by Ed Brazier June 26, 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.
Just recently we've had a lot of demand for the Fade. So much so in fact, that we sold 6 months of frames in one month, and as for the Luxe and Works bikes - we've had to ration them to a certain number each month. So it's been a real challenge to keep a lid on the Profile Ltd Edition, which has taken months of planning. But we knew if we could hold onto the ten frames, at some point the build would come together and it would be worth the wait.
Profile Racing is a brand that has etched its name into the history of BMX since day one. Whatever generation you're from, you grew up wanting a set of Profile's legendary US-made cranks. And that applies to all of us here at Airdrop - although we could never afford them back in the day. (Side note - James still wants to run Profiles on his Slacker DH prototype).
Now we have the Fade: a dirt-jump frame with a growing reputation of its own and finally we can build a bike around the Profile crank. The choice of finish is obvious: chrome. On both the crank arms and the sprocket. That sets the scene for the rest of the bike: a matte black frame with chrome decals. Pike DJ in silver, Hope Pro 4 hubs in silver ano running black Fortus 30 rims, and Chromag finishing kit in a carefully selected black & silver combination.
It's a long time since we started planning this. A long time to wait to build the finished bike, and finally see if it's as good as we hoped. It's better. In fact, this might be the best Fade we've built yet.
Frame: | Airdrop Fade |
Colour: | Matte black powder coat with chrome decals |
Forks: | Rockshox Pike DJ A4 100mm in gloss silver |
Rear Shock: | |
Headset: | Cane Creek 40 Series ZS44/56 |
Stem: | Chromag HiFi v2 40mm reach, 31.8mm clamp |
Handlebars: | Chromag Fubar FU4 780mm wide, 40mm rise, 31.8mm clamp |
Grips: | Chromag Wax |
Seatpost: | Gusset Lofty 30.9mm |
Seatclamp: | Airdrop CNC bolt-up |
Saddle: | Chromag Overture |
Rear Brake: | SRAM Level T hydraulic |
Rotor: | SRAM 160mm |
Wheels: | Hope Pro 4 Fortus 30 SS with silver hubs |
Tyres: | Maxxis DTH Wired 26x2.3" |
Rear Derailleur: | |
Cassette: | Gusset deep-tooth SS sprocket 12t |
Shifter: | |
Cranks: | Profile Racing 3-piece Cromo in chrome |
Chainring: | Profile Racing 27t in chrome |
Pedals: | Available Separately |
Chain: | Gusset Slink half-link in black |
Bottom Bracket: | Profile Racing Outboard Euro |
Build kits are already in stock and picked, ready to go. 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 Profile 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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