via Prolly.

Fixedgeargallery (FGG) did a review a while back about the Alien Bikes wheelset. Overall the review seems to sound positive. Laced to 36 hole rims with a 3 cross spoke pattern these rims - for all intents and purposes - are stiff. I really like the deep, satin black finish as well. The non-polished sidewalls means don’t use brakes; you don’t want to mess up that nice finish do you?

Surprisingly, the wheelset is inexpensive at $149 and it comes with a 16T cog and lockring. Andy, I hope you are taking notice, these would look great on your Pake…which also happens to be the test bike they used. Those Conti’s look nice on there too!

Another Alien Bikes part the guys tested was their track crankset. I’ve had my eye on these cranks for a while and was relieved that the craftsmanship - as FGG noted - was so well done. At $89 and an extra $15 for the bottom bracket, these are a great inexpensive and nice upgrade to any bike.

Overall, looks like FGG gave top marks to both products. If it’s good enough for them, well then, there you have it!

More Info: Alien Bikes.

Now if only I had a bike to put these on…

You likes? Me too. Nesto over at City Bikes is building up the black Torelli they had in the window. Thomson components, Dura-Ace drivetrain and a standard set of Velocity Deep V’s.  It’s going to be a killer looking ride and I can’t wait to see it next week.

To say this frame is nice is an understatement. Hand tig welded with a beautiful, lugged bottom bracket cluster, this bike is a stunning Italian gem. You can get this frame in 11 different standard colors with prices ranging from $700 - 850 depending on where you look online. If you want the fancy panel paint job (the above red area on the seat tube and down tube) it will set you back several clams to the tone of about $950 and up. Unfortunately, no fork included. I guess that’s how they roll, but it would have been nice to have thrown a nicely done fork in the mix; especially considering how much it costs. Even the Cinelli I mentioned a few posts ago, comes with a fork.

Whatever, even with my little gripe, this is still a beautiful frame.