Velo City: Bicycle Culture and City Life

A Titanium Canvas: Stinner X DKLEIN Ti CX

A Titanium Canvas: Stinner X DKLEIN Ti CX

Dustin Klein has been making his mark on the contemporary cycling scene — quite literally — for years now, ever since he started his Cadence label back in 2003, after making some t-shirts for the Seattle Cycle Messenger World Championships.

Today, Cadence is a full-blown cycle clothing brand and he’s worked on collaborations with icons such as Tom Ritchey. His artistic career now exists separately, leaving him free to create projects like this one with Santa Barbara’s Stinner Frameworks.

A Titanium Canvas: Stinner X DKLEIN Ti CX

This titanium cyclocross bike is the first of a limited edition batch of frames built by Stinner and custom painted by Dustin. The project’s launch coincided with the opening of Cadence Collection’s pop up space on Abbot Kinney blvd in Venice, CA.

A Titanium Canvas: Stinner X DKLEIN Ti CX

Stinner and DKlein make a compatible match: both are driven by the natural impulse to live free and creatively, and although their practices may seem worlds apart, their philosophies are intertwined.

A Titanium Canvas: Stinner X DKLEIN Ti CX

It’s about 950 miles from Dustin’s base of Portland to the home of Stinner Frameworks, Santa Barbara. California’s sunshine and Portland’s alternative industry are conducive to expression, whether it be through riding a bike or mark making.

A Titanium Canvas: Stinner X DKLEIN Ti CX

Dustin’s output is nothing short of prolific, yet he is dedicated to applying his art to recycled and reused materials. He’ll create paintings on found surfaces and will happily deconstruct one artwork to produce another.

A Titanium Canvas: Stinner X DKLEIN Ti CX

The titanium canvas made for him by Stinner won’t require any deconstruction. The Santa Barbara team have been making bikes from both ti and steel that are winning customers the world over, thanks to their excellent engineering and company ethos.

A Titanium Canvas: Stinner X DKLEIN Ti CX

Like all Stinner frames, the DKlein project bikes are designed around custom geometry and Stinner Select Tubing, TIG-welded to perfection. An ENVE thru-axle CX Disc fork is part of the package, which Dustin has also painted.

A Titanium Canvas: Stinner X DKLEIN Ti CX

Chris King supplied contrasting red hubs and headset, and it wouldn’t be a complete DKlein bike without a Cadence Collection/Ritchey cockpit now, would it? All in all, it’s another work of art in Dustin’s unmistakeable decorative style.

Stinner Frameworks Website | Facebook | Instagram

See more of Dustin’s artwork on his website and Instagram.

A Titanium Canvas: Stinner X DKLEIN Ti CX