I got to speak with the builder/owner of Black Cat Bicycles, Todd Ingermanson, at the 2015 North American Handmade Bicycle Show. Todd builds bikes out in California and I was super stoked to get to talk to him about this custom 29er mountain bike. The bike was designed mostly for trail and all mountain type riding. It features a 68.25 degree headangle with a 120mm fork. The effective seattube angle is 73 degrees and has 16.75 chainstays.
The custom stem on this bike is one that I have lusted after for a while since I saw it on one of his previous creations. The stems design is actually born from function and is called the “Mini Mooose”. Todd was building a bikepacking bike and realized the bars would get a bit wobbly with weight on the front from packs and gear. To stiffen up the handlebars he designed this wider stem. A lot of people loved the design and he has continued to refine and produce the stems for customers.
Todd does all of the wet paint work on each of his frames with powdercoat done by another painter. Each bike usually has a different logo. Sometime he reuses designs but often they are unique for each frame. On this bike he actually had two different logos.
