In 2013, Estonian designer Indrek Narusk introduced the Viks, a limited-edition stainless steel fixed-gear commuter bike. As he told us at the time, its striking design was inspired partly by cafe racer-style motorcycles. Now, to celebrate the line's second anniversary, he's rolled out a carbon fiber version.
The Viks Carbon has the same frame design as its predecessor – it's essentially two side-by-side tubular frames, which are joined at the head tube, seat tube and bottom bracket. While its main tubes are indeed composed of carbon fiber (custom-made by Slovenia's Berk Composites), its joints and some other bits and pieces are still stainless steel.
As a result of the switch to carbon, the frame weighs 3 kg (6.6 lb) less than the steel version, with the complete bike tipping the scales at 10 kg (22 lb).
The Viks Carbon also features a sleek Aerospoke wheelset, and a Gates Carbon belt drive instead of a chain. Because it's a fixie, there are no gears or brakes – you stop the bike by stopping pedaling.
Once again, Narusk and his team are planning on building a limited number of the bikes. Pricing has yet to be determined, but it's probably safe to say that it won't be cheap.
Source: Viks
UPDATE (Sept. 1/15): The company informs us that the Viks Carbon should hopefully be available sometime next year, with a frameset priced at around US$3,000.
wle