“What is this thing?!”
This past October at the Oregon Bicycle Builders’ Show, Jonathan Maus of bikeportland.org stopped by the booth and was looking at this crazy bike of mine. I tried to sum it up as succinctly as possible: “It’s a mixte off road touring 29er commuter monster truck thing, with a flask cage.” Something like that.
The bike was hanging on a stand at the back of my booth. I’d been riding it for a couple of months without paint, and it had a nice patina of rust going. When Jonathan was done taking in all that information the only question he could think to ask was, “Why?” The only proper answer to that is, “Because I can.”
custom rack
Eli Light Road
RoadThis light, sexy road bike was designed for comfort on the long rides. It's a very classy lugged frame with a small front rack for a handlebar bag, with an integrated light mount on the rack. The stem and fenders are powder coated to match, and the whole bike is a simple design that mixes the best of the classics with a taste for the modern.
Kare Touring
TouringKare's touring bicycle is built first and foremost as a comfortable, stable, solid touring machine. Utilizing lugs and oversized tubing, this bicycle has an elegant, "classic" feel, and compromises nothing in the way of stability for a larger rider, especially when the bike is fully loaded for travel. There are S&S couplers so the bike can be packed to travel anywhere, and even the front rack breaks down so there's less risk in damage while in transit. It's got disc brakes, a front generator hub and a stem mounted light.
Joseph Touring
TouringThis bike was built with the thought in mind that here in the northwestern US, there are more miles of logging roads and forest service roads than there are paved roads. So why not build a camping bike that can truly endure the long out-back haul. This bike was built with an up-right touring geometry, and adds some elements of the 29er mtb. Expect to see more of this style of bike in the future -- it's a great multi-purpose bike that can really go the distance.