Jonny Cycles Blog

Bike Swap fer Jeff

2009-03-11T16:56:00.000-07:00

USED BIKE-GEAR SWAP

at REVOLUTION CYCLES
2330 ATWOOD AVENUE

SATURDAY MARCH 21st
9am - 11am
$3 at the door - and donation bucket for Jeff's medical bills. On about January 31st, Jeff experienced a mild stroke. He will mostly recover, and is doing well, but his medical bills are about to hit. Anything will be appreciated, even just words of encouragement!

FOR TABLE SPACE, CONTACT ANDREW: andrew.glaza@gmail.com or 279-8812

Eric M's Jonny on the FGG

2009-02-09T06:00:00.001-08:00

Just posted on the Fixed Gear Gallery:

http://fixedgeargallery.com/2009/feb/2/EricMatthies.htm

Ice Bike Race

2009-02-05T08:00:00.000-08:00

Time=Noon
February 7th @ Dunning and the lake.

Weather=43deg! Perfect day for hanging out on the lake.

Still closing, but here is your last chance!

2009-01-28T12:27:00.000-08:00

-----------
Uptate 01-29:

The contest has ended and Joe Bridgeman in New Jersey is the lucky winner. Joe already has one of the Hammerhead stems....now he will have a frame to go with it!

Thanks to everyone who donated! Mojo, his daughter, and all the histiocytosis kids and family members thank you!!!!

ps...if you didn't win you should check out this other promotion for a Richard Sachs frameset. Richard is one of my frame building idols and on the short list of builders that I dream of owning a frame from, but he's not currently accepting orders. I signed up of a chance!
https://www.kintera.org/faf/donorReg/donorPledge.asp?ievent=276565&lis=1&kntae276565=AE49F8A0F42140719DE55CB8F59BABAD&supId=233814480
------------

As mentioned in the previous post I am shutting down the business.

I have refunded the remaining deposits of the few frames I would not be able to build but there was still one frame left hanging: The Histiocytosis frame. Its for a great cause, quite a few people have already donated for a chance to get the frame, Mojo is a great guy, and I really want to help their cause out once again.

The promotion will continue and I will build the frame so here it is: Your last chance to get a Jonny Cycles frame in the foreseeable future! You wont' even have to wait long for it. I have 4 frames to finish up (which will all be done in the next couple of months) and then I'll build this one last frame that one of the lucky donors could be riding by this summer!

As I mentioned to my clients who's frame I'm still building: Don't worry I'm not rushed, bitter about closing, or in a crunch for money, its just that the list of customers was too close for confort (in this economy). I'm building the remaining frames with the same care, love, and attention that I put into all of them and the same will be true for this frame.

So here it is, you last chance at a Jonny Cycles frameset...lets help out Mojo with fight for Histiocytosis!

--->Donate $50 for a chance to win a Reynolds 953 frame set here<----

More info from previous posts:
http://jonnycycles.blogspot.com/2009/01/get-jonny-cycles-frame-for-50-and-help.html

Jonny Cycles is......

2009-01-22T11:51:00.000-08:00

....closing.

The economy?
Not attending the handmade bike show last year?
Too many other framebuilders to choose from (the list of new builders is huge)?
or ?

I blame most of it on the first, but I'm sure there were several contributing factors...in the end, who knows?

Like most other bicycle related businesses I usually see a big slow down from fall to early in the year (usually Feb). Typically I get 5 or 6 orders in the winter months and it picks up again in the spring. This winter I took in one order. Add to that several people dropping off the list (most due to loss of employment) and my waiting list has shrunk considerably. I'm a bit of a pessimist and I really don't trust the economy to rebound by this summer. My lease is up in April. The last place I want to be is dead in the water mid summer with no orders and no frames to build while incurring huge debt trying to pay all the bills. With the waiting list at its lowest point ever it seemed like the perfect time to opt out to me.

I'll be finishing the current batch of bikes, refunding the few remaining deposits, and ending Jonny Cycles.

I spent a hard 5 years working on establishing Jonny Cycles. In the end it was working ok and I built quite a few really great bikes that I'm very proud of. Sure I wasn't getting rich off of it and it was stressful, but it was rewarding. Surprisingly I don't feel that bad....its not like my lifelong dream was to become a framebuilder. I never planned on doing this, I just fell into it (if your curious read the articles here: http://jonnycycles.com/about.php).

What am I going to do? I've accepted a job at Cronometro which is a bike shop down the street from where I live. Its a great shop and I'm excited to be working as one of their mechanics. I'm also excited about the prospect of receiving a regular paycheck, health insurance, being much less stressed, and most importantly having some free time.

What about the shop? Ahren & Leah (Banjo Cycles) and Zack (ZR Cycles) are both hanging in there and are going to continue working out of the shop. I'm keeping all my equipment and a little corner in the shop. This will allow me to finish up any loose ends that may occur as well as work on some personal projects I've been wanting to do for awhile.

Am I going to start up again in the future? Never say never....but don't hold your breath or your deposits. Maybe when I retire to the north-woods homestead I've always fantasized about.....

If you're interested, stay tuned to the blog and my flickr site. I still have some great bikes being finished up and I have some fun personal projects planned which I'll continue to document.

If anyone needs to contact me for whatever reason I'll be keeping some version of the website up, maintaining my e-mail, and keeping the same phone number.

Jon

Madison-Basco-Madison Spring Classic: Hell Of The South

2009-01-21T11:40:00.000-08:00

The date is Saturday April 11th. Registration info will be on www.kittenfactory.blogspot.com soon.

Jeff's single speed cross bike is back from paint!

2009-01-11T14:17:00.000-08:00

Jeff came my way awhile back looking for a single speed cross bike. In his words:

"...with the frame itself. I'll send you my measurements and what I think that I need, but then I want you to put your twist and expertise into it. All I want is a classic looking single speed cross bike that I can race, trail ride, road ride, and get dirty. I haven't chosen specific colors. I picked you as my frame builder because I liked the artistic flair that you put into your frames. This is where I want you and the painter to use your talents..."

Since it a single speed cross bike with front and rear canti's I opted for the forward facing slanted horizontals. Easy wheel removal and the brakes stay in adjustment:

I decided to so something new for the cable hanger - elegant and functional:

Rear rack mounts:

Stylish slightly modified Richard Sachs "Nuovo Richie Series" Lugs and a heavily modified Pacenti Artisan crown:

Keith Anderson did the paint (Dupont code N1025 Red and a pearlescent white tri-coat for the lugs). Build process and more photos can be found here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jonnycycles/sets/72157608823314428/

I can't wait to see how he builds it up (send some photos when you get a chance Jeff!). An interesting note: The same day I received the frame back from paint I also received another deposit from Jeff for his new frame, next time around it will be a road frame.

Get a Jonny Cycles frame for $50 and help a great cause!

2009-01-09T13:53:00.000-08:00

Yes this promotion is still going on! It will go until the $5000 goal is reached, and yes you can donate more than once for a better chance.

