Some of you might not know what a bi-laminate bike is and that’s fine. They’re not too common unless you specifically follow other custom bike builders. Bi-laminate construction is basically using both a lug and brass filler to create a unique joint for the tubes. It’s pretty much an excuse for the builder to try […]

When Bradley came to me to build him a bike, I quickly learned of his affection for Bridgestone bicycles. I share his enthusiasm as I worked in a shop in the 90s that was a Bridgestone dealer. It was then that I learned who Grant Petersen was and the kind of influence one person can […]

This winter in Rhode Island has been particularly brutal. Living close to Narragansett Bay is especially painful with freezing humid air slapping me in the face. I shouldn’t complain as my commute to the shop is a mere 20 feet and the wood stove keeps my small space toasty. As one of several large ongoing […]

I’ve been guilty of building entire bikes around a specific components in the past. Once it was a set of brakes and another time it was a saddle. This time it was a dynamo. This is a new rim dynamo made by Velogical Engineering out of Germany. The appeal of it is that it’s light […]

When I was growing up and had a paper route, I would always just carry the papers in a giant bag on my shoulder on my BMX bike. My friend with the “10 speed” had these big wire baskets on the rear end of his bike that he would load the papers in and I […]

I’ve known Andrew for years and I’m aware that he likes to put lots of miles on his bikes. This bike is designed to do just that. Whether it’s climbing the steep ascents of the Cabot Trail in Nova Scotia or through the wooded hills near him home in New York State, this bike will […]

Le Cirque du Cyclisme is one of the longest running classic bicycle shows in the country. It started back in 1998 and has remained very well attended every Spring by hundreds of vintage bike enthusiasts. Bikes are entered in a concours based on their date of manufacture to compete for best in their date category […]

There’s nothing quite like building a complete bike with fenders, pump, rack, and integrated lighting. The challenge is getting everything to sync up and work flawlessly together. And then there’s the fact that everything needs to look good together. There’s a combination of parts on here that just flowed seamlessly. The finish of the Nitto, […]

Fendered? Befendered? I don’t care to fight with my spell checker so it’s going to be fendered from here on in. Josie is an incredibly talented artist and designer living here in Providence who initially helped me with the Chapman Cycles headbadge and logo. Although not a functional part of the bicycle, I think that […]

When Steve inquired about a custom frameset, I knew it was going to be big. At 6 feet 3 inches, the off the shelf bikes just didn’t fit him that well. To accommodate a tall bike like this, I opted to use larger diameter thin wall tubing so it wouldn’t feel so willowy. Some people […]