Bling Builds: Kellan's Steel Land Shark Road Shark

Long before John Slawta of Landshark Bicycles got into making frames from carbon fiber, he was known for his beautiful steel frames.  Though many well-known racers have used his frames, probably the most well-known is Andy Hampsten, who won the 1988 Giro d'Italia on one.  This one, built with Columbus MAX tubing–is a perfect example of the beautiful workmanship that John has been known for in his long and prolific career as a framebuilder.  AVT staffer Kellan bought this Landshark Road Shark frame used a few years ago, and has added to the build as he found parts that would complement it well.    

But John isn't just known for his ability to take tubes and create a bike from them, because one of the aspects of every Landshark that jumps out first is the paint.  John, who had planned and studied to be an artist, paints each frame himself, and the results tend to be elaborate, which means that this relatively subdued scheme might make this frame even more noteworthy!  Still, while it may be relatively low-key, the skull and crossbones motif shows that the bike is very much a Landshark.

AVT staffer Kellan bought this Road Shark frame used a few years ago, and has added to the build as he found parts that would complement it well.  He's echoed the frame's black and white paint with his choice of Sram Force drivetrain, and the rest of the parts work well to keep up the contrasting black and white or black and silver look.  Some of the component highlights include black Phil Wood Pro Road hubs built on Astral Radiant rims, with matching black Phil Wood Skewers, and the latest addition, a polished silver Phil Wood 1" Threadless Headset.

And like many good projects, this one isn't quite finished.  Kellan plans to put a Wound Up fork on the bike as a final touch.  But that will have to wait for another post.  For now, we hope you enjoy the photos!