Donate Here

The background info:

In 2006 I helped with the Bix Fix ride: A fixed gear ride across the country to benefit Histiocytosis. For the 2006 ride Mojo and I worked to get a frame for one of the riders. It was a fun project and I was able to complete the bike just in time for the winner Ken Mclain to ride the frame across the country. The ride was done in 28 days, fixed or not that's no small feat! The finished bike can be seen here: http://jonnycycles.com/trackPhotos.php#id=album-80&num=1. It was a fun project; Ken loves the bike and went on to ride it in Paris-Brest-Paris!

This year Mojo is doing a similar promotion to benefit Histiocytosis called the Wheels North ride. The ride is going from California to Washington recreating the epic 1909 adventure of two young cyclists. You can read about the original ride in the book entitled "Two Wheels North: Bicycling the West Coast in 1909".

For this years ride I'm helping by doing a raffle for one of my frames to generate some cash for the cause. The good news: You don't have to do the ride to win the frame, just donate $50 here for a 1 in 100 chance (not bad odds) to win a frame. This will be a custom fit track or road frameset constructed from the new Reynolds 953 stainless steel tubing. You can view some similar frames here:
http://jonnycycles.com/trackPhotos.php#id=album-70&num=1
http://jonnycycles.com/roadPhotos.php#id=album-97&num=1

Read more about the event here:
Event website
Event blog

Cyclo-Frost

2009-01-06T09:57:00.000-08:00

Sunday, February 15
Time: 10am
Location: East Side of the Capitol Square

30 minutes of cyclocross racing. 1/2 on pavement & 1/2 on snow with obstacles.

NYC

2009-01-03T13:23:00.000-08:00

Stopped at the New Years (polo) Championships on the way home. Stayed for about and hour, drank some beer, and took lots of photos -

More photos here: http://flickr.com/photos/jonnycycles/sets/72157612118793448/

Also of relevance:

http://www.thedailypage.com/daily/article.php?article=24739

http://www.madbikepolo.org/2008/11/06/nyc_in_madison

Scotts fixed gear

2008-12-30T11:54:00.000-08:00

Just shipped this off to Scott today:

Scott was one of those rare customers that knew exactly what he wanted. Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining about the indecisive clients as that's expected and comes with the territory. Working with clients to come up with a frame is actually fun. Scott however knew everything, right down the the paintcode (House of Kolor #kF02 Cyan to Purple). Normally I resist the shade shifting paints, in fact I even say it here: http://jonnycycles.com/misc/Paint%20info.pdf but I decided what the heck, don't know until you try it right? I suggested yellow hightlights, Scott agreed, and the final result was better than I expected. Don't expect to see a bunch or shade shifting Jonny Cycles frames anytime soon....but with the right graphics and colors I can be convinced.

Enough about the aesthetics, what about the function? Its pretty basic. A nice fixed gear for the road. Bottle mounts, and front and rear brakes. Due to the rear brake we opted for the much more practical forward facing slanted horizontal frame ends. Geometry is fairly standard road, but with an elevated bottom bracket for cornering clearance.

When FedEx delevers it in a few days it will be the first Jonny Cycles in Wyoming! Build process photos can be seen here: http://flickr.com/photos/jonnycycles/sets/72157607886828178/
The official gallery photos are here: http://jonnycycles.com/trackPhotos.php#id=album-119&num=1

yay! Jonny Cycles is back!!!!

2008-12-29T15:07:00.000-08:00

I know you were all worried, but no the economy hasn't claimed me yet! Just some really frustrating domain name registration issues that took awhile to resolve with the holidays and an international call to Australia. Morale of the story: Don't slack when it comes to domain names.

e-mail (jonny@jonnycycles.com) also works again, so resume your correspondence!
If you send me an e-mail that was returned, please re-send it. Thanks!

Madison Bike swap, Jan 10th

2008-12-23T09:46:00.000-08:00

I'll be going...and you should too as its usually huge.

http://www.brazendropouts.org/swap09.shtml

Jonny Hunters bike...

2008-12-22T12:44:00.000-08:00

... is *finally* finished!

Jonny has been a friend of mine for awhile. Not sure how we met. SCRAM!? Mark the Spark? The Catacombs? He's probably just one of those ubiquitous Madison people.

Jonny signed up on my waiting list way back in Feb 2006. I finished building the frame about 1 year ago which was right about the time that Jason (Sanchez Paintshop) was starting work on building a new shop. Jonny is also friends with Jason and was pretty insistent that Jason painted his frame since he was really into having people he knew be involved with the project. Jonny was pretty patient waiting Jason to get his shop up and running but when he learned that one of his bike polo friends from Milwaukee had moved out to Portland, OR and was painting for Vanilla's shop Coat he couldn't resist and got the ants in his pants. I was curious to see what sort of work they were doing my self so we sent the frame out to Coat for some paint. Jonny told them he liked green and to do what they want. The base (green color) is powdercoat and the graphics were done with wet paint. The graphics are a little busier than my normal designs, but its a nice change. The quality is excellent (as expected), but don't expect to see me offering them as an option for my paint as Sanchez Paint shop and Keith Anderson do equally as excellent of work and I have no reason to switch (other than this special project for a friend).

More photos here - http://jonnycycles.com/roadPhotos.php#id=album-118&num=1

Revolution Cycles Bike Swap

2008-12-03T09:57:00.001-08:00

Revolution Cycles Annual December Bike Swap

December 6th
10am - 1pm
$2 donation towards the Goodman Center bike program

NOTE THE NEW ADDRESS, WE HAVE CHANGED LOCATION AGAIN TO ACCOMMODATE MORE REQUESTS TO SELL!!!
New address!!! - 2425 Atwood

Our annual bike swap has grown too large to be held in the bike shop so for the day we are moving up the street

Lots of vintage and modern bikes and bike parts available. Everything from clothing to Campy, Avocet to Zipp.

There are some tables still available please reply to this add if you are interested.

There will be a community table available for those who only have a thing or two for sale, again reply to this add for more info.

Just finished: Khai's road bike

2008-11-28T10:45:00.000-08:00

I just shipped out Khai's road bike today and I'm very happy with how it all turned out (of course I say the same thing about every bike I finish, but it's true!).

Khai wanted a "Classic stage race type bike. Good for all round use, long and short distance rides." In other words, the perfect road bike. Since he also wanted to be able to easily travel with the bike I added S & S couplers.

The design pretty typical for road: 73 degree head tube angle, 45mm rake, and long(ish) chainstays at 425mm resulting in a bike that will meet the above expectations.

The excellent paint work was supplied by Keith Anderson. Khai wanted something orange and noted he liked bold color schemes and patterns. I translated this request to a downtube banner with "Ruby Red" and "Chrome Yellow" resulting in a bold but classy look. Top it all off with a Campagnolo Chorus build kit mixture of black and silver and the result is one hot bike!

The official gallery photos are here: http://jonnycycles.com/roadPhotos.php#id=album-117&num=1
Build photos are here: http://flickr.com/photos/jonnycycles/sets/72157606968475200/

Now playing on the Discovery Channel.....

2008-11-07T13:53:00.000-08:00

...Birth of a Hammerhead.

