Commuter bicycles, classic bicycles and custom bicycles

Raphael Cycles is an up-and-coming builder from San Francisco named Rafi who has been gradually establishing a clean portfolio, and this ‘Street Tracker’ is his latest addition. It features a clear-coated raw steel patina, a contrast to the exceptionally finished quality of his other frames.

The Street Tracker is destined to be Rafi’s personal ride, a replacement for his former ‘around town bike’. US-made investment cast steel Henry James lugs join together a 2010 Columbus SL tube set, which has been updated in terms of its butting profiles and exact alloy composition. Rafi polished the head tube lugs, bringing a glimmer of classicism to the street aesthetic of the frame. The dropouts are NJS-approved Kalavinka pieces, lending an international flavor. A feature that Rafi has incorporated across his frames are the graphic icons that represent his personal take on the four card suits: heart (love), diamond (luck), a cube (geometry and linear space) and a crown (Basquiat’s art and power).

Rafael Cycles is now open for business, so if you want a pure San Fran handmade frame, get in contact with Rafi through his website. Special thanks to Geoffrey Colburn for the photography.