George Omelenchuk built bike

 This bicycle was seen at a recent midwest swap meet and it is a nice example of an American framebuilder in the 1960s, in the Detroit area. There was very few American builders at that time, Eisentraut was just starting out. George Omelenchuk starting building frames and then expanded to rims, hubs, stems and other parts of the bike. His wife Jeanne, was a national champion in cycling and speedskating, the first woman to ever win two national championships in two different major sporting events. She was cycling National Champion in 1952 and 1953, and represented USA in the Winter Olympics in 1960, 1968, and 1972.

If anyone has more information about George Omelenchuk, his shop and his bike building history, please contact me, I would love to learn more. There is very little information on the internet about him. 

Nice inch pitch block chain.

Thanks to a follower of the blog explaining the disk- "the discs on the rear wheel are snail cams and were used to adjust the chain tension.. it is difficult to see in the photo but they usually have a peg at the front which they push against.."

Headclip headset.

Older stem, 1930s?

 Name stamped in the front rim, the back rim(Lobdell) does not match, but the hubs do, they are BSA.

Rear spokes are tied, but not soldered?

Art Stump dropouts

Art Stump dropouts seen at on Long Island, NYC . These dropouts were super lightweight
Can you guess what the one unusual dropout is for?

For information about Art Stump on the Classic Rendezvous website.

Orange Jamie Swan bicycle

Recently I visited Jamie Swan and was taken back by his work shop and his bikes. I had seen them in passing before, but an afternoon really gave me time to see that they are some of the finest crafted frames handmade today.


I love the use of spokes and nipples as the rear cable hanger.

Seat stay cluster on my bike

My frame is jigged up, not brazed together, but more of a mock-up to see how everything fits together. It is really starting to look beautiful and I am getting excited.
I talked with my painter yesterday, and I can't wait!

File under H- Headlugs

Simon filing my lugs into shape

Of course, my Paris-Brest-Paris bike would have Fleur de lis shaped lugs.

A cool photo "blog", well there are photos and words

Peter Weigle's Flickr album is a wealth of information. The photos generally speak for themselves, but Peter also adds little bits of information and background stories. For those who don't know of Peter Weigle- shame on you. He is one of the premier framebuilders in the USA and is known for his subtle detail and elegant lines. The bike ride is just a bonus!