Another party @ Revolution Cycles

2008-10-30T10:58:00.001-07:00

.....................................OPEN INVITATION..........ROCK THE VOTE!!!!!!!! :)........................................

Revolution Cycles will be hosting music next week

Monday, November 3rd

8:30pm 'til 11:30ish

SCEAMIN' CYN CYN & THE PONS,

PRIZZY PRIZZY PLEASE,

and

PUSH-PULL

This is an ALL-AGES show (but heads up...it will be loud 'cause it's rock n' roll)
.............................................................................................................................................................
The show is free, but please drop something in the bucket for the bands;)

BYOB

LOCATION: REVOLUTION CYCLES
2330 ATWOOD AVENUE
(Just down the street from the Barrymore)
.................................................................................................................................................................................................

Along with the new site come a few changes....

2008-10-29T14:56:00.001-07:00

Most notably the fact that I am no longer offering TIG welded Jonny Cycles framesets.

I was offering TIG welded frames.

A description of the TIG welded frames from the old site:

I started this project in response to two questions:
1) Can you build me a track bike in time for next years race (or riding) season?
2) I love your bikes but can't afford one, is there any way you can offer a less expensive option?
3) Have you ever considered selling though a shop?

Unfortunatley building custom lugged steel bikes is very time consuming and thus takes allot of money and time. A basic lugged track frameset takes a minum of 20 hours shop time to get it out the door and to the painter. A track frameset with modified and polsihed stainless lugs can easily exceed 80 hours of work...so you can see it doesn't take to many orders to add up to a significant waiting list. The answer to the above two questions was always no...untill now.

I share my shopspace with two great resources:
Ahren Rogers - Among other things he's one of the best welders around
Zack Reilly - In adddion to working on his own frames (ZRcycles.com) he helps me out around the shop by mitering tubes and doing general prep work.
I decieded the three of us could work togeter to provide an addional Jonny Cycles frame option, TIG welded framesets.

All the design work and material selection is done by me.
Zack does all the mitering and prep-work
Ahren welds the main triangle
I do all the brazing (frame ends and fork)
To further save time and cost we use Spectrum Powderworks for paint

The end result is a superb quality track frameset ready for any velodrome or street. No skimping on materials or design, just using my resources to come up with a quicker (only 2-month wait!) and less expensive option.

The current situation at the shop has however changed. Ahren from Banjo cycles now keeps very busy building frames for Velo Orange, Boxdog bikes (in San Francisco), and Broadway Cycles (in Boston). Zack from ZR cycles has been keeping quite busy building lugged mountain bikes. I'm excited for both of them and happy to see them grow their respective businesses. I was then left with the options of:
1) Do some real promotion of the semi production TIG welded Jonny Cycles frames such that the order volume would justify hiring an employee to help with the production.
or
2) Drop the TIG welded option and focus on my lugged frames.

Since my normal made to order lugged frames have been quite well and my available time for other projects is fairly limited I decided to go with the tried and try option #2. It works, its what I love doing, and I'm not sure I'm up for expanding the business at this point in time.

Halloween alleycat

2008-10-22T14:59:00.001-07:00

halloween, originally uploaded by Jonny Cycles.

Sat Oct 25th. 1 pm
318 E Mifflin St
608-661-8090

New website!

2008-10-20T08:44:00.000-07:00

In case you haven't noticed I have a new website. I'm pretty excited about it as its been quite awhile since I've made any major site changes, although I'm a little sad to see the old one go as I put an insane amount of time into it.

Changes on the new site:

Fresh new look.

Ditched the old frames programming setup. This eliminates allot of issues with search engines and linking specific pages. Most people wouldn't notice, but web geeks do!

New galleries (check out the "photos" menu selection): It's now easier to browse the bikes w/out paging though all the photos. I can also easily add descriptions to each gallery and photo. I tried to add as much captions as possible when uploading all the old photos, but as expected that was tedious. Do however expect more text to accompany photos of new bike that I'll post as I finish them.

The blog is now more integrated with the site.

All framebuilding progress photos have been moved over to flickr which makes them easier for people to follow, easier for me to upload, and you can comment on them!

...and a few other things which I can't think of at the moment.

Thanks to Jason Bay jbaysway@gmail.com for designing and completing a great site. http://flickr.com/photos/jonnycycles/sets/72157607893567209/

Party at Revolution Cycles

2008-10-07T08:01:00.000-07:00

Lesley's 3Rensho

2008-09-22T07:13:00.000-07:00

Back when I was working full time at the Yellow Jersey (before framebuilding) I found a 3Rensho Katina road frame in the basement w/a cracked downtube. As on of my first major frame repairs I replaced the down tube and built it up as a single speed for Lelsey. This was also one of my first
(and last) paintjobs and I'll freely admit I'm a not much of a painter: 5 years later the bike had lost quite a bit of paint changing from its original white to primer gray and rusty steel color. It was time for a re-do. Since its a daily commuter we decided it was time for some upgrades. I added some cantilever bosses and mounts so the bike could fit full fenders (no chance of that with the original short reach road calipers, which is fine as its original intended use was a road race bike), sent if off to Spectrum Powderworks for some fresh paint, and built it back up with some fresh new parts. The resulting bike turned out great:

More photos of the project are here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jonnycycles/sets/72157607431189221/

photos photos and more photos....

2008-08-29T16:44:00.000-07:00

I recently purchased this really slick memory card for my digital camera that automatically uploads the photos to my Flickr site as soon as I take them. Now you can expect my normally well documented builds to be even more well documented in more or less real time.

Starting with Johns framehere you will be able to see the slow process of building a frame in my shop.

As usual all the builds are here: http://jonnycycles.com/framesInProgress.php

Also check out quickly expanding Flickr site: http://flickr.com/photos/jonnycycles/collections/

More photos on Tuesday when I return from the holiday weekend bike trip...

Cookout tomorrow: Thursday 08-28

2008-08-27T13:56:00.000-07:00

At the shop from 7 pm until ?

There will be some food and beverages, but feel free to bring your own!

chain tension

2008-08-20T14:54:00.001-07:00

Normally I'm a loose chain sort of guy on the fixed gear and I'm always surprised by how loose a chain can get with good components and never come off. Today over on the fixed gear gallery forums I saw this:

Apparently his chain jumped of the chainring and was caught by the crank as it came around. ?!
http://fixedgeargallery.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=18139

Maybe I'll tension my chain before the ride home.

Finally, a useful wooden fender!

2008-08-19T19:19:00.000-07:00

Over the past few years there have been quite a few people making wooden fenders. For the most part I've ignored them all because they were less functional that the standard plastic/aluminum/steel fenders. All the wood ones were flat as opposed to curved to fit around the sided of the tire. Google "wooden fender" and you'll see several examples. All these wood fenders all look great and some have excellent craftsmanship with all those wood and inlay options, but a fender is supposed to stop all road spray which is something a flat fender isn't that great at (seriously try one though a wet sloppy Wisconsin winter).

