[This is the third in a series of four interviews with local bike builders who are exhibiting at the North American Handmade Bicycle Show next weekend (March 2-4) in San Jose, California. Read previous interviews with Ira Ryan and Tony Pereira.] [Joseph Ahearne in his shop.] Joseph Ahearne of Ahearne Cycles has come a long … Read more
[This is the second in a series of four interviews with local bike builders who are exhibiting at the North American Handmade Bicycle Show next weekend (March 2-4) in San Jose, California. Read about Ira Ryan in the first installment.] [Tony Pereira of Pereira Cycles.] Tony Pereira hopes to continue his winning ways at the … Read more
[This is the first in a series of four interviews with local bike builders who are exhibiting at the North American Handmade Bicycle Show next weekend (March 2-4) in San Jose, California.] [Ira Ryan] For up-and-coming bike builder Ira Ryan, this will be his first time as an exhibitor. Ira is a former bicycle messenger … Read more
[Don Walker, the man behindthe show (and the shirt).] Next weekend (March 2-4) in San Jose the world’s best bicycle craftsmen will come together at the third annual North American Handmade Bicycle Show. Portland will have a strong presence at the show this year with five exhibitors making the trip. Headset and hub manufacturer Chris … Read more
[Joseph Ahearne, Ahearne Cycles] When I walked through the door of Joseph Ahearne’s new shop in North Portland, he didn’t even look up. Hunched over and deep in concentration, he gazed into a white-hot flame and danced around a frame clasped into the stand; constantly tweaking it to get just the right angle for his … Read more
[Ira Ryan at the 2006 Made in Portland Bike Show] A UK-based website called thewashingmachinepost has published a nice interview with Ira Ryan. Ira is an up-and-coming local bike builder and former messenger who recently launched Ira Ryan Cycles, located in the basement of Weir’s Cyclery in North Portland. Check out the interview. If you … Read more
[Austin and NatalieRamsland of SweetpeaBicycles] Austin and Natalie Ramsland — the husband-wife duo behind Sweetpea Bicycles — will open up their framebuilding studio on Saturday night. They’ll have frames on display (in various states of completion) and Natalie (she builds the bikes) will be happy to answer questions about her craft. It’s also a great … Read more
[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 in hisshop in SE Portland.] Tony Pereira of Pereira Cycles is looking for a new place to ply his trade. Tony is currently based in a small shop just south of Hawthorne Blvd. on SE 9th Avenue. He’s having trouble finding the right spot so he’s hoping someone in the community might have … Read more
There’s been a lot of buzz lately about Xtracycle, the company that sells kits to convert bikes into longtail, cargo-hauling machines. Besides besides a great company with a solid product, much of the recent excitement has revolved around the news from Interbike that Surly now makes the first Xtracycle-equipped bike, their new Big Dummy model.
The final chapter in the long-running saga of Mountain Cycle has now been written. Mountain Cycle was once a beloved local brand with a factory in North Portland, a presence on the local cyclocross scene and even a ‘cross bike named the Stumptown. According to a press release I just received, the new owners have … Read more
[Chris and an old friend.] While at the Chris King Tour de France party last night, I heard someone mention that a guy rolled up on a bicycle made by Chris King himself. In all my years in the bike industry, including a stint as a King employee, I was surprised I’d never heard about … Read more
Comment of the Week: Upbeat thoughts before the election