The Chap Bikes islaT was the first bike built from scratch with my own hands. It’s an indescribable feeling to see how a dream, dreamed for so many years, slowly took shape and became a reality.

If riding a hand-made bike is already something special, riding one made by you is truly incredible. This first steel frame represents the start of an adventure that will surely bring joy to many generations rolling around the world.

As with everything in Chap Bikes, the name islaT has a meaning, even though sometimes my creations may seem to suggest otherwise. This bike was born along with the Chap Bikes workshop, in a picturesque town in Latvia. A place where craftsmen, artists, and local merchants have always found the perfect environment to unleash their creativity, where nature, as in all of Latvia, plays a very important role in the lives of its inhabitants.

That place could be no other than the famous city of the nine hills, Talsi, whose name, when read backward, gives rise to the model’s name, islaT, in gratitude.

Talking about hills in Latvia might sound like a joke. The highest point in the country, Gaiziņkalns, rises just 311 meters above sea level, and is a bit far from Talsi. So, you can imagine what those famous 9 hills looks like in Talsi.

Technical Features of the Chap Bikes islaT

The Chap Bikes islaT is, like the rest of the handmade bicycles i have in mind, a robust and durable steel frame, prepared for anything. It is designed for 29” wheels up to 2.4” tyres, with a 120mm fork or rigid with geometry correction.

Equipped with all the imaginable M5 mounts and threads for adventure trips or bikepacking through the vast Baltic forests or just hang secure your tools in the frame to shape your local trails.

A handmade Columbus steel tubing mountain bike that will last a lifetime.

This first unit, islaT number 0, is already ready and I’m currently testing it personally. Soon, the only five units I will make of this unique handmade bike will be available with a different colour style that will surely surprise you.

Manufacturing Process

It hasn’t been an easy frame to build. Like everything I’ve done in my life, I’ve always preferred original, handcrafted items. Or as I like to call it, Hardmade, always choosing the less straight and simple path, but the most fun.

The tubing used is Columbus, a synonym for quality, with a mix of Zona 29’er tubes, a 44 mm and 120mm head tube compatible with straight (1⅛”) and tapered forks, using the appropriate headset, and a BSA73 threaded bottom bracket, made both by Bear Frame Supplies in the UK using the highest quality steel.

Design Details

The pre-curved rear stays from Columbus extend beyond the seat tube (which accommodates 27.2mm seat posts) and directly join to the top tube, with a greatness sloping, in true GT Bicycles style.

The bridges on the rear triangle were designed by directly joining the chainstays and seatstays to the seat tube with leftover cutouts from those same tubes, and also the two reinforcements, one on the head tube and one on the top of the seat tube, have been made from the leftover tubes from the bent and oval chainstays. aiming for a more refined, functional, and let’s say, sustainable touch.

All the wiring is external and continuous: from the lever to the brake and from the lever to the shift, ensuring long-term functionality and a more predictable feel.

The cable guides or mounts don’t follow a straight or symmetrical line, as we’re used to seeing in 99% of bicycles, and although they may be less aesthetic, they adhere to the Chap Bikes philosophy: functionality and durability above all. The guides follow the natural curve of the housings, embracing the tubes without forcing them into places we want, which often causes problems and headaches for cyclists and mechanics.

Initially, the islaT was meant to be ridden on relatively flat terrains, such as those in Latvia and other Baltic countries. That’s why it wasn’t going to include compatibility with dropper posts. But I didn’t want this bike to already have an expiration date.

That’s why it features external cable routing all the way to the bottom bracket, allowing the cable to pass through the seat tube to the bottom of the dropper post. Wireless electronic seatposts are still unreasonable in price at the moment.

Bikepacking always in mind

After several bike trips with panniers for months, I realized my relationship with this big bags had come to an end. Minimalism and functionality led me to search for a decent and affordable bike for my last travels, which, in addition to the typical bikepacking mounts on the front triangle or fork, also had mounts on the seatstays so i can get rid of the panniers.

That’s why the islaT and the rest of the bikes designed to carry any kind of load that I will make with my hands, will be also equipped with multiple M5 threads on the rear triangle, also with mounts for racks or panniers if you prefer that style of lugage.

The Chap Bikes islaT includes three M5 threads per chainstay, strategically positioned to keep the weight as close as possible to the rear axle and the ground. This way, you can carry from sleeping bags, tents, or 1.5L standar water bottles without compromising balance or handling and ditch the bulky panniers.

And speaking of handling, the geometry of the islaT is not only designed for comfortable long-distance travel, but also to enjoy speed, more technical trails, and even jumps.

Soon, you’ll have more details, like the chosen colours of the 5 limited units.

Sizing and Geometry

The first five and only Chap Bike islaT will be available only in one size. The standard islaT size will be M/L, ideal for riders from 170cm to 185cm.

Measurement	M/L (mm)
Seat Tube	440
Top Tube	596
Reach	450
Stack	600
Head Tube	120
Head Tube Angle	67°
Seat Tube Angle	74°
Chainstay	435
BB Drop	68
Wheel Base	1166
Rear Axle	Thruaxle 12x142mm (1.5)
Rear Brake System	Flatmount 160-180mm
Cable Guide	Full length external with clips or zip ties
Wheel Type	29er
Fork Size	120mm front suspension with 51mm offset
Mounts	16 mounts x M5 (Front and rear triangle)