Blazing Trails and Ripping Hardtails with Blaze Bicycles!
Photos and words by Kyle Kelley
Pierre Chastain, the owner and fabricator at Blaze Bicycles, has been building bikes for over 10 years now. I’m not sure if this makes him a veteran or a rookie in this day and age, but I’m leaning towards veteran. Pierre knows what he likes, he also knows what he is good at, and this is how I know he has his shit together. Pierre started building bikes in Venice, California but has since moved to Moab, Utah where he lives and works today. When he first arrived in Utah, he partnered with Chris Hill at Moab Classic Bike. This was the beginning of what would become the Blaze Bicycles empire – I’m not sure it’s an empire, but it sure sounds good! Today Pierre is the sole owner of the bike shop, now branded Bike Fiend, where they concentrate heavily on getting people on these beautiful bikes made in the town they love.
A fun fact about Blaze Bicycles before I continue: Firemen love Blaze Bicycles.
Pierre is good at welding titanium, Pierre is good at anodizing titanium, and Pierre knows his titanium bikes are ripping off road, so that’s the kind of bicycle he wants to build you. Beautiful titanium bikes with so many swooping tubes, they’ll have the rookies and even the veteran’s heads turning. Of course, Pierre will build you whatever kind of bike you want, he also works in steel, and does more of a traditional treatment on the tubes too, but if you’re looking for a true Blaze Bicycles, I’d suggest letting Pierre work his magic.
While I visited Pierre in his workshop, we talked about everything from the current political climate in Utah to the frame builders that inspire him. We listened to to the best version of The Grateful Dead’s Dark Star I have ever heard. Hopefully, Pierre remembers which show it was from because I was just so jazzed on being there, I forgot to look. It sounded like Miles’ band from On The Corner was playing it – it was so funky!
Before leaving I got an anodizing tutorial, where Pierre anodized the Golden Saddle Cyclery logo and a Blaze Bicycles logo onto a titanium tube, which is now hanging in GSC! I didn’t want to leave, I could’ve sat in that shop watching Pierre work and listening to the Grateful Dead all day.
Another fun fact about Blaze Bicycles: Stoners love Blaze Bicycles.
From the moment I arrived in Utah, Pierre and Greg the shop manager at Bike Fiend welcomed me with open arms, bought me beer, fed me elk sushi, and edamame with Tajín on it, and kept the sake flowing till all of Moab had closed and everybody had gone to sleep. I had the most wonderful time with these folks and I look forward to getting back there!
Hopefully, we’ll see something extra special from Blaze Bicycles at this year’s NAHBS!
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