"The remit for Landrace was to build a bike that owners find hard to categorise but would nevertheless be the bike they default to on most occasions"
Project Glider to Project Landrace
Greatest Good For The Greatest Number
To understand Project Landrace you need to understand Project Glider from 2006. Project Glider was our reaction to manufacturers poor understanding of rider ergonomics resulting in most of them producing some bicycles with truly awful geometry.
Intellectual Underpinnings
Glider incorporated all our ideas from our training with Serotta and some of the world’s finest cycling oriented medical professionals. And most importantly from having undertaken thousands of Cyclefit sessions with all kinds of clients over many years.
Enduring Love
Our inaugural Glider Tupelos were made in tiny quantities by Serotta in Upstate New York and are still loved today by their respective owners beyond measure. The most satisfying element for us after all these years, is hearing the anecdotes about how well they ride and how they are still their favourite bike. They don’t know why they ride or fit so well and they don’t need to know. But the fact is that twelve years ago me and Jules sweated every angle and mm and tubing dimension to make sure that the geometry captured the greatest good for the greatest number.
The Landrace Landscape
The landscape is different now. Big manufacturers wisely retained the services of companies like Cyclefit to consult on fitting, ergonomics and geometry. With the result that with a few exceptions contemporary bicycle geometry is hugely improved. But bicycle companies are innately resistant to change, and it is precisely this resistance to change that presents an opportunity for Project Landrace to reflect the most modern advances and research into cycling biomechanics and materials technology.
Project Landrace
The remit for Landrace was to build a bike that owners find hard to categorise or de-construct. But also be their default and unequivocal choice when they are riding out onto roads sight unseen. A bike to perform at the highest level wherever it finds itself. A bike that somehow feels more balanced, poised and efficient on any road at any speed. A bike to bridge the space between full custom and off-the-peg geometry.
Designed in Cyclefit. Crafted in Boston
Landrace is made according to our design and specification by Seven Cycles in Boston. Seven are the most experienced and exacting titanium fabricators in the world. Seven Titanium White-Paper
Landrace Design
US Milled Aerospace Titanium!
Custom double-butted (in-house at Seven Cycles) US milled 3Al-2.5V titanium.
Alignment Obsession
Each Landrace frame undergoes seventeen different alignment checks during welding at Seven
Lower bottom-bracket
Lower bottom-bracket to reduce centre of gravity and increase confidence and stability
Shorter crank, same peak power, easier pedalling
Conceived to be ridden with a shorter crank (165-170mm) to preserve peak-power, keep the hip open and preserve optimum pedalling efficiency as well as long-term health
32c tyres + mudguards
Landrace has been designed with clearances and braze-ons for 32mm tyres and full mudguards
44mm Headtube
Landrace uses a 44mm headtube to resist torsional stress and additional braking forces.
Seven Multipass Welding
Seven Cycles uses a proprietary TIG welding process to build our Landrace titanium frames
Flat Mount Discs and 12mm Thru-Axle
Disc-brakes are here. Used with 12mm thru-axle for axle-to-axle torsional stiffness and disc guide accuracy
Seven Matador Fork
Not many forks come with a five year warranty but Seven's does - mudguard eyelets, flat-mount disc, machined crown-race for accuracy, clearances for 32c tyres + mudguards
Shorter Topbube = Longer Stem
Shorter TT enables longer stem for better bike handling on and off road. And makes for a lighter frame
Landrace Limited Edition
£3,895 - Frame and Painted Seven Matador RD Fork