In the shop with…Tony Pereira

[This is the first article in a series on Portland’s local bike builders.]

[Tony Pereira of Pereira Cycles in his shop in Southeast Portland]

Tony Pereira has only been in Portland one year, but he’s having no trouble fitting in.

Pedalpalooza '06 Kickoff Parade

[Tony at the ’05
Pedalpalooza Kickoff Parade.]

He has experienced many facets of Portland’s bike culture. He participated in Pedalpalooza, he’s a regular in the singlespeed class at the cyclocross races, and has even Zoobombed a few times.

And coincidentally, his shop is just a few yards from where members of C.H.U.N.K. took over the streets in 2005, displaying their own brand of bicycle craftsmanship.

“I had no idea how crazy the bike culture was here. Now, it is actually one of the main reasons we might decide to stay here for good.”

Pereira, whose name means “pear tree” in Portuguese, came to Portland from Salt Lake City, Utah so his girlfriend could pursue a Master’s Degree in nonfiction writing at Portland State. Once she has her degree, they’ll have to decide between Stumptown or Salt Lake.

In the shop with Tony Pereira

When I visited his shop a few weeks ago, he was getting ready to fly back to Utah for what has become an annual tradition; racing in the 24 Hours of Moab.

Pereira sponsored two teams in the event and had many of his bikes in race, but the main reason he looked forward to going was to hang out with old friends.

“At this point, I’ve built bikes for all my friends back home and now I’m starting to get orders from my website. So far, I’ve only got a few bikes rolling around Portland, but I hope to change that.”

While most builders start their careers as apprentices or by going through one of several certification programs (like those offered by the United Bicycle Institute in Ashland), Pereira is self-taught.

In the shop with Tony PereiraIn the shop with Tony Pereira

“Before moving to Portland and building full-time I was basically a mechanic with a torch…I made bikes for all my buddies. See that work bench over there? I stand in front of that for 90% of my day. I still do most of the work by hand. To build a frame all you need is a vice, some files, and a lot of time…but it would be nice to have a mitering machine.”

In the shop with Tony Pereira

On pace to build just thirty frames this year, Pereira hopes to make closer to 50 next year. But without a few key pieces of equipment it will be hard to increase output.

Lack of expensive industrial machines is a common problem for small builders and has caused Pereira, encouraged by interest shown to local builders by the Portland Development Commission (PDC), to think of a solution.

He’s a proponent of a local framebuilders collective. Inspired by a cooperative winemaking facility based in Oregon, Pereira thinks a similar cooperative effort could benefit Portland’s stable of independent bicycle craftsmen.

“For an up-and-coming builder, it can be a struggle to take your business to the next level. With shared space and combined resources we’d have less overhead and a better chance to succeed.”

In the shop with Tony Pereira

The idea is backed by a few other builders in town and will be considered in ongoing efforts of a new bike industry task force that is just getting off the ground.

Machine-assisted or not, Pereira has developed a solid reputation for his fillet-brazed, 29-inch, singlespeed mountain bikes including my favorite, The BlingleSpeed.

He also has a penchant for “porteur” bikes (named after Parisian couriers), city bikes, and has built several cyclocross bikes. One of his current orders is for a long-tail cargo bike that will accept an Xtracycle kit.

At this year’s Handmade Bicycle Show, a gathering the country’s top builders, he took home a third place trophy in the Road Frame category.

[Tony’s classy rendition of a touring bike won Third Place honors at the ’06 North American Handmade Bicycle Show.]
Photo by Tony Pereira, full gallery here]

With his first year as a full-time builder in the books, 2007 looks to be full of exciting changes for Tony Pereira. He’s currently looking for new shop space and with the way word is spreading about his bikes, he’ll need all the space he can get.

Browse the rest of the photos from Tony’s shop in my Pereira Cycles photo gallery.

Contact info:
Tony Pereira
Pereira Cycles
(801) 209-9301
tony[at]pereiracycles[dot]com

Jonathan Maus (Publisher/Editor)

Jonathan Maus (Publisher/Editor)

Founder of BikePortland (in 2005). Father of three. North Portlander. Basketball lover. Car owner and driver. If you have questions or feedback about this site or my work, feel free to contact me at @jonathan_maus on Twitter, via email at maus.jonathan@gmail.com, or phone/text at 503-706-8804. Also, if you read and appreciate this site, please become a supporter.

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Chico Gino
17 years ago

Beautiful bikes, Tony.

Tim Jackson
17 years ago

Wow, thanks for profiling Tony and his bikes. Sadly, I’ve never seen his work before now and I am very impressed. What a great thing to have such builders there in Portland.

Ian
Ian
17 years ago

All that and he’s also a helleva nice guy! Good luck with your search for new digs, Tony. Keep up the great lookin’ work. Cheers.

Thursday
17 years ago

Good going ‘Tony! Hope to see you at this year’s show in San Jose.

jn

“Thursday”

Beth Raisman
Beth Raisman
17 years ago

Glad to see Tony profiled here! I got my Pereira touring bike (see “Beth’s Beauty” on Tony’s website photo gallery) at the end of the summer and couldn’t be happier. In fact, the bike still has a place of honor in the dining room instead of getting stored with the rest of the stable.

Tony’s attention to detail and solid craftsmanship have given me a bike I expect to enjoy for a long, long time. My bike draws questions and open-mouthed stares wherever I ride it. With such a nice product and his easygoing personality, Tony’s definitely on his way to a strong bikebuilding business!

Thanks, Tony! I love my new bike.

Ana Pereira
17 years ago

That’s funny, we share the same surname, although i guess he was already born American, while i’m still a “pear tree” rooted in Portugal. 😉

Wish him all the luck with his business and the upcoming show. 🙂