Oregon Cycling Magazine

by Nolan Chase, age 16

When we were in Portland for Filmed by Bike this spring, we had the opportunity to visit with framebuilder Joseph Ahearne, of Ahearne Cycles, in his Portland workshop. It’s a small shop, which he shares with a man who converts cars to biodiesel, and it’s where he builds his bicycles. Ahearne is a tall guy who looks like he’s just gotten out of bed. He’s been making frames for four years under the watchful eye of a shop cat. On a shelf, he has a five-foot tall trophy from this year’s Hand Made Bicycle show in San Jose, California. Next year the show will be in Portland, OR. Ahearne can’t wait.

He got his start several years ago making custom cages that can accommodate a flask of liquor. No more body-temperature booze!. He made several for friends, and took several with him to the Interbike show that year. He showed them to the guys at Surly, who made the flasks that Ahearne was fashioning cages for. It was as match made in bicycle heaven. The Surly folks immediately outfitted their bikes with Ahearne’s flask cages. From there, the quirky product made it into magazines and onto the internet, and soon he was getting hundreds of requests for them, from all over the world.

Ahearne’s slogan is, “Hand built with love and fury in Portland.” When asked about it, he said, “well, that’s pretty much what it means. I can be a temperamental guy!” His statement is supported by a beaten and burnt stool, which he says he throws around the shop when things aren’t going well.

Ahearne bicycles are upright bicycles, and they are commuter bikes, track bikes, and cyclocross bikes. To order them, you have to call him, and if you can tell him what you want, he will draw up plans for it, and send it to you for approval. “Most people, when it comes time to buy a custom bike, have a pretty good idea of what they want,” he says. If you still aren’t sure, then he will set you up with a bikefitter who can help you decide what dimensions would work best for you. A barebones track frame and fork runs about $1350, but you can take it as high as you want with all the extras and high-end components. Check out www.ahearnecycles.com for all the information.

Possibly Related

• July 2007: What I learned in school this year
• January 2007: ActiveTunes iRide stereo system
• June 2007: The hub bub about BikePortland.org
• August 2006: Alpenrose Velodrome Challenge 2006
• May 2007: CETMA racks are on the attack