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Ira and Tony at Breadwinner Cycles just recently announced the production of their Arbor Lodge porteur bike. While a porteur might not be for everyone, you’d have to find a pretty good reason to not want a ride like the Arbor Lodge. The integrated u-lock is such a rad detail. See more information at Breadwinner.
The tale of Hubert d’Autremont is an interesting one, but that story will be told another day. Instead, I’ll start the coverage of this unique craftsman off with the bike that he rides the most, this Cycles d’Autremont porteur.
I don’t know why, but I really love the aesthetic of porteurs, especially when they’re owned by a builder. A road bike, mountain bike or randonneur all have very specific uses, but a porteur implies a certain utilitarian aesthetic. Grocery getter, errand runner, bar bike and even quick morning mountain jaunts. A well-rounded bike like this is bound to log more miles than the other arrows in the quiver.
Burlington, Vermont isn’t exactly SoCal, and inclement weather is no stranger in the Green Mountain state, so a fully-fendered bike with integrated lighting quickly becomes an essential tool in these parts. Elegant but rugged, Hubert’s own porteur is exactly that. Like any detail-oriented (i.e. obsessive) artist tends to create, this piece of work just appears effortless… See for yourself in the Gallery!
Being the girlfriend of a “bike blogger” has as many ups as it has downs. The obvious down being that I’m on the road a lot but one of the ups is, well, this… Lauren loved her Tokyo Fixed Dream Machine porteur but wanted something more suited for front-loading and longer rides in the hilly landscape that is Austin. Maybe, just maybe, some camping, too.
I chatted with her a lot about what she wanted and we came up with this “sportif porteur”. Mid trail for front-loading, fender / rack mounts, long-range gearing and an upright riding position. She didn’t want big touring tires, so its designed to fit a 28c with fenders or a 32c without. The build is quite reasonable, with higher-end components where they count.
Once we resolve which basket or rack we’re gong to use on the front, I’ll shoot more photos, highlighting Ian at Icarus‘ handywork. For now, this is all you get…
Malachi’s Northside Wheelers porteur is one of the best examples of how you don’t need to spend a lot of money to have a classy ride, just a little creativity and insight. It doesn’t hurt to have Danny Hale of Shifter Bikes on your side though…
This bike is very similar to Dan’s own singlespeed porteur (which was stolen last year). It’s a Taiwanese frame, painted matte black but has some sneaky detailing. A coaster brake keeps the bike’s silhouette clean, while a Shimano Nexus 3-speed hub aids in scaling Melbourne’s hills.
How the bike shifts is one of the most clever details: a Campagnolo downtube shifter is mounted to the seat stay, allowing Mal to “suicide shift” this sleek beauty. Other details include a Northside Wheelers saddle, crafted by Mick Peel of Busyman, pinstriping on the hub / rims, pink nipples, Campagnolo Strada cranks and custom painted fenders. It’s a sleeper! See for yourself in the Gallery.
… that I refuse to post any of the photos I shot of it today, save these two. Tomorrow, when the light is better, I’ll re-photograph it. All I’ll say now is that you don’t need to have a custom frame to make a tricked-out ride.
Thomas from Horse Cycles has been working on his new sub-brand Urban Tour for well over a year. Marketed towards, you guessed it, urban portage on a bike. Urban Tour has products to fit every budget from caps to stems and complete bikes.
Check out Urban Tour here and here’s the Kickstarter for the project..
Ira Ryan and Tony Pereira‘s new framebuilding company, Breadwinner unveiled their full range at the 2013 NAHBS. While Ira and Tony’s own speciality approach to frame building is still present, the branding and choice paint selection unify the brand into one of the most impressive offerings I saw today. Some details from previous projects returned with new life and with a breathe of confidence, the two Portland builders have a very promising future ahead of them.
Over the past few years, the crew at Geekhouse Bikes have slowly grown apart from their brightly-colored, low-pro, bent seat tube, triple triangle track bikes that they became so well known for. This slow and steady move towards class, with a bit of sass has culminated in their 2013 NAHBS offerings in Denver. New this year are the Brentwood Porteur and Hopedale Light Tourer. Both bikes would make ideal vehicles for a weekend camping trip, or around town jaunts. These models will be available in conjunction with Geekhouses’ already established models. Let me just say the brightly-colored Mudville singlespeed disk cross looks so dialed. Even the Adria Klora-designed graphics are top notch. Well done guys!
