CHUPACABRA TECHNOROTICA Chassis: Nirve Switchblade frame Custom Mods: Frenched seat stays at top tube, custom designed 3D dropouts with axle cover's, Drilled downtube, Shaved seat tube nub, fork "steering stops" Forks: Nirve Leading link Chopper fork (soon to be released) Custom Mods: Internal cable routing, disk brake mount, suede black powder coated crowns, Black Chrome springs, painted stanchions Drivetrain: Shimano Nexus 8spd rear hub 44t Nirve CNC sprocket Custom Mods: Rapid fire shifter converted into a jockey shifter, 12 - 38 special + P cases pressed into sprocket Saddle: Custom made seat pan, embroidered leather Brakes: Shimano Nexave Hydraulic Disk Custom Mods: Custom Made rotors to match wheels, custom made mounts (front & rear) Wheels: Front: 26" Custom Billet, Suede Black powder coated, Disk brake mount, 48 -38 Special + P cases pressed in, Nirve "Badass" rubber.Rear: 24" Custom Billet, Suede Black Powder coated, Disk brake mount,Shimano 8spd, 48 - 38 Special + P cased pressed in, Nirve "Fatass" rubber Handlebars: Custom made "Tank": Custom Made (16 Gauge Steel) Rear Fender: Custom Made (16 Gauge Steel) Sissy Bar: Custom made (3/8" steel rod) Cranks: Nirve 180mm 3pc. with sealed BB Pedals: Voxom Platform Grips: Billet with Suede Black powder coating Headlight: Standard issue Tung Lin with custom painted bucket and black chrome ring Finish: Paint and Pinstriping by Hot Dog, LosAngles, CA (www.hotdogkustoms.com) Powder Coating by J&N Powder Coating, Santa Ana, CA (714.401.7660) Black Chrome by Vacuum Metal Coatings, Santa Ana, CA (www.vacuummetalcoating.com) Misc. All custom Machine work by Z Machine, Mesa, AZ (www.warlordcycles.com) Everything else, I did. |
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Aaron Bethenfalvy Interviewed by Jim Wilson Q: Pretty impressive job, Aaron. I know you were planning on starting it when you had production frames in, and you debuted Chupacabra at Interbike, in early October. How much time did you actually end up sinking into it? A: After all was said and done, I estimate that I have approximately 1000 hours in the Chupacabra. That includes design time, time spent creating the technical prints and 3D drawings for components I had machined, as well as fabrication time. Hence the name "Chupacabra". Much like the mythical beast, "Chupacapra", sucks the life from livestock throughout Mexico, my Chupacabra sucked the life outta me. mentally, physically and financially! Q: I know you put a lot of your own time in on fabrication, including the English wheel tank and fender forming. But you had to farm out a lot of the other specialist work. I've heard a lot of number rumors through the grapevine that out-of-house expenses ranging from as low as $14K to as high as $20K. Which is closer to the mark? A: Well, lets clear that up then, Jim. Here's the tally for my personal outta-pocket expenses: 1. Raw materials & supplies = $350 2. Machine work for rear drop outs = $950 3. Machine work for the wheels = $1200 4. Machine work for the Jockey shifter = $200 5. One day at the shooting range + 200 rounds of 38 Special P+ = $135 6. Paintwork by Hot Dog = $2500 7. Black Chrome = $850 8. Powder coating = $350 9. Laser cutting = $150 TOTAL = $6,685 Q: Granted, those cost rumors were the typical, "I wasn't there, but this dude he ran into at Interbike told my buddy, yada, yada"; and Chupacabra wasn't mentioned by name, but Nirve was. By any chance did you have another, really expensive, bike there? Not that Chupacabra doesn't look like it could have cost $20K. I notice you didn't list what your time would have been worth, if you'd had your meter running. So, going by 1,000 hours times minimum wage which is $5.41, comes to $5, 410.00 plus $6,685 equals maybe $12K. But most people estimating a job wouldn't base the kind of work you were doing on minimum-wage rates, so maybe that dude's actual quote was, "If I wuz doing it, it wouldda cost 20,000 bucks". I'm glad we got that straightened out. So, among everything else on display at Interbike, did you see anything else that looked like it wouldda