready for primer the primer acts as a bonding and rust inhibiting layer its proper application is the foundation of a long lasting paintjob after the primer cures it is wet-sanded by hand dried off and certain areas are masked off the colors are then mixed and the frame is ready to be painted after the color is applied and it has cured the decals are applied these are special low profile decals that are designed specifically for use underneath the final clear coat the frame again goes in
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shotpeening titanium we are the only company currently shotpeening titanium bicycle frames shotpeening is a cold working process in which the frame is bombarded with small spherical metal balls at a precise angle these particles are called shot shot acts like tiny ball peen hammers and create a uniform dimpled texture on the surface of the frame this compacts the outer molecules of the titanium the processes of butting and welding titanium tubes create tensile stresses in the frame material tensile stresses can lead to premature frame failure the induced tensile stresses are most concentrated in the heat affected zone around the welds thus strength is compromised precisely where you would like it to be greatest the shotpeening process imparts what is called residual compressive stress this counteracts the tensile stress created in the processes of cutting and welding typically fatigue strength of a welded titanium joint after shotpeening is double that without shotpeening and fatigue
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quality control the last step before shipping involves the quality inspection of the frame all aspects of the frame are scrutinized the workorder and initial order are referenced against the frame and all options are closely inspected using gages made by accu-gage and thread the bottom bracket threads head tube ream and seat tube ream are checked to be sure that they are within the designated tolerance range then the paint is closely inspected and any imperfections are buffed out by hand the club racer versatile performance this frameset incorporates traditional road bike geometry coupled with all of the options for light touring it is designed for use with long reach caliper brakes to accommodate fenders and slightly larger tires it also includes front and rear rack mounts and a pump peg the club racer makes an excellent commuter bike rainy day trainer or light touring rig it is available in steel or titanium and with or without s&s couplings the independence built for the long haul f
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2008 stock colors color decal choices independent fabrication is renowned for creating the best paint jobs in the industry our mission is to help you to understand what your choices are and how to go about realizing your dreams in color a basic paint level of difficulty low we offer 24 stock paint colors that cover the range of popular basic colors metallics and pearls you can choose any one of these colors and paint your new steel if a solid color at no additional charge basic paint options for titanium in 2008 for $225 msrp you can paint your new titanium if with a solid color 3/4 paint job or painted panels on the seat tube and down tube if you still find yourself wanting more custom paint on our titanium frames please have your authorized if dealer contact us for a quote b basic paint with custom masking level of difficulty medium to high you can have any number of things done with all the stock colors available for 2008 examples are shown in detail on the current if website www.i
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finn tyler joe jill lloyd jim clint matty b joel shawn leah cliff brian jamie the crew we have come together from many different places our common bond is the bikes that we build we wake up everyday as individuals and when we pass through the doors of our factory we become a team each of us is a framebuilder everyday we take pride in putting to use our combined knowledge and skills to create something special for each of our customers shout outs we are not alone in our quest there are many individuals and companies out there that go out of their way to help us to bring these bikes to life we would like to take this moment to thank you with some old school shout outs all of our dedicated bike shops all of our loyal customers paragon machine works shimano fsa michelin wtb ergon chris king phil wood metal improvement company reynolds composites reynolds u.k true temper jon bruno and the men s pro/elite racing team the if/kemper elite women s road team redbones the bodega posse i.c.e edg
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