【BLACKCAT BICYCLES Swami】Dirt Tourer Style

There are so many things around us that carry a certain heat.

Whether they pursue beauty or convenience, whatever the reason, the stronger the feeling and the dedication behind them, the more that heat lives on in the things that are made.

Here at Circles we have plenty of things that carry that heat, but the ones that carry it most intensely, and give it off most strongly, are handmade frames.

This time, we'd like to introduce a BLACKCAT BICYCLES Swami built up by someone who caught that very heat.

What is BLACKCAT BICYCLES?

Blackcat Bicycles are made by Todd Ingermanson in his workshop in Aptos, California, USA.

With a background at Santa Cruz Bicycles, the company that keeps producing one world champion after another, he makes full use of the fundamentals of bicycle manufacturing he learned there and his knowledge of the latest materials, while building frames simply and carefully. On top of that, he even does his own unique, one-of-a-kind paintwork, which makes him a rare kind of builder.

With its original unicrown fork and that beautiful rounded top, plus the sexy S-bend stays at the rear that secure tire clearance while delivering the ride Todd envisions, it's a bike woven through with Todd's style.

Original Paint

Todd is that rare frame builder who also does his own paint, so no two of his bikes ever come out the same. This frame, too, was left entirely to his sensibility.

I've never done any welding myself, but I've dabbled just a little in painting. There aren't many colors, but I can't stop wondering how much time it must take to finish graphics this detailed.

Head tube: original lugs + fillet finish

The head tube uses original lugs, finished with fillet brazing so smooth you can't see the joins, and it looks beautiful. You can sense his dedication and the passion he puts into building.

And of course, while keeping the steering precise and preserving the flex of the connecting top tube and down tube, and of the frame as a whole, it fully does its job structurally and delivers a ride quality like no other.

S-bend seat stays

BLACKCAT is far from the only builder to use S-bend seat stays. But the ones Todd shapes draw a deep, beautiful curve unlike any other. The curve is so aggressive you might wonder whether it can really fit the maximum tire clearance of 27.5×2.6″, but rest assured, that's no problem.

Meeting the demand for tire clearance while delivering a comfortable ride, these stays are shaped one by one on Todd's carefully tuned bender setup, born straight out of Blackcat's traditional craft.

From a frame with these features, you can feel the builder Todd's passion for his craft more than enough.

Not only the owner of this frame, but surely everyone who sees it, will catch that heat.

Now, let's take another look at the finished BLACKCAT BICYCLES Swami.

It's a flawless build centered on USA-made parts like CHRIS KING, WHITE INDUSTRIES and PAUL COMPONENT, but the standout features are the handlebar and the drivetrain.

HUNTER CYCLES Smooth Move / Drop Bar for the handlebar

Normally the go-to is to build it with a flat bar, but this time, at the owner's strong request, we fitted a drop bar for a dirt tourer style build.

The reason was that all of the bikes they owned had flat bars, and they asked for something wide that they could use confidently both on-road and off-road. What we chose was this HUNTER CYCLES Smooth Move / Drop Bar.

This deep, wide drop bar gives you an upright position when you hold the flat tops; you can reach forward to grab the brackets, rest your wrists over the top bends, or get low and grip the drops. It offers not only a wide range of hand positions, but also body positions that adapt to all kinds of riding styles and situations.

And the other standout feature is that it's built with gears.

Swinger Dropout

In its initial setup, it comes with Swinger Dropouts intended for a single speed build, but this time we fitted the included dropout with a derailleur hanger for a geared build.

Japan's mountain areas have lots of steep roads, and the owner also lives in hilly terrain, so we went with this setup.

We chose the MICRO SHIFT Sword series. Though cable-actuated, it has modern ergonomics, a wide cassette range that handles steep grades, and a fully mechanical design that's easy to service and adjust.

For the cranks we went with WHITE INDUSTRIES M30, and for the chainring, the 32T that the Swami was originally designed around. The rear cassette is 11-48T. With this 1 x 10 combination, you can conquer just about anywhere.

It hasn't been long since delivery, but the owner tells us, “It just rides so comfortably, it feels like I could go anywhere!”

We have one BLACKCAT BICYCLES Swami in stock in each of size S and size M, so if you're interested, be sure to check the WEB SHOP.

Of course, they're also on display and for sale at Circles Tailored, so if you're curious, come see one in person.