maybe cost 20,000 bucks? A: I know where the crazy value quotes are coming from, actually. I was asked by one of our sales people at Interbike what I'd sell the bike for . My reply was simple "Its not for sale" Of course, that's an answer no one likes, so I was then bombarded with questions like "If someone offered you $10K cash right now?. . . ok,$20K?. . ok,$30K, etc. etc. As a result, a few nirve sales people would make up a number whenever they were asked how much its worth! Haha. I still say its not for sale, but If I HAD to put a value on it, its worth at least $20K to me. Hell, I charge $65/hr for custom fab work, so I'm still short changing myself!!!! I didn't get a chance to walk the show thoroughly, but from what I did see . . . no, nothing there worth more than its weight. Q: Did you get any financial support from the company for the expenses of building the bike, since it was presumably part of the Nirve Interbike display? A: No, not on this one. Nirve is still a small company and without the budget for this type of thing. I did this completely on my own time and dime. People think I'm nuts, but, I just wanted a bike of my own, ya know? Q:I can certainly relate. But, of course, people think I'm nuts, too. So, what are you going to do with it now? I hope you're going to show it some more; seems a shame for it to only have been seen by bike retailers and people who happen into your living room. A: Well, I plan on dropping it off at the photo studio this week and then after it gets photographed I just plan to ride it! Believe it or not, the Chupacabra is my only "Kustom Kruiser"! People will have their chance to see it, however. My plan is to send the photos to my contacts at all the custom culture publications Q: I'm really glad you're going to be actually riding it, rather than having it sitting on a pedestal. We're hoping to organize a big "Kustom-Bicycle-As-Art Show" this summer in LA, as part of BikeSummer '05. We hope to have it happen; and if it does, we'll have a pedestal with "Chupacabra" on it. Nice Job, Aaron. Keep at it. A: Haha. Thanks Jim. You can definitely have the Chupacabra for the show, but it may have a little dirt on it. Thanks again for giving me the time. Its always fun chattin' with ya! |
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CHUPACABRA TECHNOROTICA Chassis: Nirve Switchblade frame Custom Mods: Frenched seat stays at top tube, custom designed 3D dropouts with axle cover's, Drilled downtube, Shaved seat tube nub, fork "steering stops" Forks: Nirve Leading link Chopper fork (soon to be released) Custom Mods: Internal cable routing, disk brake mount, suede black powder coated crowns, Black Chrome springs, painted stanchions Drivetrain: Shimano Nexus 8spd rear hub 44t Nirve CNC sprocket Custom Mods: Rapid fire shifter converted into a jockey shifter, 12 - 38 special + P cases pressed into sprocket Saddle: Custom made seat pan, embroidered leather Brakes: Shimano Nexave Hydraulic Disk Custom Mods: Custom Made rotors to match wheels, custom made mounts (front & rear) Wheels: Front: 26" Custom Billet, Suede Black powder coated, Disk brake mount, 48 -38 Special + P cases pressed in, Nirve "Badass" rubber.Rear: 24" Custom Billet, Suede Black Powder coated, Disk brake mount,Shimano 8spd, 48 - 38 Special + P cased pressed in, Nirve "Fatass" rubber Handlebars: Custom made "Tank": Custom Made (16 Gauge Steel) Rear Fender: Custom Made (16 Gauge Steel) Sissy Bar: Custom made (3/8" steel rod) Cranks: Nirve 180mm 3pc. with sealed BB Pedals: Voxom Platform Grips: Billet with Suede Black powder coating Headlight: Standard issue Tung Lin with custom painted bucket and black chrome ring Finish: Paint and Pinstriping by Hot Dog, LosAngles, CA (www.hotdogkustoms.com) Powder Coating by J&N Powder Coating, Santa Ana, CA (714.401.7660) Black Chrome by Vacuum Metal Coatings, Santa Ana, CA (www.vacuummetalcoating.com) Misc. All custom Machine work by Z Machine, Mesa, AZ (www.warlordcycles.com) Everything else, I did. |
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Photography: Mark Burcham |
