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Pereira Cycles
I love making stuff. I love bikes. One day these two things converged and took over my life. This is my story.
I was born in Neptune, New Jersey, but my dad worked for IBM and they move you around almost as much as the military, so we lived in Missouri and New Hampshire before my parents decided to settle down in Simsbury, Connecticut. I went to high school there. When I was 16 I got my first job in a retail ski shop called Carroll Reed. I was really into skiing and the job was dreamy. Turned out I was really good at the tech stuff: tuning skis, fitting boots--the detail stuff. I worked there until the shop closed in '88 or so and then worked for a shop in West Hartford called Clapp & Treat. C&T was a true old school "Outfitter" that had fishing, hunting, climbing, canoe and kayaking and skiing departments. Each department had devoted passionate experts. It was an absolutely amazing place. It was pretty much what a place like REI promises, but with people who actually know their stuff. I ran the ski repair and boot fitting shop through college. Unfortunately the big box ski shops rolled in and killed us on price and the shop went out of business in 1990 after 103 years. As a last ditch the shop partnered with a local bike shop (Newington Bicycle) and tried to get into the bike business. It was half-assed and didn't work, but it got me into the bike biz. I had been mountain biking since 1987 and fit right into the bike shop. I spent about two years at Newington. We sold Fat City and I went up to the "factory" in Somerville for an open house in '91. Man that was cool. All that tubing and machines...amazing bikes...weird people. Chris gave us a tour and ran the stay doming machine. I was totally enthralled, but never imagined that I was meeting my future peers. (I learned years later that I'd met Mike Flanigan that day.)
After graduating from college I moved out to Salt Lake City for the skiing and ended up working in a ski shop/bike shop called Wild Rose. This was a big life changer. The Rose is a magical place. The owner, Tim Metos, started up selling Fat City bikes in '85 or so. I could go on and on telling stories about that place, but...I worked there off and on for many years. There was always a steady stream of vintage mountain bikes rolling through and I always loved the fillet brazed ones. When I started there we sold Salsa and Ibis bikes. (I got a Mojo in '94.) In 2002, after gas welding a couple of tall bikes together, I brazed some tubes together for a cargo bike (I was copying from a picture of an ANT Frontaloadontome). Something clicked. I was fillet brazing! Not well, mind you, but damn it I realized that I could probably build bikes. No, I needed to build bikes. This was truly an epiphany.
I started doing some research and found the frame builders list at phred.org (thanks Alex!) and began reading everything I could. I was hell bent to make this happen. I got some flux and rod and practiced a bunch. I started seeking out a frame jig and then serendipity struck.
There was a framebuilder in Salt Lake named Jeff Rogers. His company was called Rogue Cycles. I never knew him--he died suddenly of a heart attack around this same time. Through a mutual friend I met his wife and ended up helping her sort through his shop. It was all kind of sad. Jeff was only 40 when he died and he left behind two young kids. His wife had no idea what to do with the shop. He had lots of materials and tools, but also lots of components. I spent a few months going through everything, selling stuff on eBay for her and helping her figure out how much everything was worth. At the end, I bought all the framebuilding stuff and I was up and running. A sad story for the Rogers, but I was totally set up for very little money. I had tubes to work with, a frame jig and lots of time on my hands. I had a few friends who I built up some mountain bikes for and we started racing. A few more friends got in on it. A few more. I built about 20 frames for friends and started getting orders from people I didn't know. In hindsight I really had barely any idea what I was doing, but the bikes rode well and people were happy, so it just took off.
In 2005 my then girlfriend wanted to go to grad school in Portland, Oregon. I REALLY didn't want to leave Salt Lake. The mountain biking is amazing there, I have a million great friends there and things were starting to happen for Pereira Cycles. I agreed to move for the two years that she was in school on the promise that we would come back. After all, people kept telling me Portland was a "bike town," how bad could it be? Little did I know that this would be the best move I ever made.
I officially formed Pereira Cycles, LLC in 2005. I mostly built mountain bikes back then, but eventually got bit by the French Golden Age style and started doing that. I also started riding on the road a lot more. I did NAHBS in 2006 and got a great response. In 2007 I was back at NAHBS and won some awards. Now I had a peer group, a demand for my bikes and people really respond positively to what I like building. Most importantly, it turns out that I have a talent for understanding what my customers want and need.
