Julie Ann Pedalino is fresh. This was evident from her debut at the North American Handmade Bicycle Show in 2015 – the former artist brought a highly thematic bike that caught our attention at the time for its use of mixed materials and solid functional execution.
Since then, however, Julie Ann has escalated. With each bike, she deploys a newly honed skill or capability so every bike is a little “more” than the last. When she found that she was limited by her jeweler’s saw in ornamentation, she picked up 3D modeling and a CNC machine to take her work to the next level through custom, Rococo-influenced dropouts and massive, custom bilaminate pieces for her “lugs.” Feeling restricted by steel and stainless, she’s started to move into titanium both as a frame material and in ornament.
While the evolution thus far has been impressive, the most exciting thing about Julie Ann is knowing that the next bike will always outdo the previous, that she will continue to imprint her maximalist vision on each new build. And the more you watch and understand about the processes of designing and building frames, the more you are struck by the many layers of deep complexity of her bicycles. This is why Julie Ann Pedalino’s biggest fans tend to be other frame builders.
In this interview, Julie Ann talks about her path into frame building, her evolving process and capabilities, and the pressure of having what is probably the least enviable job in frame building: out-doing Julie Ann Pedalino with every bike she builds.
Stay tuned over the coming weeks for more conversations around the Philadelphia Bike Expo and SRAM Diversity Scholarship, including what should be some nerdy conversations with some incredibly talented builders. Get excited.
Star Trek Bike
Nebraska Gravel
Pedalino Does Titanium
2019 Philadelphia Bike Expo Teasers
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