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While John was catchin’ up with Ritchey before Sea Otter, he had a chance to document Fergus‘ Bishop Bikes Randonneuring bike. We felt it’d make a perfect Readers’ Rides to give some insight into why Fergus loves this bike and randonneuring riding so much. Along with his relationship with Chris Bishop. Read on for some banger photos and words in this special Readers’ Rides!
The Radavist thanks 1-Up USA for sponsoring our Sea Otter Classic 2024 coverage!
While on the road to Sea Otter, John swung through the Ritchey HQ in the South Bay and got to check out some new models that are coming out tomorrow. Check out a sneak peek of the all-new Montebello randonneuring bike, the redesigned Outback, and P29er, along with the Superlogic Butano Ridge integrated handlebars and some shop ephemera below!
When I lived in New York City, we rode our bikes to Philadelphia every year for the Philly Bike Expo. At the time, the event was hosted inside an old armory in the city, and featured a handful of framebuilders, makers, and companies with roots mostly in commuter cycling. Back then, the Philly Bike Expo felt like a family. I moved out of the Northeast shortly after and was really looking forward to reconnecting with old friends.
The last time I made it to an Expo was in 2012, and a lot has changed. While the same soul is still very much present, the venue, size, and impact of the Philly Bike Expo have grown. After a two-year pandemic hiatus and a relatively subdued 2021 year, it was back and bigger than ever for 2022. Cari and I flew to Philadelphia to get out of Santa Fe for a few days, soak in some big(ger) city food, and take in the Expo, so let’s get to it.
It wouldn’t be Philly Bike Expo coverage without a Bishop Bikes gallery and for 2021, photographer Jarrod Bunk selected this beautiful Columbus tubing track bike.
Where do I even begin here? At first, I thought Chris brought back the 2013 NAHBS track bike I photographed, and then I thought it was his personal blue track bike, stripped raw since it has the same Drillium Revival stem. Upon closer examination, this is true-to-form Chris Bishop doing his thing with the simplest form of bicycle. I just got off the phone with Chris Bishop where we spent a good forty-five minutes discussing this bike. There’s a lot going on with this “simple” machine so let’s get to it!
Chris Bishop. Chrisssss Bishop. Seeing his creations year after year at the Philly Bike Expo brings all the warm feels. This year he brought an Item 4 Velo Classique road bike to display clean and elegant detailing Bishop Bikes is known for…
2018 Philly Bike Expo: Bishop Samson Lugged Road
Photos by Jarrod Bunk, words by John Watson
For Chris Bishop, his end products are often about the assemblage of pieces that are artistic elements on their own. Take for instance this classic, 32mm tire, OS road bike. He utilized a NOS Samson lug kit, complete with fastback seat stays, and an aero fork crown lug. Then, he pinged Mitch from MAP Cycles for his dropouts, which paired nicely with the lug set. All these pieces were assembled in a painstaking way to form this beautifully-lined road bike, designed to roll on 32mm tires with the direct mount EE Cycleworks brakes. The icing on the cake was Bryan Myers from Fresh Frame’s paint detailing over PPG Pearl white Prismatic.
The end result is unmistakenly Bishop, yet undeniably a combination of many talented artists’ handiwork.
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Baltimore’s Chris Bishop of Bishop Bikes hasn’t been to NAHBS since 2013 and this year, he brought what he’s known for and then some. You can always count on Chris for the finest fillet and lug construction, but I was completely surprised to see him soft-launch a production line called Item 4, named after the substrate specification used in gravel roads in the North East. Item 4 is a collaboration with Vicious Cycles, who is tig-welding the front triangle of these frames, with Chris fillet brazing the rear and all the accoutrement needed for a rim brake or disc brake road bike. Chris really wants to expand the Bishop Bikes lineup, to get more people out on bikes that he’s designed and to be honest, I can’t wait to see more of these roll out of his Baltimore workshop…
For anyone who attended NAHBS last year, this Bishop frameset will look familiar. It won Best Finish in show and was painted by Rudi at Black Magic Paint. Well, it took almost a year to build this bike up, but it’s complete. Before we jump into that, however, here’s what Rudi has to say about the bike:
“Chris Bishop sent this bike to do whatever we wanted in the summer. My right/dominant arm was paralyzed in a moto wreck shortly after we received the bike. The bike hung in our shop for months until I felt comfortable painting a bike like this. I sent some sketches over before NAHBS and Chris said, “Awesome! Go with your vision.” My vision was gold paint outlines with kandy gold leaf fade over the fill for the logos. The “grain” panels were a three-color kandy fade. The head tube logo was five color wet paint over a solid black base color. ”
See the completed build photos at the Bishop Flickr and the frameset photos at the Black Magic Flickr.
