Velo City: Bicycle Culture and City Life

Deadly Fins: Jack’s Quirk Cycles Lo-Pro

Deadly Fins: Jack's Quirk Cycles Lo-Pro

If there’s one word to describe Robert Quirk’s work, it’s varied. To date, his frame building career consists of Transcontinental Divide race bikes, trail-shredding dirt bikes, fast road bikes, all-roaders, ‘crossers and now, old-school lo-pro pursuit frames.

Deadly Fins: Jack's Quirk Cycles Lo-Pro

In a leather hairnetted-nod to the early-90s era of Obree, Moser, Indurain, and their non-traditional riding positions, Quirk Cycles built this show-stopper for one of the workshop’s first customers.

Deadly Fins: Jack's Quirk Cycles Lo-Pro

Now a repeat-Quirk Cycles customer, Jack originally requested a wishbone to be added to his vintage lo-pro frame, on the premise that one day he would return with a full custom commission. Jack kept his word, and the fuse on this modern classic was lit.

Deadly Fins: Jack's Quirk Cycles Lo-Pro

This was a unique build for Robert not only because of its form, but also its construction. The seat tube had to be designed and fabricated first to accommodate the rear wheel, then the rear triangle followed along with the challenging wishbone arrangement.

Deadly Fins: Jack's Quirk Cycles Lo-Pro

A section of 1″ tubing was tacked in precariously, then brazed before the aerofoil section was added. The resulting effect is altogether strong, intriguing and smooth — much like what you’d expect to see when you pop the bonnet of an Aston Martin DB9.

Deadly Fins: Jack's Quirk Cycles Lo-Pro

To accentuate the fluid lines of the fins, a mix of Columbus megatubes were used for the front triangle. Cole Coatings Workshop created the aerofoils from thin steel sheet, bonded to the edges of the tubes with flex-epoxy.

The pearlescent white paint was applied by Cole Coatings also — the shimmering blue touches are a nod to two very iconic bikes of the velodrome: the Cinelli Laser and Cannondale Track.

Deadly Fins: Jack's Quirk Cycles Lo-Pro

A custom pair of MAX forks with Samson track crown, Dura-Ace cranks, a vintage ZIPP disc rear wheel and a 650c front round out the build, and despite the 22cm bar drop, Jack is happy and fully intent on bringing his new lo-pro to the bowl.

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Big thanks to Nikoo Hamzavi for the photography.

Deadly Fins: Jack's Quirk Cycles Lo-Pro