FOREWORD: Back in May and into June, I had the pleasure of helping the crew at Angry Catfish for a couple of weeks as their summer season began to pick up. The following is a series of entries from a journal I kept during my time there. My hope is that through these vignettes you will get a glimpse of what it’s like to not only work at one of the most successful bike shops in the country, but be a bicycle salesperson and mechanic in the city of Minneappolis. Think of this as an extended shop visit, one where I get my hands dirty and experience the area and community the way those at Angry Catfish and other locals do. All photos are film, shot on 35mm and 120mm. Enjoy!
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Radar
The Angry Catfish Family
Angry Catfish + Mend Provisions + Northern Coffeeworks + Northern Frameworks make up the Angry Catfish family in Minneapolis:
“A collaborative collective of businesses in Minneapolis, Minnesota go beyond retail and thrive in a community built by each other and those around them. In 2010 Angry Catfish Bicycle Shop + Coffee Bar(ACF) opened to accolades amongst its local patrons and followers across the country with a simple concept to provide the best bicycles, coffee, and environment to enjoy them possible. Not long after the launch of ACF Mend Provisions, a life style fly fishing, men’s apparel, and outdoor goods brand was created and opened around the corner from ACF. Mend was followed by Northern Frameworks the in house frame/bicycle company to Angry Catfish allowing a curated, tailor-made bicycle experience with in the brick and mortar retail establishment in South Minneapolis. Finally in 2017 Northern Coffeeworks took an already refined third wave coffee model offered and ACF and added locale sources food and beverage in a Minneapolis Downtown East setting. The teams of all four businesses not only work together, but also eat, drink, and play together and with their community at large. ”
These guys are the best. Smoochies, Josh!
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Northern Frameworks: Angry Catfish’s In-House Framebuilder
We’ve got a bigger story on the way, but for now, I wanted to introduce Northern Frameworks, building bikes by hand for Angry Catfish. Head on over to their newly-launched website and drool over these custom builds.
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Josh from Angry Catfish’s Oddity 27.5+ Hardtail
We’re here in Southern Utah, soaking in all the red dirt we can and riding some of the area’s finest trails. While Kyle and I had a short drive to St. George, Parker and Josh from Minneapolis’ Angry Catfish had a staggering 24 hours of driving on icy, winter roads to reach our meet-up point. The boys finally showed up and Josh unpacked his Oddity Cycles 27.5+ hardtail.
Josh commissioned Sean from Oddity to build it up last year, where it was displayed at NAHBS and he’s had it on display at Angry Catfish ever since. He’s ridden it throughout Minneapolis’ trails but this is the first road trip this bike has seen and man, what a trip it’s been so far.
I love seeing show bikes being shredded, especially against such a wonderful backdrop.
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Parker from Angry Catfish’s Amazing All-City Log Lady – Kyle Kelley
Parker from Angry Catfish’s Amazing All-City Log Lady
Photos by Kyle Kelley, words by Parker Roenfanz.
BEHOLD: THE LOG JAM!
It’s the Midwest; trails here often ‘require’ neither suspension nor gears. Having been born and bred in an area where the White-Tails carved much of the early singletrack, the folks at All-City created a capable ripper, with tight angles, classic lines, and a few touches of modern flair.
I had the chance to first ride the Log Lady down in Los Angeles before All-City announced it to the masses, and I fell in love with it almost immediately. Having grown up on rigid 26″ single-speeds, the LL really appealed to me.
When the frameset first showed up, I had to make a couple changes to it to make it mine. First, the color had to go; no offense to the wonderful folks over at All-City, but the Red/Black/White fade was not my jam. After that, I jammed the biggest rubbers I could between the stays: Derby’s AM rims with a 35mm internal width and Panaracer’s FBN tire, which measures out roughly 2.7. And finally, I did what any good human should do these days and put dropper on it! Just a little frame modification and the Fox Transfer post was good to go.
Obviously, this setup is a far cry from All-City’s stock build, but it should help showcase what the bike is capable of, and how well one can make it their own.
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Follow Kyle on Instagram, Angry Catfish on Instagram and Parker on Instagram.
Radar
Tour Divide Recap at Angry Catfish This Saturday
With the growing popularity of events like the Tour Divide, more and more people are riding and sharing their stories from this memorable journey. This Saturday night, join the Angry Catfish team in Minneapolis for a Tour Divide Recap!
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Up Nort’ With Angry Catfish – Kyle Kelley
Up Nort’ With Angry Catfish
Words and Photos by Kyle Kelley
Every year QBP invites people from all over the world to visit Minnesota during the coldest part of winter for Frostbike. Why they chose this time of year I don’t know but I’ve gone twice and wouldn’t trade it for any other bicycle industry event or convention. The people at QBP, and everyone else I’ve met in Minneapolis for that matter, are exactly the kind of people you wanna be hanging out with when it’s below freezing. They want to keep you warm and comfortable and a bit liquored up and I am A-OK with that.
