Who made this bike?

[rsgl]

I saw a steel frame fixie today tied up in NYC, set up as a stealth bike; no decals, no ID, except for an applied metal head badge. The badge appeared to be an insect of some kind seen from the top, perhaps a scorpion, or perhaps a beetle or roach.....the image was cut out, possibly laser cut.

Would anyone know who might be the builder?

Thanks,

Rob

[christian]

That was an ant.

A.N.T = Alternative Needs Transportation = Mike Flanigan = http://www.antbikemike.com/

Information about the headbadge here: http://www.antbikemike.com/aboutlogo.html

Now, wipe the drool of your keyboard when you return from that link.

Regards,
- Christian

[rsgl]

you got it....neat, just so...thanks.

[Bradford]

I haven't ridden an ANT, but I do own a IF Independence (touring bike), which Mike Flannigan designed when he was with IF. The Independence is an absolutly fantastic touring bike.

In addition to that, I like is philosophy. It seems like he has a pretty cool company.

Mike Flanigan's welds are very clean, and as you can see from the website he enjoys building utilitarian bikes as well as fixed gear, touring, racing, etc. Like all good custom builders, he takes as much time as is necessary with his clients. He also makes the racks, like Peter Weigle. Paint jobs are powder coats, so you'll have to find a painter if you want wet paint. Mike got in the business initially as a painter and just doesn't care for the negative personal and environmental impact of wet paints. He recently built a frame with Rohloff hub for Elton at Harris Cyclery (Sheldon Brown is chief guru there) which I'd like to see some day. I believe he may also be contemplating a "build your own frame" experience similar to Toby Stanton at HotTubes where you're in the shop with him for a week and come away with a custom frame/fork that you've had hands-on involvement with. A great guy who did a lot to put IF on the map. He deserves success with A.N.T.
Chuck

[BumbleBeeDave]

. . . me riding “The Queen Ant?” . . .

Hmm . . . Nope. Sorry. Just doesn’t do it.

Oh, well . . .

BBDave

[Dekonick]

Not a thread hijack but:

What is the difference between powder coat and 'wet' paint? (I know wet is the spray gun stuff, and assume powder is a powder that is heated to melt then harden) which is better? What are the advantages / disadvantages to each?

Curious...

[Climb01742]

has anyone here ridden an ant? impressions? IF is a great company, and ant looks like it could be, too. the idea of a stealth frame with only a headbadge is pretty cool. ant looks like its walking the walk. cool.

[PhatMatt]

I spoke to Mike at a bike-funtion/fundraiser here in Somerville this past spring and he shared some of his thoughts with me. He is excited to build bikes for people who will use them for transportation . I asked him about a cyclocross bike of his I had seen and he said yes he will build them if that is what you really want but he is not that turned on by cranking out another racing-specific bike. Something like a Dutch-tourer or a full-on commuter bike is much more to his liking these days.

And damn they look great. ANT has a small but quite visible presense on the streets here in Boston and I wish Mike all the luck in the world on his venture. Commuting on a bike is a great thing to do for so many reasons: health, sanity, environmental. How are we going to get the streets of this car-crazy nation more bike-friendly?