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Villin Cycle Works - NAHMBS |
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Written by R. Jorgensen
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Tuesday, 04 March 2008 |
Villin Cycle Works
North American Handmade Bicycle Show
Portland, OR
February 8-10, 2008
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Alexis Dodd is from Gainesville, Florida. I walked right up to him and told him that I had recently rolled into town looking for him. Oh, he said I sold the bike shop. I'm down the street now in an industrial building. O.K. next trip I thought. That's great he said I know a nice little Pizza Joint you can buy me lunch at when you come. This just might be the type of relationship one expects from a custom frame builder.
His classic "Belvedere" model is a top seller. I saw a photograph of it in Dirt Rag a few years back. His ex- Bike shop had one in the window. At the North American Hand Made Bicycle Show his work has changed.
He had borrowed a rear hub from a buddy. It set the tone for the entire bike. You remember the hub. It was an internal 2 speed. You just pushed back a touch while coasting and it would grab the other speed. So with it the bike seemed to evolve.
The other show special was right out of home-maker's hell. I've been remodeling a bathroom now for some twenty years, and when I looked at his Hammered Lug I thought it was the sink I'll never own. I'll probably look him up next time I'm riding at Santos. It's that great mountain bike park that stretches for some 40 mile in the middle of Gatorland.
Roger
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; "click to enlarge")
