As an extension of our outstanding customer service, we have composed this list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs). In the event your query is not addressed, or you think we should add something, please drop us a line. Thanks! Company Name: Vicious Cycles Owner's Name: Carl Schlemowitz Dog's Name: Shayla Company Address: 205 South Ohioville Road New Paltz, NY 12561 Company Phone: 845-883-4303 Company Fax: 845-883-4302   General FAQs Company Fast Facts Vicious Cycles has been in business since 1994 All products are hand made and everything is done in house If there is no established dealer in your area, we will sell direct We have an OEM program We have an Industry Pro-Purchase program We have an bike shop employee purchase program We have a racing team and sponsor racers Where can I demo a bike from Vicious Cycles? As all of our frames are made to order, we do not maintain a demo fleet. If you'd like to read what people think about our frames, you can read testimonials here. Does Vicious Cycles offer factory tours? Yes we do. It's best to call ahead to make sure someone will be available to show you around. Please note that we are set up for manufacturing and do not normally operate on the weekends. Fork FAQs Fork Fast Facts All of our forks are made of steel. The blades are custom drawn for us by True Temper. The stock color for all forks is black. What is a unicrown design? All of our forks have a unicrown design, which basically means that the blades of the forks are bent inward to form the crown. I need a custom fork. Can you make one? Unfortunately, we do not manufacture custom forks. Do you make titanium forks? Sorry. At this time, we only make steel forks. How do I choose the correct rigid fork? We offer many different models. You'll need to measure the axle to crown length on your current fork (see chart here). Use measurement "B" to match it to the correct model. Which model of MTB fork is best for my frame? Frames built to accomodate shock forks with 50mm of travel (pre 1997) should use one of our 413 forks. Frames built to accomodate shock forks with 63mm of travel, should use one of our 425 forks. Frames built to accomodate shock forks with 80mm of travel, should use one of our 438 forks. Frames built to accomodate shock forks with 100mm of travel, should use one of our 470 forks. Can you make a fork that uses long-reach brakes? Due to the way our forks are designed, we cannot. We recommend you try Co-Motion What is the length of the fork's steerer tubes? On 1-1/8" steerer - 290mm is standard On 1-1/8" steerer - 370mm is available upon request On 1" steerer - 265mm is the maximum What is the tire clearance on the touring forks? 400 touring rim - 38mm tire clearance w/o fenders 400 touring rim - 35mm tire clearance w/ fenders 400 touring disc - 35mm tire clearance w/o fenders 400 touring disc - 32mm tire clearance w/ fenders 413 touring rim - 45mm tire clearance w/o fenders 413 touring rim - 40mm tire clearance w/ fenders 413 touring disc - 45mm tire clearance w/o fenders 413 touring disc - 40mm tire clearance w/ fenders What is the tire clearance on the cross forks? cross rim, or cross disc - 38 mm tire w/o fenders cross rim, or cross disc - 35 mm tire w/ fenders What is the tire clearance on the mountain forks? On our 2009 mountain forks, tire clearance is 2.3 Do you make a snow fork with 150 spacing? Our Snow fork is set up for 100 spacing. We do make a 150 fork for Jeff Jones. Please contact him directly for purchasing info. What are the options available on a fork? Lowrider rack mounts are available on all forks for an up charge of $60 retail (these come stock on touring forks) There is an up charge of $50 retail, for forks with both disc and linear brake mounts We can color match frames - mixing charge for custom colors is $40 retail. Frame FAQs Frame Fast Facts All frames are made of steel or titanium Steel main triangle tubes are made by Reynolds Titanium tubes are 3/2.5 All frames can be purchased as a frameset, or with a parts kit Do you make custom frames? We make frames in both "Stock" and "Custom" configurations. What is "stock" versus "custom"? A "stock" frame is one that is built with our standard geometry, standard metal options, and one of our 8 stock paint colors. Any change to any one of these items changes a frame from "stock" to "custom". How long does it take to make a frame? This depends on how much work we have going through the workshop, and if we have the raw materials available. All of our frames are "made to order" so we don't normally have "stock" frames ready to ship out. What size shock fork does the "metal guru" take? In stock geometry, the "metal guru" takes an 80mm suspension fork. What are the seat post sizes? Most steel seat post diameter: 27.2mm Steel frames XXL and larger: 29.4mm groover seat post diameter: 29.4mm groover lt seat post diameter: 29.4mm jeepster seat post diameter: 29.8mm What is seat tube OD sizing? Most steel frame seat tube OD: 28.6mm Steel frames XXL and larger: 31.8mm groover seat post diameter: 31.8mm groover lt seat post diameter: 31.8mm jeepster seat post diameter: 31.8mm titanium seat post diameter: 31.8mm What are the rear shock dimensions? On frame sizes M,L,XL: 200mm eye to eye, 50mm stroke Small and all 29” frame sizes: 165mm eye to eye, 38mm stroke the Groover lt (all sizes): front hardware = 30mm x 6mm rear hardware = 40mm x 8mm The groover 26 and 29 (all sizes): front hardware = 30mm x 6mm rear hardware = 36mm x 8mm On the groover 29”, four way shocks will only fit on XL or larger frame sizes What is the recommended bottom bracket? bottom bracket: 68 (Thunderwing - frame - 100) What is the front der type? Most front derailleurs are band type, top pull-top swing. Thunderwing uses an E type. What special parts does the “thunderwing” use? Wide BB (shell is 100mm) An "E-Type" front der 100mm front hub 150mm rear hub What hubs should I use for the "thunderwing"? Our recommendation is Hadley. What rims should I use for the "thunderwing"? We recommend our Graceful Fat Sheba. Can I get horizontal dropouts on a single-speed? Yes, but only for rim brake setups (and because this is not a standard option it will be considered a "custom" frame). We don't use "slider" horizontal dropouts on our single-speeds because they are wider than our current dropouts. Using them would require a chainstay with a S-bend that we do not produce. Not using a S-bend chainstay would result in lack of clearance for the crank. Can you tell me about your bottle opener? Our bottle opener is available on all frames at no up charge, and comes stock on the mountain and single speed frames. What other options are available? Rack and fender mounts are available. Eccentric bottom bracket (EBB) is available. Paint FAQs Paint Fast Facts We do OEM paint work for other companies We use only high quality automotive paint; PPG and House of Kolor We do not powder coat We can paint all materials (steel, aluminum, titanium and carbon) We can do pretty much any paint scheme Frame or fork should be entirely disassembled or there will be a fee for disassembly How much does it cost to get a bike painted? It depends on the options that you'd like. Please refer to our paint quote form here. How long does it take to get a bike painted? This depends on how much work we have going through the paintshop. When you receive a paint quote from us, we'll let you know the approximate lead-time. Did we miss something? Please drop us a line. ___________________________________________ This page is best viewed using Firefox or IE