Micro-Review: “It Is What It Is” Track Frame
When you think about cycling and China, you probably picture the thousands of shared city bikes or the massive factories producing carbon frames and wheels for the rest of the world. Many of us also instinctively think of sites like AliExpress, where you can find an almost endless stream of more or less legit products at prices that sometimes feel unreal.
But what if I told you there’s a small community in China that has decided to use the country’s manufacturing power in a completely different way, by designing and creating thoughtful products for true cycling enthusiasts? “It Is What It Is” is one of these design studios, and they opened my eyes to a side of China’s cycling culture I didn’t know existed.
I couldn't describe IIWII (It Is What It Is) better than the way they did it on their website:
“Born out of a disillusionment with the prevailing trends and clichés in mainstream bike design, It Is What It Is aims to explore alternative possibilities. The name itself reflects this ambiguity — a placeholder for something not yet summarized.”
Their track bike is the result of over a decade of street riding with friends going on late night rides, discovering new spots, drinking beers, crashing… all the things that come with living on a fixed gear. But how do you pour that many memories and experiences into a frame without painting it, you might ask? One answer: Chemical etching.
This is apparently the first fully chemically etched frame, and it’s totally up my alley. There’s something special about a finish that literally can’t rub away. It reminds me of those artists who paint with bleach on black hoodies, creating patterns and details not by adding color, but by removing pigments and material. And details? This bike is covered in them! It would take anyone a solid chunk of time to decipher everything etched across the frame.
Remember how I said this bike is infused with memories and experiences from the Chinese fixed gear scene? The chemical etching gives all of that a hazy, imprecise, almost mystical quality, and I’m totally here for it. Long story short: it’s a very, very cool finish.
Finally, if chemical etching isn’t really your vibe the IIWII track frame is available in two finishes. “Clear coated” with all the logos and textures “printed” on the frame for $790. Or “Raw” which is the chemical etched, like pictured in this article for $1180.
Made from 6061 aluminum, the IIWII rack frame delivers the ride quality you’d expect from a bike of this material. Its geometry is somewhat close to an equivalent-size Mash Parallax, until you look at some measurements. With a 73° head tube angle (on my L size), it feels and looks slacker than the Parallax, which I usually use as a reference for aluminum track bikes.
While the wheelbase is then a bit longer, the chain stays are only 3mm more, yet I had a hard time placing the rear end of the bike where I wanted to. And it didn’t take me long to understand why… While most Small and Medium builds I’ve seen online have a more horizontal-looking top tube, my Large size with it’s very short 130 mm head tube, has a very deliberate pursuit geometry, giving it its distinct feel and stance.
If you know me, you know I’m not typically a fan of pursuit geos. With my weight shifted further toward the front of the bike, I found the handling quite different from what I’m used to. This geometry pushes you to seek out long boulevards and ride fast in a straight line. And making the head tube angle slightly slacker was probably a smart move, given that is feels like most of your weight sits over the front wheel, and that’s just less my vibe. All of these factors are also why I think this track bike feels more at home on fast night rides with friends, rather than weaving through rush-hour traffic. It is a bit different if you ride with riser bars, but I just found that drops looked better on this one.
TLDR: You’ll feel at home if you come from a Mash Histogram, but might be a bit unsettle if you come from a Parallax.
What I liked:
The people who designed that bike, truly understand the scene
The chemical etched finish, and logo on the fork, borrowing letters from famous cycling brands
The super cool ovalized top tube
The very short but stylish dropouts
The smoothed out welds
The custom IIWII headset included
The 32 mm tire clearance. (32 mm is the very limit for the fork, though)
What I didn’t like:
The pursuit geo, even if again, this is just personal preference
The slacker stance of the L size (M size looks way better!)
No seatpost collar included?
Brand name is 10/10
🤷: itiswhatitis.bike
🎞: Expired Fuji Color 200
📷: Leica M6
📍: Dunkirk