2017 Philly Bike Expo: People’s Choice Winner – Bishop Bikes Disc Road
Photos by Jarrod Bunk, words by John Watson
The work of Chris Bishop continues to evolve and impress. For this year’s Philly Bike Expo, Chris brought something a bit different. Having teased this frame on his Instagram account prior, from the paint booth of Bryan Myers at Fresh Frame, we knew we were going to see something loud from the Baltimore-based builder. With a Stainless XCR Columbus rear triangle, Paragon Dropouts, a distinguishable Columbus Max fork and Vari-Wal tubing, this modern disc bikes carries many of the classic profile Bishop Bikes has been known for over the years, but the Fresh Frame paint not only coats this bike, it envelops it. The paint compliments the details, such as the stay integration with the Paragon dropouts and the intricate masking on the seat stays.
This has to be Chris’ magnum opus and the attendees of the Philly Bike Expo agree, voting it to a People’s Choice win.
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When these two names get together, you know it’s gonna be good.
“Fillet brazed Sram eTap road bike, Enve fork, bars, and seat post, Chris King Matte Slate head set and BB, and R45 hubs laced to Boyd Altamonte lite ceramic coated rims by Tommy at Cutless Velo. The paint scheme was designed and executed by Noah at VeloColour in Toronto and a custom stainless head badge was hand cut by Suzanne at VeloColour. Another example of why they are not only great designers but artists who can execute the designs flawlessly.”
See more at Bishop Bikes’ Flickr!
As a unique pairing to the Butterfly Wing Bishop Track, this road bike dons paint from Bryan Myers of Fresh Frame and a balleur build kit. I can’t decide which bike I like best, so I think it’s safe to say they’re both some of the nicest I’ve ever seen come from the shop of Chris Bishop. See more at the Bishop Flickr!
Photos by A. Danger on Flickr
We’ve already seen photos of Nichole’s Columbus Gilco track bike, but a reader forwarded me a link to more photos and I had to share. The details, colors, and environment really make this bike pop and shows Chris’ craftsmanship in a new light. Enjoy more below and see the whole set at Flickr.
Peter P’s classic, chevron-painted road bike has me drooling like none other. Chris Bishop knows how to do clean shorelines. See more at the Bishop Flickr.
Photos by Keith Trotta
If you really want to shock someone for the holidays, deliver them this Super Aero track bike from Bishop Bikes. It’s 54.5cm ST by 55.5 TT, made from Tange round-aero-round DT, ST Aero seat stays, Columbus Gilco TT and CS, Kaisai aero fork blades, Eisho HT lugs, Kalavinka seat lug and drop outs, with paint by Ben Falcon at Horse paint. It’s a looker so even just checking out all the detailed photos at the Bishop Flickr might be all the holiday goodness you can handle!
For pricing, holler at Bishop Bikes.
Photos by Keith Trotta
Chris Bishop’s talent is best highlighted by his ability to craft a beautiful, classic road or track bike. Take his latest project for example. With a finish like that, it almost distracts from Chris’ shorelines and lugwork. See more at the Bishop Flickr.
Photos by Keith Trotta
Chris Bishop is in the process of making a series of project bikes. Each one with be a collaborative effort between various artists and painters, will be one-offs and best of all, for sale. This being the first, a collaboration between Ben Falcon, the New York-based painter. It’s a size 52cm and is built with Dura Ace, Ritchey and ENVE. Head to Bishop’s Flickr for more photos and holler at Chris if you’re interested in purchasing it.
Photos by Keith Trotta
Nicole and her husband Scott own Veloville USA, a bike shop in Purcellville, VA. Chris Bishop has gone on many rides with them over the past few years and eventually became very good friends with them. Eventually, Nicole expressed an interest in having Chris make her a track bike to race at the local velodrome with.
Because it’s a Bishop track bike, expect some beautiful lugwork and a NOS Columbus Gilco tubeset with 3Rensho Modeulo lugs, MKS track ends and a stiff Columbus Max fork. When it was finished being built, Nicole asked Bryan Myers from Fresh Frame to paint it like a butterfly wing. I’d say he nailed it!
See more at the Bishop Bikes Flickr!
Photos by Keith Trotta
If there’s one race machine that’s been worshipped by the cycling industry, it’s the old Martini Porsches and if you’re the kind of person who’s into that sort of thing, why not get your custom steel road bike painted as an homage to that classic livery? That’s what Cory did with his custom Bishop road. The results are stunning, perfectly executed by Bryan Myers of Fresh Frame. See more at the Bishop Flickr!
