Shortly after posting “Three Bikes I Like,” I found a fourth and wished I had included it. You could argue that the list could grow indefinitely if one were to take this approach, and of course you would be right if you included every bike.

But this list featured limited production randonnee machines, and in that category, the list is short and getting shorter. The fourth bike on my list is the Gaansari Flyer. But I am afraid might have waited too long to post a riff about it.

The Flyer is the handiwork of Gary Boulanger, whose pedigree in cycling is about as good as it gets. He worked with Grant Petersen (Rivendell), Richard Sachs, Tom Ritchey, Richard Schwinn and Marc Muller (Waterford), and Kirk Pacenti (Pacenti Cycles Design) before opening Cycles Gaansari in Springboro, Ohio. Gaansari is the “house brand” for the retail store that Gary and his wife Jean opened to “respectfully maintain the bicycle heritage” of Orville and Wilbur Wright, who operated six locations in Dayton during the 1890′s.

Theirs is an inspirational mission, and their bikes embody that spirit. Which is why I was saddened when I learned that Cycles Gaansari will close its doors on April 29. There is some good news: there are some good deals to be had while the Boulangers liquidate their inventory. You can find a current inventory on Gary’s blog, The Bicycle Evangelist.

What I don’t know yet (and I have an email into the Boulangers to find out) is whether they will continue to manufacturer the Flyer, and the rest of the Gaansari line. Hopefully, they will post a comment here and let us know about the fate of the bicycles that bear the name.

This little matter of availability is something you need to reckon with, no matter what bike you are day-dreaming about. If your dream bike is included on my list (Rivendell Rambouillet, Heron Randonneur, Kogswell Porteur, Gaansari Flyer), here are two good reasons to buy now: small, independent manufacturers need our support if they are going to survive; and second, the absence of our support could cause them to discontinue the models we like, or shutter their operations altogether.

Neither option is acceptable. So come on road rider – order that dream bike. Lets keep these great designers and builders in business.

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