MinneCycle 2017: Chris Kvale And His Classic Steel Road
Photos and words by Jarrod Bunk

At the start of my trip to MinneCycle, I knew of Chris Kvale. His thin lugs are beautiful. He started racing bicycles at a young age. And these things you can see when you look at the vintage race aesthetic and precision in his builds.

I was able to get a small glimpse into his daily shop life right before he departed for his summer hideaway in Norway. Being that he’s Norwegian he’s extremely humble, and it was fantastic to have a mellow conversation about this beautiful bike. The Law of Jante keeps him reserved, and doesn’t let him romanticize about his process or his craft, but you can see a love he pours into each piece of steel he manipulates.

The way Chris takes extra time with each build – the bottom bracket, the DiNucci fastback seat clamp, his beautiful thinned lugs – Kvale is a true craftsman. He even makes his own tools, which I learned when I toured his studio right before he boarded the plane the next day. His workshop is always clean and extremely orderly and he still uses the same process he started with years ago. It was such a great experience to see his work in person. Check out more over at Chris Kvale Cycles.

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