(moved)
Hi All,
Seeing as this is a "look at my bike" forum, I thought i'd just share some pictures of my old Kirk Precision frames.
Firstly, a bit of history... When Norsk Hydro bought Kirk Precision back in '88, they decided to show case the bike in the Tour de France.
However, the bike they raced was about as far away from the retail version as those WRC Focuses are from your local Ford showroom!
The unpainted one in the photos was a "first attempt" at modding for the Tour de France. Alas, it was still far too flexible for the Pros. So, the designer went a bit gung-ho and something considerably stiffer was produced. This suited the TVM boys and so a dozen or two were made for them and one of them (yep, just one) saw some tarmac on "le Tour"
These pictures are close ups showing the differences. I cant say that these were actually ridden on the Tour de France, but they are certainly rare...even more rare than a Kirk rear mech hanger!
Beefed up chainstays....note on the red one, it is as high as the BB shell.
Skinny top "tube" - saving the weight
Practically a straight line for the rear mech cable for super-slick gear changes. (The cable lug is on the INSIDE of the frame at the rear)
No steel inserts....these bikes didnt need to worry about longevity! Also further forward making shorter wheelbase.
Scooped out rear panel to accommodate the rear wheel having moved forward (I think this design was adopted on the production models)
Hi All,
Seeing as this is a "look at my bike" forum, I thought i'd just share some pictures of my old Kirk Precision frames.
Firstly, a bit of history... When Norsk Hydro bought Kirk Precision back in '88, they decided to show case the bike in the Tour de France.
However, the bike they raced was about as far away from the retail version as those WRC Focuses are from your local Ford showroom!
The unpainted one in the photos was a "first attempt" at modding for the Tour de France. Alas, it was still far too flexible for the Pros. So, the designer went a bit gung-ho and something considerably stiffer was produced. This suited the TVM boys and so a dozen or two were made for them and one of them (yep, just one) saw some tarmac on "le Tour"
These pictures are close ups showing the differences. I cant say that these were actually ridden on the Tour de France, but they are certainly rare...even more rare than a Kirk rear mech hanger!
Beefed up chainstays....note on the red one, it is as high as the BB shell.
Skinny top "tube" - saving the weight
Practically a straight line for the rear mech cable for super-slick gear changes. (The cable lug is on the INSIDE of the frame at the rear)
No steel inserts....these bikes didnt need to worry about longevity! Also further forward making shorter wheelbase.
Scooped out rear panel to accommodate the rear wheel having moved forward (I think this design was adopted on the production models)
