To many, Sam Whittingham and Naked Bicycles need no introduction. Sam is a staple in the local race scene, a former human powered speed record holder and multible NAHBS awards winner. He is well known around these parts and in the custom frame building world. Nevertheless, since he’s been absent from NAHBS since 2012 some may not know what Naked is all about. So here’s a little background:
Naked Bicycles and Design is run by Sam and his partner Andrea Blaseckie. Sam does the building and Andrea basically handles the rest. They run their whole operation from their property on Quadra Island, which is a small island in the Georgia Strait, just off the east coast of Vancouver Island.
Sam has a long history of single speed riding and racing. He has raced, and often won endurance mountain bike races on his handmade SS bikes. He has a background in track racing, and his training rides on his fixed gear and enormous SSMTB rides are things of legend in Victoria and on Vancouver Island. Sam has raced cross for years on a singlespeed and Naked has sponsored a Singlespeed Cyclocross team for the last two years in the form of Naked Factory Racing. Therefore it’s a fitting partnership to have Naked Bikes as one of the title sponsors of SSCXWCVIC15 and we couldn’t be happier with that.
Sam’s racing goals got altered a bit recently when he tried to take down a tree with his shoulder while mountain biking but he is recovering hard to race SSCXWC. We caught up with him earlier in the season and got to shoot his bike after one of the muddier races of the year at Topaz Park in Victoria. Last winter we also got a chance to check out his workshop, so following/below is a gallery of his workspace and his product:
Bike check:
- Frame: Ti-Naked X titanium frame
- Fork: Whiskey no.9
- Bars: FSA SLK SL
- Stem: FSA OS-150
- Brake levers/shifters (Sam uses bike as a road bike with gears in the summer):
- Shimano Di2 ST-R785
- Bar Tape: Fizik
- Brakes: XT M-785
- Headset: Chris King
- Cranks: FSA SLK
- Chainring: Gates
- BB: Niner Biocentric II
- Pedals: Shimano PD-M780 (XT)
- Seatmast: Naked with Enve Hardware
- Seat: Pro Falcon
- Wheels: Industry Nine Ultralite Tubeless
- Tires: Schwalbe Rocket Ron (tubless)
- Cog: Gates
- SS spacers: Token
- Belt drive: Gates
- Skewers: Rock Shox 15mm Maxle front. Salsa QR rear