(Photos © J. Maus)
Yesterday morning on the way to my office, I made a slight detour to check out an amazing bike parked on SE Hawthorne Blvd.
Turns out it belongs to a man named Robert Stapleton (he had stopped to do some window shopping). Robert told me this fully custom, light-green tall bike is one of a “dozen or so” packed into his Southeast Portland studio apartment.
The bike is a wonderful, whimsical combination of creative welding and little, custom bits that would make anyone smile. One of the coolest things is the bicycle wheel steering wheel. Robert took out the spokes of a 26-inch wheel, added some supports, and welded it to a pair of ape-hanger bars. From watching him ride away it seems to work like a charm.
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I also loved this little eyeball he created and place between the upper and lower frames (which are, by the way, attached by a handlebar).
Another unique and fun thing about Robert’s bike is the squiggly little tail that runs behind the seat.
I hope to run into Robert again and see some of this other creations. See more photos of his bike here.
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If you like tall bikes and freak bikes, mark your calendar for Freak Bike Fall which is set to happen next month (I’ll have a story/interview with the woman behind the event next week).