Vulture Cycles

[MBudd]

Wade,
I like your work and the photos of your shop I've seen look like you're ready to rock. Keep pushin it brother.

Matt Budd
Budd Bike Works

[WadePatton]

hey man,

met you online in what 05? then in person at nahbs portland over a flask of tequila near, if not in, steve's booth (iirc-it has been a while).

effin' torch in the bathroom, sounds like something i'd do. mof, i'm about to move my electric tools to my kitchen as my shop is still powerless and my bro needed his generator back. we've got a surplus of welders and machine shops in my neckofthewoods, or i'd do some of that just for the income/experience and _wholesale_ metal. actually i was just getting to learn machining when the guy folded the machine/fab shop-with all those fantastic tools in there. fab metal is costing me 15 cents per pound out of the scrapyard these days (comes with complimentary rust/paint/dings/mud and is sometimes pre-drilled, but never in the right place, for extra character). i have a vise on a well casing/brake drum (semi) and am about to stick some angle onto a flywheel for my jig--which is "storebought" as i've been dragging this crap out for way too long. (shit, i need to save some stuff for my turn at this.)

glad you've never truly left the field, was afraid you might when the aircraft gig came up.

it all works out, don't it?!, eventually...

i'll be at austin fer shure. pics duder.

from the wade who poststoomuch/buildstoolittle,

cheers!

[conorb]

Hey Wade,

The first bike of yours I ever saw was a track frame up at Alpenrose. You made it for a local rider (Meg) and it featured square tubing as seat stays but set on the diagonal. Seeing as this type of frame is out of normal repertoire, how did that come about? Were you at one point looking to branch out more into road/track frames? I seem to remember Meg telling me that she got it as part of a contest or something.

Thanks dude.

Conor

[vulture]

Ok, it has been a while. I have a new website! Vulture / Vulture Cycles / Wade Beauchamp (AKA Vulture) This is my fifth website since 2000 but I am happy now. Let me know what you think. Now I just need to blog more.

[Craig Ryan]

Wade, looks great from this end. You are one interesting guy! I'm bookmarking this one.

[edoz]

Website looks good, dude. Keep on rockin, and may it bring you many customers.

[steve garro]

looks great, kinda fuzzy on some of the gallery shots, link your blog. looks slick - you have the big three covered! - Garro.

[VertigoCycles]

Do you have a red merkin to match that wig? See you tomorrow...and again at Fall BC?

[Dornbox]

Wade!

It was great to hang in Austin with you. You've got some great energy and some sweet a$$ bikes. We'll most certainly have to chill again!

Thanks Buddy!
Chris

[Archibald]

Same here, Wade! It was great finally meeting you and an honor to get to tip one back with your Dad!

[Dave Kirk]

Nice work at the show and I really like the city bike with the skirt guards - very cool.

Dave

[vulture]

While at NAHBS, mr Sachs politely told me to get my butt in gear with this smoked out zone and now a month later I am reading my list of things to do and here I am. I want to make sure there is content not filler, an I have a huge filter on myself over what I really think is content, but I am going to shave one layer off of that and put some of what I am thinking here.
Throughout my "career" people ask whether I can build this kind of bike or that kind of bike, and I think this is an interesting question. That is sort of why I built a tall bike, but who gets it? Was it too oblique? I am more known for building mountain bikes, but yes I can build a road bike. Yes I can build a cross bike, yes I can build a tall bike. Is it that they wonder if I will be good at building something out of my perceived portfolio? This is connected to branding and brand image and I know this falls squarely on my shoulders. Somehow I have to show that no matter what I build it will be excellent. I wanted to express that I can build a bike that is beyond the normal limits and categories we perceive anyway. Some builders thrive in one or two genre. I see that works for them and wonder...

[edoz]

I don't think anyone is testing your ability to build anything, I can't imagine it being in question after seeing your Flickr page. I think part of that might be the fact that you don't clearly define your parameters on your website, and that you show lots of out of the box type bikes. Some builders have models listed or give 3 or 4 options for bike type, ie road/cross/mtb. When you say "custom bikes" and don't define that any further, I have to think you'll get customers who don't see what they want elsewhere. Some customers need a fabricator for hire sort of builder, and you seem to fit that bill.
People who want something different may look at Zank or Engin and not see anything outside of certain styles and move on. They see your blog/website/Flickr page and see almost everything on two wheels and think "maybe Wade will build what I want".

Whether you want to change that is your choice, I think you can definitely make either way work for you. You could do some serious business building swoopy tube suspension bikes, I've actually been asked by 3 people if I can build them one. (I said I could but wouldn't, and passed them your contact info)
I have to admit that I love wondering what I'll see come out of your shop next. The only thing I really want you to change is to post more of your work so the rest of us can enjoy it.

[vulture]

Learning! I do it every day. I have said that it is easier to make bikes than sell them, so I have asked for a little help from a friend who is in this biz. She came over and started at my website and clicked on the blog link, guess what? It wasn't even on. One simple setting and I am back to being visible. I like to step back from myself and look at me and laugh. Any way, it's live and now I have to get on it. This weeks advancements have been a little photo booth practice and the slow but steady attempt to bring a more professional appearance to the outside. I feel pro, I just don't look it. Also this weekend I am heading up to the PDX bike showPedal Nation - The PDX Bicycle Show - April 2011 - Portland, Oregon I hope to see some Portlanders there. Also little old me from Bendor is gonna participate in the OR manfestival in conjunction with my friends from Metrofiets Oregon Manifest » Team Metrofiets I really love all sorts of bikes, and I want to build them all. I read a comment on another board about building jigs versus building frames and I can appreciate the people who only want to build frames, but I wish they could appreciate the desire some people have to do it all. I have to have my hands in all of it, I need to feel ownership in my entire process, so I have sacrificed on one end and filled filled my needs on others. By the END I will be have it all. Um, what the hell is the END and what does that mean?

[cardinal]

That is going to be a bad ass manifest bike with you and Jamie and Phil working together. I think these collaborations are going to be the most interesting bikes to look at and to hear about the process. Looking forward to it! I'm sure you'll be busy while here this weekend, but if you want a break, give me a call.

[vulture]

I get to live vicariously thru my client in Austria. Pictures like this really keep me going.

[vulture]

Just so you didn't think I was dead, just busy this summer.

[VertigoCycles]

when did you start wearing bras?

[vulture]

Missed FNL here is a link to my flickr Flickr: VULTURE CYCLES' Photostreamso yall can see some of what I am up to. If you are going to be in Bendor on the 27th of october I am having an "shop open house" bike ride included. I went for a sweet fall ride in the cascades yesterday and forgot my camera but it looked like this. Awesome singletrack with red maples and yellow aspens and orange tamaracks and ripping dirt. I was stoked to ride my 2005 singlespeed that dirt rag reviewed. I still love that bike, I want to build myself a new singlespeed that represents my current level and style of framebuilding but damn, that bike rides so friggin good! Ask Eric about the bike show.

[howrad]

Wade, tell us about that wallet.

Level 42 badassedness.

Does it fold out?



best,
-howrad (took the photo while covering NAHBS11 as bikedenton.org)