KirkLee started with a love for cycling and the idea that we could build anything. With years of carbon research and an eye for detail, the first carbon bikes were born. The prototypes were finished in raw carbon to ease visual inspection of the material. As our faith and trust in the material grew, we subjected the bikes to higher and higher loads. Stairs, jumps, ledges, curbs, racing, gallons of sweat, and hours of sunlight were all thrown at the raw carbon frames.
After several years of all the abuse we could throw at them, we quit worrying. KirkLee frames #001 and #002 are still 100% intact and ridable. These days they spend their time reminiscing their glory years in the rafters above the shop floor. They are the bikes that started this company.
Today we are still the same guys with a love for cycling and the idea we can build anything. We’ve raised the bar to pre-preg carbon, custom lay-ups, proprietary tube shapes, standard and extra light tubes, carbon cable stops, and full custom geometry. We have created a company that can meet most any carbon need. At KirkLee we build each custom carbon bike one at a time to your specifications. So should you ever hear “carbon has no soul,” they are not talking about KirkLee.
KirkLee is committed to building you the finest bike possible… by hand.
We have built two “green machines,” so now let us introduce the dream machine. This is one of the most detailed KirkLee’s ever built. Our goal was to show off our tube molding and build a beautiful 29er.
The head tube utilizes a Lefty with 1.5″ steer tube with integrated bearings and the smooth Cannondale OPI stem. All tube laminates are MTB specific and the top and down tubes are hand laid by our small team at KirkLee. The seat tube is a tapered ISP, which should you ever dislike it can be cut and run a standard 31.6 seat post. The bottom bracket is a 73mm PF-30. Each chain stay is independent (no yoke) and clearanced for a 2.5″ tire and the ability to run a triple if needed. Each chain stay is laid up and shaped for vertical compliance. The seat stays are ovalized and hour glassed. While a straight piece of tube would suffice, the curved seat stay bridge completes the rear ends beautiful lines. The anodized red drop outs are CNC’d from 6061 billet and custom made for each size. The bike is designed to be used with Di2 utilizing full internal routing and the rear brake line is also internally routed.
Weight for this 21″ frame is 1280g and the complete bike in the form you see here weighs 18.8lbs.
This bike started with a fitting at Shama Cycles. The customer left it up to us to design and build the frame. The cosmetic rules were simple: incorporate preexisting dragonfly artwork into the design and make the bike purple and white. Nordy Design did an amazing job with the paint. Of course the bike still has the full KirkLee treatment with our custom tubes, cable stops and geometry.
The Cheval Noir is a nickname from a 2003 two-week Stephen Roche Tour de France bike ride. As the stages wore on our customer earned the nickname “The Black Horse.” When it came time to paint the bike, the customer wanted a tribute to those days. The bike is clear coat carbon with pin striped logos shot in metallic silver, covered in candy red. Beautifully done with a simple and dark theme. This is the Cheval Noir.
How do you build the perfect road bike for a triathlete? Contact KirkLee of course. The build started with a custom fit from Tad Hughes to help us dial in a geometry great for riding all day long. We did our regular magic and built a frame with our in-house molded tubes and custom layups. A SRAM Red group with Quarq power meter complete the build. Nordy Design’s paint job came out wonderfully. Subtlety was the key. Light purple accents of henna and butterflies adorn the purple bike and really shine in the sun. This bike might be a wall hanger, but rest assured it’s a bike that can take on many miles.
The head tube utilizes a Lefty with 1.5″ steer tube with integrated bearings and the smooth Cannondale OPI stem. All tube laminates are MTB specific and the top and down tubes are hand laid by our small team at KirkLee. The seat tube is a tapered ISP, which should you ever dislike it can be cut and run a standard 31.6 seat post. The bottom bracket is a 73mm PF-30. Each chain stay is independent (no yoke) and clearanced for a 2.5″ tire and the ability to run a triple if needed. Each chain stay is laid up and shaped for vertical compliance. The seat stays are ovalized and hour glassed. While a straight piece of tube would suffice, the curved seat stay bridge completes the rear ends beautiful lines. The anodized red drop outs are CNC’d from 6061 billet and custom made for each size. The bike is designed to be used with Di2 utilizing full internal routing and the rear brake line is also internally routed.
Weight for this 21″ frame is 1280g and the complete bike in the form you see here weighs 18.8lbs.