Orders placed today will ship after Christmas
Orders placed today will ship after Christmas
by Ed Brazier October 07, 2020 3 min read
Sometimes we have an idea for a bike that we've got to build someday. A bike that we know will be awesome - if only we can come up with an excuse to do it. That's where our Limited Edition series comes from; bikes that are unique, that you can't get anywhere else or ever again. For the ten lucky people who get one, it will always be something rare and special.
This year we've had more demand for the Fade than ever before. So much so in fact, that we sold 6 months of frames in one month, and as for the Luxe and Works bikes - they sold out even when rationed to monthly drops. Finally we have some good news: a new batch of Fades is imminent, and we're about to open up preorders again. But before we get to that, let's take a look at the new Fade Flat White Ltd Edition bike.
No prizes for guessing where the inspiration came from. I like coffee. I love a good flat white. And let's face it, I'm probably addicted to caffeine so you could say I need flat whites in my life. Plus it sounds like a cool name for a bike so once we got that dialled, all we had to do is come up with a spec...
First up is the frame finish. It's actually the first time we've done a unique finish just for ten limited edition bikes. It was meant to be simple but of course, it ended up being a tonne of work. Still, we think it was worth the effort: it's a cream coloured powder coat cooked to an 80% matte finish. No micro-bubbles here.
The flat white frame is paired up with our own bronze decals (as available on the Edit and regular Fade frames) and we carried the theme through to custom fork decals on the Pike DJ - these aren't available on any production bike from any other brand.
It's no secret that we're big fans of Burgtec here, especially now that the new Mk3 stem is out. And with the Kash Bronze finish matching up so well it was a proper no brainer. And we carried the Burgtec theme throughout the rest of the finishing kit - stem spacers, top cap, top cap bolt and the new boost saddle too. It's not all in kash bronze; like any good flat white it's about getting the balance right so some parts are in black. A high-rise Josh Bryceland bar and Bartender Pro grips in Gum finish things off.
The drivetrain is much the same as the Fade Works (with the bushdrive hub upgraded to Supadrive) but we couldn't resist the final touch: a Gusset Slink half-link chain in Bling Gold.
Frame: | Airdrop Fade |
Colour: | Matte cream powder coat with bronze decals |
Forks: | Rockshox Pike DJ A4 100mm in matte black with bronze decals |
Rear Shock: | |
Headset: | Cane Creek 40 Series ZS44/56 |
Stem: | Burgtec Mk3 Enduro 35mm in Kash Bronze |
Handlebars: | Burgtec Josh Bryceland 800mm wide, 38mm rise, 35mm clamp |
Grips: | Burgtec Bartender Pro in Gum |
Seatpost: | Gusset Lofty 30.9mm |
Seatclamp: | Airdrop CNC bolt-up |
Saddle: | Burgtec Boost in Acid Wash |
Rear Brake: | SRAM Level T hydraulic |
Rotor: | SRAM 160mm |
Wheels: | Halo Chaos DJ with Supadrive |
Tyres: | Schwalbe Billy Bonkers 26x2.1 |
Rear Derailleur: | |
Cassette: | Gusset deep-tooth SS sprocket 12t |
Shifter: | |
Cranks: | Descendant 6k 170mm |
Chainring: | SRAM X-Sync 28t |
Pedals: | Available Separately |
Chain: | Gusset Slink half-link in Bling Gold |
Bottom Bracket: | SRAM DUB MTB73 |
We have five build kits in stock and the next five due next week. As ever there will be a short build queue and we'll ship orders on a first-come-first-served basis, but we expect the Flat White Ltd Editions to be with customers within a couple of weeks. Just remember there are only ten available. Shop Now.
Ed is the owner of Airdrop Bikes. A former web and graphic designer, he sacked off his job one day and decided to start up a bike brand.
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