My Independent Fabrication Club Racer (Before and After). Ouch!

(After)

So it took me four months to muster the will to photograph my twisted custom Independent Fabrication frame that was totaled on my fated 1000K brevet this past August. For the six weeks that I was in the hospital and for several beyond that, it sat in a corner of our dining room with a sheet draped over it to shield us from the memories an open viewing might elicit. Only recently, as part of a general plan to "move on with life," has it been placed in the attic where it will enjoy some moisture-free time until I begin the process of scavenging odd parts for possible future use.

I've been in touch with Paul Levine at Signature Cycles who served as my original IF "dealer" and did the initial custom fitting back in 2008. Paul's wealth of experience and wisdom drew me to his showroom several years ago, and both were reinforced when we spoke recently about the importance of waiting until my body "settled" a bit more from the accident to do a follow-up fitting. I am likely a slightly different guy than I was before the crash and the new frame should reflect my future mobility and athleticism rather than my past. So we made a plan to reconnect this winter after I've healed a bit more to dial in a new  set of measurements for Indy Fab to use to build me a new bike.

I keep telling myself that it was only a bicycle. It really was perfect for randonneuring and ultra racing, though, and I don't plan to change a thing about it in the reordering process. Paul reassured me that IF needs a six-eight week window on new frame builds and with a little luck, I should be riding my new bike out to Brest and back this summer. Wish me luck!

(Before)