Some Words From Mark on His Road Bike
Mark picked up his road bike a couple of weeks ago and he sent me an email that I wanted to share but things have been so crazy here the past couple of weeks that I have not had the chance. My wheel builder, apprentice, partner in crime, and best friend, Tommy, got hit by a car and was in the hospital. He is expected to make a full recovery but it was traumatic. On top of that, I am in full NAHBS rush craziness, so I have been working nonstop and probably will be for the next month and a half.
Anyway, thanks Mark for the email! You can check out more pictures of Mark’s bike here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/bishopbikes/sets/72157627880306072/with/6588778537/
Happy New Year!
I’ve ridden my bike for three straight days. It is wonderful!
It has a nice lively feel without being too stiff. There are two old railroad bridges on the local bike trail that are surfaced with 3′ concrete “planks” with uneven seams. I rode over them pretty fast and did not get any nasty jarring. The geometry, tube set, and fork must all be contributing to this really great ride.
By the second day, the bike felt natural to me. The positioning is good too. It feels
like I am a bit less stretched out than on my Parlee.
I love the sound of the rear hub. I have some nice wheels with Hugi and DT Swiss hubs but the ratchet in the White Industries sounds much nicer.
Bryan’s paint work is well worth waiting for. The points on his chevrons are so precise and sharp it is really amazing.
My biggest problem is not wanting to hang the bike on my wall and not get it dirty. I slowed way down when going through some very shallow standing water.
Bottom line is that I am really happy with the bike!
MS Track Bike for Sale
Although I hate to do it, the MS track I showed at NAHBS is now for sale (frame and fork; wheels and other parts optional). I originally built this bike for myself and I love it, but I could never bring myself to ride it around town as a bike messenger because I am too hard on my bikes. Bike is 57.5 c-t, with 56 tt. Mint, never ridden. Need to make room and $ for new addition. Contact me at baltimess265@yahoo.com if interested. This bike really needs to be ridden! Won best steel bike at NAHBS 2011.
Jinbok’s Cyclocross Bike
Jinbok contacted me last winter about using my last complete set of gilco tubes for a single-speed cross bike. I thought it would be a cool project and I wanted to do something classic with this bike, so I added cutouts to the head tube lugs and did a more traditional seat cluster. The bike in these photos is built up partially with parts that Jinbok will be using (Gipiemme) and parts I had to complete the bike for pics before I sent it out to California to Jinbok. gearing etc not final, Fresh Frame as always did a great job on paint! Pics by John Fabrizio.
News, Bikes, etc., etc.
This is a bike I built for Bicycling Magazine. It is in the December issue which is out right now. This bike is for sale as a frameset, or built up as is with the rare limited Tour de France Sram Red Group, Rolf Elan wheels with custom blue graphics, 3T LTD stem,bars, and post. I can also build it up with whatever components you can dream of. The 72.5 degree seat tube is 54 cm c-t and it has a 55 cm top tube c-c. the head tube is 73 degrees with the fork raked to 43 mm. If you want more geometry info just e-mail me. The downtube is Columbus Spirit for lugs, the seat tube is a Custom Columbus tube that tapers from 28.6 at the seat cluster to 31.7 at the BB shell to stiffen up the drive train. The top tube and headtube are True Temper OX Plat with True Temper fork blades. The rear triangle is KVA MS2 stainless steel brushed with polished stainless drop outs. The fork crown and front drop outs are also polished stainless steel. The top of the line paint was done by Bryan at fresh frame which you really have to see in person to really appreciate. The bike is going to be stiff in the bottom bracket area where you want it with a lively feel overall that only steel can deliver. photo by John Watson.
Two other bikes that came back from paint recently, John’s road and Khalil’s fixed. John is local Marylander, while Khalil is in Australia. Lots of contrasts between these two bikes, with Khalil’s bike being more of a classic Italian style with a little more flash, whereas John’s bike is more understated and traditional. Both were fun to make.
Photos of these bikes were taken by John Watson (http://prollyisnotprobably.com/) at they Philly Bike show, and more are posted on my flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/bishopbikes/ and John’s flickr as well.
In other news, besides, Bicycling Magazine, there are a couple recent publications featuring Bishop Bikes that I would like to acknowledge and thank:
Marc, from Steel Magazine, a French publication, did an interview on me and the issue is out now. http://www.steelmagazine.fr/
Also, Adam from Cycle Efix included a Bishop bike in the 2012 bike calender.
http://www.cycleexif.com/ http://www.magcloud.com/browse/issue/284019
Thanks guys for including me in your media!
One hole that these recent interviews have pointed out to me is that no one really knows my background regarding bikes and my career choice(s). I guess I take that for granted because I live it, but I know that history is an important part of why people choose a framebuilder or why they think someone is capable of building them a bike that fits and rides like they want it to. My bio is definitely lacking and that is something I am working on now. So soon, I will be posting a rather extensive history for anyone interested that will detail (in writing and pictures) my life-long involvement with and passion for bikes.
