Our Reader’s Rig of the week comes from Tom in Japan, who shares a detailed look at the custom Liminal Machine Works he’ll be racing at this year’s Silk Road Mountain Race. Meet Tom and read the meaningful story behind his flowery titanium drop-bar bike here…

Words and photos by Tom Schwemberger

Klah-Klahnee – “Three Points” (Kalapuya), aka the Three Sisters of the central Cascades, which stand over the Willamette Valley. It’s also the name of this rig, or at least the name I’ve chosen for her. She’s a custom frame with custom anodizing, so I think I get that honor.

Hi, I’m Tom. I live in Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan, though I grew up in California and did my PhD in Oregon and Illinois. After graduation, I started a postdoctoral position here in Japan, so that’s where I currently ride. When I’m not calculating neutrino fluxes or detector responses, I’m doing just about any human-powered activity, typically cycling, but also rock climbing and backcountry skiing. This bike serves as both my PhD present and the parting gift from my dad, who passed away in 2023. We sold his house the year I graduated, and I set aside a portion of that for this build.

Liminal Machine Works

I like to push myself and ride fast, so you may have noticed my dot dancing around on Trackleaders a few times. This year, my main objective is to improve on my performance from the 2024 Silk Road Mountain Race, where I finished second. Aside from racing, this rig is built for fast and light adventuring. Bike-to-ski is, of course, on the menu, with Mt. Fuji being the obvious objective while I’m living in Japan. It’s challenging to find overnight routes off pavement in Japan, at least where I live in Tsukuba, so it’s mostly been day rides with a couple of road-based overnights.

Liminal Machine Works
  • Liminal Machine Works
  • Liminal Machine Works
  • Liminal Machine Works

This build is intended to be my forever bike, so Brian at Liminal Machine Works built this frame to be versatile and durable but also fast and fun. The titanium frame will outlast all the rock strikes I can throw at it while staying light and responsive. Beyond the natural elasticity of titanium, every component is chosen to improve comfort, from the Ergon split seatpost to the Lauf bars and custom-painted fork.

Liminal Machine Works
  • Liminal Machine Works
  • Liminal Machine Works
  • Liminal Machine Works

The custom rear rack has three pack mounts, mounting points for a dynamo taillight, and it supports a set of panniers as well as a rack top bag if I so choose. Typically, the rack carries my lunch and a change of clothes on my way to work, but it’s always waiting to carry my sleep kit across a mountain range. The 7Roads top-tube bag is weather-resistant enough to carry my electronics, and the frame bag is often overflowing with onigiri. For racing, I also have a custom roll-top aerobar bag with stretchy side pockets.

  • Frame: Liminal Machine Works
  • Fork: Lauf Grit Gen 3
  • Rims: 9Velo GV45 Superwide
  • Hubs: SON28 (front) / 9Velo (rear)
  • Tires: Vittoria Mezcal 29 x 2.1″
  • Handlebars: Lauf Smoothie
  • Headset: Wolf Tooth/ENVE in-route
  • Crankset: SRAM Force 165mm w/ spindle power meter
  • Pedals: Shimano XTR
  • Cassette: Shimano XTR (CS-M9101 10-51t MS)
  • Derailleur(s): Shimano XTR Di2
  • Brakes: Shimano RX 820
  • Shifter(s): Shimano RX 825
  • Saddle: Ergon SM Pro
  • Seatpost: Ergon Split Post
  • Stem: ENVE In-Route Carbon 90mm
  • Front bags: 7Roads custom aerobar bag
  • Frame bags: 7Roads custom 3/4 frame bag
  • Rear bags: 7Roads rack top-bag
  • Accessory bags: 7Roads transformer top tube bag and stem bags
  • Rear rack: Liminal Machine Works
  • Other accessories: SON Edelux II dynamo lights, Garbaruk chainring, custom light/computer mount

The rear dropouts are built around UDH, but with a special off-centered insert, I can have adjustable chainstays and run it singlespeed without the need for a bulky sliding dropout or chain tensioner. I’m running wireless shifting, but Brian also built in routing for a mechanical rear derailleur if I want the ultimate in reliability. Possibly the only versatility feature which we omitted was a gearbox, but I decided in favor of a lighter and more responsive traditional drivetrain.

  • Liminal Machine Works
  • Liminal Machine Works
  • Liminal Machine Works
  • Liminal Machine Works
  • Liminal Machine Works
Anodizing photos by Agave Finishworks

I intend for this bike to accumulate stories and grow as she ages. In that spirit, I had Peter at Agave Finishworks anodize the frame to reflect both the region in which she was built and my story as the rider. Having lived in the Willamette Valley for four years, the riding in the neighboring Central Cascades is still my favorite anywhere in the world. The mountains anodized in the transition from the night sky of the head tube to the raw titanium of the down tube are modeled after the Three Sisters of the Central Cascades, known to the Kalapuya people native to the valley as Klah-Klahnee. The night sky references both my career as an astrophysicist and the stars under which I ride.

Liminal Machine Works

Flowers

The downtube has a bespoked panel of wildflowers, each of which holds a special significance to me:

Pacific Dogwood – There was a dogwood tree at my grandmother’s house that sprouted the seedling we planted at my dad’s. To me, it symbolizes time and the passing of the seasons as dogwoods transition from sticks to flowers to green then red.

Paintbrush – A staple high in the Sierra Nevada range in California. This serves as a memento of trips up there with my dad and sister.

Alpine Phlox – Growing above the treeline in the most inhospitable of talus fields. A reminder to bloom when everything suggests you shouldn’t even be alive

Avalanche Lily – A staple of the Cascades. Appearing in early season as the snow melts, they have a delicate appearance which has always captivated me.

Trillium – Another delicate early-season staple of both the Willamette Valley and the Cascades.

Scarlett Gilia (skyrockets) – The namesake of one of my closest friends.

Virginia Bluebells – The only species not from the West Coast or the mountains. They are, however, the first flowers I picked for my bikepacking companion, whom I love deeply.

You can follow Tom on Instagram.

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