611 Bikes / Aaron Dykstra

[GParkes]

Curious, anyone know if he is still building? I would go to his website now and again to look at his work and it seems the site is no longer. Titter/Instagram not updated for a long time. He did/does great work.

[hollowgram5]

He gave it up a few years back. Had some personal things he was dealing with and needed to step away. He posted about it on his IG, and it's still available to view.

He runs a foundation where he lives in Roanoke teaching kids to build things in a shop environment.

[eBAUMANN]

Originally Posted by GParkes

Titter/Instagram not updated for a long time. He did/does great work.

Titter...heh.

Yea I also wondered this, as a fan of his work years ago, he just kinda, stopped...which I get 100%.

I have no idea how the guys who've been cranking out frames for decades on end do it...its exhausting work for (relatively) meager returns, though I guess those guys can command a higher price for their work...

Having built 10 frames myself (for fun/myself/friends, havent built anything in over a year), I would never want to rely on it as a primary source of income as the level of investment required to make frames in a time efficient manner is really quite huge...then you have to go about marketing yourself/branding/etc etc...and its an over-saturated market these days for sure.

Its a hard choice to make (to step away) but for those who make it rarely seem to regret it. Either way, I hope he's doing well!

[ultraman6970]

Aaron is a super nice guy, same his wife... last i knew is that he moved the shop somewhere else. And that he was like building for somebody else to the point to leaving his own stuff aside. That was at least 3 years ago.

[Spaghetti Legs]

I met him at NAHBS in ‘09. Nice guy with beautiful work and I was curious about his business as well not too long ago - disappointed he’s not building but life goes on I guess.

[Plum Hill]

Originally Posted by hollowgram5

He runs a foundation where he lives in Roanoke teaching kids to build things in a shop environment.

I’d like to know more about this if you could provide information.

[hollowgram5]

I was able to track down the posting that Aaron put up and will quote his words here Link to actual post Feb 28, 2017

aaronalexanderdykstra: End of an era... for now at least. For anyone following along, I'm sure that you've deduced that I haven't been building bikes. Well, I never really offered an explanation, so here we go: I've quit building bikes. Not forever, but for now. I'm incredibly proud of the bikes I made and my achievements within the industry, but working alone for 8+ years really took its toll. The isolation of working alone and having 95% of my client interactions take place via email, the competitive nature of the NAHBS side of the industry, the difficulty of constantly trying to execute client's aesthetic desires through my own filters, and many many other factors-both personally and professional- it all got to be too much. It ultimately culminated in a suicide attempt in the fall of 2015. That's profoundly difficult to admit publicly, but I feel like I owe it to the others out there that may be having similar struggles. I was too scared to really get the help I needed, which is partially due to the stigma surrounding clinical depression. But I got help. I made a big career change into the non-profit segment and I started The Making Foundation. I now work with at-risk kids teaching them how to work with their hands and make things. It is incredibly rewarding work, and I feel very fortunate to be able to do it. There has been a lot of change in my life in the past couple years- moves, divorce, career changes, etc., but I feel so lucky to be here today and have this second chance at life. I finally finished getting my old shop cleaned out today, but I'm not selling my equipment. Once a frame builder, always a frame builder. I'm sure I'll return to it at some point, but for now, I'm just enjoying my life and genuine happiness in a way that I had never before. If you're struggling with depression, please, I urge you to get help. **** the stigma. It gets so much better... #depression #suicide #stigma #gethelp

Link to Foundation Website: http://makingfoundation.org/

Link to Foundation Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/makingfoundation/

Disclaimer: I don't know Aaron personally. Talked to him briefly at NAHBS in Charlotte, and he seemed like the kind of guy I could have make a bike for me if I ever went the custom route. I have followed him and his work, and look forward to what his foundation brings to the table for the area he lives. I hope all the best for him.

[GParkes]

Thanks for the info guys. I suppose I should have dug deeper, but was certain a few here would know. I SERIOUSLY considered a frame from him five years ago, but ended up with DK building me my full custom. It sounds like Aaron is going to be in a good place after all he's been through.

[gavingould]

i knew Aaron (and his now ex-wife) when they lived in Chicago, before he started building bikes - good people. also know a few people who have bikes he built, very talented.
a bit sad that he's no longer framebuilding, but great that he's in a better personal space now and using his talents to help his community.

[ultraman6970]

Man, I'm kind'a shocked because he and is now ex wife were super nice people, super happy couple... well you never know what can trigger problems too. Good he found himself in this new enterprise which apparently have him complete, that is the important thing.

[redir]

Oh I had no idea he had gone through that I've visited his Roanoke shop a few times, seemed like a good guy and he certainly built nice frames. I've always wanted to get a cross bike from him some day.