The Radavist

Thomas from Horse Cycles has come a long way since his first track frame. It was about 5 years ago when I met him and in that time, he’s gone on to build touring bikes, road and townies. His new shop, located in Bushwick carries its own character. With rent prices through the roof, builders are forced to deal with tight, cramped quarters.

There’s more in store for Horse Cycles these next few months, with a new storefront planned and a complete city bike package, Thomas is going to have a busy winter. I caught up with him before I left for Philly, for the Bike Expo to see what he’s been up to. Check out more photos of his workshop below.

It’s kind of sad to see fewer and fewer frame builders showcasing track bikes and fixed gears at shows like the Philly Bike Expo. There’s nothing more elegant than a cleanly-proportioned bike meant to travel around the city and this Royal H Cycles fixed gear is exactly that. The colors just pop in these photos. Check out more below.

Sure, it may look like a bunch of dudes, standing around, looking at some plywood but those are the most capable ramp builders west of the Mississippi. The crew is already cracking away at the 2012 Texas Toast Jam course. With the dirt already getting shaped and the ramps underway, you can expect it to be bigger and better than last year. I’ve seen the sketches for some of the course and its insanity.

Last week I swung by to see the guys. While I was checking in on their progress, I shot some photos with the Hasselblad. Check ’em out! And if you missed out on my photos from last year, see them here and my Recent Roll photos here.

One of my favorite booths at Interbike this year was Dario Pegoretti‘s. Every time I walked past it, people were swarming to see the hand made steel masterpieces from Italy, rendering it almost impossible to get a clear photo of any of the frames. Since he had the only booth with hand-made track bikes in it, I had to get up close and personal with them.

While describing what makes Pegoretti Cicli’s work different from American builders, I overheard the rep say something to the effect of this: “Dario is from a long line of Italian frame builders. People who found a way to mix production with perfection. None of these American builders are capable of producing the quality and quantity as Dario…”

Arrogant? Sure. But hey, they’re Italian and with these bikes, it’s hard to argue otherwise.

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Nate Meschke and Matt Cardinal began Signal Cycles in 2007 and in that time, they’ve produced some absolutely beautiful bicycles. Not just commuters either. Recently, Matt’s Cross Bike made an appearance here and their Saltzman Road frames are lovely. Bottom line, if you’ve spent any time looking at Pacific Northwest builders, Signal has crossed your radar a few times. Matt was kind enough to meet with me on his day off, and let me shoot some photos in their space. Check out more below!

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Jordan Hufnagel is one of the most “fly under the radar” builders out there. His web presence is almost non-existent and that’s because when he’s not building his Porteur project bikes, rad cross bikes, or working on West America projects, he’s out camping on his motorcycle. With rumors of him going to Mexico soon for some dude-time with West America co-founder James Crowe, I had to get into his shop and check out his work place. Like most builders in Portland, his space is tucked away in a space on a quiet street. After catching up, I let him work as I poked around…

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Moth Attack is one of the most unique builders I’ve ever met and not just because it’s owned and operated by a woman. I spent a few hours visiting Megan in her commercial live work space in Los Angeles, touring her facilities that are literally feet above where she sleeps at night. This is the ultimate bike apartment, where everything from racing bikes to commuters and mountain bikes hang from the walls but to add to the mix, Megan designs and fabricates custom bicycles inside the space.

Sharing the loft is Jack, a track cyclist and mechanic. Both Megan and Jack have seperate, lofted studio spaces where they work. See for yourself below…

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Portland has got to be home to more frame builders per mile than anywhere else in the world. It’s staggering to go down the list of talented individuals who inhabit that great city. Also calling Portland home are a few great photographers. One of which is someone who I’ve come to admire over the years. Brenton Salo is a phenomenal photographer. He effortlessly mixes digital with analog photography and much like modern, steel framebuilders, there’s an artwork to this talent.

I reached out to Brenton and asked him to document one such artisan. Ira Ryan, like Brenton, creates works of art with his hands and tools. He uses his eyes and his hands to shape perfection. His workspace, like many builders, is rich with textures, tools and hidden treasures. See for yourself as Brenton displays both digital and medium format photography below.

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