668 Prototype Traitor Cycles Project

We realized that the environment was changing so fast we needed to get back to the drawing board if we wanted to release a front runner in the discipline after working on our first fixed freestyle prototype frame the Streetfighter. As the debate over wheel size continued to go back and forth between 26” and 700c and a host of new bikes came on the market, we decided to start from scratch to create a bike that was somewhat agnostic of wheel size; we named this project the 668.

668 represents the outer wheel diameter with tire that the bike is designed around to maintain proper geometry, bb height and have no toe overlap. Our idea was to let the rider decide which wheel size was right for them while still allowing some flexibility in going larger or smaller. 668mm just happens to be the outside diameter of a 26 x 2.1” wheel, a 650b x 42mm and a 700c x 23mm wheel. With 668mm wheel we were able to keep the chainstays short, 375mm slammed, to give it a lively feel that is effortless to get off the ground. For the 700c purist the frame will fit up to a 700c x 38mm tire with plenty of room but there can be toe overlap on the smaller size depending on the crank you use.

Frame construction starts with oversize Columbus Zona tubing that is TIG welded ground down and then fully fillet brazed for not only a seamless look but also adding strength. This is a very labor intensive process but we feel it is worth it and helps to separate the 668 from all the other frames on the market. The fillet brazing also helps to reduce stress risers and distribute the forces better on the tubes instead of concentrating them into a very small area. We designed our own custom stainless steel dropouts, gave it an integrated campy style headset that mates up to our custom fork with oversized crown. Dropout spacing is 120mm (but that is up for debate) and we decided on spec’ing a Spanish Bottom Bracket. The prototype frame weighs in at 6.1 lbs and the fork is 2.2 lbs.

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