Independent Fabrication  >

Bill Strickland, Bicycling Magazine's Executive Editor has had an XS for about three years and has published his review of the frame which is nothing short of amazing. The article begins "My devotion to the IF XS lies somewhere beyond reason...". There is also a lovely little "tattoo piece" describing Independent Fabrication as a company.  If you want to read the article just (Click here for link)

We are really pleased and proud to be the exclusive UK dealer for Independent Fabrication road and cross frames. Based in Somerville, just north of downtown Boston, IF is wholly owned by the employees themselves and the passion resulting shines through clearly in the frames themselves. Unlike many frame builders, Independent aren’t hostages to one material but will build exactly the steel, titanium or carbon-tubed bike you’re after. And the IF philosophy of building every bike as a custom fits really well with our expertise and use of the Sizecycle Fitting system.

Here is what IF have to say about their company.
“Ask yourself: "If I owned a bike company, what kind of frames would I want to build?" Well, we DO own a bike company, and we strive to build the best custom frames in the world, nothing less. We want to work with the most cutting-edge materials and techniques in existence, and above all, we want to be proud of what we do for a living. Pride of ownership is our incentive; it gives us the edge over the competition. The proof lies in our attention to detail, craftsmanship, and the quality of the ride.

Independent Fabrication started in 1995 building steel mountain bike frames. Now, in 2005, we can build almost everything, out of almost anything. From the finest most technically advanced steel tubing to ever exist, to the best titanium available, to an array of custom carbon fiber tubing made just for us, we can make a bike for you. But not just any bike - the bike of your dreams, manufactured with so much love and care, one would think our lives depended on it, and, in a way, they do.

Every frameset we build is custom, built for an individual customer from start to finish here in our Somerville factory. But how custom is custom? At IF custom means every tube, every length, every angle, and every option is selected to meet the customers, needs and desires. If that isn’t enough, we have a state-of-the-art PPG Certified Paint shop that is set up to handle your custom paint requests, any colour, any shape, essentially any scheme that you can come up with. Your bike will be as unique as you are.”

“It’s a passionate group of people. We’re lucky enough to have the chance to make money out of our hobby”