I have a confession to make. Sometimes I’ll buy a bottle of wine on the strength of its label alone. I’m occasionally pleasantly surprised to find out that what’s inside is actually very good. Then it’s a double bonus: good looking and good product as well. The same theory can apply to bikes nowadays. There’s a lot of ugly bikes out there, even bought off the shelf, and only occasionally will there be a decent bike underneath the myriad of colours.
That’s why I’m attracted to smaller, boutique builders who devote more time and effort to their creations, they tend to think a little longer about what the final product will look like. Adam Eldridge is one of those builders who, thankfully, decided to grace us with a subtle scheme albeit to the point of stealth. He is the man behind Stanridge Speed, a small shop in Columbus, Ohio. Stannridge is a combination of his grandfather’s last names, and a lot of Adam’s job satisfaction comes from welding bikes that he knows his grandfather would be proud of.
Decked out in traditional SRAM Rival and a Brooks Imperial, this is just as capable a club racer as it is a Sunday afternoon mile killer. That’s all paint, too. No decals here. I’m actually getting a little nervous now, imagining what would be riding through my mind if was in the locker, striving up the hills around Columbus. Suddenly a wraith appears next to me, eye sockets deep black against a snow white skull. Maniac grin, all that. Adam has incorporated more local lore into the Stannridge brand, the Serpent Mound in Adams County, Ohio, is a prehistoric effigy mound which he’s incorporated into a version of his head badges. Fashioned from a vintage brass spittoon he found nearby, it has found it’s way onto a number of his builds.
Adam regularly updates his Flickr with snapshots of his progress around the workshop, and it’s refreshing to view the hands and flames from whence these immaculate frames are borne. Keep an eye on his blog and website for details of his adventures into the bright arts. Big thanks to David Sigler for the fantastic photography, you should have a look at his website for some very inspired art and design.
