For individuals who value things that are analog, sustainable and unique.
Storied Bicycles evolved from friends asking me to build them bikes. Today it's my side gig, where I offer custom bicycle services from my basement shop.
For a long time, I have built and customized my bikes from the frame up. Over time, I developed the sensibility, skills, experience and tools to marry the supple, agile ride of vintage steel frames with light and user-friendly modern wheels, cockpits and drivetrains. I love the history of hand-brazed and tig-welded steel frames. I build road, gravel and vintage mountain bikes.
For a long time, I have built and customized my bikes from the frame up. Over time, I developed the sensibility, skills, experience and tools to marry the supple, agile ride of vintage steel frames with light and user-friendly modern wheels, cockpits and drivetrains. I love the history of hand-brazed and tig-welded steel frames. I build road, gravel and vintage mountain bikes.
I'm a former Boston bike messenger (1999-2000) and a seasoned rider and occasional racer in gravel, cross-country and skinny tires. I finished the 150-mile Gravel Worlds in 2017 and won my age group in the 2020 Solstice Gravel Grinder. I also ride my grocery-getter daily for transportation. I put very few miles on my truck each year.
Most custom bicycles start with a vintage steel frame paired skillfully with modern wheels and components. Each frame has its threads and bearing surfaces machined before new components are installed. Each component is curated according to my expertise and a casual interview process. I have a small inventory of vintage frames sourced from dealers in France and Italy before the tariffs.
The build fits the rider according to the rider's requirements for performance, cargo capacity and purpose. Storied Bicycles strive to fit well and ride remarkably well.
Keep scrolling to learn more.
A long-time single-speeder, Britta was in her 30s when she wanted her first geared bike — something fast and comfortable for long miles against bucolic backdrops. She needed something competent on pavement or gravel. She was preparing for an upcoming multi-day ride across Nebraska.
For Britta's first bike with gears, the shifting experience is extremely intuitive. This vintage French frame is adorned with a modern 2x9 indexed shifting system. The rear RapidRise XTR derailleur abbreviated her learning curve by synchronizing the kinesthetic movements of her left and right hands. The right/rear and front/left shifters respond predictably to the same direction of input on either side.
She learned to ride her geared bike in no-time flat. And it drew a lot of compliments from friends who accompanied her across Nebraska. Her Storied Bicycle's decidedly French good looks, smooth and quiet performance and climbing ability handled the gravel and tarmac with aplomb, and won mild envy from her riding partner on his modern Salsa. Sporting 700x35 (rear) and 700x38c tires, her Follis is a lightweight and capable bicycle with vintage charm and modern performance.
(Below) Cole had just graduated college, and he was already a fit roadie. He wanted to spend more time away from cars, riding gravel. This economy-plus gravel classic allows Cole to ride more road surfaces without losing his racer's connection to speed. It balances modern performance and value while delivering style in spades.
The high value PFN-13 frame with its Vitus 172 hand-brazed steel tubes was sold only in France. positioned third from the top of the line, it originally came with a triple crankset for long-distance rides over varied terrain. This Frameset weighs about 50 grams less than a pr-10 of the same size and vintage in my inventory. The PR-10 is ostensibly the higher-spec frame, made with Reynolds 531.
Jason wanted something light and swift like a road bike, but more casual than a road bike. He wanted something stylish, with a comfortable cockpit that he could ride in the evening to dinner with friends, or on the occasional 20-miler on crushed limestone.
650B conversion
• 1979 Legnano Competizione (branded Bongiorno for Cycles Bongiorno in Lyon, France), size 56cm; bronze brazed with Bacoma lugs; Italian Falck brand “Precisione” steel/chromoly tubing; rare under-shell brazed cable guides (Legnano signature); forged Campagnolo dropouts; 73-degree seat- and head-tube angles; 56cm lengths; 75mm bottom-bracket drop; Praxisworks Turn M30 cranks with Wolf-Tooth DropStop 38-tooth chainring; M30 compatible, outboard-bearing bottom bracket with uncommon Italian threading (36x24).Japanese "Gordita" pedals; Shimano 1x10 MTB drivetrain; Shimano Saint SL-M820 RapidFire Plus Dynasys Shifter; Shimano Zee RD-M640 Shadow Plus Rear Derailleur; Shimano XT CS-M771 Cassette / 11-36 tooth; White Industries Rocket 88 hubs and Velocity Synergy 36s rims; 650b x 38 Panacer Gravel King slick tires. SimWorks GetAround chromoloy handlebars; StrongLight needle-bearing headset; StrongLight seatpost; Brooks B-67 sprung saddle. Two-finger Dia-Compe brakes.
Fitting Jason for a custom bicycle.
