Tag Archives: custom bikes

Got it Made

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Remembering summer.

In between summer and the teacher strike I wrote about recently, I went to an event called Made. This event exists to honor, appreciate and demonstrate the ingenuity of people who make bikes. However I forgot to remember it. Now November, I am starting to remember that I did some cool things in the waning hours of summer that I’ve neglected to share.

Maybe you’ve done this too. You’re reviewing your photos and you see a chunk of pics that you know you took but they were eclipsed by a thousand other things happening on and around the very same time. For me, the time we went on strike feels surreal. Literally the time has been put back into our school calendar to “make up” the strike days. Ηοςεωερ the other happenings were sidelined. That time has left me feeling flat even though they were very cool events. It all feels like a bike stuck up on the top of a car lying on its side and forgotten about completely.

As I was looking for photos from the strike for a collage, I saw these other moments digitally preserved and I was remembering the day I went to Made and how I hitched myself up on a pennyfathing and actually rode it in place for a few minutes. I remembered how amazing the event was and how I was itching to blog about it. I remembered that I forgot to share the adventure.

MADE is described on the ticket as “an industry/consumer bike event highlighting the craft of handmade bicycles.” There were 200 or so builders and brands sharing their creations.

As we say in a post Covid world, it’s been awhile since we’ve even had this event in Portland, Oregon, so I was as excited as a kid hyped up on Halloween candy to attend. I could not contain myself.

Entrance to the event.

As I walked into the area I felt like everything was possible. I knew I would see some builders I remembered from past shows and I knew I’d see cool gear and unique builds and I was ready and raring to go.

Zidell Yards is an outdoor performance venue on the South Waterfront.

The venue was spacious and buzzing with activity.

Set for some bike camping.

Pennyfarthing bikes a.k.a. High wheel bikes are so odd and iconic. Most of my sources say that these bikes were notoriously difficult to handle and I can see why. Getting aboard them requires a leap of faith and you literally have to hop up and hang on.

At first the gentlemen asked if I wanted to take a spin. The bike is stationary but on a platform so you can try riding it. I dismissed the opportunity outright. “No thank you, I’d prefer to not risk my safety.”Wait? What did I just hear coming out of my mouth!? Is that doubt mixed with fear? I lingered a bit and wondered why I said that.

I love bikes. I love opportunities. Why, yes, I think I do want to try it. I mean in all my time on planet Earth I have never had an opportunity to ride a Pennyfarthing. Yes, I want this!

There are these pegs on the rear little wheel and you step on it and then hop just as I was told. With the hop up you also lean forward enough to grap the handlebars and then you scoot your caboose up on the saddle and you ride. It’s very smooth, but not because you’re on air (which I was) it’s because the big front wheel allowed for higher speeds on the flats. I was told that it was a smoother ride before the invention on pneumatic tires.

Pennyfarthing for your thoughts.

I couldn’t believe I was riding and gliding and generally loving the experience. I’ve never been on a tall bike, but I imagine it’s a similar feeling. The handlebars were odd and you can see in the video that it was as if I was holding myself up while pedaling down. I felt like I needed longer legs, but I was pedaling long enough to get a sense for how difficult it would be to ride this out and about in the olden days. What a great moment in time and lots of fun to actually give it a spin.

There were bags and all sorts of beautiful bike related gear but the spotlight was on the stars of the show, the bikes, all made, engineered and created like works of art you ride. Everything you can imagine and some things you didn’t even know you wanted to see.

Overall it restored my faith in humanity because it’s all impressive and clearly some people are ingenius and inventive and they know how to make cool things. They got it MADE and I feel ebullient because I got to witness it all in one place.

Plus, the pennyfarthing. Right?

As I listen to the rain thrash against the house and I watch the leaves swirl around in colorful cyclones I recall that hot August day and how beautiful it was to see bikes forged from imagination into reality. Do you have any favorites? If you had a bike custum built what would you do to make it the perfect bike for you? Let me know in the comments.

Thanks for reading my blog. I wish you a wonderful week and I’ll see you in the next post.

