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Pearl Velo has some Outside is Free zines up in their web shop from NAHBS. Hey, it’s been a while but there’s plenty of inspiration inside these newsprinted pages to make you want to get out on your bike.
To further explain what #OutsideIsFree means, Jeremy at The Athletic has a great write-up on these zines and where it all started, so go check that out.
Scoop up an Outside is Free zine at Pearl Velo for $5.
Any guy will tell you that putting a bike together for his lady can be an emotionally taxing event. Luckily for me, Lauren knew exactly what she wanted when I proposed the idea of buying her a new bike for her birthday. She loved my Icarus and Ian’s work but wanted something practical to commute on here in Austin. I was pushing for a full-on touring bike but she doesn’t like the idea of bigger tires and wanted something zippier.
What we agreed on is a mashup of a few things: primarily a long-reach caliper, lower trail road bike. It’ll fit 28c tires and fenders or 32c without, it has rack mounts on the front and the rear for any sort of light touring or camping we’d do but most importantly, the front cockpit is by no means racey…
She liked the riding position of her Tokyo Fixed Dream Machine build but wanted the bars a little wider and better stopping power than her cantis. After finally wrapping my head around figuring out what she wanted, we met up with Ian of Icarus Frames, who measured her and went through the new frame procedure.
In the meanwhile, I started looking for parts. Rather than going all budget, I splurged a bit and went with a lot of American-manufactured products. Ian was making a stem to accomodate the back sweep of Nitto Albatross bars to which we’d run barcon shifters on. Chris King had these “ox-blood” Sotto Voce headsets at NAHBS, so I picked one up. Then, I consulted my friend PAUL and kinda went all out. Soon, I had purchased Canti Levers, polished Medium Racers, Moon Units, Polished Tall & Handsome seat post, Funky Money cable hanger and it didn’t stop there…
As with any commuter, gearing is a key factor. Lauren had been riding a single speed to work consistently but some of the hills en route to her teaching job were a bit tough. We also want to be able to do longer rides out to the hill country, so I chose the White Industries VBC cranks (46/30) with a mid-cage Shimano 105 rear derailleur and a 12-32 cassette. Shimano 105 hubs to H+Son TB 14s are bomb-proof, budget wheels. Topping the build off are Panaracer Paselas 32c, Brooks B 17 S saddle and tape.
The paint would be from Fresh Frame and the color we chose is an elusive one. Was it blue? Or green? It changes with the light. In the shade, it’s sort of jade but in the sun, it sparkles blue. Whatever it is, the final product is stunning.
While the bike is shown here, sans racks, we’re in the process of tracking down a good front basket and a rear rack for panniers. The bike is light, coming in at just a hair over 19 lbs and it “rides like a dream”. If it were my bike, I would have done a few things differently but that’s the beauty of a custom bike, you get what YOU want and trust me, there are few arguments I’m willing to engage in with this lady. She always gets what SHE wants… who can blame her? Further down the road, I’ll look into new panniers and maybe a porteur bag but for now, I’ve spent enough money on this thing!
Many thanks to Austin Bikes for the build, Bens Cycle for the assistance in the components, Ian Sutton of Icarus Frames and Bryan Myers at Fresh Frame.
While at NAHBS, Julie Krasniak interviewed Richard Sachs and Rapha just posted it up. Check it out at Rapha!
Ok, I know I’m going against the category of A Day in 10 Photos but I couldn’t narrow it down to less than 20. Plus, the galleries look nice with two rows of photos.
We were all pretty tired come Wednesday and the last place I wanted to go was a tradeshow but the allure of the Taipei cycle show was enticing. A quick walk of the aisles and I had seen everything worth seeing. The juxtaposition of an international company’s booth like Mavic right next to a Taiwanese bootleg version was quite comical. Most of the products I had seen at Interbike and the show was smaller than NAHBS this year. We were done seeing everything in under two hours.
From there, we made it out for some food before heading to the Mission Workshop and Voyager party at Werd Magazine where some of the many locals rolled through and had a few drinks. What happened afterwards is the reason why I didn’t make a post yesterday. We were all up too late, partying too hard and feeling like crap the next day. At least I’m over my jetlag and reenergized now, ready for a busy day ahead…
Check out some narrated photos in the Gallery and keep an eye on Mission Workshop’s (@MissionWorkshop) and my Instagram (@JohnProlly) during the day for updates.
Everyone that reads this website has had a moment in their life where cycling became something more than just pedaling around. They found a bike, or had a moment out riding that changed their perspective forever. For me, it was a mountain bike in college. Sure, I had bikes growing up, but they were always used for transportation, or hitting a kicker ramp and some trails once and a while. It wasn’t until college that I found something I vibed with. The trails became an exit from architecture school. I sucked and was slow but loved going fast and mostly avoiding the occasional wreck.
