After starting Wissahickon Cyclery in 1995 and creating a bike shop beloved by the community with the help of his staff, owner Drew Guldalian turned his sights to the bike building business 11 years later. Today, Engin Cycles operates hand in hand with Wissahickon turning out beautiful and show winning bikes primarily from steel. However, new for 2013, Drew will be offering an option for titanium as a build material and is currently working out the details. We asked Drew about his Ti bikes and plans for the future after the break.
BIKERUMOR: What materials do you build with? Which is your favorite and why?
Engin Cycles: I build in steel and titanium. The titanium is a new offering but more on that later. My favorite would be the titanium because I can finish it from beginning to end in the shop. I think Todd is an incredible painter but it is always a drag when you finish a bike and then send it off to really get finished.
BIKERUMOR: What have you been working on since NAHBS last year?
Engin Cycles: I skipped last year to renovate a house which proved to be an even bigger project than I expected. So, since Austin I have spent the last two years developing my titanium bicycles which are essentially getting revealed in Denver. We also just finished expanding my shop by about 800 sq. ft. which has really opened it up and allowed for an even better work flow.
BIKERUMOR: Any killer custom bike builds?
Engin Cycles: I am bringing a rather cool tandem to the show which is made for the owner of Paragon Machine Works.
BIKERUMOR: Did you see anything at NAHBS last year that’s inspired you?
Engin Cycles: I missed the show unfortunately.
BIKERUMOR: What are you bringing to the show this year that’ll have every other builder standing slack jawed in awe?
Engin Cycles: I don’t really expect people to drop their jaw since my work is rather simple and clean. I am more obsessive about the process and how I can continually make my bikes better. With that said I have a new drop out for my disc brake bikes that I feel is really slick.
BIKERUMOR: Scenario: A customer commissions you and one other builder to create the ultimate bicycle using the same parameters, same base material and same budget in an Iron Chef style competition. Who would you want to build against that would push you and elevate your game?
Engin Cycles: For a person that builds with a similar take on the process I would pick Brent Steelman. He is pure class IMO.