Thanks for being here. Get out there and ride.

Gratefully,

Bike Goddess

Seeing Red

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Red is a great color for a bike or a car or a cape. I have wanted a red bike since I was grew out of my red tricycle. I’ve pined over red mixtes (Soma Buena Vista) and road bikes (Salsa Warbird) and even mountain bikes (I did have a Gary Fisher Tasajara) but what they possessed in color they lacked in other ways, or that’s what I tell myself. Hi, I’m Bike Goddess and I have an addiction to bikes. Thanks for being here.

Gosh, I still miss Tessa, my Gary Fisher! She was sassy!

When Bryan at the eBikeStore informed me in an email that the bike of my dreams might be available for a test ride, I bit. See if you can answer the questions:

George Clooney, Madonna, Donatella Versace and Sir Richard Branson all have homes on Lake _________. (Como)

When excited, a favorite greeting is a “High __________.” (Five)

Ferrari’s are often this color: __________. (Red)

Faraday Cortland and first eLove!

When I got my first electric bike it was winter of 2015 and the bike was a Faraday Cortland with a belt drive. It had the 3 B’s. Belt drive. Beauty. Blissful. The third B I use to refer to the sounds a bike makes while you’re riding. I want my ride to be steath and I don’t want to hear the machine of the bike regardless of electric or not. The Como got a 4 out of 5 on the Bliss scale of noise. The battery is the quietest ever however there’s a sound the chain makes that’s a bit on the loud end when you’re coasting. My Cortland was my favorite and still holds a place in my heart. It’s baby blue with hints of opalescence so the color alone is iconic and difficult to name.

Why a belt drive? I took a belt drive bike for a test ride years ago but I let myself be swayed by popular opinion at the time and price. Popular opinion from the bike mechanics was that it was a fad and I should wait and see. The bike was expensive and just wanted to see what it was like. I was extremely impressed but I’d wait. Belt drives are stealth and maintence free. Imagine never dealing with chain grease or chain issues at all. I mean at all.

Front frame mount rack.

Lulu, the Cortland, has over 6,500 miles and she’s the only belt drive bike I’ve ever owned. She was my dream ride. Super cute and perfect for my 20 miles a day commute. I dolled her up with a few accessories and we got along famously for quite sometime. However the range of 22 miles round trip proved difficult for a few things just outside the range like riding into Portland and back. Two levels of boost such as boost and a little more boost was fine in 2015. She’s sublime and everything I wanted until I needed just a little more.

This was after I first got the Como. Original saddle and using the rack for panniers. I changed out the saddle and still a perfect commuter in 2022 with outstanding range. #ebikeanywhere

Isn’t that the way it goes. My second ebike is the one I ride now which is a Specialize Como 5 Turbo. I did call her Ella (Greek for come) but recently she’s become more of a Perri, as in Perry Como because it’s such a great name and when I had her in the bike shop for some annoying crooning and creaking, Perry became the obvious name choice. She has over 14,000 miles which means she’s taken the lead over any of my miles and my Kona mixte comes in at 13,000 as an analog bike. Both of these bikes fit me like designer jeans or like they were made especially for me. I can ride and ride and ride either bike without worry. All the adages come true with these two bikes. I can go the distance and wear whatever I want, kitted up or not, these bikes are my steelmates.

My Kona Mixte is such a sweetie. Best analog bike ever!
Basket situation on my 2019 Como 5. Not a frame mount, yet perfectly adequate.

The desire for a belt drive nags at me however. And the color. I don’t mind the midnight blue but I live in the Northwest and everything from November to May is midnight blue. I want color. I commute to and from work and most errands and generally I do everything and go everywhere on my bikes. Don’t I deserve it? Yeah, but do you really need it? Ugh! Life in my head is like the Devil and the Angel and I’d like to evict both of them.

Very soon I will test ride the new Como 5 in red with a belt drive. There’s a possibility that this bike can also be outfitted with a large basket in front that is frame mounted which is another feature from the Cortland that I adored. This will pose a big problem for me because I will want. I will pine. I will long for it. I will feel all the feels and I’ll need it like I need air. I will feel all the longings of all my days summed up in one object and I’ll be out of my right mind and become obsessed with having the thing I don’t really need but I want.

