# kogswell



## tarwheel2 (Jul 7, 2005)

Any Kogswell owners out there? I've been looking for a new commuter/touring frame for quite a while, and the Kogswell PR seems to have everything I'm looking for -- touring geometry, lots of eyelets and braze-ons for fenders and racks, long chain stays, and canti brakes. The only thing that was holding me back was the yucky Kustard yellow color, but apparently all the new ones will be basic black, which I can live with. The geometry and sizes would suit me well, and the price is right -- $600 for frame, fork, fenders painted to match, headset and seatpost. I'm a little confused about all of the fork options. Anyone know how long it takes to order one?


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## rcnute (Dec 21, 2004)

Check out the Yahoo Kogswell group--I haven't been there in awhile, but there were lots of ride reports, photos and the latest updates. Some discussion on the iBob list too.

(I would have had a P/R, but by the time mine came in it was black, which I hated. I wanted the Kustard bad.)


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## FatTireFred (Jan 31, 2005)

do you want to jump on the 650b bandwagon? another reason I don't think you'd like it is the 135 rear spacing (not road standard)


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## tarwheel2 (Jul 7, 2005)

You can buy the Kogswell set up to accomodate 700cc wheels. That's one of the reasons why I like it, and the biggest reason why the Rivendell Bleriot won't do. I don't want to have to buy another set of wheels and tires that won't be compatible with my other bikes.


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## cj.spinner (Sep 15, 2005)

*I've got two...*

I bought the Model P directly from Matthew at Kogswell. I called, he had one available, and he shipped it upon my order. It didn't take long at all.

I bought the second generation (black) P/R through Trinity Bicycles in Irving, Texas. In this case my order was placed before the product arrived in the US. As I recall, they were originally due at the shop in April or May. I picked mine up in October.

Both bikes ride very well, do what they were designed to do and, I'm my opinion, are a great value. My P/R has the middle fork option (40mm trail) and it handles a front load nicely. With a 10 pound load in my front bag, I can easily ride no-handed and a steer around curves and road defects.

Last I heard, he had a 56cm P/R available...


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## cj.spinner (Sep 15, 2005)

*Kogswell P/R Photo*

I forgot to mention, the Model P was built-up with gears, but the P/R is running a fixed-gear. Here's a link to a recent photo...

http://picasaweb.google.com/cj.spinner/KogswellPR/photo#5147301180378618898

Whether you pursue the Kogswell, or something else, let us know which commuter you choose.


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## Dave Hickey (Jan 27, 2002)

+++1....Beautiful frame and an outstanding build...great job


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## yetisurly (Sep 30, 2005)

tarwheel2 said:


> You can buy the Kogswell set up to accomodate 700cc wheels. That's one of the reasons why I like it, and the biggest reason why the Rivendell Bleriot won't do. I don't want to have to buy another set of wheels and tires that won't be compatible with my other bikes.



What did you need to do to set it up with 700C?


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## tarwheel2 (Jul 7, 2005)

*700c*



yetisurly said:


> What did you need to do to set it up with 700C?


I don't know, but Kogswell told me that you can order their frames to be compatible with 700c wheels/tires. I've got three other road bikes with 700c wheels, and I'm not interested in a bike that would be incompatible with the others. Eg., if I break a spoke on my commuter bike, I want to be able to swap wheels from one of my other bikes while I'm getting it fixed. Plus, the options are extremely limited for 650b tires.


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## tarwheel2 (Jul 7, 2005)

*Pr*



cj.spinner said:


> I forgot to mention, the Model P was built-up with gears, but the P/R is running a fixed-gear. Here's a link to a recent photo...
> 
> http://picasaweb.google.com/cj.spinner/KogswellPR/photo#5147301180378618898
> 
> Whether you pursue the Kogswell, or something else, let us know which commuter you choose.


That is a beautiful bike. Kogswell actually emailed me a photo of your bike when I inquired about colors other than Kustard yellow. Does your bike have the 650b wheels or 700c?

The other frame I am seriously considering is the Salsa Casseroll. I like the Casseroll a lot, but the PR would be more versatile for touring since it has longer chain stays and uses canti brakes. The prices for both bikes are very close.


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## nate (Jun 20, 2004)

I have a Kogswell Model G. I like it a lot. The tubing is heavy, but it's a good-looking fixed gear with eyelets for fenders and comfortable geometry.

I got mine used on eBay, but I talked to Matthew from Kogswell on the phone and he remembered the guy who was selling the bike and also sent me a rear brake for free. That's the only time I dealt with Matthew, but it was pretty nice of him to send me a rear brake even though I bought a used frame on eBay instead of buying a new frame from Kogswell.


