Holland Jet travel bike uses Ritchey Break-Away design
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The Holland Cycles Jet uses the Ritchey Breakaway design but adds higher-precision fittings, some of which are produced by Paragon Machine Works. Tubing options include larger-diameter titanium than what Ritchey uses or Vyatek's striking Exogrid co-molded titanium and carbon fiber materials.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
The continuous rear brake housing is internally run through the top tube but then externally run along the seat stay.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Paragon disc dropouts on this Holland Cycles road bike.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Unless a customer requests a separate collar, Holland Cycles builds its bikes with a welded binder.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
The 44mm-diameter head tube makes a good visual match with oversized main tubes.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Check out the neat paint work on this Holland Cycles road bike.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Titanium is a wonderfully maintenance-free material when left brushed or blasted but this disc-equipped Holland Cycles road bike looks great with paint.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Huge 1"-diameter chain stays on Bill Walton's titanium Holland Cycles road bike.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Neat graphic work on Bill Walton's Holland Cycles titanium road bike.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Holland Cycles stiffens up the front end of Bill Walton's titanium road frame with an oversized 44mm head tube.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Bill Holland built this (very big) titanium road bike for basketball great Bill Walton, who stands 2.11m (6' 11") tall.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Holland's modified Ritchey Breakaway seat cluster design is keyed for easier assembly.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Bill Holland says this Exogrid Jet travel bike weighs about 7.7kg (17lb) with Shimano Dura-Ace clincher wheels and Ultegra Di2 components.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
In addition to standard titanium tubes, Holland Cycles also offers the Jet with Exogrid (middle) co-molded titanium-and-carbon fiber pipes made by Vyatek Sports.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
The internally routed, full-length housing is guided with a titanium tube.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Bill Holland uses his own internal battery design for his personal Shimano Di2-equipped Jet travel bike.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
The Holland Cycle Jet fits into a standard S&S travel case.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
The machined down tube interface is machined by Paragon Machine Works along with the two-piece aluminum clamp.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Bill Holland says he loves Shimano's Di2 system but as a long-time Campagnolo user, can't get used to not having buttons on the inside of the hoods. Holland cleverly adapted Shimano's own sprint shifters to work inside the hoods but maybe it's time for him to switch to EPS?(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Holland Cycles' Bill Holland has licensed the brilliant Ritchey Break-Away travel bike design. But in true boutique builder fashion he's taken the concept and turned it up to 11. The Holland Jet has an asking price of US$4,300 to US$5,900 without fork or case – it's on the extreme side but what you get in return is probably the finest travel bike you've ever seen.
The concept behind the Holland Jet is the same as the one behind the Break-Away: the segmented down tube connects just ahead of the bottom bracket with a pair of flanges and a clamp, while the seat cluster is cut at an angle and held together with the seatpost and dual binder bolts. Holland says it adds only 80g to a frame but means the disassembled bike can fit in a hard-sized S&S travel case that usually won't accrue excess baggage fees.
Holland's version looks stiffer than the Break-Away, however, with its bigger 1 1/2in-diameter down tube and 1 3/8in-diameter seat tube. Also, the seat cluster joint is keyed for easier assembly, and the down tube flanges are secured with a more solid, two-bolt hingeless aluminum clamp, all machined by Paragon Machine Works.
The standard all-titanium Holland Jet is built with straight-gauge tubing and a straight 1 1/8in head tube for US$4,300. All Jets feature a fully customised fit and geometry, plus several top tube, down tube, chain stay, and seat stay diameter options.
Particularly well-heeled or frequent travelers can also opt for Vyatek Sports' striking ExoGrid tubeset, which co-molds carbon fiber and a cutout titanium tube to save weight while retaining titanium's inherent damage tolerance. That option bumps up the price dramatically, however. An ExoGrid Holland Jet with titanium stays will cost a whopping US$5,900.
ExoGrid or not, neither version of the Holland Jet comes with a fork, case, or build kit, but BikeRadar still wants one. The collapsible nature adds immense versatility but the handbuilt quality, exclusivity, near-invisible couplers, and expectations of outstanding ride quality should make for a fantastic everyday bike.
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Also on display at the North American Handmade Bicycle Show was a custom machine Holland built for basketball great Bill Walton and a gorgeous disc brake-equipped titanium road bike.
Walton stands at a commanding 2.11m (6ft 11in) so Holland built his bike with enormous titanium tubing throughout, including 1in-diameter chain stays and an oversized 44mm head tube that houses a tapered steerer.
The disc road bike is much smaller in stature but uses similar tubing sizes plus an ENVE Composites fork and Paragon machined dropouts and disc tabs.
Both bikes showcased outstanding paintwork, too, proving again that just because titanium can be left bare doesn't mean it should be.
