Photograph courtesy of Ira Ryan Cycles.

From a cyclist’s point of view, the attributes of a great place for road bike riding include beautiful routes, lots of organized rides, friendly clubs, and custom frame builders.

Frame builders?

Unless you live in Oregon, you might not consider the impact that independent bicycle builders have on a community. But for those of us who live here, the benefits of riding among men and women who make their living making bicycles makes us smarter riders. Their work challenges us to reconsider long-held opinions, most of which are formed by reading magazine advertising or listening to sound-bites on The Tour de France.

By definition, custom bikes are in limited production. A typical frame builder might finish between 25 and 50 bicycles each year, depending on how well the shop is organized and how many individuals are involved. For most, it is a workforce of one, completing one bicycle at a time. The end product is often a reflection of the builder’s own riding style. As a result, the diversity of designs in a given region is directly related to the number of frame builders located there.

According to Bikeportland.org, the city of Portland is home to some 17 custom frame builders. More live down-state, and their numbers are growing. With so many builders in Oregon, it is relatively easy to find a one who is riding the same roads that you do and understands the nuances between bicycles that are similar, but different.

Take long distance bicycles, for example. The differences between frames that are built for centuries, brevets, and loading touring are huge to riders who participate in these riding styles. The distinction is simply too fine for manufacturers to address in mass production. But a handcrafted bicycle can be dialed-in to reflect those nuances – and fit precisely to your body, too.

In just about every other city in America a cottage industry like custom frame building would go unnoticed. Not so in Portland, which by just about any measure, has emerged as the cycling capital of America. In fact, the city’s lead economic development agency is investing in the growth and development of Oregon’s independent bicycle builders by providing them with training in small business management, and investing in marketing and promotion for their industry.

In April 2008, the Portland Development Commission (PDC) unveiled an exhibit featuring ten custom bicycles from around the state. Located at Portland International Airport, the exhibit will be seen by as many as 3 million air travelers. The show will expose visitors to the art and science of handmade bicycles, And, it will put an exclamation point on the fact that Portland has emerged as the center of the renaissance of handcrafted bicycles in America.

If you aren’t able to get to the Terminal E at the airport before October when the exhibit closes, you are not out of luck. PDC has produced a short film to give you a glimpse of the exhibit. If you have never thought about riding a bicycle that was built especially for you, this video is bound to get your wheels turning.

Tags: Handmade bicycles. Custom frame builders. Portland cycl

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