When I started building bikes at Circle A Cycles, my friend Mike was an early supporter of mine. I think the bike I built for him was one of my first 10 that I made. I was excited when he wanted a new bike from me. The first one I had built for him was […]
I like keeping it new and fresh by taking on projects that make me step outside my usual comfort zone. With this bike I was stepping out of my comfort zone and into a time machine. This bike may look like it’s from 1980 but it was just finished in 2019. The biggest challenge with […]
Elisha was originally looking for a rigid off road bike with a 3”+ tire but that was beyond the scope of what I do. We compromised on clearances for 60mm tires (2.35”) with an option to run 47mm tires with fenders. She had an Ultegra 11-speed drivetrain from another bike so we incorporated it into […]
This is the second bike that I’ve built for Jon. The previous bike was more of a 700c randonneur but this one was to be a straight up road bike. I conveniently came across two sets of Reynolds 753 and offered to build his bike from one of those sets. It was my first time […]
Building this bike for Gene was like building my bike over and making a bunch of little improvements along the way. I do love my bike but some of the details I would’ve changed include using an inverted Edelux headlight, slightly different wire routing, seat tube taillight, improved lowrider design, and a needle bearing headset. […]
I’ve known Frank for years as he has been a staple at many handmade bike shows. He even puts on the Ann Arbor Handmade Bicycle Show in Michigan. He’s well known in the cycling community as the curator of Lugs Not Drugs on Instagram which features beautiful handmade bikes from around the world. So when […]
Every bike that I make is a collaboration between the rider and myself but this time felt a little different. Mark and I are both part of the Classic Rendezvous community which celebrates vintage lightweight road bikes and components. This bike was to be inspired specifically by the vintage British lightweights with their elaborate lugs, […]
Vivek came to me looking for a lightweight steel road bike and I was more than happy to build one for him. I was a little nervous about doing the bilaminate style head tube with chrome plating. That style of head tube has been executed by many builders but when there is chrome plating involved, […]
Part of what I enjoy most about making the bicycles is the challenge of delivering all that the rider wants without making any aesthetic sacrifices. Harvey came to me with a lot of components already in hand. Some were in better shape than others but all still had plenty of life left in them. The […]
James’s light touring (basket) bike
May 9, 2019
If 15 years ago you told me that my future self would be building a touring bike with a Wald basket on it, I’d have thought you were crazy. Wald is not known for making the highest quality components but their baskets are the standard that all others are compared to in the bike world. […]