After introducing his titanium frame just last year at NAHBS, Engin Cycles builder/owner Drew Guldalian has flipped the switch completely. He’s also continued to develop new dropouts and parts, giving his frames a growing ability to work with all standards…and look good doing it!
BIKERUMOR: What are your main building materials?
DREW: I have officially made all my bikes titanium as of 2014. The only steel products I offer are forks. No titanium forks available. Unless you are an existing customer all bikes are titanium from now on.
BIKERUMOR: What’s new with your company since NAHBS last year?
DREW: I have made a few additions from last year. First being yet another new drop out. I have a road drop out that will debut at NAHBS. Also a few things have been added to the bikes such as butted titanium, 1″ chainstays, and I’m offering some new finishes.
BIKERUMOR: Any killer custom bike builds in that time?
DREW: All of them are killer 🙂 Really I do not take on “projects” so all the bikes fall into a category of “custom” but nothing is really crazy. I have a few commuter bikes that have been cool bikes. My focus is on making the commuter-friendly details look very clean and integrated, rather than looking busy. Adding a dynamo hub, fenders and racks can easily clutter a bicycle. Making these bikes look clean is a fun challenge. Also, the addition of butted titanium is a rather big deal for me, so I’m excited about all the bikes that are getting butted tubes. To be able to tune a ride by using larger tubing but then reducing the overall weight is a super cool feature. It takes titanium bikes to the next level IMO.
BIKERUMOR: Say a customer gives you free reign, where do you draw your inspiration for the best projects?
DREW: I said last year that architecture is a strong influence and it still is. Bridges and industrial buildings with strength and simplicity are very cool. Other than that I just love to go to work and eventually get an e-mail from someone saying they find life better with their bike. That is very rewarding.
BIKERUMOR: What are you building this year that’ll draw a crowd?
DREW: With any luck all of them. If you want to see clean work that someone poured their heart into then stop by. They are all customers’ bikes and I look forward to delivering them after the show. One thing that is unique is some of the bikes will have ceramic coating instead of paint. Super thin and very light. Great combo for adding color to titanium.
BIKERUMOR: Scenario: NAHBS introduces a new category called Mashups, pairing two completely different builders to make one bike. Who’s the yin to your yang, and what kind of bike do you think you’d build?
DREW: I just want to build a bike with Butch Boucher (@Moots) since we are friends and I think we could come up with something cool. He however is not different. So if I had to choose someone with a different style, it would be Mike Flanigan (@ANT). I know we could work together, and we could combine forces to come up with something that would be both modern and functional.
