Thirty years ago, before I discovered cycling, I played golf. (Ok, now that everyone has stopped laughing hysterically, I’ll continue) I played a lot of golf, I played 3-4 times a week and played in local amateur tournaments 2-3 times a month. Y’know, as adults many of us just keep looking for “The One Big Thing” at which we might excel, and become rich and famous. Well, for me, it wasn’t golf, tho I did learn many important lessons, like no matter how frustrated you become, throwing a club never helps.

Anyway, one of the lessons I learned was about equipment. Most of my playing partners were using the newest investment cast perimeter weighted clubs designed to keep the ball flying straight no matter how off-center you actually hit the ball. I was using a set of 1957 forged stainless steel, Power-Built Citations that my Uncle Bill had given to me for my birthday when I was 16. They were beautiful “Old-School” blades that looked like real golf clubs when you stood there and lined yourself up. (ie “addressed the ball”)

And of course, no mention of “addressing the ball” would be incomplete without this video clip. So sit back and enjoy….

Cycling is a lot like golf, there’s a certain style to it whether it’s the rolled up skinny jeans or lycra that you’re wearing, or the frame that you’re riding, or the pedals or the straps. There’s cheap functional equipment and expensive functional equipment.

In cycling, let’s face it: In some sense wheels are wheels. If they turn and are reasonably straight, they’ll get you down the road just as well as a $3,000 carbon set. Don’t believe me?

Just ask your Dad. Or your wife :0)

But in cycling, just as in golf, the “look” of your equipment matters a whole lot when you look down at it, right? Take a look at what you’re riding.

Did you spec the tires, the saddle, the pars, or the color because it was cheap…. or did you pick them because you liked the way they looked? Yeah, I’ll bet you did.

Enter the world of Curtis Odom, visionary, vintage bike authority, and CAD expert.

When Curtis produced some exploded views of vintage hubs, he realized it was just a few more clicks on the mouse to add dimensions and feed the data into some machines and out would come some hubs.

Ok, Curtis knew it wouldn’t be that easy. That was a bit over a year ago and here we are today with Curtis Odom and his hubs at the 2012 North American Handmade Bicycle Show with a full array and interviews and photos and, maybe even “Celebrity”. We’ll just have to wait till he comes back to earth next week to find out.

In the meantime Curtis has selected the Fixed Gear Gallery as one of his select group of dealers and we couldn’t be happier.

The photos in this Review are from the first group of twelve prototype Fixed Gear Hubs that we got back in early September and have had the pleasure of oggling and riding since then.

With the first big group of production hubs finished last week, going to his booth at NAHBS and featured on a select group of Builder’s Bikes, we’ve yet to handle his latest production hubs. Never fear, Custis says “They’ll be here for Spring”. We can’t wait. In addition to track hubs like these, there are freewheel and cassette versions.

If a set of Curtis’ hubs or a wheelset are on your list already, then you’ll need to get “on our list too” for they will be as hard to get as a Richard Sachs frameset …. and they are every bit as precious too.

A pair of Curtis Odom Track Hubs with the new Stainless Steel Nuts will be available from The Fixed Gear Gallery at $475.00 / pair or as a Complete Wheelset with your choice of any Velocity rim in your choice of lacings at $799.00 plus shipping. And we’ll even Tie and Solder your wheels Old School Style for $65.00 extra.

For comments, question, or to reserve a pair of Curtis Odom Hubs emailfixedgearwizard@yahoo.com