Handmade Bicycles 2015
Introduction by the Exhibition Curator Welcome to the 1st Annual Iowa City Downtown District Handmade Bicycle Exhibition! This remarkable exhibition features some of the most innovative, creative and beautiful works of art and design from the nation’s finest bicycle-builders. In addition to the popular aesthetic presentations around Iowa City, the makers participated in a series of activities with students and the public in April, such as Steve Potts and James Bleakley, who conducted student workshops and presented lectures, and Andy Tetmeyer of HED Cycling and Eric Noren of Peacock Groove, who gave a public joint-lecture in the University of Iowa School of Art & Art History. This multi-faceted initiative is a major undertaking and would not have been possible without the following generous supporters: the Iowa City Downtown District, Think Bicycles, the University of Iowa School of Art & Art History, and the University of Iowa Museum of Art. The City of Iowa City provided a major financial grant and other critical support necessary to make it all happen. We would like to thank the venues for their kind and courteous hosting of the exhibitions in downtown Iowa City: Active Endeavors, Iowa Artisans’ Gallery, Ride Restaurant, Running Wild, and Hotel Vetro. We are also immensely grateful to McDonough Structures for building the bases and World of Bikes for setting up the Potts and Eriksen bikes and exhibition. As you can see, this is a complicated but worthwhile endeavor, and we are certain that the public and the university audience benefits from such educational and enjoyable offerings. Please peruse this catalogue and admire the handicraft and design of these spectacular, mobile objects d’art. And we look forward to seeing you all at the next installment of the annual Iowa City Downtown District Handmade Bicycle Exhibition! We are also immensely grateful to McDonough Structures for building the bases and World of Bikes for setting up the Potts bicycle and exhibition. Sean O’Harrow, Ph.D. Director University of Iowa Museum of Art
HED Cycling
HED Cycling commissioned Peacock Groove to produce a gravel race frameset that would interpret European race bikes of the 1930s. Races of that era were mostly run over dirt or cobbled roads, but the length of races averaged 150 miles, compared to 250 or more in the previous two decades. The ‘30s were the dawn of modern bicycle racing and emphasis began to shift toward speed rather than endurance. With that starting point, the Triple Crown is fast and efficient, but does not abandon ride comfort and emphasizes stable handling for the gravel surfaces where it will be ridden. Though stylistically appropriate, the curved seatstays and raked fork are a specific design element made to flex vertically and smooth the ride over unpaved roads. Large diameter chainstays and thick fork plates improve efficiency by resisting torsion during out of the saddle grinds. The bottom bracket drop is 82mm, to keep the rider’s center of gravity low for fantastic cornering on sketchy surfaces. Hydraulic disc brakes provide great stopping power and eliminate concerns about rim wear from brake pads contaminated by road grit. Through axles reduce flex during cornering and ensure that brake calipers are always perfectly aligned. Braze-ons for fenders and tail light are custom touches from Peacock Groove.
World of Bikes
Steve Potts Bicycles Classic Campy Road Bike
Steve Potts has been called one of the best bicycle frame builders of the past 35 years. Steve is one of the only original mountain bike pioneering Mount Tamalpais repack group of the late 70’s who still builds his own frame sets. His refinement of steel and titanium construction is legendary, as is evident by the collectors wiling to spend thousands for a classic Steve Potts bicycle on e-bay. Steve himself is a product of Marin County, California, raised in Tamalpais Valley, just at the base of Mount Tamalpais, birthplace of the modern mountain bike and the epicenter for bicycle innovation for over 35 years. Today, Steve continues to craft his signature Road, Mountain, and Cross frames out of titanium while enjoying the gift of passing on his craft to his two sons, a joy that has energized the entire shop!
Iowa Artisans Gallery
Kent Eriksen Bicycles
Active Endeavors
In 1981, in steamboat Springs Colorado, Kent Eriksen founded Moots Cycles. Moots, a company recognized around the world for its titanium frames, was one of the first companies to produce mountain bikes in the United States. After Moots had grown to produce 1,000-plus bikes per year, with twenty employees, Kent left Moots to reestablish his passion for working one-on-one with each customer. In 2006, with his wife and partner, Katie, Eriksen began again. Kent Eriksen Bicycles includes frame welder Chris Moore and Bo Randolph. This original team builds about 150 titanium bikes a year.
Peacock Groove
Erik Noren is Peacock Groove. Making just 30 bicycles per year, he pours his soul and stories into each bike. With each bike he’s in pursuit of a story, so if there are no components around to fit his bicycle vision, Noren makes them himself. The famous Evil Dead bike features many extra aesthetic elements that would spook most frame builders. Erik tells about each bike. His storied bikes matter to his customers and other framebuilders. As engineer, artist, fabricator, and sales department he is a true one-man company, and always one of the highlights of the annual North American Handmade Bike Show.
Ride
Black Sheep Bikes
James Bleakley grew up in Louisville, Kentucky, and moved to Boulder, Colorado in 1980. His first experience in the bike industry came from a company named Boulder Bikes, which manufactured full suspension mountain bikes. He learned assembly, and later machining and welding. He left in 1994 to pursue precision welding and fabrication at Advanced Alloys, a company doing work in medical, helicopter, computer and cryogenic vessel fabrication. As a way to reconnect to his passion for building bikes, James Bleakley started Black Sheep Bikes, in 1999. At first, contract work in the bike industry made up most of the bottom line, as he welded for Denver company, Da Vinci Designs, and Dean Bicycles in Boulder. By 2008 Black Sheep became his sole focus, and he received the honor of “Best Titanium Bicycle� at NAHBS. Recognition and awards keep accruing as he continues to grow and learn, and teach his trade to people interested in learning to build bicycles.
Iowa Artisans Gallery
Bilenky Cycle Works
Running Wild
For over 3 decades, Stephen Bilenky has been a leader in the evolution of commuter, travel, tandem, and cargo bikes. Stephen has created a wide and deep portfolio of handcrafted designs. From his first Bicycling rave review in1984 for his elegant Metro5 city bike, to Balvanie Rare Craft Fellow 2014, to an upcoming episode of the PBS series “A Craftsman’s Legacy”, he continues to garner awards and attract media attention for his innovations and his fine quality workmanship. Bilenky Cycle Works is a happy, dirty place that turns out exquisite clean machines to suit the needs of riders of every possible size, shape, and desire. Each frame gives evidence to the Bilenky commitment to aesthetic functionality. All are produced by Mr. Bilenky and his dedicated team in North Philadelphia. At Bilenky Cycle Works, building custom bicycles isn’t a job. It’s a calling. Bilenky Cycle Works is more than just a shop. It’s an enduring institution that is committed to enhancing the world of cycling, one handbuilt frame at a time.
Iowa Design, Build, Ride
hotelVetro
The University of Iowa Museum of Art and the School of Art & Art History began a partnership in Spring 2010 to translate the handmade bicycle through exhibition and curriculum. The result is approximately seventy students over five years designing and fabricating bicycles, and some of the leading contemporary frame builders giving workshops and lectures and exhibiting bikes at Iowa. What began with Steve McGuire and Tom Teesdale, one frame jig and seventeen students, is now an expanded curriculum with both art and engineering majors tagging their name each semester to twelve frame jigs. Seventy some current and former University of Iowa students are riding bicycles they designed and built (mitered, welded and aligned), themselves, in California, Texas, Colorado, Virginia, Oregon, Wisconsin, Minnesota, South Carolina, Indiana and Iowa.