(Photos: J. Maus/BikePortland)
The Handmade Bike & Beer Fest got off to a solid start tonight in north Portland. This event, hosted by the Oregon Bicycle Constructors Assocation, has teamed up with the Oregon Brewer’s Guild this year to offer a wider variety of craft beers to go along with the craft bikes.
I took a walk around the show floor to meet a few of the builders and get a closer look at what they had to offer…
Breadwinner’s Special Edition “Take the Long Way Home” B-Road
Tony Pereira and Ira Ryan of Breadwinner Cycles brought something new to the show this year: a special edition of their “B-Road” model that will only be on sale until October 21st.
“We built and designed this as our gravel bike,” Pereira shared with me at the show tonight, “but it’s really our most versatile bike. It’s a quiver killer. If you can only have one bike it’d be a good one to have.”
This special B-Road comes with a new colorway, matching frame pump and all the features and spec that have made this such a popular bike: room for cushy 44 mm tires (or 32 mm with fenders), USA made components from Chris King and Thompson, disc brakes, stainless thru-axle dropouts, handbuilt wheels from Sugar Wheel Works, rack and fender braze-ons, Silca Super Pista Frame Pump painted to match, Brooks saddle, Shimano Ultegra groupset, and more.
Price is $5,695 and delivery is guaranteed before Christmas if you get your order in by October 21st. Learn more on their website.
Introducing Page Street Cycles
Joseph Ahearne (Ahearne Cycles) and Christopher Igleheart (Igleheart Custom Frames and Forks) have well over half a century of bike building experience between them. They’ve also shared a shop on North Page Street for the past five years. As the two have started working on projects together (like a recent batch of six bikes for Box Dog Bikes in San Francisco) it was a natural move to start up a new brand.
Page Street Cycles is the official name of their new collaboration and so far we like what we see. Ahearne’s brazing and rack-making combines perfectly with Igleheart’s TIG welding and expertise in fork making. And both builders’ quirky yet classy approach to bike making plays very well together. They displayed two Page Street adventure bikes that looked like they were ready for anything.
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Supplying the trade
Portlander Tony Tapay is the man who sells the ingredients used in the concoctions these bicycle craftsmen cook up. Tapay is the owner of Framebuilder Supply, a company that sells tubing, lugs, and other frame parts.
After giving framebuilding a try himself several years ago, Tapay found that just getting the raw materials he needed from a local source was a pain. Building bikes was also very hard work that he couldn’t see ever scaling up into a long career. “So I decided I wanted to be Levi Strauss. He once said that, ‘I can be a gold miner, or I can sell jeans to gold miners.'”
Two years ago Tapay launched Framebuilder Supply and the business has seen strong growth ever since.
Framebuilder Supply has clients all over the country ranging from well-known small builders like Breadwinner and English, to garage hobbyists who just build a frame or two.
Building bikes in the Cully neighborhood
John Norstog is the man behind Thursday Bicycles. He lives on a half-acre in the Cully Neighborhood of northeast Portland where he builds a wide range of bicycles — from his backcountry-ready “Elk Hunter” model to youth BMX bikes.
“I have a narrative approach to building,” Norstog shared with me. “Every bicycle I build has a different story.”
Norstog is a retired employee of the Navajo Nation in Idaho where he advised the president of the tribe. Asked how the name “Thursday Bicycles” came about, he said, “Thursday was always a slow day on the reservation, so I’d go home and build bikes.”
A unique manufacturing approach
Rich Fox hasn’t stopped chasing his bike making dreams since he launched Circa Cycles two years ago.
His unique approach relies on aluminum tubing that’s bonded with aerospace grade structural adhesive to proprietary lugs. His manufacturing process is much quicker and cheaper than traditional methods because his building process doesn’t require heat (no welding), paint (his frames are anodized), heavy tooling, or excessive labor. He estimates he can build a complete, custom-fit bike in less than 10 hours — five to ten times quicker than a traditional framebuilder.
Fox sees himself as a systems and product platform developer instead of a craftsman. Using a trackpad instead of a torch, he leans on his background as a designer at Nike and Ziba. Circa has a showroom in northwest Portland where customers can pick their style and colors and get a fully custom bike delivered in less than two weeks.
These are just a few of the builders and bikes you can see at the Handmade Bike & Beer Fest. The show is on all day tomorrow (10/8) at the North Warehouse (723 N Tillamook Street at Interstate). See the event website for more details.
CORRECTION: We Misspelled John Nortstog’s name in the original post. We regret the error.
— Jonathan Maus, (503) 706-8804 – jonathan@bikeportland.org
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If you go, check out the newly restriped bike lane on Interstate just south of Tillamook.
I’m curious as to what people think.
It’s similar to Option C, here, and it (I think) still has yet to receive green thermoplast.
I think it’s an improvement. It could probably use some sort of protection to keep cars from driving through it. I watched about 20 cars tonight, and only about 3 blatantly drove through it. And they were all going slower than they used to go with the old paint.
Still a potentially dangerous place to be on a bike, though, with the risk of getting rear-ended by someone in a car at 45 mph… People are careful *because* it appears dangerous, but that still doesn’t eliminate the risk of a crash, and any crash here would easily be a fatality or a life-altering injury…
Ted Buehler
Ted!
You’re killing me. Hopefully we can keep this thread focused on bikes, builders, and beers… We’ll have plenty of opportunities to discuss the new striping on Monday.