Jinbok’s Cross Bike/Philly Bike Show
So, Jinbok is another repeat customer; last year, I built him a Columbus Max road bike (shown below):
And this year, he came back for a cross frame. Jinbok really liked the Gilco tubes and requested my last complete set for his cross bike. My goal was to build a nice, classic, lugged cross frame. The frame, fork, and stem are finished and off to Fresh Frame for paint. The paint is going to be a simple but classic paint job that I think will show off the details and finish work of the frame well.
Also, the Philly Bike Show is coming up next weekend! I will be in a booth with Bryan from Fresh Frame. Khalil’s fixed gear, John’s Road, Jinbok’s cross (hopefully), and Bicycling Mag road bikes will be coming with me. Come check them out and all the other great builders, painters, and vendors at the show. I’m really looking forward to it. Philly Bike Show, Oct 29 & 30: http://www.phillybikeexpo.com/Home.html
Charm City Cross
I know it’s a little late to post, but Charm City Cross is going on in Baltimore tomorrow and Sunday! Although I will not be racing, I will be there to support Tommy, my friend and indispensable business partner, as he races on his Bishop. I am excited for the races and to support Twenty20 Cycling and Baltimore racing.
More info here:
http://www.twenty20cycling.com/racing/charm-city-cross/
Two Bikes to Paint
Just finished John’s road bike/light tourer; it was designed to be a simple comfortable bike that fits 35 mm tires and uses long-reach brakes; it has a long wheelbase. John was adamant about not having fender mounts, so we left those off. I am also digging the seat stay plugs for this bike, which I got from Richard Sachs.
More pics at http://www.flickr.com/photos/bishopbikes/sets/72157627420675945/
I also am almost finished with Khalil’s bike. He’s a customer from Australia, who really liked the red and white italian style track bike I did a few years ago. This bike is modeled after that bike but with a few tweaks/improvements and some new details. I am working on a bar/stem combo for the bike and finishing the bridge. I wanted to do something special for the bridge, so I had to think about it for awhile. Should be done soon, and off to paint.
More pics here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/bishopbikes/sets/72157627415771664/
Philly Bike Expo…
The Philly Bike Show is a little over 2 months away. I guess it seems closer to me because some of the bikes I am working on now and in the coming months, I will be taking to the show. I enjoyed the show last year and am excited to hang out with other builders/friends I don’t get to see that often. Come out if you can make it.
I will be going to the D2R2 Event in Deerfield, MA, later this month as well. It will be my first time, but I hear it is a blast. I will be picking up another milling machine in VT while I am up there, so I can kill two birds with one stone on this trip.
Finally, I will also be dropping off a bike to Bill Strickland on my way up to D2R2. He contacted me earlier this year, and asked if I wanted to do a bike to be reviewed in Bicycling Magazine. Although, it was a lot of work to fit in, I definitely appreciated the chance to show what I can do. Thanks Bill and Bicycling for the opportunity. The bike is finished, and Tommy will be picking it up from paint (Fresh Frame) tomorrow. It really reflects my own aesthetic style and how I think a good steel bike should ride. I think Bill and whoever else will be test riding it from the magazine will really enjoy it. I did not post any pictures of the build on flickr, because I am kind of keeping it under wraps. However, I will most likely be bringing it to the Philly Bike Expo and will probably post pics of the bike all built up in the next few weeks.
More pics of Khalil’s bike, my first customer from Australia, will be up soon on flickr…
Jo’s Bike
Recently, we went to England and France for a vacation, and also had two bikes to drop off along the way. This is Jo’s bike, that we delivered in Paris, where my wife’s brother, Rob, and his family live. Jo met us at Rob’s apartment and we talked and hung out for awhile, and of course delivered his bike. I really am happy that I had the opportunity to meet Jo in person. He was interesting and engaging and really excited, and being able to meet in person definitely enhanced the transaction for both of us.
Jo’s bike is made from Columbus Spirit tubes, KVA stainless rear triangle, MKS dropouts, and Columbus Air fork. We did a similar paint job as the MS bike, except for the different colors and the stainless rear. I really like how the bridge on this bike turned out too, but unfortunately I don’t have any good pics of it painted. Jo is planning on sending more pictures when the bike is completely built.
Paul’s Road Bike
Paul’s Road Bike, originally uploaded by bishopbikes.
I built up Paul’s road bike before we left on vacation. Paul sent me an email a few days ago:
“Chris- Just got back from my first real ride on my new bike (I went out on Friday and got caught in a deluge – the tires grip well…); and without trying to set a record, broke my best time by 2:30 minutes coming in at 43 minutes versus my previous record of 45:35 for a ten mile ride. The bike’s fantastic. A full 10 lbs lighter than my Falcon, rides as well if not better over bumpy terrain, very quick, very responsive yet more stable on the downhill runs. The bike certainly exceeded any expectations I might of had for a steel bike. You do great work! Thanks for your effort and your commitment to quality materials, beautiful form, and superb execution. Great work! -Paul.”
These are the best emails. More pics on flickr.
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Chris Bishop builds custom bicycle frames in Baltimore Maryland. Learn more...
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