The Vanilla tricycle on display atthe 2006 Made in Portland Bike Show.(Photo © Jonathan Maus) An upcoming exhibit at the San Francisco Museum of Craft and Design will feature a custom tricycle designed by Portland-based bike builder Sacha White. According to an article in today’s San Francisco Chronicle, the exhibit, “New West Coast Design: Contemporary … Read more
Painter Jason Varney in the Coat shop.(Photos © Jonathan Maus) For small, independent framebuilders, each bike that rolls out of the shop takes months to create. From getting to know the customer and purchasing and prepping the frame tubes, to welding and laboring over all the details. Then, at the end of that process, the … Read more
Crowds were thick all day.View slideshow below(Photos © Jonathan Maus) I still can’t decide what was more impressive at yesterday’s Oregon Handmade Bicycle Show; the crowds or the builders. One of the event organizers, Austin Ramsland, says that over 1,800 people attended the show. They were treated to an unprecedented display of building prowess from … Read more
Sunday is the Oregon Handmade Bicycle Show. That’s the main course. For now, I’m serving up an appetizer. I dug through my photo archives to bring you a taste of just a few of the talented builders you can see at the show… Bon appetite!
From the shop of local builderJoseph Ahearne.View slideshow below(Photo © Jonathan Maus) Many people have heard about Portland’s large and talented crop of custom bike builders, but not everyone knows that this burgeoning industry reaches statewide. Much like our state’s heralded craft brewing industry, Oregon has become a hotbed for builders of handcrafted bicycles.
Ahearne’s off-road touring machine.See all my photos from the show. Today was a layover day on Cycle Oregon. That meant that we could either do a ride up and around Crater Lake (which I did; it was awesome), or hang out at Diamond Lake. Ride organizers thought this would be a perfect opportunity to showcase … Read more
Cycle Oregon participants are in for a treat.(Photo: Jonathan Maus) Framebuilders from all over Oregon, including eight from Portland, will participate in the “Made in Oregon Bike Expo” to be held during the 20th annual Cycle Oregon ride. The event will take place September 10-11 during the ride’s layover day at Diamond Lake. Here is … Read more
Sean Chaney of Vertigo Cycles(Photos by Jonathan Maus) In a small, non-descript garage in Portland’s Foster-Powell neighborhood, 33 year-old Sean Chaney puts the finishing touches on a titanium cyclocross frame. Last fall, Chaney quit his “unfulfilling” job as a financial analyst and decided to chase his dream of building bike frames — and his Vertigo … Read more
Jacob Prinz (left) and Liakos Ariston of Daedalus Cycles.(File photo) Local bamboo bike builders Jacob Prinz and Liakos Ariston of Daedalus Cycles are putting the finishing touches on their new city bike and they invited me to their shop to take a closer look. Ariston and Prinz are building bikes from a loft of a … Read more
Pereira in Mountain Bike Magazine.Photo: Dave Roth Local bike builder Tony Pereira is having a dream year. Last winter he found a great new shop space near SE 24th and Belmont and in March he took home coveted trophies from the North American Handmade Bike Show for his gorgeous,”Roaring 29’er”, fillet-brazed, mountain bike. A relative … Read more
Organizers of the first ever Oregon Handmade Bicycle Show have nailed down 18 exhibitors and they’ve got a new date and venue. The Oregon Bicycle Constructors Association — a new industry group formed by local builder Andy Newlands — originally planned for the Multnomah Athletic Club, the show will now be held on November 11 … Read more
One commenter calledthis “downright devilish”.(File photo) One of things I love about Portland is the constant array of interesting bikes I see around town. As an incorrigible bike geek, it’s impossible for me to walk by a rack without doing a quick once-over to see what gems I might find. The other night, I left … Read more