FIETSPAD MAGAZINE

Riding a bicycle is one of the best pleasures life has to offer. Riding a bicycle that was built by the hands of a master craftsman is even more of a treasure. A resident of Montana, Chris talks to Fietspad Magazine about his craft; Boedie Cycles.

It’s 8:00 AM and 27 degrees in my poorly insulated garage which doubles as the production center for Boedie Cycles. I only have an hour and a half before I head to my paying job.

My current project is a step-through townie for my wife, Erin, which I have affectionately nicknamed the un-Mixte. The frame, fork, rack and stem are all complete – just the little details, braze-ons, head badge and bridges, remain to be done. The problem with having two jobs, the one that pays the bills and the one that truly inspires me, is that there is never enough time to finish all of these projects in a timely manner.

I got my start into building bike frames in 2007 with the encouragement of my wife, and help from Craigslist and UBI. A 15-year career as a bicycle mechanic had left me with the need to expand my horizons. I purchased a used Victor torch from a local Seattle welding instructor who gave me a crash course into using it in a dark, empty parking lot. I spent the winter messing around in the garage teaching myself how to braze. My first project was replacing the dropouts of an old Trek road bike with track ends. In March, I headed to Ashland, OR to attend a two-week bike brazing course from which the Lithium Flyer was born, the bike that has continued to be my trusty commuting companion.

Lacking the ability to invest alot of money into equipment, I have relied heavily on my own muscle, a variety of trusty files and a hacksaw to construct over a dozen bikes, a few custom racks and perform a plethora of frame repairs. From the beginning with the Bike CAD drawing to the placement of the braze-ons, the process of building a frame has many small steps that have to happen in order for the completed project to be a success. For instance, tube mitering, the act of shaping the tube ends so that they will form the appropriate angle and fit the shape of the tube that they mate. Most builders will use a vertical or horizontal mill to miter their tubes, which helps speed up the process. Without this luxury, I use a hacksaw, files and a bevel protractor to hand miter every tube to insure a seamless fit from tube to tube. Mitering a tube by hand takes roughly fifteen minutes, depending on the complexity of the angle and tube shape. An accurate miter is one of basic steps that will build a straight frame.

When the miters are finished, next comes the meticulous cleaning of the metal before the actual joining can happen. The surfaces have to be void from all oils and dirt in order for the brass and silver to adhere, insuring a strong joint. I clean both chemically with alcohol and physically with emory cloth. From here, I load the front triangle of the frame into the jig and double check all my angles and measurements before I tack the tubes. Even the tacking process has a certain order to build a straight frame. I only tack the tubes along the vertical axis on both the top and bottom of each joint, then I pull it out of the jig to check alignment, make any adjustments that are needed, and then finish brazing the joint. Just about any frame builder you talk to will have their own sequence that they have refined to get to the end product.

My journey as a frame builder has had plenty of ups and downs. Some days I am extremely proud of the work that I produce while other days are clouded by frustration where I doubt the time, money and energy that I have invested into my operation. However, I am living my dream.

When I start in on a new frame, I work hard to create a fit and design that not only functions perfectly, but something that catches the eye. It is immensely satisfying to intimately inspect a bicycle that I have just received back from the painters. I am even more proud when the lucky recipient has nothing to offer but glowing praise of their new bike. I want the rider to be just as proud of their Boedie and to constantly have to field questions from on-lookers about their custom bike.

I value American manufacturing. With so much of our manufacturing going overseas, it’s no wonder that unemployment is so high. I really do appreciate when someone makes the conscious decision to support an American frame builder or business and spend their money on-shore. All I can ever hope for is that my bikes keep their riders happy and that the community keeps supporting what I do so I can give back to the community. – Chris