Day off: Bikes and Beer

So, my brother and sister-in-law came in to town, and uncharacteristically, we did not go for a long ride but rather did bicycle things, including the handmade bike and beer festival over at the Hopworks. http://hopworksbeer.com/bikeandbeerfest http://tinyurl.com/k3jzukc

What a hoot -- there were a couple of fledgling companies started-up by friends of friends, including HiFi wheels http://ridehifi.com/ and Circa -- which is a redux of the aluminum screwed-and-glued frames of yore mixed with a buy-local theme and nearly infinite customization. http://www.ridecirca.com/ There were some of the locals, including Tony Pereira of Breadwinner http://breadwinnercycles.com/ Probably some of the finest TIG welding I have ever seen. Great guy, but the most fun was running in to Gunnar Caylor who basically showed up on an invite from Andy Newlands at Strawberry. http://strawberrybicycle.com/

I lusted after the Caylor frames back in the mid '70s. http://www.ecovelo.info/2011/03/23/g...harles-caylor/ I loved the fast back design -- which was picked up by Tom Ritchey a year or two later and then Bruce Gordon. Caylor said that he hand built 1010B drop-outs before they were made by Campy -- he would shorten up the 1010 drop-outs and move the hanger back (suggesting that Campy had swiped the idea for the 1010B design from him, just like vertical drop outs were swiped form Jobst). The guy was a big racer in the Central Valley, went in to making frames and became the supplier for Cupertino Bikes in the Spence Wolf days as well as an LA shop. It was kind of a Spinal Tap "I thought you were dead" moment. We swapped stories of the olden days and people we knew. He had one of his classic bikes on display with ModEs and all NR -- the benchmark clincher bike of the day. He has retired form his day job and is dipping his toe back in to the world of frame building.

This was a small event -- hardly more than a backyard barbecue compared to the national show. http://2014.handmadebicycleshow.com/ But judging by the enthusiasm of the attendees, I don't think that custom steel is going away anytime soon -- particularly not with the burgeoning Bohemian set buying turntables, LPs and all things retro. Craft beer is not gong away soon, either -- nor craft coffee or the perpetual Portlandia sketch that is life on the eastside.

-- Jay Beattie.

now there's outstanding workmanship ..... Ahearne Cycles

On 9/28/2014 10:25 PM, wrote:
now there's outstanding workmanship ..... Ahearne Cycles




Agreed, his work is striking.

--
Andrew Muzi
www.yellowjersey.org/
Open every day since 1 April, 1971

On Monday, September 29, 2014 7:20:12 AM UTC-7, AMuzi wrote:
On 9/28/2014 10:25 PM, wrote:

now there's outstanding workmanship ..... Ahearne Cycles









Agreed, his work is striking.

My Oregon favorite is Vanilla, but you can't get one -- unless you go with the semi-production Speedvagen. http://www.thevanillaworkshop.com/speedvagen-about/

Go wood! http://www.renovobikes.com/

Mark DiNucci is apparently back at it, too: http://www.classicrendezvous.com/USA/dinucci_mark.htm http://www.dinuccicycles.com/DINUCCI-CYCLES

DiNucci is not on this list, which is supposed to be most of the Oregon builders. http://oregonbikelist.com/list

The deal is that we get a lot of frame builders out of the United Bicycle Institute program in Portland and Ashland. http://www.bikeschool.com/ I was riding with a guy a month ago who was on his own UBI ho-made Ti frame. The welds were a little cheesy, but not too bad. There are lots of people riding home-brews, for better or worse -- and some are really pretty, at least after they get painted. http://www.bikeschool.com/gallery/wp...01/Duncan2.jpg

-- Jay Beattie.

yes, Vanilla's web product gets a 10 of 10 no pr...

are those bikes one off or semi production ?

why can't we buy one ?

There's a lot of uh just off track work around..hmmm like street rodders custom colors.

Vanilla shows us classic Japanese with enough extra design/production to get us to stand up....

amaxing.

prob disappointing in person.

give your riding friend a can of bondo...