Our Latest Deluxe Flying Pigeon PB-13 5-Speed

This is our latest creation - a deluxe 5-Speed Flying Pigeon bicycle. Price? $749 as you see it here.

This is our latest creation - a deluxe 5-Speed Flying Pigeon bicycle. Price? $749 as you see it here.

It has taken about a month, on and off, to build our latest 5-speed Flying Pigeon PB-13. You know how it goes, dremel this, re-face that. “Should we use the Schwalbe Delta Cruisers in creme, or creme with a reflective sidewall?”

Well here it is, I’d say mid-build. We’ve still got to put a nice basket on it. We’re debating a rear lock for the wheel too – AXA, Abus, or Flying Pigeon brand (we’re not sure yet). Oh yes, lights! We’ve got to figure out what sort of head light and tail light combination to install on the bike. As you see it here, the bike has as its most dominant features:

  • Custom-built 28″ rear wheel with a SRAM Spectro P5 5-speed, coaster brake, hub
  • Schwable Delta Cruiser HS392 tires in creme with reflective sidewalls
  • Brooks B67 saddle
  • Wald “Cruiser” handlebars
SRAM Spectro P5 hub with a coaster brake on our Deluxe Flying Pigeon 5-speed.

SRAM Spectro P5 hub with a coaster brake on our Deluxe Flying Pigeon 5-speed.

This is in addition to the massive amounts of dremel work, and the re-tapping and re-facing of the various parts of the bike with ball bearing assemblies. The headset and bottom bracket have been replaced with good quality VP (from Taiwan, VP make Cane Creek and other name-brand headsets and bottom bracket) parts. The cranks we’ve installed are 28 tooth shorties – allowing a very, very, easy time pedaling this sprite lil’ bike around.

The 5-Speed Flying Pigeon PB-13 (as you see here) will retail for $749.  Here is how we look at it: for the price of a ONE SPEED Dutch bike, you can get a FIVE SPEED Flying Pigeon. Now, the frame is not going to be as solid as the Dutch bike, but clearly there is a value in what we’re doing with our line of Deluxe Flying Pigeons.

A Brooks B67 leather saddle installed on our Deluxe Flying Pigeon 5-speed - looks nice, rides great.

A Brooks B67 leather saddle installed on our Deluxe Flying Pigeon 5-speed - looks nice, rides great.

With lights, a lock, and a nice basket, the price will climb a bit (but so will the utility of the bike). You can see why there is debate involved in specifying the parts on a new bike! We don’t want to keep the price high, but we do want the bike to be ready to make it’s future owner happy; we feel that baskets, and other “accessories”, can make or break a bike’s utility.

Would you like your own Deluxe Flying Pigeon? We can custom fit all sorts of gear to these bikes. You’ll get a hand-built, one-of-a-kind, city bike for less than a production bike from many other manufacturers. Prices start at $499 (single speed) and go up to $699 (five speed). Options like the Brooks saddle, and other neat stuff add some to the price of each bike, but we don’t charge retail prices for those additions.

The best way to spec. out a bike with us is via email at info@flyingpigeon-la.com

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7 Comments

  1. Posted January 28, 2010 at 8:40 pm | Permalink

    Well, I love my Flying Pigeon, she’s been through a lot with me biking all in the SFV and now up in Santa Barbara. I would like to keep her. Josef and I once talked about possibly building her into a 3 speed. This 5 speed looks DAMN GOOD and I am definitely interested in shlepping my bike on Amtrak down to FPLA. I’ll have to get the funds together.

    Josef, I will be in touch.

  2. Erik
    Posted January 29, 2010 at 1:29 am | Permalink

    I love what you are doing with the stock Pigeon. As far as I am concerned you are making a fantastic bike. Keep up the good work. I will be ordering a deluxe single speed in the spring. It is 9 degrees here with a -12 wind chill, I can’t be tempted to ride a bike of the all over town with this weather.

  3. Posted January 29, 2010 at 2:20 am | Permalink

    Hey you guys, thanks so much for the kind words!

    Paula, we’ve got you covered – no matter what! I’ve unlocked the key to outfitting these bikes, going so far as to import from Taiwan my own supply of 28″ rims to build wheels for them.

    Erik, dude, I hear you. We’ll be waiting for your cell phone to un-freeze so you can crack that sucker open and give us a ring!

  4. Erik
    Posted January 30, 2010 at 1:45 pm | Permalink

    Do the PB-13 models sell better as customs? I would love to see a PA-02 blinged out like you did the step through model. If you end up building a deluxe PA-02 please post some pics. Reading your blog and Flying Pigeon Project has become a daily ritual for me; as I am always hoping to see new bike porn.

    I swear, after riding a friends Flying Pigeon I got hooked. His is box stock and I enjoyed it immensely. with the mods you are making it should be a sexy ride.

  5. Posted February 8, 2010 at 3:46 pm | Permalink

    These are great looking bikes! Are the Schwable tires high pressure tires that must be pumped every day, or are they more like cruiser tires that can usually go for a while without pumping?

  6. Posted February 13, 2010 at 12:39 am | Permalink

    Beginner Cycling,

    The Schwalbe Delta Cruisers are mounted onto rims that can’t withstand pressures higher than 60 to 65 psi. Unless there are a lot of temperature fluctuations, you shouldn’t have to worry about pumping them with air every time you ride. I find that in California, during the winter, I have to pump my tires more as the days are actually quite warm and the nights are colder than usual. Air is a gas that expands when hot (and seeps out of an inner tube) and contracts when cold. After one day outside in those conditions, nearly every bike I ride has had squishy feeling tires.

  7. Beginner Cycling
    Posted February 13, 2010 at 9:10 am | Permalink

    Thanks for the information, that’s good. While I’ve grown accustomed to pumping my road bike tires every time I ride, on more practical bikes it’s nice not to have to pump daily.

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