At first glance, it appears to be a clean and tasty street rod- fairly classic-looking frame with sophisticated mechanicals fitted to it. But there's still something different about it. It might take a while to analyze from a photo, but if you walked up to one, you'd catch on in a hurry. This machine is built around 29" wheels! Yes, Jack Witmer's Cook Bros. Cruiser is a different breed of street rod. As shown, the basic frameset is $999, with many options in mechanicals. An especially fine detail is the dropout design: that hook is a beer opener.
Firebikes makes several different intensely kustom-style frames; all are noteworthy for their swoopy lines and intricate structures. The one shown below is the "Reaper", and it goes for about $300, naked. Produced in Regina, SK, Canada, Firebikes frames are showing up everywhere, including Europe. Sam McKayand Jason MacPherson are continuously adding tasty new items to the menu. At right is the "Shark" a very artistic new dish.
Here's a new source for some very hot kustom rides. They can
fix you up with just about any combination of bike and accessories.
Below: Three Deuces Vintage Style Choppers
http://www.coastairbrush.com/new/3-deuces.html One of the earliest boutique kustom chopper works of our acquaintance, 3 Deuces of Riverside, CA, is now being distributed by Coast Airbrush. Many kustom painters have caught on that having a fully-tricked-out and painted bicycle is a lot less expensive and bulky than a comparable Harley in the showroom.
Just because you're not planning to run it in the Tour de France doesn't mean that weight doesn't matter in a kustom cruiser. Hand-crafted in Central California, from T6061 aluminum, the Boss Bikes Cruiser and its
tasty triple-tree springer fork are industrial-strength, but reasonably low-mass. The bare frame is about $400, the springer fork is about $200.
