NAHBS: Michael Cleaver

hey there mike cleaver. nice to see you at NAHBS. your bike was lovely as are you in a little bastard kind of way. mama loves you even so.

cleaver you brought this awesome long john. i especially like the bucket and am intrigued by the potbellied truss.

inside the bucket, a street sign. delightful!

made in milano

meet frenchie's italian cousin. Hand made by emilio bozzi for legnano in milano. swoon.
this mixte is exquisite all decked out in campagny.
after seeing the legnano locked to a pole and shooting away, i got lucky enough to see her glide down 18th Street. I ran to the stop light to get this shot. click. happy day.

freeman makes snoball swoon

this beautiful freeman handbuilt parked next to me and I was instantly in love.

copper fork, copper brazing, white tires, beautiful logo, oh my.

and as if the bike wasn't already outstanding, it's coupled too.  there is room for a freeman in my collection.

van hulsteijn

rad.

Frances and Me

I first saw a Frances cycle parked at the Ferry Building last fall. At that time, I was speculating it's origin and admiring it's beauty. Then in November 2009, I went to the SF Bike Expo and learned that Frances cycles are made by the most talented Josh Muir of Santa Cruz, CA. I instantly fell in love with his mixte frame, first mistaking it for an old bike(it reminds me of a pre-war roadmaster that I've had for years). It was the first time I'd seen an unfinished, unpainted hand built bike frame. I learned that Frances is Josh's mother's name. This picture is of Josh, Frances, and the mixte that caught my eye and stuck in my brain. I'm getting one. More to come on the subject, dear readers.

hopworksfiets

a beautiful bike and foto by metrofiets, a frame builder in portland. they do dutch "bakfiets" style cargo bikes and the hopworksfiets is just one example of their exquisite hand work. check out this link to metrofiet's Flickr hopworksfiets gallery.

custom bike for tall person

curved seat stays, curved seat post, super rad head badge,this beauty appears to be handmade. holy frances.