The Radavist

I showed you these before via a link to my Flickr from the 2010 Philly Bike Expo post on J.P. Weigle. Peter is a machinist as much as he is a framebuilder and what does a framebuilder do when they that itch to make their bike builds stand apart from the rest? They begin to cut, carve and drill away at components.

Campagnolo’s rarest track pedals are the Con Denti models. Con Denti means “with teeth”. They simply added teeth to each cage on the pedal to give some much-needed traction. Later with cleats on the pedals, the need for teeth became obsolete. This modification became a commonplace amongst builders but no one does it like Weigle!

This late-60’s Vigorelli-era Masi is everything I love about Italian pistas. With Campagnolo Pista, Cinelli steel cockpit, Unicanitor saddle and a true track geometry, it’s easy to see why the Japanese builders admired the builds from the late 60’s and early 70’s so much! I wanna see more photos but this is all Citizen Chain Cyclery has up on their Flickr.

You might remember my Shop Visit to Fast Folks back in October. Well, since then, Nat and the crew has moved to a new location. Now closer to downtown on 6th Street, the new Fast Folks is bigger and better than ever.

This just in from ThunderKill:

“After months of refining, prototyping, and breaking frames, we believe we have reached a point where we are confident with our product. The ThunderKill LTD. frame which has been in the works since early summer 2010 is a 26” specific FGFS frame, sporting many features sought after in the current market. Boasting capability of double peg grinds, throwing barspins with 175mm cranks, and slamming 2.3″+ tires the frame rides like a dream. We have tried to capture an “All American” feel to these frames, using only USA made tubing, BB shells, dropouts, and integrated headtubes. We believe that if you buy an American made frame it should be made from the best products.

The Rustbelt Welding Company a Cleveland duo of frame builders Grant and Lou, the producers of the Marco Polo frame, are building all ThunderKill frames. Stay tuned to the project, more details on production models, along with pricing and final geometry coming soon.”

I wanna see a 700c size large! Don’t forget about the big riders! Are all 26″ fixed guys on 175mm cranks? Nicely done fellas.

My favorite day in Boston was our ride out to see Mike Flanigan at A.N.T. Bikes. Mike’s approach to bicycle making is best summed up by this quote: not sport, transport.

Step inside A.N.T. Bikes with me!

Arny is somewhat of a legend in the Boston area. When I said I was going around profiling local shops and builders, everyone said “You have to go see Arnie Mostowy at Bicycle Bills“. Sure enough, within minutes of visiting the shop, I saw exactly what they were talking about first hand. Arnie also builds bicycles under the name Mostowy in the basement and there’s a lot to be said about their utilitarianism and straight-forward functionality.

Check out more photos on my Flickr!

You asked and Bryan supplied (3 days ago). Who knew he had a Vimeo account? I thought all framebuilders were still in the dark ages? At least Ian cooks one bitchin’ apple pie! Here’s a back-story to the disk wheel on Royal H. Cycles’ time trial bike we saw earlier.

Check out more below.

Royal H. Cycles and Icarus both share a space in Somerville, Mass. Two frame builders, each with unique approaches and personalities united by their love of the custom bicycle.

Check out more photos from my shop visit below.

Visiting framebuilders like Indy Fab can be quite overwhelming. As a bike enthusiest and cyclist, you walk in like Charlie in the Chocolate Factory. Eyes wide, partially salivating and looking around for some bike that you could nonchalantly walk out with. When I first saw the Titanium Factory Lightweight, that’s exactly what I thought.

Hell, this thing weighs about 13lbs. I can walk out with that right?

Check out more photos below.

With my Boston trip winding down, we decided to make use of the nice weather and ride out to see Mike Flanigan at A.N.T. Bikes in Holliston, about 25 miles outside of Boston. Marty, Brad, Bryan, Gavin and I got on our bikes and headed on our way.

Check out nine more photos below.

Philly is home to many talented framebuilders. At the Philly Bike Expo, Engin cycles presented this gorgeous 29’r. Unknown to most, this bike was a trade between Engin and Jamie Swan. Jamie built Engin a road frame and they build Jamie this 29’r. Not bad! The details on this baby are to die for! And the color! Can’t beat it.

Check out more photos at my Flickr!

So I’m in Boston (in case you missed the HORRIBLE Boston Red Socks flip) and despite my phone dying, the torrential downpours and the internet getting lost at Geekhouse, it’s been fun so far! I’ve got a ton of photos documenting the people, bikes and space at Geekhouse and rather than holding off, I figured I’d post up a few teasers of what goes on behind the scenes.

Check out the rest of the photos below.

There are few framebuilders that can come close to J.P. Weigle‘s curves and lines that flow. His framebuilding is untouched and the details he tucks away in areas often overlooked by normal builders are to die for! I’m not making that up. From intricate cut-outs on bottom-bracket cable guide lugs, to throwback Columbus decals, heart-shaped vent holes and home-made Con-Denti road pedals, his bikes stood heads above the rest at the Philly Bike Expo. See for yourself in my Flickr!

I’ve been showing Baltimore-based Bishop Bikes a lotta love here on the blog over the years. There’s an attention to detail in their frames that just speaks to me. From using NOS tubesets to carving up lugs, Bishop Bikes’ frames are amazing!

I caught up with Bishop at the Philly Bike Expo and took a detailed look at their bikes. Check out more photos below.

After riding down to Philly on my road bike, I ate a big dinner, got some drinks and passed out. The next morning, Fuzzy and I rode to the Philly Bike Expo (tired of hearing about this event yet?) and I went to work. When we rolled up at 10am, the place was already packed!

Check out nine more photos below.

The new Urban Velo is now available for download. Issue 22 has some great photos in it, including a profile on Boston-area builders and a photo gallery from NYC in 1999. Brutal! Check out the full issue right here.

Sometimes It’s easy to forget that many framebuilders call Brooklyn home. Even in my neighborhood. Thomas Callahan runs Horse Cycles, a small company on N3rd street in Williamsburg. While Thomas enjoys fillet brazing, he’s also familiar with the fine art that is working with lugs. From the mean street machines to the refined touring bikes, Horse Cycles creates some beautiful bicycles.

Check out my shop visit below!