As you may (or may not) remember from high school History class, the word renaissance is French for rebirth.  Giving a new life to an old bicycle is exactly what we mean by a renaissance bicycle.

For those who preferred Math class, here is a symbolic representation:

Our process to renaissance a bicycle is simple in theory:

1. Acquire a vintage frame that has great potential and no serious defects. These frames are often “project” bikes that were never completed or a neglected old friend in the back of the garage.
2. Research and procure new components that both enhance and complement the vintage frame. This step is possibly the most time consuming. We try to create a coherent build using only a few select manufacturers of high quality parts.
3. Assemble … Test … Tune … Test … Tune … A great deal of attention to detail (some may say obsessive) goes into making sure each bike is perfect.

There are plenty of great advantages of a renaissance bicycle, but the main one is that you own a bicycle that is completely unique.  Renaissance bicycles have a classic style and modern performance that set you apart from the rest of the group ride.

Pay No Attention to the Wo/Men Behind the Curtain

Bryan — Benevolent Dictator
Bryan is the daily-life force behind Renaissance Bicycles. This means he oversees (and sometimes actually completes) the daily tasks needed to run a small business. He answers the phones, orders the parts, updates the website, and even gets his hands dirty in the Shop.   Bryan brings a wide variety of experiences to the business … from Peace Corps Volunteering, to Web Development, to being a high school Math teacher.  And as you might guess, most of the custom Renaissance Bicycles are his brain-child. And by “brain-child” we mean “bad idea”.

Kyndra — Her Holiness the Dalai Momma
There would be no Renaissance Bicycles without Kyndra. Her daily contributions involve website revisions, marketing strategy, arranging “social” engagements, Head Cheerleader and Pep-Talker, and big-picture brainstorming. Kyndra has all of the experience and advanced degrees you could ever want in the field of Recreation … and boy does she know how to spell Csikszentmihalyi.  While only a fortunate handful get direct contact with her, there is no doubt that she is pulling the strings to make all this silliness wonderfulness possible.

Carina — Chief Quality Inspector / Shipping & Receiving
If Carina’s role could be summed up in one word it would be “dog”. She looks like a dog, acts like a dog, and even smells like a dog. In fact, she is a dog. Nonetheless, she take her role as customer greeter, package inspector, and sunshine soaker very seriously. She even gives all of the completed bikes the “sniff of approval / disapproval” before they are readied for shipping.

The Renaissance Bicycles Velosophy

At Renaissance Bicycles, our goal is to deliver unique high quality bicycles and components to the cycling enthusiast. The majority of our bicycles fall into the vintage category, but we occasionally offer current bicycles and components that demonstrate a high level of craftsmanship … think Moots, Rivendell, etc. Our bicycles are definitely individual creations that exemplify a high level of form and function. In other words, we build and sell beautiful bicycles that are meant to be enjoyed.

Form and Function
Today’s bicycle design has not deviated much from the turn of the century safety bicycle.  However in recent years, there have been a significant developments in bicycle design, materials, and application.  We appreciate the decades of refinement to create exquisite handcrafted bicycles, and we embrace the technological improvements in drivetrains, components, and wheelsets.  So, Renaissance Bicycles daringly blends the classic forms with contemporary technology … and we add in a little panache along the way.

Restoration Versus Customization
The cycling community has a revived interest in vintage bicycles.  With more major manufacturers moving towards modern materials, classic steel (especially lugged steel) bicycles are in demand among cycling aficionados.  While we occasionally dabble with new age materials, steel is our preferred medium.

We respect the desire to keep classic bicycles original and admire the purists of Classic Rendezvous.  However, the updated and customized look is more our flavor.  We resist parting-out classic bicycles and instead seek to customize the “diamond in the rough”.  Most of our bicycles come to us devoid of their original parts (and usually paint), but this makes the process especially satisfying.  In other words, we are the purveyors of restomod bicycles.

Quality Takes Time
Much like sitting down to a good meal Renaissance Bicycles recognizes that good things take time.  Attention to detail, quality, and craftsmanship are of the utmost importance.  Our goal is to build and sell bicycles that we would be proud to own (and ride regularly) ourselves.