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Independent Fabrication : Overview
| Location; Sommerville, Mass, USA |
| Number of employees: 11 (Lloyd, Jamie, Tyler, Joe, Kevin, Shawn, Finbarr, Leah, Clint, Jim, Gary) |
| Materials used: Everything! (Steel, Ti and Carbon |
| Areas of excellence: Road, Cross, MTB and Track |
| Recent awards: XS awarded awarded Bicycling’s DREAM BIKE OF THE YEAR 2005 AND 2006. Numerous awards at National Handbuilt show |
| Lead times: All IF’s are custom (there is no stock models at all)and are normally ready in 6-8weeks |
| Website: www.ifbikes.com |
| Lead designer for custom frames: Joe Ingram |
| The boss: IF is a collective -all employees are stake-holders |
Why we love IF
In 1995, Independent Fabrication was formed. What they lacked in adequate workspace, they overcompensated with elbow grease. Would they be employee owned? Yes. Would they obsess over welds and paint quality. Certainly. Would they continue to build high-end, precise, handcrafted frames? WITHOUT A DOUBT
IF first starting working in steel, and by 1999 was welding with Ti. Today the IF team of artists and fabricators continue to push the envelope by using the newest metal technologies and refining accepted techniques. But even as production methods become more sophisticated with the use of carbon fiber and titanium shotpeening, the IF team continues to make bikes by hand and respects the craftsmanship of the old way. But they’ll never stop doing things their own way.
As IF say themselves….
We build almost everything out of almost anything. Millimeters translate into performance, and our meticulous attention to detail can be seen in every bike. We look like no one else because we build like no one else. It’s a process that’s steeped in tradition and driven by innovation not bound by convention. It’s Independent Fabrication.