The Radavist

Thick Bikes is arguably the best bike shop in Pittsburgh. What started out as Chris Beech’s custom BMX shop has grown into one of the largest shops in the Iron City. Every few months, Thick Bikes would take over more and more of their massive, sprawling warehouse. While it’s easy to document the retail side of the shop, I fell in love with the back mechanic’s area, which served its purpose of offering up some gorgeous machinery to document.

Check out more from my Shop Visit to Thick Bikes below!

Pittsburgh doesn’t exactly have the nicest weather. For 9 months out of the year, the foreboding skies loom overhead and afternoon showers are a commonplace. While track bikes and fixed gears have their hold on the cycling community, the commuter marketplace is bourgeoning. Companies like ClankWorks began in Carnegie Mellon University’s halls. Benjamin Wojtyna and Drew Hendrickson began ClankWorks after they graduated in 2009. Two years later and the guys have hit a home run with their Pinch bike stand and Plank fenders: both of which use the highly-versatile and sustainable material, bamboo.

Check out more from my Shop Visit to ClankWorks below!

No matter who I talked to in Pittsburgh and no matter what kind of bikes they were into, they all said “you HAVE to go to Kraynick’s bike shop”. So as I was making the rounds of shops in the Iron City, I swung by and man, it was something else.

Check out more photos from my Shop Visit to Kraynick’s Bike Shop below!

Box Dog Bikes‘ reputation precedes itself. Before I even booked my plane ticket to go to SF, I always wanted to do a Shop Visit on them. Everything I’ve seen and heard about the shop just stuck out to me as being my kinda place. From the super-chill staff, to their in-house rando frames and even the location, Box Dog Bikes is the shit!

Check out more photos from my Shop Visit to Box Dog Bikes below!

If there is any company in the urban cycling world that deserves the hustler award, it’s Mission Workshop. When the guys who started MW got their momentum going, there was no stopping them! Only a year or so into the company and their bags are not only one of the most iconic messenger bags in the industry, they’re also one of the most popular. It’s kinda hard to comprehend just how Bart and the crew operate out of this small warehouse on Rondel Place in the Mission but they do!

Check out more photos from my SF Shop Visit to Mission Workshop below!

I tend to like the bike shops that posses what I call “vintage steez”. Sure, I have my alliances with vintage steel and 1″ steerers but who can seriously say that a vintage road or track bike isn’t one of the most elegant machines ever designed? I’m sure that’s a stretch but after visiting a shop like Citizen Chain Cyclery in SF last week, I’d doubt anyone would be able to just walk in and out without taking note of the Beautiful Bicycles hanging from their walls and ceiling.

Check out more photos from my visit to Citizen Chain Cyclery below!

One of the more secluded shops I got to visit while I was in SF was the DZR warehouse. Located around the corner from the famous 111 Minna spot, the space is iconic, well-lit and has a ton of potential if DZR ever decides to open up a retail spot or showroom (hint hint).

Check out more photos from my Shop Visit to the DZR Warehouse below!

Back in mid-April, I sat down with Jared from Levi’s and discussed their new commuting cycling line. At that meeting, we sketched out ideas for a Viking denim jacket and when I was in SF last week, I swung through the Levi’s Tailor Shop to check in on the progress.

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In last week‘s Toyota Prius Project concept bike entry, we saw how over time, the Parlee team refined their design dialog to adopt what we’re referring to at the moment as an aero road bike style. Since Parlee has the capabilities of producing proprietary monocoque lugwork in house, the concept bike can take on a design language of its own and morph into something unlike anything Parlee has created in the past. But before we dive into that too much, let’s look at the process that Parlee uses to fabricate their bicycles.

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When you think of the term, frame building, what kind of connotations arise? Shavings, mills, flux and steel right? As commonplace as steel framebuilders are nowadays, there are very few that are still making aluminum bikes, much less aluminum track bikes. That’s where Low Bicycles comes in. Andrew Low began building track bikes in 2010 after a he got tired of making roll cages for off-road vehicles in Colorado.

Now he’s got a small shop in the Mission in SF where he designs, fabricates and even heat treats his frames.

Check out more photos from my Shop Visit to Low Bicycles below!

When you think of San Francisco and track bikes, one word comes to mind: Mash. Over the years, the Mash crew has supported riding of all kinds and there comes a time when an online store just doesn’t cut it anymore. Over the past few months, Mike has been working on a shop on 14th street at the base of Twin Peaks. I swung by the other day to take photos of the shop.

Check out more photos of my Shop Visit to Mash SF below!

Friday I caught up with the Rapha Cycling Club SF‘s progress. Everyone was putting on the finishing touches, doing inventory and installing millwork. I couldn’t shoot photos of the entire space, but I did manage to capture some interesting architectural details as well as some in-store exclusives like the mug above.

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For decades, the design of the bicycle has stayed relatively the same: two wheels, a mechanism to propel said wheels and a steering column to navigate its path. While this description is very vague, the design and refinement of the bicycle has become very specialized over time. Road bikes, cross bikes and touring bikes all have specific design qualities: nuances that make them different. So where do you start when you’re working on a project with Toyota Prius Projects and Parlee Cycles? Both are known for their use of proprietary technology and innovation but how does that that translate into a frame design? Much less, an entire bicycle? Two weeks ago, I visited Parlee Cycles to document the design process of the concept bike build inspired by Prius innovations.

Check out more below!

For the past few months, I’ve been involved in a project with two of the largest names in the automotive and cycling industry: Toyota and Parlee Cycles. While both companies have their own unique approaches to their respective industries, they have a common goal: to develop cutting edge and sustainable products. Back in January, I got a call from the Toyota Prius Projects, asking about how I felt about working on a project with Parlee Cycles. At first, I didn’t know what to think. What did cars have to do with bikes?

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Some of you may remember Open Bicycle, a small shop that opened in Union Square, Somerville a few years back. After Open closed its doors, co-owner Joshua Kampa opened up Arc En Ciel around the corner. Specializing in custom personalized bicycle repair, complete builds and consultation services, Arc En Ciel is your go-to source in the greater Boston area for building up your vintage ride. I swung through the shop last week to shoot photos and I ended up hanging out with Joshua and the guys while we talked bikes and drank beer for a few hours.

Check out more photos from my Shop Visit to Arc En Ciel Bicycle Studio below!

It seemed like ages since I first visited Geekhouse’s shop in Allston. A lot has happened at Geekhouse in between November and April. They had a successful year at NAHBS and their in-house powder coating company, Sugarcoat has really taken off. While I was up in the Boston-area this week, I popped by to see what the guys at Geekhouse were working on.

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As I mentioned before, I swung by what I call the “Cicli Devotion of Sommerville”, Arc en Ciel during my recent trip to the Boston area.

With its dimly-lit space, the studio offered up a rather warm environment that at first I thought was going to be difficult to photograph. But these photos prove otherwise. Expect more next week!

Where do I ever start with this shop? How about a little background? Tom opened Empire with his wife nearly 8 years ago and in that short time period, they’ve nestled themselves into a cornerstone position for the BMX industry. With a mile-long list of loyal companies and supporters, Tom’s not only built a storefront and a successful online shop, he’s built an Empire in Austin. After moving up north a few miles, the shop has more than enough space to grow and it’s only the beginning.

Check out more photos from my Shop Visit to Empire BMX below!