Aaron Dykstra is creating a legacy with his Six-Eleven Bicycle Co. that’s as captivating as the Norfolk & Western locomotive that inspires him. Since being awarded the NAHBS 2010 Rookie of the Year, and winning Best Track Bike at this years Show, his frames continue to reignite the engineering prowess and style of the great engines.
It’s reassuring to see a request for down tube shifters on a new frame, and the latest build by Aaron is the perfect setting for them. It’s a modern classic in every sense of the term, and incorporates a vintage and military aesthetic. Aaron should have had plenty of reference, having served in the American Air Force. The frame is assembled from a NOS set of robust, high performance Columbus SP tubes, lugged at each join barring the seat tube cluster. Aaron modified the lug into a fastback style assembly, over the fillet brazed seat and top tube junction. The Classic Road also features a brass chain stay protector that is an optional extra on all Six-Eleven frames. The customer’s name is embossed by a new acquisition in Aaron’s workshop: a 1963 New Hermes pantographing machine that has been in local service since new.
Check out more detail shots on the Six-Eleven website and blog, where you can also read the story about the brand and it’s steam-powered inspiration, The Great 611 locomotive.