A few months ago this random guy Ben wandered into the shop. If you've been to the shop or are familiar with the location you would know someone just wandering in is a rare event. Ben was looking to see if I needed any help, which I didn't need but we chatted for awhile anyway. On his way out his last words were "check out this cool curved wood fender prototype". What?! Thats like the holy grail of cool fenders and I'd been thinking of attempting it someday when I find the time (i.e. never!) and Ben just mentions it as an afterthought, pulling a sample out of his pocket as he walked out. I expressed quite a bit of interest and encouraged him to pursue the project further. As it turned out he wanted a custom rack for one of his bikes and Leah(the rack builder that hangs out in corner) wanted some wooden fenders.

Today Ben stopped by the shop with the fenders:

I am very impressed. If your interested in some of your own you should contact him via e-mail - Lbrk@hotmail.com, we need to get him making some more of these.

ZR Cycles in Bike magazine

2008-08-01T16:04:00.000-07:00

ZR Cycles (the guy that builds on the other side of the shop from me) has a nice review of a 650B mountain bike he built in Bike Magazine, check it out: http://bikemag.com/gear/bikes/tested_zr_cycles_650b_hardtail_frame/

Frame raffle is still going!

2008-07-30T16:03:00.000-07:00

Raffle is about halfway done...so get on board if your interested:

http://jonnycycles.blogspot.com/2008/06/get-jonny-cycles-frame-for-50-and-help.html

Grim Reaper

2008-07-22T11:34:00.001-07:00

Jerry's "Grim Reaper" frame is back from paint, check it out:

Grim Reaper Flickr set

Sanchez paintshop up and running!

2008-07-17T14:36:00.001-07:00

Finally! It's been awhile now, but Jason finally has his new shop up and running. The first bike for me will be Jonny Hunters polished stainless road frame which I'm really anxious to have finished, and I'm sure Jonny is even more anxious to finally have his frame. Jonny gave us some leeway with the paint and Jason is working on some great (but secret) ideas.

Zack (ZR cycles) and I took a bike ride over to Milwaukee over the 4th of July weekend and visited the shop. Jason was working on a frame for Dave Wages from Ellis Cycles at the time. Here are a few photos:

Grants road frameset is back from paint...

2008-07-07T15:04:00.000-07:00

Check it out:
http://flickr.com/photos/jonnycycles/sets/72157606036386140/

Bike the Barns

2008-07-04T05:38:00.000-07:00

Bike the Barns is back for 2008! This years bicycle tour of local CSA (community supported agriculture) farms is scheduled for Sunday, September 27th which is the perfect time of year for enjoying the near perfect roads of South Central Wisconsin.

I participated in last years ride and it was one of the best organized rides I've ever done. The route was great, the food was amazing, and after it was over I was already anxious for next years ride.

If your interested you should sign up early as last years ride was very popular and the registration filled up in the first few weeks.

http://www.macsac.org/bikethebarns/

Get a Jonny Cycles frame for $50 and help a great cause!

2008-06-23T06:34:00.000-07:00

In 2006 I helped with the Bix Fix ride: A fixed gear ride across the country to benefit Histiocytosis. For the 2006 ride Mojo and I worked to get a frame for one of the riders. It was a fun project and I was able to complete the bike just in time for the winner Ken Mclain to ride the frame across the country. The ride was done in 28 days, fixed or not thats no small feat! The finished bike can be seen here: http://jonnycycles.com/trackpix13.html

This year Mojo is doing a similar promotion to benefit Histiocytosis called the Wheels North ride. The ride is going from California to Washington recreating the epic 1909 adventure of two young cyclists. You can read about the original ride in the book entitled "Two Wheels North: Bicycling the West Coast in 1909".

For this years ride I'm helping by doing a raffle for one of my frames to generate some cash for the cause. The good news: You don't have to do the ride to win the frame, just donate $50 here for a 1 in 100 chance (not bad odds) to win a frame. This will be a custom fit track or road frameset constructed from the new Reynolds 953 stainless steel tubing.

Read more about the event here:
Event website
Event blog

Photos photos Photos!

2008-06-14T12:59:00.000-07:00

I finally upload some photos of the latest frames back from paint:

http://jonnycycles.com/trackpix23.html An all stainless Reynolds 953 track bike thats now with its owner in Great Brittan.

http://jonnycycles.com/trackpix22.htmlTrack frame-set for Neil in California.

http://jonnycycles.com/roadpix7.html
I finally finished the other half of that all stainless pair of frames (the yellow one).

In other news: Lots of rain. All of central and southwest Wisconsin seems to be underwater. I was planning a bike trip from Madison to Eau Claire on Thursday this coming week, but with so many road closures I think the trip will be difficult if not impossible. Interstate 90/94 is even closed down in one section:

This weekend in Milwaukee

2008-06-11T13:33:00.001-07:00

Dropout flower

2008-06-06T15:42:00.001-07:00

Art Pedaler

2008-05-28T09:49:00.001-07:00

8pm Friday, June 6th
Posters, prints, and art celebrating the bicycle.

Escape Java Joint
916 Williamson Street

More Flickr

2008-05-28T09:06:00.001-07:00

I've been really into the unpainted Flickr group that Sweat Pea Bicycles has set up: http://flickr.com/groups/unpainted/

All sorts of great unpainted frames there.

Even more than frame-building process photos and unpainted frames I love photos of peoples shops. I love all the photos in the unpainted group, but always find myself looking into the background to catch a glimpse of everyones shop. To compliment Sweat Pea's Unpainted group I've created a new Frameshop group:

http://www.flickr.com/groups/Framebuilding_workshop

If you have any sort of frame-building or painting workshop feel free to join and post any and all photos of your shop that you have, I'd love to see photos of your shop.....

Photos of Danny's TIG welded track bike and Flickr

2008-05-19T10:41:00.000-07:00

Danny from Austin sent me some photos of his recently built TIG welded Jonny Cycles track frame. Taken outside of Lance Armstrong's new shop "Mellow Johnny's" in Austin:

I've also started a flickr site. Check it out -

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jonnycycles/

Midwest Bike Polo Championship: May 3rd

2008-04-18T11:00:00.000-07:00

Should be fun times as usual.

More info here: http://www.madbikepolo.org/

Seen on the Fixed Gear Gallery

2008-04-16T10:23:00.000-07:00

I made the stem:

http://fixedgeargallery.com/2008/apr/2/JonathanMorgan.htm#image_2

H8TR100 photos

2008-04-14T09:14:00.000-07:00

The H8TR100 (formerly Madison-Basco-Madison) was a success!. Due to poor trail conditions the race stopped at Belleville instead of going all the way through the train tunnel (frozen and ice covered). 40 degrees with rain and snow = perfect conditions!

Some photos here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/newlow/sets/72157604524396442/

Results here:

http://www.kittenfactory.blogspot.com/

Orange

2008-04-11T15:44:00.000-07:00

Custom orange track stem with a French diameter (22.0 mm) quill - hows that for unique?

Threadless stem installed on Mercian

2008-04-07T08:21:00.001-07:00

Kyle just sent me some photos of this stem installed on his Mercian:

Expedition touring is the theme for this week

2008-04-04T13:29:00.000-07:00

The week started off with finishing up work on a Trek touring frame-set. I built a custom stem for this bike then added some brazons: Paul Racer mounts, cable guides, kickstand plate, generator mounts, etc etc.. and then sent it off to Spectrum Powderworks for a full repaint. After it was back from paint I did the full build and it turned out really nice with a mix of old and new parts. Matthew picked it up earlier in the week and was very happy with it.

