fixed impressions

I’ve been sick and busy. Sorry about the gap in posting. The Vulture follow up is next. To those who offered photos…please send them!

More later.

Over and Out

G

Cacophony in prime time 12:00AM – 2:00AM EST tonite. This will be my regular time for the next 3 months. Listen by clicking below:

Click Here.

Tonite’s theme: House, Downtempo, IDM. In that order likely.

Remember you can IM requests, salutations, seductions, etc,… DJWRUV (AIM).

CALL LIVE 802-656-4399

Over and Out

G

Due to the undeniable popularity of the Vulture and Matt Chester Profiles, I’ve decided to try to do a few more…and maybe some follow up to the Vulture profile, as several Vulture owners have volunteered photos of the newer bikes.

Stay Tuned.

G

The Vulture used to be my neighbor. We both were living in one of the old mill ‘hoods in Bend, Oregon. Close to us was one of the last remaining mill buildings in Bend from its early logging days. Many of the houses there were built from mill scrap, barn boards and whatever the mill employees could pull together.
We lived just around the corner from each other in our little tiny “cottages.” It was a good time to live in Bend.

I saw a single speed over at his house one time when we were geeking-out on bikes. The “Sexy Single.” He had built it up for his girlfriend (who would actually ride it, occasionally anyway.) I’d seen a few single speeds before back in the early nineties when I was “racing” MTB. I wanted one.

At that point, the Vulture had built 8 or 9 bikes. I think all of those bikes, including the “Sexy Single” were crafted by the Vulture in his prior home: Flagstaff, Arizona. I built nine bikes in flagstaff, the first in 1996.The deal was cut. Wade would build me a single speed. Wade moved to my ‘hood’ in 98. Though early in his career, he had already created his box section seatstays. I was a bit skeptical from a technical view, but I relented. They looked so cool.

After I got my bike built, I rode it everywhere. It was green and people liked it. Word got out. Others started to buy single speed frames from Wade. He got his little shop set up and went to work. I’m not sure how many bikes got built in the “shed”…but at least a few. A couple years later he had a house and a much better garage shop. More frames. Interest in 700c bikes grew. He built me a cross frame (shifter.) Somewhere around this time he built himself a 700c something-or-other that was a single speed. New equipment was purchased during this phase that really helped him to improve his machining and welding. Nice frames were built during this phase.

Wade moved down to Fall River, a bit south of Bend.

The birth of his son only brought more fire and enthusiasm to his building. Fall River was a good spot for Wade to build. He had a good house with an even better garage. It’s concrete floor was very conducive to welding (i.e. it doesn’t catch fire if you screw up or get careless.) I think he built in Fall River for about a year. A local tandem and specialty builder based in Bend (Meridien) decided to cease operations about that time. The owner presented Wade, along with partner/painter D-Rock a good offer to buy out his operation, including some quality machinery, tubing, and parts. A deal was struck and Wade and D-Rock moved the shop outside Bend to the East. Quality now pushed to an all-time high.

The “Alfalfa” period lasted several years….with build times down to around a week, paint to die for….and increasing buzz in forums and mags, the Vulture Chromoly Dirt Bicycle was looking ready for prime time.

Well, life being the way it is…the overhead of the big shop, along with the vagueries of the custom frame business ultimately led to a minor downsizing and Vulture moved again. This time to the Westside, where the best frames to date have been built. Sadly, I’ve not seen that many of the newest frames myself, as after 7 years of High Desert living in Bend, 90210, I moved to Vermont. Of course that’s another story in and of itself. I am getting another 26″ inch single speed this spring. I’m very excited. I figure I better get another 26′er before they go the way of the dinosaur and the thumb shifter. Flame me all you want. But for me, it’s the way to go. Besides, It’s not like I don’t have some 700c bikes.

By the way. Chuck that make-a-new-name for shit. 29′rs are 700c bikes. I guess the MTB marketers thought that people wouldn’t go for the big wheel bike by calling them 700 “see-ers”, so they had to come up with some new shit to call it. Phhhht! I, for my money, prefer to call them “big wheels.” Whatever floats yer boat I s’pose.

Word on the street is that Vulture is headed back to the woods. In this case, the Deschutes River Woods, where there’ll be 4 generations of Vultures in the same compound. Go figger. The return of the nuclear family is arriving with the 21st Century. Hell, my mom built an addition on to my sister’s house where she lives now. It’s the latest craze. And it makes one stop shopping and visiting for me too!

Currently, Vulture is working on a Ti 700c, discs, eccentric BB. Prior to that was a steel, (geared) monster cross bike, 700c. Coming next after the Ti, is 700c fix, cromoly, simple and sweet. Somewhere in their will be my frame, a 26″ (how retro, eh?) steel single-speed.

Quality is at an all time high. Check out his site: Vulture Cycles Home Page.

Over and Out.

G

Almost finished, really.

By Monday.

Promise.

Vulture Wool Jerseys are available if you order right now from Nat Pellman. Send him an email and he’ll give you the details. $65 US short sleeve, $75 US long sleeve, I think.

Over and Out

G

OK. The cows are small and hard to see, but you get the idea.

Special Thanks to:

Nat, Alex, Hjalti…and all who support my efforts and who’ve been supportive of me at this tough time.

Love to all.

G