When I found out I was heading to Frostbike again this year, I put the feelers out to see if anyone wanted to do any partying after the event and Josh from Angry Catfish was the first to respond. All he told me was to bring warm stuff and he’d take care of the rest. So, the Monday after Frostbike Josh picked me up and we headed Up Nort’ to the Angry Cabin with Thomas and Parker, also from Angry Catfish. I made a quick assessment of the supplies packed in the truck and all I could see was loads of beer, tons of cured meat, a comically large flask full of Booker’s and four fat bikes!
Radar
Angry Catfish Knows What’s Up
I promise you, I’m working while I’m here in Minneapolis. One of the places I really wanted to check out was Angry Catfish. There’s a full Shop Visit coming but for now, I thought everyone would enjoy this photo… The weekend’s here and I hope you can make it out the All City Championships events. See you tonight at the track bike crit!
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Readers’ Rides: Chris’ RockHopper aka the CrockChopper
We must say that one bike model pops up more than any other: the Specialized RockHopper. These readily available bikes are frequently customized, and Chris from Minneapolis shared a great one with us this week! Let’s check it out.
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Bikes and More from the Chris King Open House 2023
With this year’s Chris King Open House coming right after the 2023 MADE Bike Show, the event decided to shift gears and focus on the Portland area’s outdoor brands. Chris King opened its doors to the public, unveiling the process that goes into machining bike parts in the USA, while inviting the broader outdoor industry to display their products. It was a full day of bikes and more! Check out our Reportage, sent in by Chris King and let us know your favorite bike in the comments!
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2023 Swift Campout Registration and Bag Collection are Live!
We look forward to Swift Industries’ annual summer solstice Campout every year! In addition to a limited run bike bag collection, the Campout is an open invite to riders near and far to rally a group of pals, load up your bikes, and pedal out for a night of bike camping. Find more details about this year’s Swift Campout and get a first look at the 2023 Campout bag drop today…
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Readers’ Rides: Matt’s USA-made Nishiki Backroads Commuter
It ain’t news that older 26″ MTBs make for great commuters and Matt is the latest to submit a tasty conversion to our Readers’ Rides email. Let’s check out his USA-made Nishiki Backroads commuter conversion below!
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Radavist x Wilde Bicycle Co Supertramp Complete Bike Giveaway!
To celebrate the launch of the new Supertramp, we’re collaborating with Wilde Bicycle Co to give away a complete Supertramp build to one lucky winner!
Continue reading below for details on how to enter and to learn more about the Supertramp!
Radar
Radar Roundup: MADE Handmade Bike Show, Wizard Works in the US, August Trees, Velo Orange Granola Moose, Goodday + Curiosity Spacer Cradle Rack, Brother Cycles Mr Wooden, Ortleib Repair Week, Santa Cruz Suspension, Charlie and Jacquie
Our Radar Roundup compiles products and videos from the ‘net in an easy-to-digest format. Read on below for today’s findings…
Radar
Radar Roundup: Trail Magic, ORNOT, Steel Siskiyou Bar, No Bull, and Beancore
Our Radar Roundup compiles products and videos from the ‘net in an easy-to-digest format. Read on below for today’s findings…
Reportage
A Love Letter to Cycling: Introducing Wilde Bicycle Company
Wilde Bicycle Company is the passion project of long-time Minneapolis cycling industry fixtures Jeffrey Frane, Josh Klauck, and Andy Tesch. The brand launched this week with two exciting bike models, the Earth Ship gravel/adventure bike and the Yo Jeffy! hardtail. Today we’re featuring an early look at Wilde’s initial offerings with imagery from our buddy Jarrod Bunk.
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Readers’ Rides: John’s Northern Frameworks
Bikes change from when you first receive them. This is especially the case with custom bikes. John submitted this Northern Frameworks flat bar gravel bike when he first collected it from Angry Catfish and then sent a follow-up after he put some miles on it. Check out this unique custom rig below for this week’s Readers’ Rides…
Reportage
The Northern Frameworks Process – Jarrod Bunk
The Northern Frameworks Process
Photos and words by Jarrod Bunk
While Minneapolis might not be on everyone’s list for travel plans in the middle of winter, mine was a little bit different. You see, I wanted to finalize some stuff for an upcoming build of mine. I took the opportunity while in the fridged midwest to spend some time getting a fit at Angry Catfish catching up with friends, and documenting some of the build processes that go into a custom Northern Frameworks.
Alex Cook started building bike under the name A-Train a few years ago now and honed his craft to the point at which the collaboration with Angry Catfish was born, which is Northern Frameworks. Each Northern Frameworks is built around custom geometry for the rider and comes in a stock color palette to simplify the process and allow Alex to make his bikes the best they can be. Tight miters, sharp tungsten and a steady hand are apparent in his welds and a meticulous work ethic which I watched first hand. I have to admit it was great to watch someone who cares so much about their craft, work. Inside of Alex’s shop, he has a backlog of builds but keeps the lead times small thanks to the process he’s developed with his time behind the torch. If you’re interested in your own bike, give him a shout.
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Follow Jarrod on Instagram, Follow Northern Frameworks on Instagram, Follow Angry Catfish on Instagram.