While cruisers have failed to generate the phenomenal hype that fixed gear bicycles have, there exists a similar level of passion and intensity for them that manifests vehicles on par with the Keirin frame builders of Japan and the handmade craftsmen of Portland. Blake Adams is a Southern California ‘custom guy with a bicycle fetish’ that, through his Road Kandy crew, continues to produce award winning bikes surpassed in style only by the hot rod aesthetic they’re inspired by.
The latest Road Kandy creation began as a seat tube-less 1938 Elgin twinbar frame, modified and extended to accommodate a working rear suspension, a chopped Monarch fork donated the springs. The original Elgin frames didn’t feature a horn tank, one was created from scratch, which is built from OEM 1957 Chevy aluminum side plating. The taillight is from a 1938 Packard, ‘heavily massaged’ and molded into the rear Elgin fender, while the headlight is a NOS Elgin mounted on a custom bracket and running off internal wiring. The hubs are rare New Departure hubs from the 1920s, rebuilt and rechromed—New Departure was a leading manufacturer of coaster brakes for many years during the early part of this century. The paint is pearl white with lilac candy fades, each gradient considered as a part of a whole. The plush saddle has been upholstered with pearl white naugahyde, recommissioned from an unsuspecting luxury yacht. The grips, pedals, axle nuts and valve caps have been turned from a pearl white tenpin bowling ball, while the chainring and sprocket are original Elgin items.
Keep an eye on Road Kandy, they’ll be releasing a range of parts in the not-too-distant future. They also have more project bikes in the pipeline, including a nitro powered whizzer drag bike, an 80mph downhill gravity bike and a whole slew of bikes sold as a limited number series, paying homage to famous racing genres.
