Once again I have found myself at a beautiful place one the web after a weird circuitous trail. Today I found myself at Vanilla Bicycles, a custom bicycle frame and bike builder, run by Sacha White. There was a time when most bikes were built, one frame at a time, using techniques that Sacha and other custom bike builders use. Sacha works with good steel (including Ultra Foco and Dedacciai Zero Uno, as opposed to cromoly found in most mass produced steel bikes) and builds amazing looking bikes with a lot of attention to detail.
Shannon Skerrit (the current Masters 35-39 Cyclocross National Champion) has a really sweet Vanilla cyclocross frame that he rode to win the championship in Providence this past December. Part of me loves the design and ride of a new ultra light weight carbon fiber bike such as a top of the line Trek or Specialized, but a part of me yearns for the ride and the impeccable style of a hand crafted steel frame like those Sacha makes…and Skerrit’s bike still tips the scales at 18 pounds. That’s the same as my (then) top of the line Specialized road racing bike.
Tammy has no question about what she likes. The bike that Sacha made for his wife made Tammy say, “Oooh, that’s my bike!” A very beautiful, yet very practical design, a step through with built in racks and panniers for comfortable around town riding. The details in this bike are wonderful, a rolling work of art and love.
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