I love making stuff. I make lots of my tools. I've made derailleurs and tail lights. Racks and Stems. I have a cafe racer that I built of of a XS650 that I found in a dump.
I got married in 2008 and we just had a baby boy named Oscar. We're staying in Portland, I'll be building bikes for as long as I can imagine. I also occasionally teach bike building at the UBI campus in Portland.
I hope I haven't been too long winded, but I had to leave lots of details out. I'm looking forward to answering questions. Should be interesting to see what you all want to know about me. Thanks for the chance to get Smoked Out.
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Re: Pereira Cycles
tony- very important question.
top 3 favorite beers?
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Re: Pereira Cycles
Nice story. I'm glad to see you here, I studied your Flickr page pretty hard when I started.
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Re: Pereira Cycles
Tony!
First off, congrats to you two on your son Oscar, the good times just started.
Secondly, thanks for adding in here with your story, Smoked Out just got a little richer.
I grew up in State College PA. and as a child I remember a lot of well cared for older bicycles and vintage motos, this is what your bikes remind me of when I see them around town. They just look like they belong, well cared for tools because they work well and are valued by thier owners.
I'm sure you will get a ton of interesting questions here but I'll ask an easy one. What is your next personal bike going to be? I know you stay really busy but every one has their next bike brewing in their head wether they build thier own, buy them off the rack or have them built. What have you been scheming up?
See you at the races!
Jake
Last edited by bellman; 04-09-2011 at 08:25 PM.
Reason: spelling
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Re: Pereira Cycles
i remember when tony p first arrived on the e-scene. for reasons i can't explain, i always read his threads, liked
popping off with him, and enjoyed watching the gowth. the cat has full fledged business, is a NAHBS award winner,
and also now teaches others at UBI atmo. field of dreams, bay-bee.
ps as a fellow jersey shore boy, this one's for me and tony...
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Re: Pereira Cycles
tony,
really enjoyed --- amazing how yo handcrafted guys read like a -- "who's who.."
best to your family & for your dreams..,
ronnie
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Re: Pereira Cycles
T,
I feel like it was just yesterday that we finally met face to face at NAHBS in San Jose. Tony and I met via the interweb but I can honestly say he is someone I consider a dear friend. We have little face time together but when it happens each year it is always such a joy to catch up.
I can not think of a quality question now so I will ponder that as I read more.
I am still waiting for my picture of Oscar wearing his Engin onesie.
Fun fact about Tony - His dad grew up down the street from where my shop is on Germantown Ave.
-Drew
Last edited by EnginCycles; 04-10-2011 at 09:59 AM.
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Re: Pereira Cycles
I have a question about the XS650, factory phase or 277 out?
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Re: Pereira Cycles
Nicely put!
I'll never forget the two weeks I spent with you at UBI last July.
Thanks again.
Mike D.
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Re: Pereira Cycles
Tony,
It was great to meet you at NAHBS! Speaking of your love of building things, I think it was Billy V who told me about one of your shops (the one in UT I think) and basically described it as "everywhere you looked... everything was made from fillet brazed pipe sections". I've had this crazy image of it since. If this is correct, what's the weirdest/oddest/not typically something one would fillet braze thing you've built or funnest? Thanks Tony -Chris
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Re: Pereira Cycles
Right on, Tony! thanks for adding on to SO.
I have always watched what you are doing {I'm not a stalker, LOL} besause you & a couple other guys like Drew seem to be around the same age/era as me and started to build around the same time, and build a wide range of bikes, soooooo...
I'd either look at what you are doing or drop you a line, it's great to have others along a similar timeline, I guess that what I'm saying.
Great work as always & congrats on your kiddo {I love the name Oscar, BTW, esp the spanish pronunciation - got a little 3yr old buddy Oscar here in AZ}
Keep on Keepin' on - Garro.
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Darren,
Top 3 favorite beers...kind of a moving target. My wife Lucy is a freelance writer who specializes in beer, food and travel, so we try lots of different things. The beer we always have in the fridge is some kind of IPA. Usually Bridegeport or Deschutes because one of them is always on sale for $7/6 pack. She wrote and article on Sour beers for the New York Times last year (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/02/dining/02sour.html) and in "helping" her with her research I fell in love with that style. We also have an amazing beer bar nearby that always has interesting things to try. Current favorites: Amnesia Copacetic IPA and Everybody's Brewing Country Boy IPA. Current all-time favorite is Russian River Consecration. It's completely off the charts.
