Category Archives: Frame Builders

Alex Wetmore: The Framebuilding Technical Wiz Who Loves to Ride Rough

Posted on May 11, 2011 by josh| 3 Comments


Alex and the middle stages of his first cycletruck. Photo from Duncan Cycles.

Alex Wetmore is not a household name for most of the cycling world. But in certain circles–like the iBob and Framebuilders listservs and Bicycle Quarterly’s readership–Alex’s name rings out as a skilled framebuilder with impressively deep technical savvy. He’s documented his work as a hobbyist frame/fork/rack builder, his technical trials with the inner workings of bikes and components, his adventures with “rough stuff cycling,” and more on his blog and as a contributor to Bicycle Quarterly. Alex and I talked about his roots in cycling, his attraction to the technical sides of bikes, his love of remote rough-road riding, and more.

Continue reading →

→ 3 Comments

Posted in Frame Builders, Interviews, Mechanics

Tagged , , , , ,

Framebuilding Porn

Posted on May 3, 2011 by josh| 1 Comment

I love finding new blogs, especially when they’re already well established and I can spend hours sifting through the archives. This morning I came across Yoshi Nishikawa’s Builder’s Life and spent more time browsing than I’m sure my bosses would care to know. Yoshi left his job as a frame builder at Japan’s Level bikes several years ago and started work as a Ti and steel welder for Seven Cycles in Boston.

Yoshi’s blog mostly centers around the work he does at Seven. The picture-heavy posts feature a lot of detail shots of his amazingly clean welds as well as other interesting shots from around the factory, of complete bikes, and occasionally from his personal life.

His writing is sparse. Each post contains just a few sentences (in both English and Japanese); enough essential details to give the reader an idea of what they’re looking at. But, the pictures alone provide a fascinating glimpse into the life and work of a high-end bike builder.

→ 1 Comment

Posted in Bike Industry, Everything Else, Frame Builders

Tagged , , , , ,

Seattle Bike Expo 2011

Posted on March 15, 2011 by josh| 2 Comments

The Cascade Bicycle Club’s Seattle Bike Expo is the largest consumer bike expo in the United States. Which is to say, it’s the largest expo open to the general public (versus giant industry events like Interbike, which are not). Each year, the Seattle Expo features a classic bike show, presentations and speakers, and exhibitors showing off everything from carbon super bikes to cargo commuters to magazines, accessories, and clothing. I took a stroll around day one of this year’s expo to check out the vintage bikes, listen to the Bike Snob’s self-deprecating humor, and look at some shiny bikes and components. Lucky for you, I had my camera with me. Unfortunately, I’m a mediocre photographer and my old point-and-shoot doesn’t do great in the dim halogen-glow of the convention center, so we’ll just call these snapshots of the expo.

Continue reading →

→ 2 Comments

Posted in Bike Industry, Everything Else, Frame Builders

Tagged , , , , , , ,

For the Love of D.I.Y.

Posted on February 28, 2011 by josh| Leave a comment


It takes a brave soul to disassemble a Rohloff hub.

It’s hard to say what it is about cycling that attracts D.I.Y. tinkerers. Part of it is certainly the relatively low-consequences of bike mechanics. Sure there are certain key components of a bike that require more skill to install or adjust than others, but a botched crankset installation likely won’t kill you. Another aspect is probably the sheer number of things to change on a bike. In the hands of a dedicated mechanic (amateur or otherwise), a bike frame becomes a blank foundation on which to attach a nearly infinite number of fork, wheel, tire, handlebar, drivetrain, fender, rack, saddle, and electronics combinations. Bring welding skills into the picture and the fabrication and modification possibilities are almost limitless.

Thanks to my Internet addiction, I’ve come across a lot of great examples of DIY bike crafts. Here are a few good ones I’ve seen of late:

Continue reading →

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Everything Else, Frame Builders, Mechanics

Tagged , , , , , ,

The Making of a Soulcraft

Posted on January 24, 2011 by josh| 2 Comments

I don’t like the idea of aggregating content on The Bicycle Story. The world doesn’t need yet another bike blog posting the same videos, links, and press releases as three dozen other blogs. But, I saw this short video on Go Means Go of Soulcraft Bikes owner Sean Walling building a frame and I think it slides right into place among the interviews. The very-well produced video follows the Sean’s process from cutting the tubes to powder coating the finished process and it is, without a doubt, a bicycle story.

→ 2 Comments

Posted in Bike Industry, Everything Else, Frame Builders

Tagged , , ,