Bikes, why write about bikes…you might as well encourage people to lube their chain, or wear a helmet that fits properly.
Hi Jonathan —
I was just giving the heads-up since many people rarely, if ever, roll through that part of Interstate Ave. So, might as well take a minute to look at it in real-life instead of rely on photos, reports, and opinions of others.
Ted Buehler
I really appreciate your activism Ted. I’m working ona separate post about it now. Just messing with you.
Ted, I think Jonathan was bitter because you scooped him 🙂
You’re describing literally every single bike lane in Portland.
Link to Option C.
http://bikeportland.org/2015/11/13/city-ponders-new-bike-lane-striping-design-for-n-interstate-ave-168239
Option C, in my opinion, as stated in the linked post, is much much better than Options A or B. Thanks, PBOT!
And the repainted bike lanes are in the southbound section of Interstate, between Tillamook and the Interstate/Larrabee split.
Ted Buehler
Option C is garbage. You have a massive mixing zone for cars and bikes that forces them to merge at sharp angles with poor sight lines for cyclists. The only proper solution involves tearing out that Robert Moses era flyover ramp.
Bikes schmikes. What I’d like to see is someone invent a totally flat proof, lightweight, high pressure bike tire.
Then stop by next week at the Handmade Tube, Tire and Artisanal Komubucha Show next. Find details at http://www.imtotallykidding.com
Hey Mike. For the last two weeks some twisted soul up in Seattle has been sprinkling treble fishhooks on our new bike lanes on Capital Hill. He (or she) has been cutting the barbs off, leaving approx. 1/4 inch of hardened steel with a tripod base pointing right up into our vulnerable tires. The city came to the rescue with magnets on wheels and some very diligent workers. Nevertheless many many many of us hit them and had to deal with them. I thought my longest no-flat run (over a year of daily riding) was going to get broken. But it was not to be. I went tubeless a year ago, using Orange Seal in all my tires. (S-works 26mm tubeless lightweights) I just pulled the fishhooks out of the tire, spun it around once of twice to get a good coating of molecules in there, and waited a couple minutes for it to heal itself. I managed to consume the latest IPA from Holy Mountain Brewing during said couple minutes (thank you Peloton) and then I measured my tire pressure, down to 55 from 85psi. Not bad. Each hit has transpired much the same way. Pull the object out, mutter “Let the healing begin!” whilst slowly rotating the wounded tire. Wait a couple minutes, and viola: no excuse not to continue enjoying my commute. No patching necessary. The tire will wear out before I have to go in and fix anything. And the record remains. And I just have to cycle that much harder to offset the beer. Tubeless has won me over. And I was a total skeptic. So consider the goo. Oh and the new breed of goo is 100% better (10x larger molecules) than the old goo. Good luck out there, and stay safe.
I feel bad for not giving my business partner, Mike Cobb more of his due in our discussion. His insight, passion, hard work, and optimism have made Framebuilder Supply happen. Thank you, Mike.
Thanks for clarifying. I was concerned from the post that you guys split up.
I really dig the Silca Super Pista Ultimate Floor pump for only $579, what a deal! Soon, pints will cost just $14.50 with tip 🙂
I’m glad to see that the local bike and beer business knows what’s up!
$579 pumps? Where is the BP outrage?
http://bikesnobnyc.blogspot.com/2014/10/wednesday-olive-loaf-in-sandwich-of.html
I’m laughing too hard to be outraged.
Nice story about the show! However, Thursday is Jon Norstog….he only looks like a NorsGod, though I’m sure his Norwegian ancestors would love your construction! Best….
Thanks Ethan! The band was playing when I asked for the spelling… I’ve made the correction.
Chop shop candy. How long would one of these last locked up on Portland’s streets?
I love this stuff. Sadly I missed the show but love the brief recap here.
As a sort of aside: as a (software) engineer, I’d really like a better understanding of all the systems and manufacturing behind bike construction and assembly. Can anyone recommend a newb friendly resource for learning the subject? I’ve yet to find a place that is beginner friendly without condescension. (Or if they are beginner friendly, there’s an assumption of “let me just tell you what you need” versus “let me explain this to you so you can learn”).
I would have thought that with a name like “Norsgod”, “Thor’s Day” would have been the tie-in…who knew it was also a typically slow day on the reservation.
was misspelled. it’s Norstog.
Not much to see… kinda disappointing… what happened??
Utmost respect to the guys at Breadwinner. I purchased a Lolo last summer and the quality is second to none. If I could ever get my wife to accept another horse in the stable, it would be one of those B-roads. Great guys and product. The cost is exceptional but handmade tools from skilled craftsmen should be experienced at least once in your life. As for the Silca pump, a bespoke bike is deserving of similar quality tools. I opted out of the paint matched pump only because of aesthetic preference.
True true. But for cost of one Breadwinner (and one Silca pump) you could get a fleet of bikes for some inner-city kids. A sort of reparations for the racism and gentrification that has permeated Portland for way too long.
Oh yeah, the “starving children in Africa” argument.
When you put it like that, I am definitely opting for the bike.
The heart wants what the heart wants, and my jaded soul has long given up the idealistic approach to social inequalities. I saved my cash and bought the bike, supported small business and kept a few of my countrymen in employed. I’m fine with that alone.