arvak is an outcome of keim’s hunt for cycling soul

arvak is an outcome of keim’s hunt for cycling soul
all images courtesy of keim

named after the horse pulling the sun on its way across the sky in norse mythology, the ‘arvak’ by keim is a quest to construct a responsive cycle that echoes the themes of nature. to achieve a stiff and lightweight monocoque frame, the french company vacuum laminated up to 50 layers of white ash with a high modulus resin between each. to optimize the orientation of each layer to maximize strength, the team had to develop their own method from scratch. three coats of marine grade finish protect the wood layers from weather and dirt. 

the frame uses white ash wood

each frame is hand built to an exact customer specification and benefits from high quality components, that weighs about 7.5 kilograms. unfortunately the keim ‘arvak’ is in limited production, but go check out their website, and if you ask nicely, maybe they’ll build you one. 

saddle and wheels are made of carbon fiber

bike comes standard with single speed hub

the black crankset to match two tone colors

the emblem etched on the bike

the ‘arvak’ weighs 7.5 kilograms

frames hanging, ready to be varnished

layers of wood being sanded

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