Chris Kvale Minneapolis Studio Visit
Photos and words by Jarrod Bunk

Chris Kvale is a humble perfectionist, every stroke of his file and pass of his torch honed the last forty years.  When I walked into Kvale’s studio, I couldn’t hold my focus, everywhere I looked there was something that snapped my attention away from what I was gazing at moments prior.

Kvale isn’t just a frame builder. He, in fact, raced for 22 years, even setting a transcontinental record at one point on frames built of his own hands.  The design of his bicycles have a purpose, but also make the statement of his love affair with them.  As you can imagine after many years Chris has developed some of his own tools, and everything in his workshop has a place.  Kvale, is a one-stop shop for handbuilt frames, frame repairs, and paint, with the whole process performed in this space.

This is a small glimpse into his operation, one I was lucky enough to share a brief moment in before he left the states as he does every year, only to return to every tool, torch, and tube in its place.

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