Velo Cirque brings out the customs, classics, and those who love them

It was packed!
(Photos: J Maus/BikePortland)

Portland is no stranger to bike shows. We’ve hosted the North American Handmade Bicycle Show, we used to have a show that roped in the design industry, and we have an annual show just for Oregon-based custom builders. But Velo Cirque is different.

Held at Velo Cult on Saturday, the show was open to anyone with a story to tell about their classic or custom bike — whether they built it or not. As I walked the aisles and met the owners of many fine rigs, it reminded me of the classic car shows I spent so many days of my youth walking through with my dad. One of the owners of a 1970s touring bike was proud to show me the original owner’s manual and set of pannier bags that came with it.

Here’s what else I came across at Velo Cirque…

Ahearne’s Stainless Wonder


Like a beaming lighthouse, a stainless steel bike shined down on show-goers. From its pin-striped fenders and custom racks to the embossed script logo on the down, Ahearne’s gleaming off-road adventure bike had people buzzing all day. I heard through the grapevine that it’s already sold to a customer in Colorado. The price? I’d rather not say. Just make a guess and then add about $10,000 and you’ll be in the ballpark. Someone familiar with the bike said it took Ahearne six months to complete. “It was the scariest test ride of my life,” he reportedly said after doing a final road check for the lucky new owner.

1937 and ’39 Colson Snap Tank Cruisers

I didn’t get all the photos I wanted of these gorgeous twin cruisers. They’re owned by Velo Cult’s resident photog and graphic designer Anthony Borreno. Turns out he’s sort of addicted to them. He has about 30 of them home in various states of repair. These are fantastic examples of Art Deco design with swooping lines from the front fork that continue through to the snap tank. And then there’s the “turkey wing” chain guards. What beauties!

1979 Jim Merz touring bike


Van Smith is the proud owner of this rare Merz. As we shared in a post last spring about his connection to Specialized Bicycles, Merz is a legendary Portland builder. He was a contemporary of Andy Newlands at Strawberry and also worked with Mark Dinucci before splitting off on his own. Van Smith bought this specimen via consignment from Sellwood Cycle Repair a few years ago and has since bought two other bikes made by Merz. He rode this one in L’Eroica last year. I especially liked the custom racks. The rear one has a curved stay to go around the brake arm.

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1968 Peugeot “Hobo Weekend Gravel Tourer”

I don’t know anything about this bike other than it made me smile.

2018 Norther Cycles

Portlander David Thummavongsa loves classic bikes — especially French ones. When he couldn’t find a bike in his size with all the old French constructeur tech, he decided to work with local builder Starmichael Bowman of Norther Cycles. The result is this gorgeous sky blue road bike he just got last month. It features a classy Gilles Berthoud saddle and Rene Herse cantis. “I was trying to keep it as French as possible,” a clearly giddy David shared before setting it out for all to see.

1962 Allegro Special


This Swiss road bike was imported to Los Angeles well before the “bicycle boom” of the 1970s had begun stateside. Owner Bill Wayne said the sticker on the down tube is of Bobby Kemp, a professional racer of the day and son of Jack Kemp, the man who imported these bikes into the U.S.

Aaron Edge’s 2017 Moth Attack Trilogy

When I saw these three bikes, everything stopped. I just stood, agape, taking them in. Mr. Edge, aka @ManofMultnomah on Instagram and Flickr, is a photographer and full-time employee at Western Bikeworks in northwest Portland. What’s he done here is something very special. He has put together three custom bikes with the exact same colorway and parts kit (when applicable) all in the same year. The result is an aesthetic I’d never come across before.

The Moth Attack frames and forks were made by Colorado-based builder Megan Dean. All three are finished in matte-black paint that’s inlaid with gold-leaf graphics. There’s a 19-pound (!) stainless steel gravel bike (bottom), a 16-pound stainless road bike (!) (middle), and a 15-lb lugged track bike made with Columbus Spirit tubing. The only difference in the graphics on each bikes is the three words on the seat-tube: “Into the wild” for the gravel bike, “Into the hills” for the road bike, and “Into the banks” for the track bike.

Nice work Aaron. What good is money anyways, if not spent on the things we love?

The Scene

Uber-mechanic and owner of Efficient Velo Tools Brett Flemming goes deep into tech with Velo Cult owner Sky Boyer.

Vintage Cook Bros Racing California fire road bomber.

Velo Cult was packed with great bike people enjoying the bikes and each other and a thoughtful assortment of fine drinks.

Hope you enjoyed the show. I’m already looking forward to next year.

— Jonathan Maus: (503) 706-8804, @jonathan_maus on Twitter and jonathan@bikeportland.org

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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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John Liu
John Liu
6 years ago

Cool writeup, great photos, perfect venue and a great afternoon with lots of cool bikes and friendly bike junkies.

Everyone at the show was invited to put a post-it on their favorite bike. At the end of the evening, the most post-its marked our “best of show” which was a Norther Cycles frameset, displayed fresh from the brazing torch, soon to be built into a perfect randonneur by the lucky owner. Runner up was the orange 1973 DeRosa shown in the photos. Third place went to the fantastic chrome Aherne fatbike, and honorable mention to the matte black Schwinn Paramount that is visible behind the DeRosa.

The unique thing about Velocirque is that it is the people’s bike show and we saw all sorts of bikes, from low-buck to big-buck and city ride to racebike. One of my favorites was wheeled in, wet and dirty, panniers and all, by the owner who rode up from Eugene just for the show.

Rumor has it that there may be another Velocirque this summer during Pedalpalooza . . . I’m sure we’ll hear about it here on BP 🙂

Vans
Vans
6 years ago

The next one is tentatively scheduled for this summer during pedalpalooza.

Vans
Vans
6 years ago

And a huge Thank you for your excellent support and coverage!

Aaron Edge
6 years ago

Thanx for being there and for the coverage. A correction though: the Moth Attack track bicycle only weighs 15 pounds.

Lenny Anderson
Lenny Anderson
6 years ago

Oh, I meant to stop by with my brother’s 1960 Schwinn Continental, which I still ride.
We did the OR coast (Portland, Otis Junc., Crescent City, Medford, Portland) together in ’61. I had a Continental too, but it was stolen in Chicago in ’65 or so.

Brian Boucher
Brian Boucher
6 years ago

That purple bike is a Puegot

Aaron Edge
6 years ago

Thanx!

Mike Quigley
Mike Quigley
6 years ago

Stainless? Looks more like chrome to me.

John Liu
John Liu
6 years ago

I think it is chrome over stainless but am not positive. It was stunning anyway. Some said it would have won NAHBS had it gone, but it came to Velocirque instead.

Mike Quigley
Mike Quigley
6 years ago
Reply to  John Liu

And where could you ride something like this without being totally paranoid of being jacked? You couldn’t leave it locked up, even for a moment to have a brew.

Aaron Edge
6 years ago
Reply to  Mike Quigley

I ride one of these three bicycles every day… they get locked up only when/where I can see them. Many miles go on them: sweet, glorious, quiet and perfect miles.

John Liu
John Liu
6 years ago

It is the equivalent of a Ferrari. Practical considerations need not apply. You buy it because it floats your boat. If you have to ask how much it costs, you can’t afford it. You may ride it a lot, sparingly, or it might just be art. Might seem like folly but it’s a folly that supports Portland’s framebuilder artisans.

Aaron Edge
6 years ago
Reply to  John Liu

100% agree.