I started building bicycles at Circle A Cycles back in 2005. It was there I learned about frame geometry, bicycle fitting, brazing, and painting. I still continue to build there but for the past year I’ve been building bikes under my own name as well and have managed to find a good balance between the two. Circle A is still my full time job so I had only built four Chapman Cycles in 2011. The bikes that I make under my name will be (and have been) pushing the limits of my craftsmanship and my vision of the true integrated bicycle. I’m trying to take my work to a new level where I can explore new technologies while still adhering to a specific classic aesthetic. I try to get to this new level by foreseeing the bike as a whole before making the first file stroke. With that mental image, I can then start the design and pay attention to the details during the build. I love the details. The details show that care, thought, and consideration went into every aspect of the frame and its components.
I am focusing on mostly commuter and light touring bikes right now. Riding along the back roads of Rhode Island and socializing with my friends is the essence of cycling to me. The bike is the vehicle that gets me to that feeling and it’s the thing I don’t want to be concerned about when I’m bombing down a bumpy road. But it’s also the thing I will look at and appreciate when it comes time to take a break.
So take a minute and check out the next four blog posts for the Chapman Cycles 2011 year in review.
It begins now…well, actually about a year ago.
January 21, 2012
I started building bicycles at Circle A Cycles back in 2005. It was there I learned about frame geometry, bicycle fitting, brazing, and painting. I still continue to build there but for the past year I’ve been building bikes under my own name as well and have managed to find a good balance between the two. Circle A is still my full time job so I had only built four Chapman Cycles in 2011. The bikes that I make under my name will be (and have been) pushing the limits of my craftsmanship and my vision of the true integrated bicycle. I’m trying to take my work to a new level where I can explore new technologies while still adhering to a specific classic aesthetic. I try to get to this new level by foreseeing the bike as a whole before making the first file stroke. With that mental image, I can then start the design and pay attention to the details during the build. I love the details. The details show that care, thought, and consideration went into every aspect of the frame and its components.
I am focusing on mostly commuter and light touring bikes right now. Riding along the back roads of Rhode Island and socializing with my friends is the essence of cycling to me. The bike is the vehicle that gets me to that feeling and it’s the thing I don’t want to be concerned about when I’m bombing down a bumpy road. But it’s also the thing I will look at and appreciate when it comes time to take a break.
So take a minute and check out the next four blog posts for the Chapman Cycles 2011 year in review.