French fit: This 57 cm Italian frame fits Sarah's five-foot-ten-inch body with what is known as a French fit. French cyclists traditionally choose the largest frame size one can stand over. It gives a more compliant ride feel; the French fit is focused on distance riding at speed, but in comfort. This build was a gift for Sarah from her partner Jason, and it's Sarah's first bike with drop handlebars. Incidentally, this Bianchi is not French. It was brazed in Treviglio, Italy, in the early 1980s.
Sarah's Electric Rose Trofeo, with its Celeste accoutrement, turns heads. Meanwhile its gearing ratio precisely matches Jason's bike (see Bongiorno above). Identical gearing allows them to easily synchronize their pace on the trail despite using entirely different shift systems and drivetrains.
Sarah's Electric Rose Trofeo, with its Celeste accoutrement, turns heads. Meanwhile its gearing ratio precisely matches Jason's bike (see Bongiorno above). Identical gearing allows them to easily synchronize their pace on the trail despite using entirely different shift systems and drivetrains.
Story: Tim is a 40-something attorney and triathlete who usually finishes in the top three in his age group. When he's on tarmac, this 21-pound custom steel flyer emphasizes performance. The build started with a 2003 Jamis Quest 631 tig-welded frame using oversized tubing for a stiffer platform. The chrome finish and tasteful branding cover a craft-made and supple steel frame, which is paired to a Waterford Cycles hand-brazed "Box-Top" fork. Frame weight of 4.4 pounds. Seventy-three degree parallel seat- and head-tube angles and 41.5 centimeter chain stays; 57 centimeter seat-tube length and 56.5 centimeter top tube. This frame was produced during an era when Reynolds 631 was relatively novel. Today, Reynolds 631 remains a benchmark for premium lightweight steel-framed bicycles despite the existence of newer, more exotic alloys. The fork uses a stiff, box-top crown made by Henry James and brazed to tapered chromoly fork legs that track beautifully over bumps and through corners. The rake is 45mm to bring the mechanical "trail" figure to 58 (with the de-facto 700x28c tires). The handling is predictable and intuitive, especially at speed.
Shifters: Shimano Dura Ace 9001 2x11-speed integrated shifters/brake levers for caliper brakes. Brakes: Shimano Dura Ace BR-9000 front and rear brake calipers. Wheels: Ritchey World Championship Series (WCS) Zeta II with tool-less cassette removal for easier shipping and travel to races; Saddle: Weatherproof Brooks Cambium Carved in black; Seatpost: ENE/Ciclo GranCompe seat post, rare white colorway; Headset: Chris King NoThreadSet 1-1/8" in Matte Jet ; Stem: Velo-Orange Tall Stack Stem in 100mm length; Crankset: PRAXIS Works Zayante Carbon S with 48/32 chainrings, using a Praxis outboard-bearing bottom bracket for a noticeably stiffer pedaling platform.
Crank-arm length is 170. The 48/32 chainrings give a wide useable range of gears when paired with the 11-28 cassette on the rear wheel. Handlebars: FSA Wing Pro Compact handlebars, color-matched to seatpost, size 44 CM. Color-matched white frame pump.
Since 2024, Tim has raced gravel events on this custom bike based on a 1960s hand-built French frame. It uses 650b wheels with plump 42c tires for a pillowy ride over coarse gravel. At about 24 pounds, it's not the lightest bike in his age group. Nevertheless, he regularly podiums. A skilled frame builder built this patinaed, creamsicle-orange frame, which measures 59 centimeters at the seat tube. It was specified by its original French builder with proprietary Simplex dropouts, which I re-shaped and tapped to accept modern Shimano components. The frame rolls on lightweight Velocity wheels with custom lacing and tubeless GravelKing slicks.
This eye-catching1960s all-road 650b conversion bicycle is powered by a 2017 Shimano Ultegra 8000 11-speed drivetrain. In addition to the wheels, the black anodized White Industries cranks are color-matched to the Thomsen seat post, Velo Orange stem and a working frame pump that uses the original braze-ons.
A working frame pump attaches to the frames original braze-ons.
Modifying the forged Simplex dropout to accept modern Shimano components.
Modifying the forged Simplex dropout to accept modern Shimano components.
White Industries crankset in 165mm for better clearnace with 650b tires.
Prototype Storied Bicyclesheadbadge etched on copper sheet
May your story abide for always. In the meantime, I'll try to respond promptly.
Subtle Storied Bicycles branding is (literally) "branded" with a hot iron into the custom dyed leather handlebar tape.
Tim's gravel bike hangs waiting for his transition from the swim leg of a gravel triathlon.
Abra's handsome French racer
And your storied bicycle, constructed from artisan steel, could offer more than supreme good looks and a quiet, supple ride to your destination. It can also be a sustainable way to embrace analog and share your individual story.
Service pricing
