“Everything about that bike is foxy. Except the pedals. It’s like house slippers paired with a little black dress.”

Two things of note:
Yes, those pedals did not belong on that bike. At the time I conceded, explaining that I threw the pedals on so I could give the rig a test ride.

But no. Flat pedals are not house slippers. They are not a frumpy stand-in for something more appealing. Flat pedals are more like flip flops. More intention than substance. They are the easy ambivalence of summer, like an open patio door or a two week vacation. They invite you to come and go as you please and take your time doing it.

I’ve been riding flat pedals on my fixie for a couple of months now and it has changed my relationship with that bike. I am on and off like its no big deal, no real commitment. I’m riding and then I am not. I roll out to a coffee meeting with a customer. I cruise to the store in sneakers and rolled up pants. I even rode to a bike advocacy fundraiser in high heels and a dress.

Flat pedals nudge you in the right direction. They tell you to slow down, to enjoy the relaxation, to soak in the summer. They might not look fast, but these are the months when you want it to last.

A frame is a vehicle stripped of it’s “go” parts.
A frame, even still, has a view to the world.
Through this sparkly pink touring frame, I see nothing but flowers and endless sky.

This bike began as a big idea and a spot in line.

The big idea was that you could build a bike almost entirely in Portland from design to finished product, and that the only thing standing in the way of that was a little help from friends. So a year before last year’s Alice awards, we put a spot in line for a frame and fork, and donated it to the BTA.

Then we reached out to Michael Sylvester of Bicycle Fitting Services for the fit, Chris King for the wheels, BB, and headset, and asked River City to bring it home. This is the finished product. It took a little while to completely come together, but it showed how a simple idea can turn into something beautiful.

The soul of a bike is a hard thing to locate. Among the bikes of my lifetime, I have traded wheels, swapped parts and repainted. Is it still the same bike when you turn it into a fixie? Is it a different bike if I paint it green and put cruiser bars on it? I don’t know.

But the bigger mystery goes like this, and happens in reverse: I work on a bike for months, from the conception to the fitting, design, fabrication, paint and assembly; and at some point it comes to life in a way that is bigger than I could have designed.

This bike was commissioned to do more than simply replace my customer’s ill-fitting and ancient road bike. It is designed to be her primary means of transportation and to fit like a glove. From the 650B wheels to the Brooks saddle, the Nitto bars to the purple paint, we were crafting a bicycle that was at once a vehicle and an intimate personal artifact. You can see in the details that this bike is meant to be used rigorously and loved tenderly.

But the soul of bike wasn’t made piece by piece. It has an old soul that is inherited from a tradition of city bikes. Visible in this bike are the same inspirations and considerations that you can see the work of Ant Bike Mike or the design of Grant Peterson. Their bikes respond elegantly to the question of how you ride comfortably, in all weather, along whatever route your day requires, with your cargo on board. It is this question that informs the tradition, conjures the soul, and if you look closely, you can see it reborn for a new body.

Many of you may be in committed relationships with your road bike, city bike or touring bike. That is sweet, commendable really. But at the risk of throwing your life choices into question, I just want to say… Remember that mountain bike you loved back when you were in middle school,/high school/college? Well, the mountain bike has grown up and gotten sexy. And it is time for you to get reacquainted.  Meet the Bombshell. Hard tail, soft curves, suspension fork, disc brakes. This Bombshell may rekindle some powerful feelings. It did for me. The tailhead starts here.

• Fox F32-100mm shock with 15mm axle.
• Thomson seat post and stem
• XT drivetrain
• Portland Design Works Speed Metal Grips
• Reynolds Canyon Disc MTB wheelset
• Schwalbe Nobby Nic Tires 26 x 2.1
• Chris King Headset

Writers talk about the obligatory semi-autobiographical first novel. It is the book that has your voice and is perhaps the first story you can find inside yourself to share with the world. But when the middle aged male author can write a teenage girl into a first person narration, then he’s really done something.

Until now, most of the bikes I have built are in some way autobiographical. I can mentally plop myself onto the saddle of a road bike, commuter, mixte, touring bike, cross bike, etc. and imagine the ride. Not so with a mountain bike, not one that is to be ridden with skills that I do not have, and a fearlessness that I may never know. And that is why I was so thrilled to build my first mountain bike for a woman whose experience and talent as a mountain biker were known to me even before I met her.

This hardtail’s curves complicate the notion that robustness necessarily has a straightforward form. It will be built up with a Fox F32-100mm fork and a White Industries double mountain crankset. The final build is shaping up to have a bright and weightless aesthetic, fitting for both bike and rider. Expect pictures soon.

This beautiful unpainted custom road bike 1) has a 50.5 cm seat tube 2) is waiting for your favorite color, and 3) is for sale.  If you are around 5′5″ you (or someone you love) could be riding this in time for the spring season.  Available as a frame only ($1600) or as complete bike (more than $1600).  If you are interested, please contact us here.

(Click image to see comments.)

The little color chart we have on the LUST page didn’t really do an awesome job of communicating just how deep this color is.  Hopefully this helps.

I think that the choice of green handlebar tape is inspired.

(Photos by Daniel Sharp Photography)

A few months ago, we announced our LUST Line and with it our first model The Little Black Dress.  The LUST Line is a faster way to get a Sweetpea – bikes are delivered in months, not the three years for a custom bike.  We did this in order to get more women on bikes that fit, but also because three years is a LONG TIME.  For us, and for you.  We needed a way to deliver bikes faster and more predictably, and this is it.

The good news is that we are now taking orders for our second batch.  If you are interested, give us a call or contact us here.