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Li King (they/them) gained the 2023 Single Velocity Cyclocross World Championship Non-Binary race on a motorcycle they constructed particularly for the occasion.
King hasn’t retired with the SSCXWC ink, nevertheless, and has continued to race, crushing the muddy Rockville Cyclocross series on a tracklocross bike, winning the non-binary category at The Mid South gravel race with gears, and promoting local tracklocross racing within the lead-up to the 2024 Tracklocross Worlds (tracklocross season never ends, apparently).
King rides many various bikes, however we profile the newly-tattooed champion’s particular bike that they rode to the title on the prime of Empire Grade in Santa Cruz.
Li King’s 2023 SSCXWC-winning King Fabrications Singlespeed. © L. Slone / Cyclocross Journal
Metal is Actual
King hand builds {custom} TIG welded metal bikes at their small storage workshop King Fabrications, which they began firstly of 2023 in Berkeley, California. King honed their welding expertise by working with Low Bikes in San Francisco for a number of years earlier than deciding it was time to do their very own factor. Within the meantime, King is a prime 10 participant within the Northern California Tracklocross scene and determined that their tracklocross rig was not the right machine to compete within the 2023 SSCXWC. In order that they went to work on a brand new body.
King builds solely metal frames proper now, although they’re additionally an authorized aluminum welder. They principally use Dedaccai and Columbus tubing, however generally different chrome-molybdenum tubes if they’re on the lookout for a particular diameter, form or butt profile. King’s championship bike is generally Dedaccai, with a pear-shaped butted down tube.
One Gear, however not Tracklocross Geometry
King instructed me that the geometry of their bike is pretty normal ‘cross geometry with a 57.5cm prime tube. In comparison with their tracklocross bike, the 72-degree headtube angle is steeper and the underside bracket is decrease with a 65cm drop on their championship bike. For tracklocross, King prefers to sit down a bit extra upright and has a slacker entrance finish for extra confidence within the unknown throughout biking adventures. Additionally, for tracklocross, the underside bracket is 10cm increased since you must pedal by way of off-cambers, up and over lips, and over generally grossly uneven terrain. That is much less of an issue when on a freewheeling bike.
Li King’s 2023 SSCXWC-winning King Fabrications Singlespeed. © L. Slone / Cyclocross Journal
Body Fixtures
King used track-ends for the 135mm spaced bolt-on axle rear wheel. This configuration is a tracklocross normal, and King selected this construct so they might swap for a tracklocross wheel if desired.
I requested King concerning the curious selection of post-mount brakes. They mentioned it was a matter of elements available, and likewise that they preferred the post-mounted SRAM calipers. The rear put up mount is on the left seatstay with a reinforcing truss between the caliper mount and the chainstay.
The seatstays mount a bit beneath the seat collar purely for aesthetics, based on King. The seatstays are nearly parallel to the downtube paying homage to the GT triple triangle. There’s a double seatstay bridge, a element that King likes to placed on the ‘cross bikes. The straight-blade fork has a flat forged crown and plug-in fork ends for the bolt-on axle. There’s loads of tire clearance for mud and vast rubber.
Li King’s 2023 SSCXWC-winning King Fabrications Singlespeed. © L. Slone / Cyclocross Journal
The rear brake hose runs internally by way of the down tube however exits on the backside to run exterior the underside bracket and alongside the highest of the chainstay. The entrance hose runs externally alongside the entrance of the fork leg. The dual bottle cage mounts have diamond-shaped reinforcing braze-ons. Throughout SSCXWC 2023, King bypassed the hand-ups as a result of they raced with a downtube bottle!
Li King’s 2023 SSCXWC-winning King Fabrications Singlespeed. © L. Slone / Cyclocross Journal
The King Fabrication crown emblem is brazed onto the pinnacle tube. King usually paints frames themselves and this was the case for his or her SSCXWC bike. They’ve a powder coat sales space and oven, and this instance is an exquisite deep purple with an overlying pink fade that’s crinkle-finished.
Li King’s 2023 SSCXWC-winning King Fabrications Singlespeed. © L. Slone / Cyclocross Journal
Part and Gear Alternative
King has an Easton EA90 crank with a 40-tooth chainring paired to an 18-tooth freewheel giving a 2.2:1 gear ratio, or 60-inch gear. King sometimes picks T47 bottom bracket shells for offroad drop bar bikes.
King rolled on {custom} wheels from @bigblackunicornupgrades which have Paul Components hubs on the core. Finishing the wheel are 32 spokes with 3-cross lacing to an aluminum Velocity Aileron rim. The Aileron rim is 28mm deep with a 20mm inside width. At 465 grams for every rim, and with 32 3X spokes per wheel, that is seemingly a bombproof construct.
Li King on a {custom} King Fabrications singlespeed cyclocross bike. © Lee Slone / Cyclocross Journal
King’s selection is Maxxis 40mm Ravager tires entrance and rear. No UCI width restrictions right here! They mentioned the tire stress is normally round 25 psi and it was no completely different for this course. King gravel/cyclocross bikes boast 42mm tire clearance, however since each body is {custom}, greater tire clearance is negotiable.
Li King’s 2023 SSCXWC-winning King Fabrications Singlespeed. © L. Slone / Cyclocross Journal
Paul Parts hubs can be found with 6-bolt rotor mounting solely, so the suitable SRAM 160mm centerline rotors are the one-piece selection.
Already talked about are the SRAM post-mounted hydraulic calipers. A pointy eye notices King put SRAM hydraulic AXS levers on this singlespeed. King likes the form and the levers have been already sitting within the workshop. Zipp Service Course SL aluminum bar with an identical Zipp Service Course stem completes the cockpit controls. The seatpost is an aluminum FSA Gossamer SB20 one-bolt mannequin with a Selle Italia SLR saddle on prime.
King runs a color-matched Chris King headset and the Crank Brothers Sweet pedals additionally observe the colour scheme.
Li King’s 2023 SSCXWC-winning King Fabrications Singlespeed. © L. Slone / Cyclocross Journal
Li King rides and races bikes in all disciplines, highway, track, mountain, ‘cross, gravel, and naturally tracklocross. If you would like a custom-made metal bike with a World Championship pedigree, give King Fabrications a name. Given this expertise, they’ll actually give perception into the bike you’re on the lookout for.
Frames run $1800 for a single-color powder coat.
Extra data: kingfabrications.net
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