Kogswell Cycles

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Kogswell Cycles, Inc.
Type Private
Founded Minnesota, 2001
Headquarters Shakopee, Minnesota, USA
Industry Bicycles
Website www.kogswell.com

Kogswell Cycles, Inc. is a small manufacturer of bicycle frames with its headquarters in Shakopee, Minnesota. Kogswell frames are designed in the United States and manufactured in Taiwan. Kogswell frames often run counter to mainstream bicycle industry trends, eschewing the racing bicycles which dominate the US bicycle industry, focusing instead on more utilitarian designs.

Customers purchase Kogswell framesets directly from the manufacturer, or through a small network of authorized dealers throughout the United States.

Contents

[edit] Kogswell Owners Group (KOG)

While Kogswell does not produce custom bicycle frames to the specific requirements of individual customers, Matthew Grimm, owner of Kogswell Cycles, actively solicits design input from members of the Kogswell Owners Group, an interactive community of people who own one or more Kogswells or are considering purchasing one. In the past, design decisions regarding available frame sizes, wheel sizes, and other specifications have been discussed extensively within this forum prior to corporate decisions being made.

[edit] Frames

[edit] Model F

One of the original designs, a fixed gear frame with 135mm rear dropout spacing and less aggressive geometry, intended for road use vs. on the track. These were lugged, and painted custard-yellow with black headtubes.

[edit] Model D

One of the original designs, a sport-touring derailleur frame. These were built using lugged joinery, and painted custard-yellow with black headtubes.

[edit] Model G

A fixed gear frame, gray in color, with 120mm rear dropout spacing.

[edit] Model P

Released to market in mid-2004, Kogswell's sport-touring frameset was made with upscale lugs and heat-treated tubing. Most were British racing green in color with white headtubes. The initial production run of 150 quickly sold out. Aaron's Bicycle Repair in Seattle (RideYourBike.com) had a run of Blue done in 2004

[edit] Model M

A mixte frame, designed for 26 inch wheels and 120mm rear dropout spacing to accommodate a fixed/free singlespeed hub. The framesets were powdercoated in black and came with matching steel fenders.

[edit] Porteur/Randonneur

The Porteur/Randonneur (abbreviated P/R) model was introduced in 2006. Based on classic French bicycle geometry, it is designed to support configuration as a load-carrying (porteur) or long distance (randonneur) bicycle. The P/R is notable because it was designed around the 650b wheel size and is available with a choice of three different forks with differing degrees of trail, allowing the rider to choose which steering characteristics best suit their intended usage of the bicycle. The P/R framesets were powdercoated custard-yellow and shipped with matching steel fenders.

Bicycle Quarterly performed extensive testing on the P/R prototypes, with the results published in Vol. 4, No. 3 (Spring 2006)[1]. A review of the production frame is available in Vol. 5, No. 2 (Winter 2006), currently in press. [2]

[edit] P/R mkII

The second-generation P/R frame, produced in 2007-2008. These differ from the first batch in that they are made with smaller-diameter and thinner-walled tubing for improved riding characteristics and lighter weight, have three water-bottle mounts (one added under the downtube), redesigned rear drop-outs, a repositioned rear brake cable stop, a pump peg behind the seat tube, and are powdercoated black in color. In addition to the 650b models, frames designed around 26-inch and 700C wheel sizes are also available in certain sizes.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Hiene, Jan, Bicycle Quarterly, Volume 4, Issue 3, Spring 2006
  2. ^ Hiene, Jan, Bicycle Quarterly, Volume 4, Issue 2, Winter 2006

[edit] External links

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