Velo City: Bicycle Culture and City Life

Kelson Custom Cycles Carbon Road

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While steel remains the material of preference for most frame builders these days, there has been an quiet surge of interest in handmade custom carbon fiber frames, especially those made in the US. Brian Williams and his Kelson brand hail from the south eastern quarter of Idaho and his composite frames are constructed with the highest attention of craft and detail.

There’s plenty of good riding to be had in Idaho, many of it close to the Kelson workshop in Ashton, an ideal testing ground for Brian’s frames. A graduate of the United Bicycle Institute and mentored by Jim Kish, his steel and titanium frames are already highly regarded. His carbon frames, however, have earned a new level of respect, conquering the local territory and the infamous LoToJa Bicycle Classic.

As well as performing superbly, they also look the business. Brian’s friend Gheen Hillman is the graphic designer who creates Kelson’s individual identity, but the crisp paint is personally applied by Brian — without the use of decals. This frame features a proprietary tube-to-tube construction process and appeared at the 2013 NAHBS, alongside his 650B MTB, ti road and a Ti-carbon RAD bike.

Big thanks to David Rangel for the shots. Head to his flickr for more coverage of the 2103 NAHBS.

Kelson Custom Cycles Carbon Road
Kelson Custom Cycles Carbon Road
Kelson Custom Cycles Carbon Road
Kelson Custom Cycles Carbon Road
Kelson Custom Cycles Carbon Road
Kelson Custom Cycles Carbon Road
Kelson Custom Cycles Carbon Road