Unsung Master Craftspeople

[merckx]

There are a few individuals in our niche within a niche who toil in solitude and create exemplary products that improve our enjoyment of the sport.

At the top of my list is:

Dave Cain who creates Waxwing bags. I now own four bags that he has made for me. Each is an aesthetic and functional masterpiece. One could do worse than have a bag hand-crafted in Vermont that can carry the items that will extend the duration of your time turning the pedals, and that will last for years.

The other individual is Harth Huffman who is behind Wabi Woolens. I've already taken the deep dive in another thread about the virtues of a Wabi Woolen jersey, but Harth needs to come up for air now and again so that he knows his efforts are appreciated.

We are fortunate that there are individuals who toil in silence, take risks and deliver products that will improve our enjoyment of the sport.

Who is on your list?

[Likes2ridefar]

Bruce Boone makes titanium chainrings and cogs that are works of art. He also made my wedding bands.

https://booneti.com/collections/chainrings

https://boonerings.com/

[AngryScientist]

I nominate Ron at King Cage. He has defined what a good, affordable bottle cage looks like, makes them all by hand and has churned out thousands over the years, they probably grace more than a few of our bikes here.

In an era where little ancillary components like that are sent offshore for cheap production, it's cool that he's still cranking them out and they are still among the best bottle cages out there.

[Llewellyn]

Originally Posted by AngryScientist

I nominate Ron at King Cage. He has defined what a good, affordable bottle cage looks like, makes them all by hand and has churned out thousands over the years, they probably grace more than a few of our bikes here.

In an era where little ancillary components like that are sent offshore for cheap production, it's cool that he's still cranking them out and they are still among the best bottle cages out there.

The Kings really are great cages.

[FriarQuade]

Not to toot my own horn, but the world is only as good as the tools we have to build it with.

[AngryScientist]

Originally Posted by FriarQuade

Not to toot my own horn, but the world is only as good as the tools we have to build it with.

I'll toot it for you.

I'm highly impressed with every Abbey product I've laid my hands on, and even more impressed to know you are not just a niche enthusiast supplier, but the Abbey tools routinely are sighted in pro mechanics tool boxes. You know you're good when race critical mechanics who demand the best choose your product.

I also think most Park tools are substandard and they get away with mediocre quality because they are the big hammer in the room. I'm glad other folks challenge what a good tool should look like and bring much higher quality products to market.

[Epicus07]

Originally Posted by FriarQuade

Not to toot my own horn, but the world is only as good as the tools we have to build it with.

Your tools are a pleasure to work with and a pleasure to look at. When I look at the I admire them, when I work with them I appreciate them. I will eventually replace all of my tools with Abbey when I can afford to. I use my HAG a lot more than I thought I would and smile every time I do. This reminds me I need to pick up a lever setter for it

[jdanton]

the Abbey t-handle is one of the best tools I've ever used, including the rest of the collection of fine green tools I've purchased from Abbey

[Tickdoc]

Originally Posted by AngryScientist

I nominate Ron at King Cage. He has defined what a good, affordable bottle cage looks like, makes them all by hand and has churned out thousands over the years, they probably grace more than a few of our bikes here.

In an era where little ancillary components like that are sent offshore for cheap production, it's cool that he's still cranking them out and they are still among the best bottle cages out there.

And as an added bonus it is super fun to watch him bend the cages. Masterful.

[Liberace]

Originally Posted by Likes2ridefar

Bruce Boone makes titanium chainrings and cogs that are works of art. He also made my wedding bands.

https://booneti.com/collections/chainrings

https://boonerings.com/

Been rocking his edge wedding band since 2004. Cost me $60 then.

[pinkshogun]

https://www.acornbags.com/

[El Chaba]

Great thread. Support these people. There is no other reason to do what they do other than love for the sport.

[merckx]

Originally Posted by El Chaba

Great thread. Support these people. There is no other reason to do what they do other than love for the sport.

Like

[donevwil]

I'd like to nominate Jeremy Sycip. We all know he makes wonderful bikes, works with Ti, steel and aluminum, welds and brazes, does repairs and modifications, but he also makes architectural items and uses his skills to repair industrial equipment (the company I work for has used his services). Amazingly talented guy and one of the nicest people I've ever met.

Originally Posted by AngryScientist

I nominate Ron at King Cage. ...

... and he recently released a Ti Iris!! I'm set on cages, but this may necessitate an upgrade.

[Coluber42]

It's great to see these folks getting appreciated. For all the discussions of buying things Made in the USA etc, I'm often struck by how little most people know about how everyday objects come into being, and how much human labor it actually takes - especially niche products produced on a small scale. The concept of a factory is essentially a black box to most people: raw materials go in one end, and finished objects come out the other, and inside is a bunch of mysterious robots or possibly sweatshops on another continent.
They don't realize the extent to which human hands are involved, especially for sewn products. It turns out that lots of operations involving fabric are really difficult to automate because fabric is floppy and unpredictable. A large enough factory can have a lot of dedicated machinery with guides and jigs and pre-programmed aids of various kinds, but robots can't completely replace a human at a sewing machine.

This is a bit of a tangent, but for a great example of something you might not have realized that humans can do but machines still can't, check out this video on why there have been knitting machines for centuries, but there are no crochet machines: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EImnSsCadK8
People who aren't fiber craft nerds may not even realize that knitting and crocheting are that different, but they are. From time to time you'll see crocheted items like hats or headbands in "fast fashion"-type stores for fast fashion prices. That price includes a retail markup, a distributor markup, shipping and warehousing costs, branding and packaging, yarn, the cost of returns and dead stock and so forth, AND a tiny leftover pittance for a person with a crochet hook on another continent who made it by hand.

When people price items that are handmade in the USA, there's always some amount of tension between what Americans think is a reasonable hourly wage for skilled labor, and what customers generally expect everyday items to cost. It's hard not to see overseas factories as inhuman black boxes that spit out conveyor belts of consumer products. You'll probably never meet the people who work there. And it's really hard to guarantee that you're only buying products made by people who worked under decent conditions at every step of production (which might include all manner of farming and mining and processing of various kinds before the materials make it to the factory that produces a finished product).

But at the very least, we can start by humanizing the people who do these jobs, and appreciate the skills involved in things that machines can't yet duplicate (or can't duplicate economically).

And even though no one here has complained at all about the prices of any of the folks mentioned on this thread, I'm sure those craftspeople have all heard it from someone. So maybe also gently correct your friends if they complain that handmade or custom products are a rip off compared to big box stores.