Bonavia Cycles

Sitting in Neutral.

bonaviacycles — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 15:48:17 +0000

Hello All,
I thought it is about time to post somthing about the situation at present. I am sitting in our house in lovely Strathcona, Vancouver, British Columbia. I am awaitting my tools and fixtures, which by now should be some where in Canada. I am at present working fulltime as a mechanic here in Vancouver and enjoying it very much, I have plans and am looking forward to continuing with Bonavia in the future. At present though my energys are going into my work at the bike shop, supporting Debra with her studies and taking care of the brazing duties at 78 bikes in East Van. I have made a recent addition to the Bonavia cycles tool stock with a Myford ML7 longbed lathe. I am very excited to have such a tool as they are very well made and regarded. This little guy was in a very good condition and has been very well taken care of. However it is kinda tough having it just sit here in my living room waitting for a workshop! I will post a couple pictures of it and just say that even thought Bonavia cycles is sitting in neutral, we got gas in the tank and the engines are running! So stay tuned people, the future is bright and exciting.

Tour de France = Radness!!

bonaviacycles — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 05:30:03 +0000

I just got this link from a frame list that I am a member of and just thought I would post the link. However I am a bit lame tonight and can’t get the link to work, but the address is below and a few of the shots that I thought were rad, hope y’all like. R

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2010/07/2010_tour_de_france_-_part_i.html

Back in the USSA!

bonaviacycles — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 16:18:47 +0000

I dont know about you, but I really like way William Eggleston sees the States. He captures the gloss and the grit, that I think is indicative of the American experience.

My inspiration for this post was flying down to San Francisco to visit my wonderful parents-in-law and my best bro Ian and his wife Sarah.
Here are a couple of his most famous shots, and me ripping off his style…..our at least trying too.

Eggleston’s genius

My kinda like Egglestonesque attempt – taken, heading south from Vancouver.

The scale in this photograph is somthing I think everyone who sees it should acknowledge.

Bike trumps car.

Yasuyuki Sakurai

bonaviacycles — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 15:39:53 +0000

Yasu, is a person I wish to know for the rest of my life. He would not however want me to write paragragh after paragraph of prose, praising his every quality. So you’ll just have to believe me when I say there are many!
Yasu and his lovley partner Risa are great people. I will leave the prose at that.

Below are a few shots of Yasu and the track bike I made for Yasu to race this season.
enjoy
R

Yasu in o’skool Brixton skinsuit waiting for the start of a skratch race.
Herne Hill Velodrome, South London

Taking a lap out in the Madision.

Yasu and his bike.

Yasu’s bike.

A race bike for Sundays

bonaviacycles — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 01:07:30 +0000

So when my friend Dave told me he wanted me to make him a bike, I was stoked.
Dave has a wealth of experience on and off the road. His conduct on the road really shows the miles he’s got in his legs.
Dave rides strongly but without any arrogance or the “oneup” manship that befalls lesser riders still trying to prove something. I have enjoyed riding behind Dave and seeing the way he reads the roads and lanes of the Surry and Kent hills. He rides well.
Dave’s brief for me was simple. A race bike for sundays. I was happy to oblige.
The frame itself has a real nice mix of Zona and Life Cloumbus tubes and a sweet set of Slant Six oversize lugs. The front fork is a colour matched Easton EC90, and the back end is Columbus tubes once again brought together with a Long Shen cast wishbone section.
The groupset is Campagnolo 11spd chorus and a pair of Campagnolo Nuetron ultra wheels, with Thompson,Deda and Selle finishing kit. The complete build as shown weighed up at 18.3lbs with pedals.
.3lbs heavier than my friend Nigel’s ti Serrotta…… these Lugs aint heavy.

I was on the club run with Dave a couple weeks ago when he managed to get time to get out and ride his new Bonavia for the first time. I was a bit nervous, mainly because Dave has alot of time on bikes and know’s how a good bike should ride. Now, I dont mind saying that I still have a lot to learn about building bikes. One of the great things about building though is talking, and then translating one persons words or wants and shaping them with my idea’s and vision of what will preform as desired…. Daves 44mph desent down Reigate hill and the nice big smile at the top of Box hill was telling me that I had done alright.
I just want to say thank you to Dave for being a great friend and one of the most inspiring roadmen I have ever had the good fortune ride next too.

