Editor’s Note : We interviewed Erik Noren about his new venture, Cake Bikes, on the Weekly Dose of Fat – Show # 8o. You can listen to the interview here. Our report from last weekend’s, Cake Bike Launch comes from our MPLS correspondent, Lilah!
Cake! A new fat bike line – by Erik Noren of Peacock Groove
The idea behind Cake Bikes is to create a competitive steel fat bike for commonly shorter riders that feature 24″ HED carbon wheels and specs that offer durability and performance. This Saturday I rode over to Peacock Groove for global fat-bike day to check out the line of new whips. (And enjoy some delicious cake!)
The shop is always a spectacle, full of parts and pieces of bikes Erik is tinkering with, creating deep custom in the daily. Recently Erik acquired more space attached to the shop which houses an old dodge van and the new Cake and HED logos on the wall. This space will be the home of Cake, where buyers may meet, test ride and discuss their future bike built right here in Minneapolis, MN.
After countless hours of working on building the bikes up for their launch party we were offered 4 complete bikes to demo, 11, 13, 15, 17, inch frames all equipped with HED “No big deal” 24 inch tubeless carbon wheels with 4 inch tires. The first bike I was able to demo is the 17″ which was slightly too big for me but let me grasp the feel of Cake’s ride. I later was able to ride both 13″ & 15″ and the 15″ fits perfectly. The 17″ fat bike is very ascetically pleasing. A nice white paint job with powder blue accents. Just like the cake I ate earlier. Yum.
Immediately I found as much snow and trails to test this baby out. Handling this bike is like an extension of my body. The steering is similar to a mountain bike, very fluid and forgiving. These wheels perform well through the snow, enough grip on the tire to make descents easy. There is absolutely no toe overlap which I despise as a smaller rider. Riding off camber there was some pedal strike but I’ve been told that the stock cranks on their production line will be shorter, to adjust to that issue. I quickly became confident in riding tighter turns and more fluid than on other fat bikes ,that I’ve trail ridden. 24″ wheels give this bike lighter features but also creates the ability to increase speed rapidly along with the 1×10 Shimano HG50 cassette. On a few descents I really worked over the stock Deore brakes. At higher speeds these brakes worked well and I’m happy with their responsiveness. Shimano SLX offered flawless shifting especially during a climb when it is crucial for your components to respond.
Geometry of a frame is so important for riders like myself. Most of my bikes are 48-50cm. Cake’s frames will support shorter riders and still provide perfect fit. My weight distributes well on the 15″ and I was able to handle the bike, how I should, in a race scenario with no issue. Positioning comes naturally on Cake frames to allow for more aggressive or relaxed riders.
I have to say I really enjoyed riding Cake and eating it too. A bike, that I might be racing, somewhere down the road. This bike line will offer so many people, comfortable and high performance fat bikes, that wouldn’t normally be given the opportunity.
(click any photo to enlarge)
In the near future you will be able to order and receive within a few months your very own Cake! fat bike. Stock components will be Race Face, Shimano SLX, Deore and Thomson. Complete bike costs $3400 frame set $1750. There’s also an opportunity to purchase a PAUL Components upgrade.
For more information about Cake Bikes visit – http://www.cake.bike/