I feel like this goes without saying but Pearl Velo, Berkeley Supply Co and Avery County Cycles really left a great impression on me and just about everyone else who was visiting for this year’s NAHBS. These three shops have created a really admirable energy through their spaces and the shop owner’s faces.
Pearl Velo would fall into what I’d like to call a neo bike shop. While it is full-service, Tyler won’t hesitate to send work down the street to the larger shop. You walk in the doors and everything is merchandised with thought. Its surfaces are clean and orderly, so much so that you almost don’t want to touch anything, but you do anyway. Tyler sells everyday accessories from brands you trust, he carries complete bikes and frames from the manufacturers you probably ride and as previously stated, his own branded products are worthy souvenirs.
To top it off, Tyler’s father hand-painted each of the wooden signs outside the shop. They’re so beautiful that I had to shoot the first couple of photos in the Gallery with my Mamiya 7ii to capture the color and light just right. Check out more photos in the Gallery and shop info below!
When Josh from Avery County Cycles won the rookie of the year award at this year’s NAHBS, I don’t think anyone was surprised. I for one, was not in the least bit. His self-described Colorado front-range commuter is a mixture of things. Part cross bike, part light-tourer / commuter, with a trail suitable for off-roading. He kept the rear end tight, at 405mm and a nice, even bb drop of 65mm. While there are rack provisions on the rear, Josh prefers a bit of backpack camping.
Enough about the use and geometry, this is a show bike with all the suiting accoutrement. The hardware is copper-plated, there’s a machined lamp tab on the non-drive fork, Avery “A” fork crown inlay and a ‘perty blue matte coat of paint. The color really looks great in person. In fact, this whole bike looks great in person and in photos. See for yourself in the Gallery!
Every time I travel, I always end up with scrap photos. Maybe they fit into an article, maybe they don’t. Usually they’re airport shots, which I like because it shows the weather of the departing and arrival city, or maybe they’re random portraits. Just hanging around a shop for a week often brings about unique moments. This batch from NAHBS is a little bit of all that.
I’ll narrate these as well, because the people in Denver are RAD!
Mamiya 7ii
80mm
Portra 400 / Velvia 100
I’ll admit. When I first saw Jon from Two Tone ATL‘s bike sitting in the Six Eleven booth at NAHBS, I didn’t know what to think. First, I looked at the bottom bracket, which looked like a drop track, then the angles were pretty damn close to parallel, with a cross fork rake and S&S couplers. Rando? Tourer? Cross? Travel, disc road with fender clearance? Honestly, it looked kinda like a track bike, too.
Initially, I was reminded of the Homer Car, which might seem like an insult but it’s not. One of the merits of a custom build is that no matter what you think you may want, a builder can and usually will make it. Jon’s a self-described “trackie”. He likes the feel of a track bike. Aggressive angles, nimble handling, higher bb and yes, Speedplay pedals. The seat tube and head tube angles float in around 73.5 degrees with a BB drop of 55mm (most cross bikes float around 65mm – 68mm) and 420mm chainstay.
If I had to categorize it as anything, it’d be a cross bike but it’s more than that. Maybe a “Rock and Road”, a la Bruce Gordon? Jon describes the bike as “versatile” and I feel like a lot of builders get requests for bikes like this. A jack of all trades, master of none. Mechanical discs, Chris King Iso Disc R45, ENVE tapered cross fork and yes, it has Retroshift, which I actually like on this bike. I always use barcons on my touring rigs and I can appreciate the simplicity and reliability of shifting with barcons.
Look, this is an odd duck. Not an ugly duckling, but a strange fowl. It is not a production bike, however, so don’t get your feathers in a ruff. For Jon, this is exactly what he wanted and I’m sure people are still going to insist that they know best here – read Bike Snob‘s commentary yesterday? Jon knew exactly what he wanted. He’s a well seasoned cyclist and this is his dream machine. Maybe one day you can chat about it with Jon on a ride but chances are, he’ll be waiting for you at the top of even the steepest climb (not joking, dude is a hoss).
For me, the best part about NAHBS is being submerged into the host city’s community and getting to know some of the local names. I first heard of Avery County Cycles through a video that I posted about a year ago. Josh seemed like a good guy, with attainable aspirations and a love for frame building. One of the things that struck me in his interview was his commentary on “more frame builders are a good thing”. That’s a weighted statement but in Josh’s eyes, and as something I can understand, having a local framebuilder that serves the local community is important. In today’s world, everyone orders frames from all over. You simply email in your fit information and 6 months later, your bike arrives. It’s great for business and no builder would ever complain about being busy, but that statement really struck me.