While Matthew was picking up his "new" Trek he dropped off his custom Oswald touring bike (you may have seen it a couple years ago at the Handmade Bike Show). Matthew decided he would put it to better use as a dedicated commuter bike so were making some changes: Building a new fork with more clearance for fatter tires and setting up the front end geometry for a platform rack. I'll also be installing some new parts. I had previously built the custom stem for this bike (the one that holds the Rohlhoff shifter) so I was familiar with it. Tom Oswald (you can see more of his work here: http://www.oswaldcycleworks.com/did some nice work building this frame and it has some really nice details:

Later in the week Nat stopped with his "Super Tour" I built for him awhile ago. I installed the fork lock for him while he was here. This bike is still a work in progress as we need to finish the racks and chainguard, but in the mean time Nat's riding it around. Its certainly the most unique bike I've done. Build up was by the Yellow Jersey here in town, although I actually did the work while I worked there a bit last fall. Nat put some serious thought and consideration into it and came up with exactly how he wanted the bike. He's a nice enough guy and everything was reasonable enough so we just listened and added some guidance here and there. Here's the result (wow):

Custom stem for a Richard Sachs frameset

2008-04-02T09:41:00.001-07:00

John wanted a quill stem with a lugged handlebar clamp to match the lugs on his Richard Sachs frameset and hold a 26.0mm handlebar. Of course no such lug exists, the closest thing being the Pacenti stem lugs which are designed for a 31.8 bar and a 1 1/8" extension tube...both a little big for this project. I decided to make my own lug, which really is isn't that difficult and I was able to get exactly what I wanted. I turned down some tubing on the lathe to make both the bar clamp and the lug piece, brazed them together, and then modified the shape to match the Sachs "Richie-issimo Series" lugs. Check it out:

Spring race

2008-04-01T10:39:00.000-07:00

The spring race waiting for a name now has a name and a date:

When Pigs Fly

April 26th

Olbrich Park

5pm registration/Fee $5

http://www.myspace.com/madisonrace

Sir Maldoror

2008-03-31T09:21:00.000-07:00

If you follow my blog, or talked to me at or after the 2007 North American Handmade Bicycle Show you know I'm a big fan of Sir Maldoror/Carlos Martell. http://jonnycycles.blogspot.com/2007/03/saturday-at-nahbs.html

At the 2007 show Trevor (owns these two bikes I built for him - Big Pink and Super Skinny) met Carlos and commissioned a new bike from him. I told Trevor to keep me in the loop and send me some photos of the completed bike. I enjoyed working with Trevor as we came up with some really great ideas for his frames and I assumed that Carlos and Trevor would come up with some equally interesting results .

Carlos has a very unique and refreshing style that I have yet to see anywhere else (in bicycles at least). There is obviously some Brian Baylis influence in his work and I like how he has taken that and added some style elements not often found in the bicycle world. I really dig the pin striping, the hand lettering in the panels, and the color selection (way over the top, but in a good way).

Obviously this style won't appeal to everyone, but at the least I think you'll find the photos enjoyable:

Carlos doesn't have much of a web presence and prefers to work locally, but you can see some more work from him here:
http://www.maldororbicycles.com/gallery/main.php

Try sm13000maldoror@gmail.com if you want to get in touch with him.

Hopefully we'll see more of his work soon.

Custom treadless stem

2008-03-27T19:57:00.000-07:00

Just back from the chrome plater: A custom threadless stem with integrated top cap.

Pretty cute huh?

In other news everyone at the shop has been pretty busy and things are looking a bit cluttered:

Time for a much needed spring cleaning and some organization (I'm pretty sure spring is here...today HAS to be the last of the snow in our 100 inch + season)...especially since Ahren (http://www.banjobicycles.com/) is tooling up for powdercoating in house which means we need to stuff a curing oven, sandblast cabinet, and large air compressor in here somewhere.

Speaking of Ahren check out this tandem he's working on (sorry for the lackluster photos).

Zack (http://zrcycles.com/) just found this cute mini-lathe and drill press in Janesville:

M-B-M: H8TR100

2008-03-13T10:25:00.000-07:00

It's going to be fun, I'm racing and so should you.

http://www.kittenfactory.blogspot.com/

Trans Iowa v.4

2008-02-25T10:33:00.000-08:00

http://transiowa.blogspot.com/

Not sure what I've gotten myself into here. Awhile ago Zack and I sent in our Registration postcard for the Trans Iowa race. We didn't make it in time and were put on the waiting list. I forgot all about it until this morning I received this e-mail :

-------
Jonny,

Guitar Ted here with Trans Iowa. I hope all is well with you. I am writing to let you know that your name is next in line for an open spot on the T.I.V4 roster. I have your card here on "the waiting list". If you are still interested in getting on board with all the gravely fun, just respond to this e-mail within two days and i will add your name to the roster.

If I do not see a response within two days I'll move on to the next name in line and yours will go to the end of the line.

Cheers!

Guitar Ted

----------

Now I have until April 26th to prepare for a non-stop all gravel road 300+ mile race w/30 or so hours to do it.

Time to start riding....

Banjo Cycles

2008-02-14T10:59:00.000-08:00

Ahren now has a web-site up, check it out:

http://www.banjobicycles.com/

Across the hall with ZR Cycles

2008-02-05T11:41:00.000-08:00

Check out what Zack has been up to over on the other side of the shop:

A lugged 650b S & S coupled single speed mountain bike.

I think the made from scratch lugs are a nice touch and bring a bit of (much needed) style to the mtn bike world.

More photos here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/9071768@N04/sets/72157603655073475/

I'm sure more photos will follow once its back from paint.

http://www.zrcycles.com/

Leah in Argentina

2008-01-28T10:19:00.001-08:00

Leah, who's usually hanging out in the shop building custom racks has been traveling in Argentina (and will be for a couple more months!) with two of her friends.

They have a good blog going, check it out:

http://overtheandes.blogspot.com/

Cute little book

2008-01-12T14:04:00.001-08:00

Found a neat book the otherday: "Everyday Engineering" by Andrew Burroughs + IDEO. Its essentially a collection of photos illustrating several ideas, divided into several sections with a short description before each section. The titles of each section are Craftsmanship, Unseen, Illusions, Interfaces, Elegance, Function follows form, Challenges, Corners, Ugliness, Materials, Repetition, Consequences, Nature, and Time. Flipping thought to the Elegance section you'll find a photo of one of my frames (which I build for Jenny in Chicago). Needless to say I'm quite flattered.

Even if it didn't have a photo of one of my frames I'd still recommend it. A nice inspiring little book, especially if your into engineering, design, aesthetics, and how they all relate. If you want a copy check out:
http://everydayengineeringbook.com/buy

at the races...

