About BCW

Our History

Meeting the needs of the individual cyclist - this was the premise on which our company was founded. In 1983 BCW recognized the need for specially proportioned frames and components for female cyclists; this initiated our entrance into custom frame manufacturing. We broadened our scope to meet the sizing challenges for riders of all shapes and sizes. What followed was a series of targeted products to answer the outfitting needs of recreational, fitness and utility cyclists. Our Metro 5 commuting bike, featured in 1984 and 1986 issues of Bicycling magazine, incorporated all-weather functionality. We refined the geometry and construction of emerging mountain bike frame designs in the late 1980’s. In 1994 Bicycling magazine again recognized us as one of the nations’ top custom bike builders for our fully equipped expedition touring bike, “The Midlands”. The 1990’s heralded us as the premier manufacturer of fillet brazed framesets. Reviews in Bicycle Guide, Bicycling and Tandem Magazine.

Meet Your Framebuilder!

Favorite thing about framebuilding: Brazing

Hobbies: BBQing, horticulture, computer graphics, & anthropology

Ideal Bike: Metro 5

Favorite bike ride: Ambler to Philly

Favorite tool: Victor J-28 brazing torch

Perfect bike color: Mint green

Framebuilding skills: 40 years custom bike-building experience; designing, machining, painting, brazing, supervising and assembling thousands of bikes

Simon Firth

John Weller

Favorite thing about framebuilding: Making handsome seat clusters

Hobbies: Drinking beer, origami

Ideal Bike: Porteur

Favorite bike ride: Riding home and with a tailwind

Favorite tool: Sharp file

Perfect bike color: Schwinn Super Sport blue

Framebuilding skills: Being a grumpy old English guy

Favorite thing about framebuilding: Installing couplers

Hobbies: Designing and building skate bikes

Ideal Bike: Cargo bike

Favorite bike ride: To the store to get lunch

Favorite tool: Makita angle grinder

Perfect bike color: Black primer, yellow, and purple

Framebuilding skills: Thousands of braze-ons and hundreds of couplers installed!

Bob Kamzelski

Favorite thing about framebuilding: Making things with my hands that people will use

Hobbies: Reading, Bike Touring, Chasing after my toddler

Ideal Bike: 650 B Tourlite

Favorite bike ride: On my blue Tourlite to the Pine Barrens in Jersey to swim

Favorite tool: Sandpaper

Perfect bike color: Metallic Dark Teal

Framebuilding skills: Youth & beauty

Carl Marin

Favorite thing about framebuilding: Finish work

Hobbies: Mountain biking; downhill and jumping, back packing

Ideal Bike: Ultralite hard tail

Favorite bike ride: Mountain bike jumps in Downingtown

Favorite tool: Victor J-28 brazing torch

Perfect bike color: White

Framebuilding skills: Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Arts & Sculpture from Tyler School of Art, 5 years bike mechanic experience

Bina Bilenky

Kasy Zook

Favorite thing about framebuilding: Words of wisdom from John Weller

Hobbies: Eating Doritos and sour cream while listening to Lady Gaga

Ideal bike: Anything that weighs over 50 lbs

Favorite bike ride: Commuting to work everyday

Favorite tool: 3 way Allen Key

Perfect bike color: Black!

Framebuilding skills: Eating the butt-ends of John Weller’s hot-dogs

If your search is for the ultimate in cycling, welcome to the world of Bilenky Cycle Works.....

Why choose us to build your bike, with all the other options out there, including less costly bicycle "package deals" from some of our big company competitors? Well, at Bilenky Cycle Works when we're not building bikes we are riding them. Most of us commute by bike everyday, all winter long. We are bike builders with many years of experience, and we build a wide range of bikes - we know about the kind of bikes you ride and we can build them. We have been there, done that, and can talk about it - both the old and the new in terms of bicycle design and components. At the same time, we don't have any re-conceived ideas about what will make the best bike for you, our customer, until after we have talked with you. And last, but not least, we truly enjoy building bicycles - It is our passion in life, and that says a lot!

Favorite thing about framebuilding: Designing paint schemes

Hobbies: Backpacking, reading, going to the beach

Ideal bike: 26” wheel Tourlite

Favorite bike ride: Glenside and beyond

Favorite tool: MacBook computer

Perfect bike color: Pink

Framebuilding skills: Keeping the frame building organized, in college for Hospitality Management & Business Administration