Bike Check: Brivael’s Quokka Prototype
Today is a very important bike check and let me tell you why. When Brivael first told me about his custom track frame that he was gonna build, I was intrigued. When he gave me more details about the tubing, and the estimated final weight I was impressed. And when he showed me the naked prototype I asked when I could order one. It's clearly not every day that you're able to make me like a frameset that has two of my least favorite features on it, but I'll get into that a bit later.
Brivael told me about the Quokka project about two years ago when it was only a vague idea in his head. He wanted to use his skills as a frame builder, his experience as a rider, and finally his wide knowledge of steel tubing, to create his ultimate vision of a track frameset. I think it was after a year or so that he showed me the first prototype.
Taking it into my hands, I couldn't believe it.
It was way too light for a steel frame. And I’ve seen my fair share of Italian steel frames, NJS stamped featherweights, but never something like this. To top it all off, everything was so well executed. Little details from the seatpost cutout to every single polished weld were more looking like a jewelry item than anything bike-related. I already knew the level of precision he was able to achieve, but I was truly baffled this time.
It's only another year later, that I saw the final product. I've looked at it, felt every tubing on it, weighted it, and finally, I took it for a ride. Neither to say I was completely sold after one lap around the block. It is quick, responsive, light, and yet, it's comfy and easy to ride. It doesn't feel like one of those ultra-light carbon frames that you can hear crack under your own weight. It’s more as if an NJS frame, and a pure street machine like a parallax, had a baby together.
It's ready to eat and shred every bit of asphalt you'll give it. But it's also soft as a little could telling you "Come on... You know I'm super easy to ride. Let's go for a gentle commute". Next thing you know you're on the other side of the city because you couldn’t stop your poor self to blast through every traffic lane you found.
I guess you're getting the point here, but let's see what build made all of this possible.
For most of his components, I'm glad that Brivael went with a brand that we don't see that much in the fixed gear world. Tune is proudly made in Europe and lightweight aluminum feels way better in the long run than any sketchy ultralight carbon.
On the front, you'll find carbon risers and an aluminum stem from Tune, sandwiched in this beautiful Matte Turquoise Chris King.
On the back, you'll also find a Tune seatpost from the same series, with a Fizik Antares bolted to it.
The drive train is no more than true bike porn with this custom pair of Sugino 75 by Mash SF, a Shimano Olympic chainring, and a Sugino Gigas cog.
And what would be an absolute bonker build if you don’t have amazing wheels to finish it off. Brivael went with the recently re-released Suzue Pro Max Carbon, laced to low profiles Araya CT-19N. A light and sturdy low-profile combo.
This project came to completion with such a right balance it almost feels too good to be true. Even the paint has been thought through to compliment the track Wound Up on one side but still add some color on the other. Brivael also crafted a road version (you can see it here), but if you wanna check everything he does, I highly suggest you follow his personal account: @kangtheframebuilder
Enough talk though, let’s crack on with the parts list!
Detailed Parts List
Frameset
Quokka #01 - Track Prototype
Chainring and Cog Shimano zen Olympic 51t, Sugino Gigas S3-Gold 16t
Crank Sugino 75 limited edition
Seatpost and Saddle
Tune Starkes Stück, Fizik Antares
Stem and Handlebar
Tune Geiles Teil 4.0 110mm, Tune Turnstange Lowriser 2.0
Wheels Araya CT-19N laced to Suzue pro max Carbon
Tires Continental GP 4 seasons 28c
If you made it this far, you’re probably asking the following:
Can I buy one?
Is there a waiting list?
How much does it cost?
How long does it take to craft a frame?
Well, I have a few answers for you. You can’t buy a Quokka just yet. As so there isn’t any official waiting list. What I know so far is the price and how long it takes for Brivael to make one frame.
The frameset will cost you around 1700 Euros, including the Wound Up track fork. Headset isn’t included since waiting time and backorders are absolutely nuts recently.
One frame is above 20 hours of work so expect a building time of three weeks to a month. (Which is really fast if you ask me).
At the beginning of this write-up, I was talking about two features that are clearly not my cup of tea. Wishbones rear triangle wakes up my night demons, and pursuit frames are also pretty much a no-go for me.
But I’m so down to buy one, that dealing with those particularities doesn't seem like a big problem to me. Brivael explained to me that they were needed to make the bike handle the way it does. And it’s not every day that you can buy a steel frame that weighs between 1400 and 1650g (depending on size).
Congrats to you for making me adopt the wishbone geo because that wasn't an easy task.
Trusting talented people has never let me down. So you can be sure I’m already on the waiting list.