2008-01-12T13:50:00.000-08:00

Didn't have the time (and I didn't put in enough miles on the bike to make it worthwhile) to do any cross racing this year. I do have this great cross bike I built, and I figured someone should race it. My friend Frank C. was racing on a Fuji touring frameset...which worked but wasn't ideal. He's about my size so I loaned my my frame. His standings improved on the new bike (I'd like to think it was the frame!) but it was more likely due to getting a few more races as this was his first season racing. Hopefully I'll be able to get more of my frames out there next season, until then enjoy some photos of Frank:

Cool frames in the shop

2008-01-03T12:33:00.000-08:00

Couple of cool frames in the shop this week.

Reynolds 953 frame #1 is back in the shop for some fenders,custom racks, and a Brooks saddle w/copper to match the copper highlights on the frame:

A really cute and tiny Richard Sachs frame came in today for a rear triangle re-spacing:

On the fixed gear gallery again...

2007-12-13T11:58:00.001-08:00

...and this time its my new bike!

http://fixedgeargallery.com/2007/dec/2/JonKendziera.htm

Squid and hammerhead stem in Bicycling Magazine

2007-11-15T12:30:00.000-08:00

The December issue of Bicycling Magazine has page about Squid, and he's riding one of our Hammerhead Stems...

http://cyclehawk.com/

Welded frames now available!

2007-11-12T17:39:00.000-08:00

The project took a bit longer than expected...but its done:

TIG welded Jonny Cycles track frames - A lower cost/less waiting alternative to the standard lugged Jonny Cycles track frame. Check it out:

http://jonnycycles.com/TIGtrack.html

COG magazine article

2007-11-10T15:07:00.000-08:00

The first issue of COG magazine is available. Out of Milwaukee COG is a visual journal captured from behind the bars of city bikers and messengers around the world.

http://www.cogmagazine.com/

Issue #1 has an article about Jonny Cycles, check it out -

http://www.cogmag.com/01/jonny-cycles.html

Fun frame modification and re-paint

2007-11-08T12:44:00.001-08:00

Awhile back Glen brought his old Trek touring bike into the shop. He wanted it to work with 700c wheels and modern components, so we did the modifications. For the re-paint we had Keith Anderson do the base coat, then send it back to Glen. Glen gave his two daughters some sharpies and let them draw on the panels, and sent the frame back to Keith. Keith cleared over everything and the end result is really nice...check it out, a truly unique bike!

Shop website

2007-11-06T07:41:00.001-08:00

Our framebuilding shop now has its own site, check it out -

http://madisonframebuilders.com/

A collection of photos and links to our sites (hit refresh for new photos).

Twin plate fork for one less car

2007-09-24T15:06:00.000-07:00

Awhile back Cole from One Less Car http://www.1lesscar.com/ asked me to make him a fork for a track frame of his. It took awhile...but its finally done.

I sent it off to Keith Anderson for paint with the vague instructions that it should be white with some sort of black and white checkers on one leg. Here is the result -

Finally....my frame end collection is complete!

2007-09-18T10:59:00.000-07:00

Received a batch of frame ends today - vertical road ends and fork ends.

My Jonny Cycles frame end collection is now complete and I'll now be using my ends on all frames. Track, horizontal road, vertical road, and fork ends. All have stainless faces and accept stainless M5 bottle mounts for rack/fender mounts.

Reynolds 953

2007-09-11T12:49:00.000-07:00

I've finally finished a Reynolds 953 frameset. I made a light touring frameset for my friend (and owner of Jonny Cycles #2) Kevin in Sacramento. It turned out quite nice, check it out - http://jonnycycles.com/roadpix8.html

The 953 tubing is light stuff, although really you can get pretty close with the less expensive and easier to work with True Temper S3 (its within a few grams). So if you want a light frame I'd prefer to use normal (non-stainless) tubing, but if you want a light and shiny frame 953 is a good way to go...since the only other option is chrome.

Since it's expensive material, difficult to work with, and time consuming to finish it makes for an expensive frame. If you want an un-painted Reynolds 953 version of one of my frames I'll do it for and extra $550.

Jonny Cycles on the Fixed Gear Gallery

2007-08-30T15:32:00.000-07:00

Fun stem...

2007-08-27T15:11:00.000-07:00

Matthew in Chicago wanted a stem that he could mount his Rohloff twist grip shifter to, so I made him this custom threadless stem with an add on appendage for the shifter.

Sept 1st alleycat

2007-08-27T11:46:00.001-07:00

After-party at the shop.

Bike weekend!

2007-08-23T10:57:00.000-07:00

Not to be missed this weekend:

This Friday (8/24) @ 7pm Thunder Quarry. Kid's bikes + rock quarry....for sure to be fun.
http://kittenfactory.blogspot.com/
FYI, quarry park is behind Whole Foods on University

This Sunday (8/26): Cookout at our shop 4pm, followed by ThunderTAB at the abandoned building (you know behine Olbrich)
....same link -
http://kittenfactory.blogspot.com/

2007 Fixed Gear Symposium in Traverse City, MI

2007-08-16T16:56:00.000-07:00

As usual the Fixed Gear Symposium (FGS) was a blast. Jason and I have been to the previous two, and it keeps getting better every year.

I'll try to write more about it soon, but for now there are a bunch of photos here

Cognition Cycling caps and the Fixed Gear Symposium

2007-08-14T11:18:00.000-07:00

I'm back from the Fixed Gear Symposium and I still have some of the new Cognition cycling caps left so I've posted them for sale here.

I'll post some photos from the Symposium later this week, but in the meantime there are some decent ones over on the fixed gear gallery forum.

Leaving for the Fixed Gear Symposium

2007-08-07T16:27:00.001-07:00

Hey..leaving in a few minutes for the Fixed Gear Symposium up in Traverse City Michigan.

http://www.fixedgeargallery.com/2007symposium/index.htm

This will be the third year that Jason and I have went. It's allot of fun and a vacation of sorts for us (we mostly just lounge around and enjoy ourselves).

This year I'm bring some hot new caps from Lyle and Kelly at Cognition here in Madison. Check them out:

I suspect I'll sell them all at the Symposium, but if I have any left over I'll post them on my site.

I also finished the first run of TIG welded frames. Not yet painted, but of course one is my size so I built it up to ride at the Symposium. Here are some photos:

(sorry I didn't have time to crop and rotate the photos....)
Can't wait to get them painted and make them official on the site!

More when I get back from Michigan.

oh....I've been super busy preparing for the Symposium, so if you have e-mailed me and haven't gotten a response I'll catch you on Monday when I get back!

Tour de Franzia - tomorrow (wed 7/25)

2007-07-24T08:42:00.000-07:00

For sure to be the social event of the week:
http://www.bikelikemad.org/comments.php?DiscussionID=199&page=1
All you need is three friends and a box of wine.

Bike the Barns

2007-07-23T08:13:00.000-07:00

From the website:

"Tour Dane County's beautiful farm country and visit three Community Supported Agriculture farms. Your ride will be fueled with gourmet local food, including breakfast, snacks, and a three-course lunch prepared by Underground Food Collective, Café Soleil and other star cooks from our local food system--all included in the $35 registration fee."