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Re: Pereira Cycles
Originally Posted by
bellman
I'm sure you will get a ton of interesting questions here but I'll ask an easy one. What is your next personal bike going to be? I know you stay really busy but every one has their next bike brewing in their head wether they build thier own, buy them off the rack or have them built. What have you been scheming up?
Jake,
I'm not too sure right now. My stable is pretty stacked. Lately I've been thinking about selling one of my mountain bikes so that I can build a fresh one with S&S couplers. I'd also like to have a 650b rando bike...but it's pretty hard to justify.
Can't wait for short track!
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Re: Pereira Cycles
Originally Posted by
e-RICHIE
i remember when tony p
first arrived on the e-scene. for reasons i can't explain, i always read his threads, liked
popping off with him, and enjoyed watching the gowth. the cat has full fledged business, is a NAHBS award winner,
and also now teaches others at UBI atmo. field of dreams, bay-bee.
e-R,
Thanks for that. You were one of the most helpful people on that list back when I got started. I often say that I am self-taught, but I'd probably still be spinning my wheels if it wasn't for all the great folks sharing knowledge on the internet. We are lucky to be able to share and push the craft forward. I love teaching at UBI. The students are really enthusiastic (well most of them...) and I've had to think about how I do things in a different way in order to explain those things to the students. My skills took a huge leap forward after teaching one class.
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Re: Pereira Cycles
Originally Posted by
EnginCycles
T,
I feel like it was just yesterday that we finally met face to face at NAHBS in San Jose. Tony and I met via the interweb but I can honestly say he is someone I consider a dear friend. We have little face time together but when it happens each year it is always such a joy to catch up.
I can not think of a quality question now so I will ponder that as I read more.
I am still waiting for my picture of Oscar wearing his Engin onesie.
Fun fact about Tony - His dad grew up down the street from where my shop is on Germantown Ave.
-Drew
Drew,
I'm not sure the onsie fits him yet! Great to know you too, buddy. We were lucky to have our booths land next to each other at NAHBS. I just wish you lived closer so I could borrow some of your tools!
-T
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Re: Pereira Cycles
Originally Posted by
edoz
I have a question about the XS650, factory phase or 277 out?
Eric,
It's not that much of a hot-rod! I've owned about 6 XS650s over the years. This is the only one I've hung on to. It's bored to 700cc and I had some pro headwork done on it, but it is still stock phase. Upgraded to roundslide Mikunis. It's lots of fun and I know it inside and out.
-T
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Re: Pereira Cycles
Originally Posted by
Dornbox
Tony,
It was great to meet you at NAHBS! Speaking of your love of building things, I think it was Billy V who told me about one of your shops (the one in UT I think) and basically described it as "everywhere you looked... everything was made from fillet brazed pipe sections". I've had this crazy image of it since. If this is correct, what's the weirdest/oddest/not typically something one would fillet braze thing you've built or funnest? Thanks Tony -Chris
Chris,
That's not completely accurate, but I do like brazing stuff. My workstand is on a brazed pedestal. The stand for my Journeyman was brazed. Most of my braze-on fixtures were brazed together.
I like gas welding too. My workbench is welded out of 4x4 square tubing that came from a dismantled skate park.
Did Billy tell you about this?: TonyBillyMoped | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
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Re: Pereira Cycles
Originally Posted by
steve garro
Right on, Tony! thanks for adding on to SO.
I have always watched what you are doing {I'm not a stalker, LOL} besause you & a couple other guys like Drew seem to be around the same age/era as me and started to build around the same time, and build a wide range of bikes, soooooo...
Steve,
Likewise! I think you've got about a year jump on me and I might be a year ahead of Drew, but with so many new guys coming into "the craft" we are now becoming the vets--at least that's how I'm thought of here in Portland.
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Re: Pereira Cycles
Originally Posted by
pereiracycles
Steve,
Likewise! I think you've got about a year jump on me and I might be a year ahead of Drew, but with so many new guys coming into "the craft" we are now becoming the vets--at least that's how I'm thought of here in Portland.
Damn, Tony - we ARE closing in on the Decade mark! - Garro.
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Re: Pereira Cycles
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