... In search of the obscure.

[David in Maine]

My wife and I have some pretty obscure custom touring bikes. They are built by Mark Beaver of Halifax NS. Mark was the former owner of Cyclesmith bike shop and built frames on the side. He is a very active randonneur and has begun building again after selling the shop several years ago. The bikes have been great and are still going strong after 20 years of loaded touring. Here is mine on the Cabot Trail--repainted and rebuilt with new parts a few years ago.

David

[XXtwindad]

Originally Posted by Mike V

AR Cycles. Watching him mature as a builder in front our eyes.

Most likely the the builder of the last frame I will ever purchase. (for myself)

Also: A*Train. I have the last one ever built. Now Northern Bikes out of Minnesota. Alex does great work.

Olivetti Cycles out of Colorado. Couldn't ask for a nicer guy to build your bike. Looking forward to getting a beer with him when he's out this way next. Also one of the coolest head badges in the biz. Designed by a local graphic artist. My bike will look like the red one. Except "antique pink" as in the color of the tank. (My bike should be considerably lighter)

[rustychisel]

Originally Posted by XXtwindad

Except "antique pink" as in the color of the tank. (My bike should be considerably lighter)

Not a tank.
That is of course the famous SAS Pink Panther, a Land Rover in desert camouflage.

[XXtwindad]

Originally Posted by rustychisel

Not a tank.
That is of course the famous SAS Pink Panther, a Land Rover in desert camouflage.

Didn't know pink was a "camouflage" color

[Frankwurst]

Curt Goodrich qualify?

[d_douglas]

Uh oh, now I will have to stalk the Olivetti website! Those look nice.

Bishop is a good example as well - some obsessive, creative, talented young guy setting a new standard for fabrication. Same with Sklar as well.

I’ve ridden with a Stoemper locally And they always struck me as being perpetually fringe - a bit like Vicious Cycles, which I have owned.

That’s the thing, there are so many people putting nice bikes together and many you pay for the name (for good reason) and then others just throwing their work into the handbuilt chapeau.

With regards to skills, I still see you you just choose the Bike that ti gs at your heart and go with it. I see so many bikes here and have owned a few, but the idea of letting someone local (like Dekerf) go to town is appealing. His skills are on par with anyone who builds frames - I would venture to say matching Kirk, Firefly and Bishop. That personal Or geographical connection may sway me if I can ever afford to throw down $10k for a bike again.

[colker]

Mikkelsen... i own one.

[jamesdak]

Originally Posted by colker

I like your obscure saddle.

LOL, it's really obscure now because I have no idea where it is.

[d_douglas]

Originally Posted by colker

If i was starting a brand now i would call it... obscure cycles! Coolest name ever.

There’s Oddity Cycles!

[alexihnen]

Obscurity is relative to be sure, but in terms of small, maybe one-man/very small shops...

DiNucci
Gangl
Spectrum
Fuso
Appel
Gilmour

There are so many, especially throughout the 80s/90s when (as it at least seems to me today) tubing & frames were more standardized and maybe it was easier to be a small builder serving a small geographic area.

There are just so many obscure builders from that era, and often very little information to be found online.

DeBoer
Cherry
Fattic
McReynolds


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[d_douglas]

I am referring to more Modern stuff. Spectrum is a no for me on this list - to me they are/were masters that are well known.

Gangl seems like a brand that was perpetually obscure.

Another example raised here a few months ago is Appleman - my friends former boss ordered one and I cannot imagine what brought him to that choice. I suppose he would have asked some bike geek what the ultimate carbon bike was and got answers like Colnago, Pinarello, Parlee, Crumpton, then settled on the obscure - an Appleman. No doubt it was a gorgeous bike!

[XXtwindad]

NAHBS 2016 in Sacramento. This guy has a bunch of fanboys around him giggling like adolescent schoolgirls. He had the hipster iconoclast boozy vibe down cold.

https://demonframeworks.com/frames/

[weisan]

Originally Posted by XXtwindad

NAHBS 2016 in Sacramento. This guy has a bunch of fanboys around him giggling like adolescent schoolgirls. He had the hipster iconoclast boozy tatted up vibe down cold.

https://demonframeworks.com/frames/

I am one of those schoolgirls...er...I mean, boy.

https://www.instagram.com/demon_frameworks/

[Doug Fattic]

Originally Posted by Ralph

Yes....He taught many of them the basics, as beginners...in his frame building classes.

Originally Posted by weisan

I would ask Doug Fattic

The guy that I would have make me a frame if I wasn't already a frame builder is Jeff Bock of Iowa. He has been building frames since 1976. He went from being a full time builder to part time while he was a high school teacher. He retired from teaching early so he could go back to building and painting full time. Like me he also teaches a frame building class. His goes for a one day a week in the winter months (while mine are typically 3 weeks long).

[weisan]

Doug pal, I wish you would tell me in private before you let the rest of the world know....now the secret is out!

"Taxi!"