phlosphee

philosophy, or clarification

Now then, some folks who have come upon this website have been uncertain as to its reason for being; further, others who at least realize that this website is a binary ambassador for the bicycle framebuilding concern known as Wildebeest are nonetheless unclear about the focus of the builder.

Two of the greatest violin makers who ever carved were named Stradivari and Guarneri. The former, a name more likely known to most non-musicians, is justifiably famed for his precision; his instruments' sound is an angelic, perfect benchmark for the tone of the violin family of instruments, and his woodworking is often perfect. The latter created violins that had a different character altogether, darker and higher-octane tonal quality- Paganini, for instance, preferred his Guarneri fiddle to a Strad- but, to those who have followed in the craft, even more interesting is his tendency to leave his violins less finished, shall we say, less finely detailed than Strad did his. It is as if Guarneri was saying, "So what if the corners don't match? What is important is how the damn thing sounds."

As a bike builder, I take more of my cues from Sr. Guarneri. I do not sweat getting perfectly mirror-imaged seatstay caps, or strive to eliminate every single file mark on every tube. I am more interested in the ride of the frameset once it is built up into a bike. I favor very simple finishes on my frames, usually one-color powdercoat with understated graphics. If I were a painter, I would want you to notice the paint; as it is, the metal must be covered by something lest it rot right away, but what is most important is how the bike rides.

What sets any custom builder's work apart from off-the-shelf bikes is his ability to fine-tune the frameset's fit and ride quality to the needs and demands of the owner. There are many kinds of steel tubes from several manufacturers, alloyed in different ways and drawn to sometimes maniacally-thin wall dimensions, that a bike buyer will never find in a regular retail store bike frame, but that a handmade cat can latch onto and craft into a one-of-a-kind frameset, imparting a cycling experience that the rider will not find in any other way. And unless you procured a handbuilt bicycle specifically to hang on your wall, the ride quality is the cake in the deal, not the icing.

Anyway, there it is. Wildebeest framesets are all about what you get once you are riding. Do not assume, based on my comments above, that the build of a Wildebeest frameset is slipshod, lazy or unsafe- none are true. I am not out to win a competition- I just want to see folks riding bicycles that they will truly love. If the super fancy paint job matters that much, or if metalworking perfection is sought, we can certainly talk, but as my brother Michael would say, a Wildebeest may be "way too cave" to satisfy.