Watch as Sean Walling from Soulcraft Cycles whips up a steel bike frame in under 6 minutes! Just kidding, that’s just how long the video is… Click ‘more’ to see the video “Why I Ride” about a young man, Dominic Akena, from Northern Uganda who has discovered cycling as a way to escape the memories of war and to help him reach for greater things…
I always think – man, I’d like to build custom frames…. Weld up a few tubes, hell, I could do that.
But then I watch a video like that Soulcraft Cycles one, and I get slapped hard with a reality stick. That’s many years of honing a craft, building a unique skillset and developing a passion. It’s essentially functional art when it’s all done. Sean makes it look so easy.
Best leave it to the pros.
my Soulcraft Plowboy singlespeed was hand-crafted almost 8 years ago. the bike is 20.5lbs, rides like it was tailor made for me, and i’ve never had any issues at all–even with beating the living crap out of it.
if you want cutesy, fancy stuff with custom paint and polished lugs—maybe try Vanilla or some other artisans. (and wait 5 years for your bike)
if you want the best TOOL for the Job….look no further than Soulcraft. Sean was an absolute pleasure to work with and I can’t wait to buy another bike from him. Check out the new Grasshopper gravel road-road bike…..
That was a great video. I love the small metal bike builders and their vision for their craft. I worked for several years in a small factory putting out custom Ti frames. @Kovas, it is a skill that is hard to replicate every time , where it not only has to be precise but be ascetically pleasing as well. Although I am still in the industry, I do miss the hands on experience of cutting, shaping, forming, reaming. There was a lot of satisfaction at the end of the day when you see a bunch of tubes come together to make the main piece of the greatest simple machine that is both utilitarian and yet can be used for so much pleasure.