The best riding in the Midwest (which is anywhere directly west of Madison) combined with the best food in the Midwest...can't go wrong. I'll definitely be there.

Check it out:
http://www.macsac.org/bikethebarns/#

Another Jonny Cycles on the Fixed Gear Gallery

2007-07-17T08:03:00.001-07:00

Check it out,Greg has his bike built up and posted on the gallery:

http://fixedgeargallery.com/2007/july/1/GregJohnson.htm

Speaking of the FGG, the Fixed Gear Symposium is coming up. Fun times. Jason and I are going again and really looking forward to it. http://www.fixedgeargallery.com/2007symposium/index.htm

Today's color is .......Red!

2007-07-06T09:52:00.000-07:00

Just received a couple of really nice red frames from paint.

The frame with all the stainless is one of two going to Florida. The other one is still being painted (yellow instead of red). http://jonnycycles.com/progress/ken2.html

The red and white track frame is Jonny Cycles #15, one of my favorites (ok I say that about all of them). Ken had an unfortunate run in with a car and needed a new fork and a re-paint. It's as good as new now!

Jonny Cycles Capitol Times Article

2007-07-05T09:41:00.000-07:00

Check it out -

http://www.madison.com/tct/news/200198

...well ok, not just Jonny Cycles, but I got them to sneak my shop-mates ZR Cycles and Banjo Cycles in there as well.

stems stems stems....

2007-07-02T09:54:00.000-07:00

Both the Hammerhead and titanium quill stems are now officially available, check it out:

http://jonnycycles.com/stems.html

Urban Velo #2

2007-07-02T09:18:00.000-07:00

The new Urban Velo issue is out (formerly Urban Cyclist). Check it out -

pdf
http://www.urbanvelo.org/issue2/urbanvelo2.pdf

web version:
http://www.urbanvelo.org/issue2/urbanvelo2_covers.html

Hammerhead stem

2007-06-24T10:41:00.001-07:00

The stem is painted and with its happy new owner, Squid from NYC. Check it out...

(more on the Velocity event later)

...I really like the stem and am doing a limited run of it in a few sizes. Same hammerhead shark style of course. Let me know if your interested in one.

Circle A Cycles and Jason's bike

2007-06-20T09:24:00.000-07:00

I've always been interested in what's going on over at Circle A cycles. I've been lucky enough to see a couple of their bikes in person and really like what they've been doing.

A few days ago Emily over at Circle A sent me a link to this:
http://www.circleacycles.com/emily/?m=200706

The paint scheme was inspired by Jason's bike

A pretty cool interpretation of Jason's original stocking (bows and seams) design.

street bar/stem combo proto-type

2007-06-15T16:30:00.000-07:00

I really have a thing for quill stems...here is a stem/bar proto-type I just finished. I'm going to give this one away @ the VeloCity event in Kenosha.

Two Jonny Cycles frames for sale....

2007-06-12T08:39:00.000-07:00

Two separate customers contacted me in the same week looking to sell their frames (odd coincidence?). If your interested, or want to know more send me an e-mail and I'll put you in contact with them.

Jonny Cycles stock frame prototype: I built this frame to display at the last North American Handmade Bicycle Show. This is Jonny Cycles TIG welded frame #1. Its never been built up. The customer bought it at the show and was going to race it, but one of his major sponsors filed for bankruptcy so now the frame is available again.
Details:
55 cm top and seat tube (center to center)
74.5 degree head tube, 3 cm of rake
75 degree seat tube
6 cm bb drop
38.5 cm chainstays
1" threadless fork
Campagnolo Chorus headset included
Excellent candy blue paint by Doug Fattic.
A steel at $1000 + shipping

The other bike for sale is one of my favorites. I built it for John in LA...but he's went though a career change and is no longer in LA and a nice around town fixie is no longer what he needs.

Here the drawing for the bike - http://jonnycycles.com/misc/jk0027.pdf

More photos here:
http://jonnycycles.com/trackpix6.html
http://www.jonnycycles.com/progress/John.html

This bike has been ridden a fair amount, and although I have not seen it recently its in good condition.

Madison!

2007-06-06T16:40:00.001-07:00

The last cookout was so much fun that we're having another one here at the shop.

This Sunday, June 10th. 5 pm until?

There will be some food here, and of course a grill so if your picky or hungry make sure to bring some food.

See you there?

Kenosha!

2007-06-06T16:34:00.000-07:00

This is a pretty cool event thats coming up fast: June 23rd in Kenosha

http://cyclehawk.com/velocity/

Milwaukee!

2007-06-01T08:23:00.001-07:00

If your interested I have a cool frame for sale...

2007-05-22T11:44:00.000-07:00

My 58 cm 3Rensho road frameset on Ebay

More photos here:
http://jonnycycles.com/rensho.html

Madison bike polo #1

2007-05-09T11:20:00.000-07:00

Check it out, the Madison bike polo team won the Midwest Bike Polo Championships! I helped them get some nice brown deep V rims for their rides....

http://www.justcoffee.net/blog/admin/2007/05/07/team_jc_repeats_as_midwest_bike_polo_champeeens_in_chicago

Sunday cookout

2007-05-03T04:47:00.000-07:00

Since its spring, nice weather is here, and we have this nice new shop we're having a cookout on Sunday. Beer, food, bikes, cool people....what more could you want really?

There should be food for everyone (meat, vegetarian, and vegan), but feel free to bring your own stuff if you want.

5 pm until ?

4235 Argosy Court, Unit A
here is a map

If your biking its not that far (5 minutes from the old shop behind Revolutions). Just take the bike path all the way to Cottage Grove Road. Take a left on the sidewalk under Stoughton Road. Cut through the Mexicali Rose parking lot (can't miss it...gaudy pink restaurant). Take a left on Atlas, and a right on Argosy.

If your driving, well that's your fault.

See you there?

Urban Cyclist

2007-05-01T05:08:00.000-07:00

There is a great new cycling zine....the first issue is out and you should read it:

http://www.urbancyclist.org/issue1/UrbanCyclist_Issue1_covers.html

I think this first issue is great and I'm really excited to see more.

Eric's stem

2007-04-25T11:04:00.000-07:00

Just received some photos from Eric out in LA today. I built him a stem with integrated bottle cage mount to go with his single speed Jonny Cycles cross bike. The original bottle mount was a little to flexible and broke (hey it was a prototype...!), but the new one is working great and Eric sent me a note along with the photos.

"got the faceplate last night and installed it in the dark of the garage. seems super solid - thanks. will take it on maiden voyage later today if it stops raining. or fuck it, even if it's raining!!!!!"

More Fixed Gear Gallery

2007-04-17T05:57:00.000-07:00

Linwood posted his new bike to the gallery:

http://fixedgeargallery.com/2007/apr/LinwoodHines_3.htm

Linwood was allot of fun to work with and always makes me blush with his comments:

"My (finally) first ride! This evening. Man, it rides GREAT! Fits GREAT! WOW! It's so smooth - comfortable - just a little stiff - stand and mash - she GOES! Thank you for a great bike!"