I would also like to thank Lincoln aka El’ Presidente’ and the Brixton cycles family for the parts and for just being rad! thanks guys!

My friend James

bonaviacycles — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 17:00:41 +0000

What can I say, or how can I describe James with out using the word awesome?? I have only known James for a few years now. However he never ceases to amaze, inspire and humble me. This big ol’ Virginian is definitely a lover not a fighter. Untill he gets on his bike at which point he changes from a pleasant, articulate, gentleman into a burrito fuelled man-cycle with the ability to execute the fastest deliveries, or a diesel powered racer with lots of heart. On the club run he is well paced and never a show off, with always enough left in the tank to get himself and anyone else in the group home if they need a tow. I am posting some shots of a race bike I made for James at the start of the year and after a couple hick-up’s with the original carbon forks we got this guy all built up and ready for action.

The next few of shots are the completed bike with new Alpha Q forks ready to race. I think it looks good and ties in well with the bikes I am building for racing. Black is back!!

I would just like to add some news to this post that happened in June. While at work James was hit by a “white van driver” and as a result fractured his collarbone in an awesome way as befitting James who is by all accounts-AWESOME, however this means that his racing season this year is over before it began. This sucks, but the main thing is that James gets healed-up and gets back on the bike stonger than ever. So if you are reading this, James, take your time, watch some dvd’s, dont do any more d.i.y. and dont forget your supplements!!! A little advice for next season’s 3rd and 2nd cat roadies racing in and around London, get yer miles in, you’ll need em!

All the best everyone.

Picture post.

bonaviacycles — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 21:08:19 +0000

Hi All, Here are some shots of some recent bikes. hope you like’em.
all the best, R

Happy New Year!…..better late, than……..

bonaviacycles — Sat, 17 Apr 2010 22:43:33 +0000

Hello All, I Hope 2010 has been treating you all well. For me it started on a Low. What with the closing of Tour de Ville I found myself without a job, this left me with two options. 1, Look for a new job or 2, Go pro with Bonavia ahead of plan. I contemplated both options while also being mindful of the pitfalls I had been warned about from other builders. so with that advice and my desire and determination for Bonavia to grow naturally rather than through neccessity, I put my c.v. out there.
I had some knock backs. I also had an appointment for a brazing test at Brompton bicycles. This was very exciting and motivating for me. After three diffrent Brazing tests I was asked to come back for an interview, four days later I was sent an offer and employed as a brazer and frame builder at Brompton bicycles!.
WOW, was I stoked, I was on my way to learning the famous “Brompton braze”.

So there I was, a month into the new year that started on a low, walking into a new job building the best designed, most iconic folding bicycle in the world, bar none!………stoked was me indeed!!

Getting used to the brass was a bit tricky at first as most of my experience up untill this point had been with silver rod and lugs. However Abdul, my boss and Head Brazer at Brompton for the last 12 years is a great teacher and with his guidence, my skill set has grown by leaps and bounds. Eight and a half hours tourch time a day helps also!
I will post about my adventures with brompton from time to time, however this IS the Bonavia cycles blog. So with that in mind I will leave y’all for the time being with this little teaser of a recent project I have completed. It was actually my christmas present to myself.
In hind sight I am a real lucky guy!.

I hope you like.

Paul Smith at TDV!

bonaviacycles — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 19:08:17 +0000

So the plan was that on Friday 4th Dec. Paul Smith was going to be visiting Tour de Ville in the morning to veiw the shop and talk to Jos the owner about a range of clothing R. Newbold (one of his companies) is launcing soon using the Tour de Ville name. I was kinda expecting a stiff British gent, yet when we were introduced, he kicked off a great conversation in which we talked about his experience with a brazing torch at Mercian Cycles in Derby and also about him trackstanding his fixed wheel while having tea with Mark Cavendish, check it out on youtube. Throughout the conversation he seemed genuine and intrested, in my opinion a nice guy.

Risa’s 650 rando.

bonaviacycles — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 19:55:03 +0000

Just realised I have not added anything to the blog in a while… so here are a few shots of risa’s bike back from the painters and built up.