About Jack Kane
About the owner, Jack Kane
“Officially” Jack Kane Custom Racing Bicycles has been around since 2001, but Jack started on his own at the age of nineteen — opening his own bicycle shop. Since 1973 he has owned and managed an extremely successful bicycle shop. It is complete with a full machine shop and we’re known as a “bicycle shop’s bike shop”. Jack’s heart lies in being able to work very closely with his customers. He loves utilizing his professionally-trained custom bicycle painting and designing talents.
In 2001, Jack brought his expertise to the masses. With this goal in mind, he set out to design frames that would combine the things he has learned in over 39 years of cycling. Today, his frames fulfill those desires for perfection without compromise. You will notice this in the outright beauty, durability, ride quality and light weight of each frame. Each model is tested, and raced to assure our customers that each Kane bike is the best bike their money can buy. Each frame is built from the perspectives of cyclists and triathletes. When buying a Kane frame you can forget about overemphasized marketing hype found with other brands. In a time when there are numerous generic looking bikes and so many “me too” brands — Choose to separate yourself. Invest in You Uniqueness.
Materials
Jack has seen the spectrum of materials’ ups and downs. He entered into the industry when steel was at its peak. While steel bikes had the spot light at one time, rider’s began desiring lighter frames and the industry moved to aluminum. When aluminum came around, the weight reductions were extremely noticeable, but he saw how the industry as a whole had issues of tubes cracking and/or noise arising from welds. However, once those initial hard-comings were addressed, aluminum flourished. Nevertheless, innovation never stops and carbon fiber roared into the industry.
The carbon fiber movement has been an exciting and costly age. The entire industry has been in this dynamic incubator together. Jack has studied and learned from the big boys as they were experimenting. With all the knowledge and having seen all the trials and errors (we’ve had ours too), he and our partners designed, tested, and assembled a robust line of exceptionally well made aluminum, carbon/aluminum, and full carbon frames earning the Kane name.
An amazing bike can be made with ANY material. Jack stresses that one has to take into account numerous factors in designing the appropriate bike. Our aluminum bikes are still amazing sellers. What a lot of people fail to recognize is that ride quality varies from an assortment of factors. Component selection, riding style, people’s weight, etc. As a result, we work in a partnership with the rider to make this a successful experience. Being “practically minded” when it comes to riding and designing bikes goes a long way.
Our Carbon Frames and Frames: In the mid-2000s carbon molds were (and are) very expensive. As a small company, we chose to utilize proven open molds. However, the frames had warranties, full support, and rode well. Our frame line up was also comprised of aluminum and aluminum carbon bikes. With these combinations we were (and are) able to have free range of geometries, materials, tubing, and design. Over the past few years as we have further grown, our Nighthawk SL and Battle Axe SL frames are now not open mold frames. Our frames use tube to tube carbon construction. We control the angles, tube thickness, carbon lay-up, and design. The only open mold is our carbon triathlon frame. We’re proud of the frame. We are able to dictate the type of carbon and lay up. There is no fiberglass or cheap carbon in the frame like some companies try to sneak by riders. We are in the process of creating our own and updating the frame. They are designed by us for us. We are not a fly-by-night company. We have quality control. We have warranties. We have your back.
Custom Bicycle Paint
Our bikes have an innate ability to flaunt themselves. Whether it is because they sport an over-the-top paint or a super-sleek subtle scheme, people notice our custom designed and painted bikes. Our quality paint jobs are directly due to Jack’s thirty-eighty plus years of paint booth experience. Not only do our bikes look fantastic, Jack understands riders are slinging their legs over, spilling Gatorade, and sticking gels, on their frames, so the paint better hold up. We use the highest top-of-the-line DuPont paint and clear coats, which are as durable as they come.
We have all experienced the day when we chip the paint on our bike. Chip happens. What separates us from almost every other bicycle company in the country is that Jack can touch-up and repaint your bike. Sometimes our customers decide to design an all new paint scheme all together.
Philosophy
We help cyclists create an extension of themselves. We understand and embrace a customer’s ride qualities and suit the bicycle to them. We demand high performance, but require comfort. Design and paint an out-of-this-world frame and being proud to sport it anywhere. These are just some of the goals our customers take advantage of when working with Jack Kane Bicycles and why Jack is one of the best custom bicycle designers and painters in the industry.
An example of our bike design goals: We consider that while a pro-racer can crash and destroy his bike, simply to have it replaced with a new one from the van, this does not trickle down to the consumer. Most riders have one bike. Thus, we work with our partners and focus on designing extremely durable, reliable, light and well-made bicycles. At the end of the day, nobody aims to crash, but crashes happen. Jack can fix certain areas of his frames. He has spent years upon years honing in his skills of repairing frames. The bikes come back like new.
Individuality
Believe it or not, Jack did not start off individually signing or numbering his bicycles. This came by the request of our customers. Our riders enjoy working with Jack so much that they take pride in having him personally sign every bike. As of January 28, 2013, we’re working on #760. #761 is soon to follow. When is Jack going to sign your bike number? Every paint job is one-of-a-kind. Your bike is unique to you.
Geometry
We have observed decades of geometries and we have narrowed it down to a pretty good science. With all of the experimentation that has gone on, only so much can be done now-a-days. As a result, while we are always fine-tuning our angles, we have found our rider-approved geometries. Quotes like below would not be earned if we did not deliver.
“Road race stiff, but yet compliant, very confident at speed and precise during hard cornering” and “In the crit I was late braking, early apexing, taking inside line, gaining places as I wished…………awesome cornering, Ferrari F1 stuff“
Team
At the end of 2010, Jack hired Zane Schweer as the company’s first Brand Marketing Manager. He had spent three years with a Fortune 5 company before coming to Jack Kane Bikes. He is also recognized in the Atlantic Coast Collegiate Cycling Conference for his transformation of the defunct Wake Forest University Cycling team into a well-functioning machine in the mid 2000s. He earned his B.S. in Business from Wake Forest University and received the Spirit of Wayne Calloway award from the Calloway School of Business. He is responsible for press, social media, web, and customer service. He can be reached at 910.455.1011.
Carbon Fiber Bicycle Repair
Learn more at here
Bicycle Restorations
Learn more on our Bicycle Restorations page