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I Got Lost at Swift Industries – Morgan Taylor

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I Got Lost at Swift Industries – Morgan Taylor

Words and photos by Morgan Taylor.

Swift Industries has been making bicycle bags by hand in Seattle for eight years now. The first four of those years were spent in Martina and Jason’s basement, laying the foundation for a company that to this day produces each of its products in-house. When orders kept coming in, and they needed to hire help, Swift Industries moved to the space you see here, in Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood.

Bokanev Goes Snow Yonder on Mt Baker

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Bokanev Goes Snow Yonder on Mt Baker

Photos by Andy Bokanev

I can’t begin to fathom weather like this, as it’s still 90 degrees here in Austin, but then again, we don’t have giants like Mt. Baker in our backyard and we’re pretty damn far south. Photos like these, taken just this weekend, serve as reminders of how truly powerful mother nature is.

Andy and Kelly decided to try to make it as far up Highway 542 as they could, not realizing it’d be literally under feet of snow. Even that couldn’t keep them from the Mountains of Madness…

See more at Bokanev.

Teague x Sizemore Wins the 2014 Oregon Manifest Bike Design Project

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Teague x Sizemore Wins the 2014 Oregon Manifest Bike Design Project

Hey, every single vote counts. It appears that Teague x Sizemore won the 2014 Oregon Manifest Bike Design Project!

“Voters have spoken and declared Seattle’s Denny the winner of the Bike Design Project’s design/build competition!  The Denny wowed voters with its ingenious handlebar lock design, unique fender system, automatic shifting and modern styling.

What an amazing week!  We received over 136,000 visitors during our seven day voting period;  viewers from all over the world have seen our five entry bikes. (Hello Denmark!)

Thanks to everyone who voted and sent us enthusiastic comments – all five of the Bike Design Project bikes have received an avalanche of praise and admiration.  Watch their videos here to revisit their many features.

Our manufacturing partner Fuji Bikes will be taking the Denny into production – in the future, you can own a Denny!”

Congrats to Teague and Sizemore! I can’t wait to see these bikes rolling into production.

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Teague x Sizemore Gets my Vote in the Bike Design Contest

Admittingly, I was first drawn to the Teague x Sizemore because of the overall frame design, but after really looking at all the details, I’m sold. While the handlebars might not be the most comfortable (looking), the lockbar combination is brilliant, as are the fenders. Those two details alone sold me on the design, because that’s what the Oregon Manifest has always been about: innovation.

The rest of the bikes have some clever details, like the Pensa + Horse Cycles expanding rack, but the Sizemore developed a few details that I could see catching on in the industry.

Seriously Taylor, you should send a set of those fenders to Bicycle Quarterly… Cast YOUR vote at the Bike Design Contest site and see some more details of the Teague x Sizemore design below.

Cast Your Vote for The Oregon Manifest’s New Bike Design Project

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Cast Your Vote for The Oregon Manifest’s New Bike Design Project

This year, the Oregon Manifest changed gears into the Bike Design Project. The idea was simple: five cities, five builders and five design offices would propose, construct and test a bicycle that was born from the DNA of their city’s unique demands.

Chicago’s MNML x Method Bicycle is pictured above, see the rest below and head over to the Bike Design Project to cast your vote. Which one do you think is my favorite?

Hahn’s Rossman 650B Dirt Tourer

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Hahn’s Rossman 650B Dirt Tourer

This bike has a long, jaded history, beginning with the early days of the Rapha Continental. I’ll let the story be told by others, because I’ll surely miss some important detail. The short of it is, this frame sat in two separate basements for over 10 years before finally being powder-coated and built up to be ridden on the last Brovet here in Austin (literally, he built it up the day before).

650B, tubeless-ready, Shimano 105, single speed convertible, off-road geometry and a bright orange paint make this Rossman a very unique and strange machine. Is it a “gravel grinder”, a tourer, or a cross bike? Who knows.

Hahn Rossman‘s builds have past the rigorous testings of Bicycle Quarterly and I have to say, this is my favorite bike of Hahn’s to date! Catch it at the Seattle cross races as Hahn thrashes it in the single speed division!

See more in the Gallery!

More Bike Raising: The Needle Gate Project

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More Bike Raising: The Needle Gate Project

The Needle Gate Project just exudes good vibes. A group of riders are pedaling from Seattle to SF (the Needle to the Golden Gate) for She Dances, an organization that provides holistic restoration for young girls who have been trafficked and sexually exploited…

Check out their video above and click-through for more info.

Sizemore Bicycle: Kelsey’s Road

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Sizemore Bicycle: Kelsey’s Road

Deciding on a custom frame for your significant other can be a bit of an ordeal. Lauren and I talked about her bike for what seemed like an eternity, so I can’t imagine what it’s like to physically build a bike for your spouse. Taylor Sizemore did just that. His wife Kelsey is a purist when it comes to road bikes. She likes traditional geometries, clearances and lugged aesthetics, so convincing her that a tig welded frame that would clear 28c tires was the way to go on this ride took some time. The bike looks great and Taylor did a stellar job documenting it. See for yourself below!

CSK: Physical Therapy

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CSK: Physical Therapy

The Collard Shirt Krew always brings the creative street riding to the forefront of FGFS and their newest video is no different. Some of the lines Tyler pulls here are absolutely insane. That footplant 270 is gnarly as is that last clip.

Swift Industries at the Philly Bike Expo

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Swift Industries at the Philly Bike Expo

At the 2012 Philly Bike Expo, one brand I was looking forward to meeting the most was Swift Industries. Their small, yet productive workshop puts out some of the best looking touring bags out there. From small to large panniers, saddle bags, rando bags and even Cetma porteur bags, their entire line screams functionality with personality. Rather than try to photograph the bags inside the convention, I rolled it outside.

These bags are all made by hand in Seattle, Washington and are fully customizable. Check out more below!