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## FatTireFred (Jan 31, 2005)

tarwheel2 said:


> I like the Casseroll a lot, but the PR would be more versatile for touring since it has longer chain stays and uses canti brakes.




curious, why the preference for cantis? they won't nec be better than long-reach dual-pivot brakes and would take a bit more fiddling to set up properly. for touring you don't need the mud clearance that cx'ers do


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## buck-50 (Sep 20, 2005)

FatTireFred said:


> curious, why the preference for cantis? they won't nec be better than long-reach dual-pivot brakes and would take a bit more fiddling to set up properly. for touring you don't need the mud clearance that cx'ers do


It's a heck of a lot easier to fit fat tires in a frame with cantis than long reach dual pivots- I've got the LR dual pivots on my Rivendell, and to fit 32's, I need to deflate the tires. Not entirely practical.


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## tarwheel2 (Jul 7, 2005)

*cantis*



FatTireFred said:


> curious, why the preference for cantis? they won't nec be better than long-reach dual-pivot brakes and would take a bit more fiddling to set up properly. for touring you don't need the mud clearance that cx'ers do


Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought canti brakes had more stopping power. Seems like you would need all the brakes you can get if doing loaded touring or riding in the rain a lot. The brakes on my road bike suck when riding in the rain. Also, clearance is big issue if running larger tires. I can't fit Michelin 700x25 or Panaracer 700x28 tires through my regular brake calipers if they are inflated.


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## FatTireFred (Jan 31, 2005)

tarwheel2 said:


> Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought canti brakes had more stopping power. Seems like you would need all the brakes you can get if doing loaded touring or riding in the rain a lot. The brakes on my road bike suck when riding in the rain. Also, clearance is big issue if running larger tires. I can't fit Michelin 700x25 or Panaracer 700x28 tires through my regular brake calipers if they are inflated.




the tire issue is real, but stopping power is somewhat of a myth. _properly set up_ cantis are equal to or perhaps better than dual pivots, but in reality many don't know how to properly set up cantis (it's a common complaint, "my cantis suck!"). if your road brakes are dual pivot and suck in the rain then you prob need to try new pads... the "power" of rim brakes diminishes in the wet anyway, hence the benefit of discs. I would not rule out the disc salsa just because you cannot swap out wheels... how often would you do that anyway? another benefit of the discs is that you can still ride a grossly out of true wheel


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## buck-50 (Sep 20, 2005)

FatTireFred said:


> the tire issue is real, but stopping power is somewhat of a myth. _properly set up_ cantis are equal to or perhaps better than dual pivots, but in reality many don't know how to properly set up cantis (it's a common complaint, "my cantis suck!"). if your road brakes are dual pivot and suck in the rain then you prob need to try new pads... the "power" of rim brakes diminishes in the wet anyway, hence the benefit of discs. I would not rule out the disc salsa just because you cannot swap out wheels... how often would you do that anyway? another benefit of the discs is that you can still ride a grossly out of true wheel


For a commuter, you really wanna be able to swap wheels- there's nothing worse than being grounded for a couple days (or weeks) because you don't have time to fix a wheel, or you don't have the cash on hand. The more swapable parts, the better.


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## FatTireFred (Jan 31, 2005)

buck-50 said:


> For a commuter, you really wanna be able to swap wheels- there's nothing worse than being grounded for a couple days (or weeks) because you don't have time to fix a wheel, or you don't have the cash on hand. The more swapable parts, the better.



all my stuff is compatible, but I have never had to swap anything... with mutiple bikes there's often no need


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## Thommy (Sep 23, 2003)

Nice frames. Buy it then pull up www.fixedgeargallery.com and use their powder coating business to get your desired color. My neighbor owns a Kogswell, I like it.


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## cj.spinner (Sep 15, 2005)

Sorry for the delayed response...work travel.

It is a 650b wheeled bike. It spends a lot of time on not-so-well-maintained county roads and frequent gravel. It is noticably better than my 32mm 700c tires on gravel.


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## cj.spinner (Sep 15, 2005)

Thanks, Dave, that means a lot coming from you.

I've seen your bikes. Every one a beauty.


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## Andy M-S (Feb 3, 2004)

I have a Model D, one of the very first generation of Kogswells. It has many, many thousands of miles on it, a new coat of paint (the original Kustard was a little fragile) and I just can't say enough good things about this bike.

I don't think you can wrong with a bike from Kogswell.


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