Eric Estlund is a very much a classicist, respecting the traditional methods when it comes to frame building. His latest build was contracted by a professional musician and draws inspiration from the volute — the scroll found on the head of the violin.
The volute is a spiral-like ornament that can be found in many instances of classical design — on the top of the Ionic column, for example. It’s a wonderful flourish that Eric has felicitously applied to a bicycle and the action of riding.
The Winter Bicycles Volute is a marriage of stability and finesse, arranged around a respectable wheelbase and low-trail forks, which Eric fabricated as well. It’ll sail smoothly around town, carrying its rider with grace and reliability.
Eric’s Flickr album documents the build and seeing such an elegant bicycle crafted from crude steel tubes reveals his mastery of the craft. Shimano’s robust 105 gearing was combined with Paul’s finely machined Racer brakes and a suspended Brooks B72 saddle.
Comparing the Volute to a Stradivarius would not be presumptuous, as both are finely manufactured and tuned instruments, and always found in the hands of those who truly appreciate them as tools for releasing the soul.