via [Prolly]

If it’s one thing that annoys me it’s when bikes and frames are sold for hundreds (and sometimes nearing the thousand dollar mark) for products that are mass produced in a sweat factory in Asia by 10 year olds. Ok, I know, I know, huge stereotype there, but part of that sentence is true. All these manufacturers - unless explicitly implied - get their bikes made from two large factories in Taiwan. One of which built frames for a buddy of mine.

Instead of over-inflating the cost for maximum screwage , I love it when a company keeps it real and offers up a product at a realistic cost. Such is the case of the 2009 Scramber from EigthInch. At only $139.50 (free shipping for the mainland 48 states), the Scrambler is a solid deal.

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Casual rider.
K2 Easy Roller · $599

The K2 Easy Roller is a clean and attractive single-speed. Simple enough, however…one thing that makes this even more interesting is that the Easy Roller features Shimano’s 3-speed, internally geared, automatic hub. That’s right, this thing shifts for you! Based on the speed with which you pedal the gears will shift up or down. How’s that for low maintenance? Unfortunately, there have been mixed reviews about the auto shifting but ultimately it comes down to how you intend to use the bike.

As a simple commuter, slow pace, A-to-B, rides with friends/partner/wife/husband/companion/dog this is a great bike. Upright riding position means it’s low stress on the back and hands. I’d give the thumbs up on this for anyone that just wants to take it easy and enjoy a nice stroll. And I mean, c’mon how nice does that look?

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There’s more to look forward to in November than voting and turkey day. On November 8th you will finally have a chance to get your hands on the most awesomest (yes, I said it, awesomest) saddle made.

The all white Brooks Swallow is almost here! A collaboration with Stussy and Wilson Brothers, it is exclusively being sold through the Stussy Japan store.

This saddle has been a long time coming and because of that, the price of entry is no joke: $400 (￥39,900). With the economy tanking, now isn’t the best time to spend frivolously, but then again this is a limited production saddle. Think of it as an investment towards your personal bailout fund.

Some detailed photos here.

This is the very interesting Plus Bike.

First let’s just clear this up, the absence of brakes doesn’t suggest that this is a fixed-gear bike. There are too many things that suggest this is merely a unique, single-speed (coaster brake) beach cruiser: the beefy city tires, fairly long chainstay and exaggerated sweeping angle of the head-tube suggest a rather relaxed commuter bike. The feature I like the most is the front and rear integrated lights; very nice touch. It’s hard to make out from the photos, but it doesn’t appear that the lighting apparatus’ is an LED based system.

As far as components, nothing high-end except the Brooks Swallow saddle. Generic handle bars, threadless stem, cranks, wheelset and Kalin seatpost are standard fair, inexpensive bike components. All-in-all, the Plus Bike is pretty awesome simply because it challenges convention.

Across the internet you won’t find much about this bike except that it was supposedly designed by Fabio Bortolani and Ermanno Righi of dovetusai. There is no evidence of that as neither of these designers nor the bike is mentioned on the site. So chalk this up as the “unknown” Plus Bike. If real information surfaces, I’ll pass it along and update my post.

Until then enjoy some high-res photos of this intriguing engineering feat.