--------

In other news: Sorry I haven't been updating the blog much lately. I've been busy moving into the new shop. Every things pretty much setup, and I've been getting some actual work done which is always a good thing. Tomorrow the internet/phone will finally be set up at the shop so I'll have more time to post and update the site then.

Movin' on up and into spring!

2007-03-31T05:44:00.000-07:00

Things have been a little hectic in the shop lately. Between paint scheduling hassles, NAHBS, and having to find a new shop space I've been a little frazzled. If you have contacted me by e-mail or phone lately I apologize for being a little slow with the response.

Anyway...winter is finally over (I hope) and spring is here. I've solved my paint scheduling issues, recovered from NAHBS, and best of all we have found a new shop space. I've been moving around quite a bit in the 5 years I've been building frames, and so far every move has been good. I started out in the basement of the Yellow Jersey. Andy Muzi was very helpful and I would have never gotten started building frames without his influence. Great guy, and without a doubt the most interesting person I know. I quickly outgrew my corner in the Yellow Jersey basement so I worked out a deal with my friend Jeff to work in a warehouse space that he had. While the space had a great central location (which is nearly impossible to find for cheap in Madison) it was unheated and lacked water so as you can imagine it was a tough winter. Jeff also owns a bike shop in town, Revolution Cycles. When he moved into a new larger shop awhile back I graciously took his offer to work in the back of his shop. Since I've been at Jeff's shop I've acquired allot of new equipment and have found two more people to share the space with. Now our 300 sq ft shop is just too small for all of us (sometimes there will be four of us working...and its annoying to bump elbows when your filing!). After a little searching Ahren and I found a great space. Ideally we would have liked to be more centrally located but since Madison isn't much of an industrial city there isn't much space that's suitable for our needs. We finally settled on a space that's a 5 minute bike ride from our current shop so its not too far out.

The new address will is 4235 Argosy Court, Unit A. Madison, WI 53704. We're moving tomorrow (April 1st). After we move in I intend to actually keep regular hours as I will no longer be working any of my other part time jobs (bike courier and bike mechanic). Who knows....maybe I'll even be able to take a day (or two!!!) off every week.

The new space is huge (1500 sq feet) and I'm not sure we know what to do with it all yet...but I'm sure we'll fill it up quick enough. Here are some quick photos of the space:

ZR Cycles

2007-03-29T04:52:00.000-07:00

My assistant/shopmate/friend Zack Reilly has been making a few frames lately. Here is his latest that he made for our friend Mark (the Spark):

This frame is to replace Marks Cinelli track frame that was stolen (or maybe re-claimed depending on who you talk to). The frame Zack built is way cooler than the Cinelli.

See more of this one here:

http://fixedgeargallery.com/2007/mar/Zackrielley.htm

And more of his bikes are here:
http://www.zrcycles.com/

Zack has been working a little for me over the past couple years. If you have a Jonny Cycles frame there is a good chance he mitered some of your tubes, machined your crown race, and polished your stainless lugs.

More NAHBS photos?!

2007-03-23T04:23:00.000-07:00

Brad from Dirt rag took allot of great photos at the show. You should check it out as its the best collection of good photos I've seen so far:

http://www.dirtragmag.com/gal/showgallery.php?cat=648&page=1

Brad took some great photos of my new cross frame, which I just built up last night and am riding to Milwaukee later today (in road bike mode....its spring not fall):

Fixed Gear Gallery Interview

2007-03-21T05:27:00.000-07:00

If you haven't checked out the Fixed Gear Gallery in awhile, you should. Dennis has been doing allot of great things with the site: The forum is quite active, there are lots of interviews and articles, the schedule for the third annual Fixed Gear Symposium is up (its going to be even better this year!), and of course there thousands of photos of fixed gear bikes.

Dennis and Bill from the FGG were out at the Handmade Bike Show. While out there they took lots of photos and did lots of interviews which are all here: http://www.fixedgeargallery.com/reports/nahbs2007/

They're not done and are still adding photos and interviews daily. A couple of days ago they just added the Jonny Cycles section, which includes an interview with me. I haven't listened to the interview yet (I hate listening to myself)...so let me know if it was good or bad! Here is the Jonny Cycles page:
http://www.fixedgeargallery.com/reports/nahbs2007/exhibitors/jonnycycles/

3Rensho frame repair

2007-03-14T05:31:00.000-07:00

I do the occasional frame repair, but since I'm always busy building frames I turn down allot of repairs or forward them on to the Yellow Jersey here in town as they are much faster. Usually I just do stuff for friends, or more often now friends of friends, or stuff that really interested in. Awile back Roberto contacted me and wanted me to replace the downtube in his 3Rensho. Usually I reccomend against such large repairs since its a fair amount of time (and thus money) to replace the tube, and then there is the whole re-paint that has to be done. In this case it was a fairly rare frame (large 58 cm 3Rensho track frame) and it had a good story to go along with it so we decided to repair it.

Aparantley while the bike was locked in NYC a thief attempted to steal it by cutting through the downtube. Fortunatley he was caught in the act, but unfortunatley he had already cut through the downtube. !?

Some photos of the repair in progress:

After fresh new paint, good as new...or maybe better than new?

back from NAHBS

2007-03-07T05:52:00.000-08:00

I'm finally back from the show. All bikes are accounted for and the final piece of lost luggage arrived yesterday. It was great having Jason at the show with me as we could take turns watching the table so we could both get around and check out all the other exhibitors.

I was quite happy with the show and consider it a successful trip. Talked to lots of people, made lots of new contacts, sold some stuff.... I didn't win any awards, but I really didn't expect to. I was happy to have some of my favorite bikes at the show but with the exception of the pink bike (which should have had its own category) none of them were overly flashy attention getting bikes. I was happy to see that my favorite exhibitor (Carlos) won an award. It was also great to have a booth next to ANT. I met Mike and Betsy last year and it was fun to chat with them again. I purchased a copy of Richard Sach's new photo book http://www.richardsachs.com/rsachstoys.html which is great....everyone should have a copy!

Here is my unofficial awards list:

Tony Pereira of Pereira Cycles ruled the show with the most awards. Three. Best MTB, road, and fillet brazed.

Brian Baylis won best lugged bike and best paint job

Calfee got best carbon

Roark got best Titanium

Ahearne best town bike

Bohemian best Tandem and Peoples choice award

Bruce Gordon, best of show.

Best new builder was won by Carlos Martell of Maldoror Cycles.

Dario Pergoetti was awarded the "Presidents" choice award.

"Framebuilder of the Year" award on the table of Steve Garro of Coconino Cycles.

more photos:

http://www.dirtragmag.com/gal/showgallery.php?cat=648&page=1

http://flickr.com/search/?q=nahbs&w=59878729%40N00

http://www.flickr.com/photos/track_daddy/sets/72157594568270720/

http://www.cyclofiend.com/nahbs/show2007/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/tags/nahbs2007/?page=10

http://www.frameforum.net/forum2/index.php?automodule=gallery&cmd=sc&cat=14&sort_key=date&order_key=DESC&prune_key=30&st=0

http://fixedgeargallery.com/reports/nahbs2007/

http://alexandchristine.smugmug.com/gallery/2522324#P-1-9