Independent Fabrication Crown Jewel

The French bicycle wheel and accessory manufacturer MAVIC provides support to bicycle racing world wide. The most visible manifestation of the support is the neutral support team car which proceeds the peloton in all bicycle races of consequence. Bicycle racers all have a team car from which they can obtain a spare wheel in case of a flat tire or a spare bike in case of some more serious breakdown. The yellow car provided by MAVIC is also equipped with wheels and spare bicycles and stands ready to serve any and all riders in the case in which they are separated from their team cars and can obtain assistance from no other source.

Mavic builds up bicycles and colors them yellow for use on the yellow neutral car. In 2002 Mavic provided bicycles to the US Pro Tour built on frames provided by Massachusetts custom steel and titanium frame manufacturer Independent Fabrication. There were 5 of the IF Crown Jewels, one in each of the 2 centimeter increments in frame size from 52 to 60. The bicycles rode on the yellow car at all of the stops on that year's Pro Tour, including the San Francisco Grand Prix.

At the end of the year Mavic sold the bicycles in anticipation of using another manufacturer for the 2003 race season.

I got the 56.I paid less than the cost of the frame. I paid less than the cost of the components set, mostly Campagnolo Chorus with a few bits of Campagnolo Record. I paid slightly more than the cost of the Mavic wheelset.

The last person before me to swing his leg over the top tube of this bicycle was a professional road racer and I got the bike for a veritable song.

Mavic is a French company. The bicycle is painted for Mavic in the Mavic colors. On the downtube where ordinarily would appear the Independent Fabrication branding logo this one instead says "Service Courses". This is French for "Race Support".This frame was welded together by someone who deeply cared about his work. The welds have to be seen to be believed, formed with exquisite care and finished to a state in which the welds are virtually not visible. It is a beautiful piece of craftsmanship.The full name is Independent Fabrication Crown Jewel Special Edition Custom Build. In another mark of what a special piece of equipment it is, the bicycle head badge is sterling silver. Shortly after I took this photo I went looking for and obtained a silver polishing cloth. It is a beautiful bike and it is important to keep the silver shining.And here it stands next to the French bike that has been my main ride for the past three years. It is too nice a bike to never see the road. I have decided that this year I will ride them both.In Nantes today, Nantes defeated Grenoble 1-0. With 27 games of the 38 game Ligue 2 schedule completed, Nantes has again pulled to within a single point of first place Le Havre. Troyes sits third. Nantes is currently 13 points ahead of the 4th place team. Promotion to Ligue 1 is not yet mathematically assured but failure to win promotion from this position would be nearly as big a catastrophe as having been relegated in the first place. 70 points was sufficient to win promotion for the 3rd place team last year and Nantes now sits on 55.

Allez Nantes!!