Good Coffee, Clean Bathrooms: Being a Breezer for Two Weeks at Angry Catfish in Minneapolis

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Good Coffee, Clean Bathrooms: Being a Breezer for Two Weeks at Angry Catfish in Minneapolis

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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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!

Josh from Angry Catfish’s Oddity 27.5+ Hardtail

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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.

Parker from Angry Catfish’s Amazing All-City Log Lady – Kyle Kelley

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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.

Up Nort’ With Angry Catfish – Kyle Kelley

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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!

Angry Catfish Knows What’s Up

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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!

Bikes and More from the Chris King Open House 2023

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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!

A Love Letter to Cycling: Introducing Wilde Bicycle Company

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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.

The Northern Frameworks Process – Jarrod Bunk

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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.