Velo City: Bicycle Culture and City Life

Sachs Appeal: A custom commuter inspired by Duomatic hubs

Hammarhead Industries Duomatic

The world of custom motorcycles is as dynamic as that of the custom bicycle, and filled with an equal number of passionate and interesting characters.

The founder of Hammarhead Industries, James Loughead Ph.D., is one of those people: his custom Ural and Triumph motorcycles are simultaneously raw, urban and sophisticated — and his debut bicycle, the Duomatic, is built to the same standard.

Hammarhead Industries Duomatic

Since roaring onto the custom motorcycle scene a couple of years ago with the Jack Pine, a heavily modified Triumph Scrambler, Hammarhead Industries has enjoyed ever-increasing popularity. Ewan MacGregor even secured himself a sleek, blacked-out and chopped Ural.

James himself is a keen cyclist, preferring to tool around Philadelphia on his Kona Ute and a 1952 Schwinn New World to one of his motorcycles. The Schwinn, with its back pedal brake that negated cables and levers, was the inspiration for this Duomatic.

Hammarhead Industries Duomatic

James secured a stash of NOS Fichtel & Sachs Torpedo DUOMATIC hubs, Michael McGettigan, co-owner of Trophy Bikes, helped source the remaining parts and work began.

The frame was donated by IRO Cycle, which was trimmed of extraneous tabs in true Hammarhead fashion, before being shot in matte black. Local artist Adam Smith designed the head badge, which was cast in bronze and nickel-plated.

Hammarhead Industries Duomatic

James reports: “The Duomatic had its debut this summer as the pit bike for our Caffeine and Gasoline tour. At the first stop in Seattle, we had a great response that just grew as we worked our way down the west coast. A short run of five bikes this January has sold out and we will do another small run for the Spring. There are two more bicycles rattling around in my head that I hope to roll out in 2012”.

Hammarhead Industries Duomatic