1994 CarbonFrames Tetra-Pro
CarbonFrames Tetra-Pro
Quick Robin! To the Batbike!
Batman and Robin didn’t have road bikes in their arsenal (as far as I know), so if they wanted to leave the Batmobile in the garage there was really only one proper bicycle source for the dynamic duo. Craig Calfee at CarbonFrames would have been the guy to call.
Check out the details on this old Tetra-Pro. It’s perfect for the bat cave.
CarbonFrames construction techniques didn’t (and probably still don’t) involve just a handful of frame molds or a set of aluminum lugs connected by carbon fiber tubes of various lengths. Instead of being glued into cast aluminum joints the tubing was wrapped at the junctions with carbon fiber cloth, pressed into something that we imagine looks like a big waffle iron, and “baked” to perfection. Besides the ability to customize virtually every aspect of their frames for size, handling characteristics, stiffness and flexibility, their construction methods produced the neat webbings that reinforce each “lug” and lend the Tetra-Pro its cool bat-wing look.
Tetra-Pro front end
American Classic Ti post, Regal saddle
Bottom bracket shell “webbing”
Calfee and CarbonFrames jumped away from the front of the pack in the early ‘90’s. Greg LeMond and his “Z” team sought out Calfee for the 1991 season knowing that they could get stiffer, lighter and more customizable racing bikes from CarbonFrames than from any other manufacturer.
Craig Calfee wasn’t the first American bike builder to make it into the Tour de France. We did a little bit of research and found that Ben Serotta had made “Murray” and “Huffy” labeled bikes for the 7-Eleven and La Vie Claire teams as early as 1986. There may have been another example but we couldn’t find it.
Whatever the case, CarbonFrames was the first American bike company to reach Paris with their own brand name on the top tube.
CarbonFrames/Calfee headbadge
Syncros stem, Avocet Altimeter
Made in California
Dura-Ace with SRP bolts
The components on this particular Calfee are no nonsense for 1994. A complete Dura-Ace 7400 parts group including the new dual-pivot brake calipers. Specialty Racing Products aluminum and titanium bolts save weight and add great anodized colors to their various spots on the bike. There’s a Syncros handlebar stem and a titanium American Classic seatpost. The wheels, built with Mavic Open 4 rims are so light you need an Avocet 50 altimeter cycling computer to make sure you don’t take flight…
If you compare the most prestigious racing bikes from the early ‘90’s against one another it’s pretty clear that Calfee’s creations were the best available. Great handling and cool finishes (our Tetra-Pro here glows like a purple marble when out in the sun) top off bikes that were lighter, stiffer and yet still more comfortable than ninety-nine percent of the bikes in the pro peloton.