Check out some more photos, by the lovely Heather McGrath in the gallery!
Detroit has a long tradition of US manufacturing and it’s this very tradition that Shinola is looking to continue with their brand. The company began with watches, a common, everyday object that hasn’t been mass produced in the United States for decades. But Shinola knew that in order to bring that industry back to Detroit, they’d have to enlist in the help of true craftsmen. Ronda AG, a Lausen, Switzerland-based movement manufacturer is working with Shinola on their Argonite 1069 watch movement assemblage and that’s only the beginning.
Similarly, when Shinola began to design their bicycles, they looked to Wisconsin and the Waterford facilities for fabrication. Inspired by French porteurs and light tourers, the Shinola Runwell is an ideal city bike and you don’t need any fancy Swiss movement to get these bikes rolling. An 11-speed Alfine hub effortlessly shifts this mid-trail bike through your city or countryside. Load up the front rack with groceries, post office runs, beer, or what have you and just go! If you need to stop on a dime, the mechanical disk brakes will do the trick.
The Runwell has details. Waterford’s simple and classy lugwork, along with a bright Cherokee red paint job (it’s really bright!) really compliments the mostly chrome components. Even the gusset on the non-drive fork leg resolves any stress riser issue you might have with disk tabs on a mid-trail ride. Shinola went the extra mile with their branded saddle and grips and the 32c Continental Contact tires will roll without getting flats from thorns or glass.
Check out more below.
Today I let Lauren test ride the Shinola Runwell I was sent to review. We rode out along the gravel trail down the street from our house to a park where during the summer, is always filled to capacity. In the dead of winter however, it was empty, even though we’re in shorts and t-shirts. Winter in Texas is funny like that.
I’ve got this bike for a while and I’ll do a more formal write up later this week but sometimes it’s nice to get someone else’s perspective.
More on this next week…
I’m one of those guys that loves a good collaboration, especially between two exceptional, made in the USA brands like Cielo and Tanner Goods. We saw some early bicycle portage work from Tanner at NAHBS last year and this year, Cielo will be presenting two special bicycles, both complete with handmade Tanner products. Choose either the Tanner Goods Edition Cross Classic or Sportif Classic and they will come loaded with a handlebar bag, saddle bag, frame bag, painted matching fenders and Tanner mud flaps.
Check out more photos here!
Stay tuned for more information, including pricing and availability, during NAHBS.
How good is this? I had to take a photo of this when I saw it a few weeks ago at the Liberty.
This year, State Bicycle Co has something a little different in their line. Check out the models for their new City Bikes here.
This came out pretty rad. Jordan Hufnagel for the Ace in PDX:
“Jordan Hufnagel is not only our friend and one of the raddest people on the globe, he is also a top shelf bicycle crafter. Before setting off on a homemade motorcycle toward South America this summer with no possessions and no plans, he made a fleet of four beautiful bikes for Ace Hotel Portland with his bare hands.
We caught the process on film, and rode them all over to the hotel from his workshop in SE one late summer’s eve. Along the way, we met cop horses, innocent standers-by and a long-lost part of ourselves, it seems. When you’re staying with us in Portland, you can rent one for the day and roll in style. They have a nice rack on the front (not that kind!) so you can pick up loot and local goods along the way.”
Thanks for sharing Kyle!
Photo by Nate Mumford
Thomas from Horse Cycles posted this yellow step through up this weekend and I had to share it. Nate’s photos do this bike a lot of justice, so check out the rest here, at the Horse Flickr.
Mitch from Map Cycles recently began relocating his studio from Portland to Chico, California. And if there’s one bike that solidifies his long-time stay in Portland, I feel like it’s this porteur 650b Disk-ville city bike. Seen first in my 2012 NAHBS coverage, in a raw state, a new coat of black paint, along with the French fenders, makes this baby look like something out of a prohibition-era gangster fleet. Something just says cruise… cruise and “buy me“.
Click on the above photo to launch the gallery, or here to open in a new tab.
Head over to the new Deus Venice blog for some great photos of Jordan Hufnagel and his Porteur project. These bikes really are perfection and the Deus photos ain’t too shabby either!