The answer to the questions above are: Como. Five and red. This is a review from Ebike Review and even though it’s the Como 3, you’ll get the basic idea. I don’t 100% love the look and the deep step through but I could see myself appreciating it in a few more years too.

Will this one have it all? The truth is I could be content with Perry Como as she is. There are many features I’ve dialed in on my 2019 Como. You know how it is. You fiddle and toy and tinker until it fits the way you want and does what you want it to do. I have the basket situation arranged so I use a Timbuk2 messenger bag to stash all my capes and clothes and accoutrement so basically the new Como will have to knock my cleats off. I wonder if it will.

Thanks for reading my musings on bikes and accessories. It is a bit of an addiction, but a good one. At least that’s what I tell myself. Right? What are your bike obsessions? Anything that’s a deal breaker?

Have a great day and get out there and ride!

Bike Goddess

Custom Ride or Not?

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Let’s talk about custom bikes. I have been riding bikes for most of my adult life and before that I had three bikes: a tricycle, a nondescript bike with training wheels, and a bodacious, freedom loving, adventure hunting banana seat. Then I recall a cheap Firenze my Dad got free somehow, and a Raleigh then a Schwinn and so on and so on. I rode a Schwinn Passages across the USA back in 1986. I digress. I have had more than a few bicycles and yet I still do not have the perfect bike.

Currently in the bike corral there’s a 2006 Trek Portland, a 2012 Kona Mixte Roundabout (the daily commuter bike) a Specialized Globe, and a Cannonade Carbon Synapse Road bike. Also, in the spirit of full disclosure: there’s a Specialized Rock Hopper circa 1987 hanging from the ceiling. It was a birthday present from my husband.

But what is the perfect bike. I have been thinking about this quite a bit. I think some bikes fit a certain purpose. I have no intention on weighing down my road bike with racks and panniers. I bike and I have bikes. There it is. I ride three of the four most weeks. The Specialized Globe has a giant basket rack on the front and my dog likes to ride up front. That’s his bike. Don’t judge.

However, when it comes to the custom build, I always thought it was just for people who were either too tall or too short for what was in the bike shops. I have learned there’s certainly a market there, but what about someone who simply wants a better more custom rig?

Here’s an article about custom bikes.

Point numero uno:

1. Know what you want, and find someone who specializes in it.

I am working on it. You know when you see it. I saw a bike by this builder and it has a belt drive. I think I want a belt drive for my new commuter bike. I have always liked the technology and I think my next bike needs it. It’s ultra quiet, like a Prius for bikes. It’s also lower maintenance. Not to brag, but I am replacing chains regularly.

2. Know what you like and don’t like about your current bike.

I have a list. I am meeting with a bike builder in two days and I have a list of all my bikes and what I like and what isn’t working. But this new bike is my commuter. It’s the bike that needs to take me through all weather conditions and still be cute and sassy.

3. Be a partner, not just a customer.

Definitely! I can’t wait for this meeting. I am giddy about going into his shop and talking about my bikey needs. I have another list. I also have background.

4. Know your budget, and be upfront about it.

This point in very important. It’s hard though. I went to the Shinola store in Detroit a few weeks ago and I almost, just about, nearly bought a bike. But the bottom line is that for $2,900, it still wasn’t quite it. I took the Scott Sub 8, belt drive for a spin and it’s really pretty and super quiet and I loved the feel, but still, not quite it. I even took a Public bike for a spin. It was okay, so I know I have some sort of standard. I love the look of the Shinola Bixby, but at $3500 and still needing modifications, I figure it’s time to have the custom bike conversation.

5. Know exactly what you’re getting.

Well, sure! Duh! But how is this possible? I love steel. I love carbon. I love aluminum… what’s a Bike Goddess to do? I have rented bikes, ridden bikes, bought and sold bikes. I’m not sure how to Know exactly what you’re getting, but this is an step, a first conversation, a start in the right direction.