Hip Hop Skid Bikes / Hipster Sleds / HHSB

a bloody good move if you ask me - exquisite craftsmanship and rad paint job - wasn't it made from something extraordinary too?

The Charpentier is carbon reinforced steel tubing.

That's a stunning Alain Michel frame your mate bought, I actually went to get it for my buddy that sold it to him, and I still regret that it was not my size! Light as a feather.

If anyone's interested, here's a bit more info I found on Excell tubing:

*EXCELL tubes have enjoyed a level of renown among a small number of frame-builders, and have been the tubes of choice of several Pro riders including Greg Lemond. (see Alain Michel)
There appears to have been no manufacturing facility at Excell, and it is suggested that the tubes were made by Ste Gautier-Troussel at Longueville, to the SE of Paris. This company was well known in the aircraft and aerospace industries for producing
tubes with very high mechanical specifications to meet the needs of such companies as SNECMA, the aero engine manufacturer based in Paris.

Excell's Champion du Monde series had its three main tubes internally lined with a layer of carbon-fibre about 3mm thick. This steel and carbon matrix resulted in extremely light tubes with outstanding resistance to flexing. The main tubes' thickness was only 2.5/10mm. The whole set of tubes, blades and stays weighed in at only 1200gms. This set is probably the same as the MACSTEEL used, possibly earlier by Edmond Polchlopek.
(see HARAL and POLCHLOPEK)*