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Salamandre Custom Fat-bike Build from France

Thierry from Bike-A-Lot in France has been working with Yann from Salamandre (We’ve done a couple of other stories on Salalmandre here and here) to build a really sweet fat-bike! Thierry translated his report that was originally in French so all you fine people could see what fat-biking is looking like in France! Enjoy!

Direct from Thierry! So, this is a very long term project.

First part: Yann is starting to build fatbike frames and created his international Ardèche based one man company Salamandre. Yann is a kind of weirdo with high engineering background and magical skills, and creates all kind of pedal powered vehicles.

Second part: Fabien, loves beautiful mechanical machines (like bicycles, racing cars) and contacts me to build a 29″ mountain bike. After some talking, he discovers the work of Yann, and switch the project to fatbike.

Third part: after a three parties discussion, we decide that Yann will make the frame and forks, and I will handle the remaining work.

That is where the story begins …

As we are not close to each other (500 to 1000 km), there has been a lot of discussion and e-mails. Parts and technical choices are changing all the time in the fatbike business, and new products affects technical choices and technical choices create new products. This is like trying to take a picture in a roller coaster…

Fabien stays patient, and this is really a dream collaboration between the three of us. There has been some technical challenge, some disappointment, but a lot of pride and happiness in the end.

Here is our baby :
– Salamandre fat custom frame with OEM Rohloff dropouts, made in Floressas, France
– Surly forks (everything custom painted in the Drôme)
– Rear wheel : Rohloff hub, Schlick Cycles Northpaw-S 47mm rim, Sapim Race spokes, Rohloff rotor, Surly Endomorph 120tpi tire
– Front wheel : Hope Pro 2 evo hub, Schlick Cycles Northpaw-S 47mm rim, Sapim Race spokes, Rohloff rotor, Surly Larry 120tpi tire
– Raceface Atlas FR 83 mm crankset, Middleburn chainring and bolts, Trickstuff Exzentriker bottom bracket
– QR and stem by Hope
– Salsa Pro Moto 2 carbon seatpost, Brooks Swift titanium saddle
– Atlas low riser bars, ESI grips
– XLC Pro brakes

His three fathers are very proud of their offspring!

 

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8 Responses to Salamandre Custom Fat-bike Build from France

  1. Tony B. January 3, 2013 at 10:08 am #

    Schlick Cycles Rims in France! NICE

  2. Tony B. January 3, 2013 at 10:09 am #

    Oh, and that is a work of art almost as much as it’s a bada$$ Fatbike. Nice work guys!

  3. Yann (Salamandre) January 3, 2013 at 2:53 pm #

    Happy to see it there and hope to try it soon. It’s a little bit disapointing to make a frame, send it in a box and see the final job on pictures !

  4. Mark Peterson January 3, 2013 at 7:19 pm #

    Beautiful bike. I am in love with swoopy tubes in a frame, it’s just classy. Thanks

  5. Tommy January 5, 2013 at 1:46 pm #

    Absolutely fantastic. The color, the hub, the lines of the frame. World’s best fatbike. We have a winner.

  6. JC January 10, 2013 at 6:52 am #

    Hey boys,

    This is what are able to do friends driven by their passion

    Enjoy!!

  7. Jan January 12, 2013 at 7:07 am #

    Beautiful frame!!!

  8. Hughonabike March 29, 2013 at 9:22 am #

    Really nice looking piece of kit. Not too shabby at all 😉

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