44 Bikes

[fortyfour]

Wingardium Leviosa!

44HQ: Practicing Levitation Daily. Depend on it.

[Too Tall]

Those posters would be an easy collaboration with House Industries just sayin'

[fortyfour]

Those posters would be an easy collaboration with House Industries just sayin'

Love House Industries. But not sure they would have interest given the fact that they do all of their own work/graphics/lettering etc. Not to mention I'd be looking to do them myself so I can control the whole process from start to finish.

[fortyfour]

The Lovely D.E.B.'s all cleaned up for her trip to paint. Key word "PAINT". Not Powder. That's a hint btw.

[fortyfour]

So I know Richard "points" his transitions from the dropout to the stays. As a nod to that, I took the time to add points to both legs of the rack. Small but it's those little things that takes things to the next level. (The backsides of these rack fittings are also keyed similarly to how the rack keys itself in place at the seat stay bridge - again, taking the bolt out of sheer.):

[fortyfour]

[Shoogs]

consider an application submitted.

[fortyfour]

Talk to me Shoogs!

[fortyfour]

[fortyfour]

[fortyfour]

FATNESS



Adorned with Race Pants and will be muddied...



"Road" Bike



Hope to see you all there!

[fortyfour]

Story Time kids: So back sometime around 1985 or 86′, on a cold Monday night maybe sometime in say November or December, off I left 138 Jefferson Street to attend a Boy Scout meeting at our Scout Hall for Troop 108 above where they stored East Greenville’s plow Truck (editor’s note: For the record, I am an Eagle Scout but I feel the need to state I completely disagree with that organizations policies of which I won’t go into here…). Meeting met, I walked back home to find out that my parents had arranged an unexpected surprise move for me from my small room located in the middle of the house to the larger front room which overlooked Jefferson Street. My Dad had just recently renovated our attic into a livable space which was a pretty damned cool space and I was a tad jealous my older sister was getting it at the time. But I had figured I was moving into her old room which was a bit bigger than mine. But low and behold to my complete surprise they had moved me into the biggest bedroom of the house, complete with two windows. Dad said in effect that they did not need the space, and I would definitely be needing it as I grew up. So they took my sister’s old room and my old room was to be made into “the study”. Also in their secret plan was a brand spanking new desk and chair for me which they had picked up from an Ikea in King of Prussia. For a kid just around the 5th grade, that’s important big time movin’ on up into a deluxe apartment in the sky kind of stuff.

Reflecting on this fact, that desk (of which is pictured above) carried me all the way through middle school and on into and through high school. Thinking about that small little 32″ x 47.25″ table, every homework assignment was completed there. Every book report was written across it's wooden top. Every test or assignment for math, science, history / social studies, english, art, et all were studied and written from this desk. Every drawing, doodle, sketch or hair brain idea was launched from this desk. First date phone call was made with sweaty palms from this desk… My first drivers license was signed from this desk. This desk also followed me through college. The damned thing moved with me to Providence, Ri when I graduated and set up my apartment. I finished my portfolio for my first “real” job from this sucker. I got my first call for my first design project right at that desk. My now wife called me to invite me to a birthday party and you guessed it, I answered that call right there with that damned desk in front of me. I filled out all the paperwork and started my design business right at this thing. Every logo, idea, graphic, poster, product design assignment were done from this desk. And if you haven’t guessed it, I launched 44 Bikes, did all the branding and subsequently designed all my tooling and every client’s frame set to date right from this very desk. You think this thing’s got some fucking mojo attached to it? You bet your ass and every button on your fly it does. Close to 3 decades have been toiled on, at and over this thing.

So when it came time for a much needed studio rearrangement…



...it did cross my mind to replace it at first - but upon reflection while doing some heavy lifting while getting things aligned 'just so', and all this history I've condensed to you above smacking me right between the running lights, there was just no way I could get rid of it or assign it a new home or use. I'm cringing right now this even crossed my mind. So it was time for me to get rid of those horrible legs and make a new bottom for my coveted table top. However, I’m short on time, and I need a spot to work sooner than later. After some hunting and a whole lot of back and forth with my “I can make this” side of me doing battle with my “you know, I can’t be bothered with this right now” side, I decided that maybe it would be a better use of my time to buy a set of legs or bottom for this sucker. I landed at CB2 for some reason and they had some decent looking wheeled bottoms. Only problem was the old reliable top was a bit of an off sized shape. However, I always felt it was a tad too deep and a tad bit just too short in length. We have the tools for this… So with a deep breath and in the spirit of “we can make this better”, I ripped off one edge, squared up one end and glued that ripped side to the end in bread-board-like fashion. I also carefully refinished it leaving just enough patina of the old reliable (ink blot from learning calligraphy remains as well as a bunch of other notable stains, spots and cut marks).

So that’s what you see up top there in that picture. My desk I’ve had for over 28 years. Everything that has ever been, will be and things not yet imagined have happened and are going to happen at this desk. You can bet your britches that if you order a custom frame from me, that drawing’s going to happen right there. Reliability? You bet. Commitment? Hell yes. Made to Shred? That’s GUA-RON-TEED.

[Tman]

Kris, thank you! I found this place via the Garage Journal. You stuff is amazing and so is this site.

[fortyfour]

Kris, thank you! I found this place via the Garage Journal. You stuff is amazing and so is this site.

V-Salon is definitely a cool all time top 10 type site. Good to have you aboard.

[fortyfour]

[Tman]

V-Salon is definitely a cool all time top 10 type site. Good to have you aboard.

Thanks! I am fresh at framebuilding but hope to get started on this lugged cross frame shortly. Until then I will just admire work from guys like you!

[fortyfour]

[fortyfour]

[fortyfour]

So apparently Hope Technologies used this one on their FB page the other day without credit. Let's put it up again just to be sure we all know where this shit comes from. Don't mind that they used it, but it would be nice if they did some research to find out where the art actually originated.

44 Bikes : Sworn to Shred. That's a promise and it's GAH-RON-TEED.

[dgaddis]

Any updates on posters?

TAKE MY MONEY