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This page is a collection of photos of some of my
customers and their bikes. In some cases, there is also a testimonial with
the photo. If you are a happy customer of mine, and are willing to send me
your photo for inclusion on this page, please send me an e-mail.
"You can walk into any bicycle store and buy a bike -
but how do you know "that bike" will be the thrill of your life?
I found early in my cycling life that I didn't fit on "production"
bikes. I purchased a custom bike in 1992 that let me participate in
numerous adventures that I never knew were possible on a bicycles. My joy
for riding and passion for adventure sent me in the direction of ultra distance
cycling. Unbeknownst to me, once I crossed the 250 mile threshold an old
neck injury started raining its ugly head (no pun intended). I wound up
changing my stem and handle bar combination many times to try and sort out the
factors that caused my neck to ache and my right arm to go numb. I took my
information to Matt and asked him to make me a new bicycle that incorporated all
of the wonderful properties of my existing custom bike and the new knowledge I
had gathered about my neck. In addition, I asked him to not sacrifice the
performance I had grown accustomed to. As a matter of fact, I asked him to
make it perform better! Oh, and I wanted to add S&S Couplings so
travel would be easier.
Up until this point these requests are not too far out of
the ordinary. However, before I hand over a credit card, I want to be
involved in the decision making process. Probably not a big deal if I was
a guy in this guys world of cycling, but I am a woman. I have been
cajoled, criticized, put down and in general ignored at just about every bike
shop I have ever visited. Rarely has a salesperson celebrated my curious
and detailed mind. Matt and I formed a collaboration very early in the
process. I live in Chicago, so he was dependent, at times on my ability to
understand his instructions to remeasure certain parts on my existing
bike. He also had to "hear" the essence of my neck issues which
at times were more instinct than tangible. I also had a very specific
request regarding the graphics of the bike - they had to be made from reflective
vinyl so that I would be completely visible at night. I didn't want to add
reflective vinyl after the fact and make the bike look tacky.
I now have a bicycle that I consider to be
"perfect". And I do mean perfect. My very first ride
validated that finding a solution to the reflective vinyl issues was worth
it. I got caught in a classic Midwest thunderstorm where the sky went
black in a matter of minutes. The oncoming cars flicked their high beams acknowledging
they saw my bike and ME! I have tested the performance on numerous day
rides and a week long ride. It performed as I hoped it would - nimble
handling and a rock solid downhiller. Next year I will put it through its
paces on some ultra rides to validate that my neck will remain pain free past
250 miles. And if it doesn't, I know that I can call Matt and be taken
seriously."
Toni Stanek - Chicago, Illinois
"We came to Matt knowing little about bike
design. We had some ideas of what we wanted, but only knew the color
scheme we wanted for sure. We got much more! Working with Matt, the
two of us were able to go through the entire process. Matt went with us
through the design, construction, and painting. We had a tandem built and
enjoyed the process so much that we had two singles built. Matt took the
time to make sure we understood what we wanted and where he was with the
projects. This helped us in the decisions we needed to make, and in what
components to get for the bike. We are still very pleased with our custom
bikes."
Nick and Mary Rutherford - Seattle, Washington
This is Connie. She is 82 years old, and lives in Portland, Oregon.
She called me because she had a frustrating problem, and she had heard that I
wasn't afraid to build something weird. After I got done blushing over the
compliment, we got together to discuss what it was that she needed.
Connie's problem, was that her spine couldn't take all the abuse from walking
around anymore. What she needed was a way to exercise (not to mention
merely walk) while sitting down. What I came up with was what I called the
"Centaurus" (please see the Photo Gallery/Other
page for more pictures). Not only did "Centaurus" do what Connie
needed it to, but it was so much fun zipping around on it, that I decided to
work on a version to be marketed to the general public. Look for that
sometime in the future.
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