SNOWBASIN, Utah (BRAIN) — Best known for its murdered-out, black-on-black disc-brake carbon bikes, QBP house brand Foundry Cycles has repositioned itself with fresh branding and, starting in August, a return to the traditional road bike market. That's when the new Chilkoot titanium, caliper-brake road model is due to begin reaching retailers, with greater availability after Interbike, brand manager Todd Schmidt said at QBP SaddleDrive.
It may sound a bit old-school in an age of disc everything, but the Chilkoot's classic exterior belies some up-to-the-minute touches, such as a port to house a Di2 junction box in the downtube under a cable guide, a 1 1/4-inch tapered Enve carbon fork and clearance for tires up to 28c (25c Clement Strada LGGs come stock). One "old-school" touch consumers and mechanics alike may welcome: an English threaded bottom bracket — no finicky PressFit here.
The Chilkoot's Ultegra drivetrain features a 36/52T mid compact crankset and 11-28T cassette. Zipp Service Course bars, stem and seat post and a Fizik Antares 7 fill out the cockpit.
The 3AL/2.5V ti frame is butted to keep the BB area stiff for power transfer while maintaining the material's natural compliance elsewhere, Schmidt said. With race-ready geometry and comfort features such as a 27.2-millimeter seatpost for a touch of compliance, he says the Chilkoot is suited for everything from fast-and-furious crits to all-day fondos.
Schmidt sees the bike as both niche and traditional. "Everyone has a carbon road bike today, and our customers want that, but no one does ready-to-ride ti," he said.
"Our newest models are titanium (including the Overland 'cross model intro'd at Frostbike in February), but we're also developing new carbon models to come out later," he added.
Foundry Chilkoot MSRP: $4,695 (complete), $2,495 (frameset, including frame, fork, headset and seat clamp).
More info: foundrycycles.com/bikes/chilkoot.
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A port under the downtube cable guide can house a Di2 junction box.