In the two years Josh has been building frames, he’s been catering to his local community. Starting out with frames for friends to practice his torch skills and moving up to a full fleet of single speed cross bikes for Pearl Velo. His space sits next to Berkeley Supply Co and Pearl Velo, just up the hill in Denver. The energy of these three storefronts is intoxicating. Honestly, the only comparison I can draw is how the old FYXO Hub and Shifter Bikes shared a space. A couple of motivated young men, looking to just do shit right. Josh’s work is very much localized to the Denver / Boulder area and he’s just one of the many faces building bicycles in Colorado. I honestly believe what he’s doing is legitimate and his community respects him for that. His work won the Rookie of the Year award at NAHBS, so he’s doing something right!
Check out some photos I shot of Josh working during my stay in Denver in the Gallery.
Leica M7
Leica Summicron 50mm f2
Zeiss 28mm f2.8 T* ZM
Neopan 400
Mamiya 7ii
80mm
Portra 400
I don’t know about you, but I would have much rather been swimming, soaking in the sun during NAHBS weekend, instead, we all found ourselves stomping through snow. Denver in the winter isn’t exactly warm (although the locals say it is) but that didn’t stop us from going on a quick little ride the morning after NAHBS wrapped up. Ty had his Stinner, I took my new IF 29’r, Josh from Avery took his award winning bike (in jeans and work boots), Tyler from Pearl Velo had his Karate Monkey SS and Kerry had his Gunner (probably the least equipped tool for the job and yet he still crushed it). It was a pack of grown-ass-men goofing off, getting pitted in snow drifts and that’s all I wanted to do the whole time I was in Denver…
Yashica T4
Neopan 400
Usually, when I shoot a portrait of a rider and their bike, it goes at the end of a post but I really liked how these photos of Rob came out so he’s getting two galleries. Rob is quite the character. He came into Pearl Velo the day after NAHBS while I was working, snot dripping from his nose, bag all crusty and his bike was filthy. I couldn’t help but pull of the Mamiya 7ii and fire off a few shots. Rob helps throw a lot of the alleycats in the Denver area and has put in some serious saddle time on his Nature Boy. A full bike check is coming but for now, let’s admire this red-bearded brethren. Ladies, don’t get too hot and bothered, he’s taken!
Mamiya 7ii / 80mm
Portra 400
Here’s an update to the run of production frames that Winter displayed at NAHBS. Dubbed the Tool Series, these frames offer an easily accessible, handmade road frame designed for everything from daily use to road racing. Each Tool Series frame is made in Oregon by Winter Bicycles using fillet brazing and is fit to the rider. These bikes are built to order, feature a Pegoretti Falz Carbon Fork, a Cane Creek 110 Headset and come in two color schemes: Pewter and Hammervein (pictured). See more at Winter and check out additional photos at the Winter Flickr.
NAHBS is always overwhelming for me but sometimes I just like to see really useful products mixed in with all the high-end, custom bikes. I’ve put my Feedback Pro Elite stand through the ringer over the years and I really love the simplicity of it but when I saw the Sprint Work Stand, I had to check it out. The front fork mount is compatible with all spacing for front or rear dropouts and the bottom bracket padding slides to accomodate all wheelbases.
See more details at Feedback Sports and a few more shots below.
Unknown is having a photo contest and sorry for the late notice, but it fell into my inbox quagmire during NAHBS. This contest is going until March 8th, so hurry and get on it. Here are the rules:
– Take a photo of your bike built around an Unknown frame.
– It can be still or action shot.
– Doesn’t have to be shot with the nicest equipment as long as the photo is engaging.
– The photo must be posted on their Facebook page.
The winner will receive a PS1 frame, K6 cranks, an Unknown carbon fork and a headset.
Each year, I love watching people’s faces as they enter the Chris King compound and although the metaphor “like a kid in a candy shop” is somewhat dated, it’s application here is quite fitting. I can’t even walk into their booth without picking up at least a headset (purple!). This year at NAHBS, the Portland based frame builders and component manufacturers brought all kinds of eye candy. My favorite project bike was the champagne and purple Sportif Racer but people were tapping the top tubes and squeezing the brakes of the Cross Racer and Overlander (which I totally didn’t get a good photo of).
At this point, you’re probably not even reading the copy anymore, so check out the gallery for more goodness!
Today I’m going to play a bit of catch up. I’ll be resuming NAHBS coverage, sparingly, while trying to transition back to normal. We’ll start with the newest from Chrome:
“Our man Card’s flew out to NY last summer to “Link Up” (no pun intended) with the rest of the Familia. He wanted to get the entire fam together and, collaboratively the team came up with this short.
Shot/ Edited: Rick Charnoski
Produced by: Six Stair”
Man, what a week it’s been. I know this one’s a few days old but I really wanted to show these guys some love in the midst of all the NAHBS madness. Nothing beats a bit of street riding to loosen up all the tight bolts from shooting show bikes… So many bangers.
