Testimonials

“Blue Bilenky” A great story!

See what the press has to say about us!

Check back for new trip reports from Bilenky bike adventurers everywhere.

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Stephen, thanks so much for your excellent work on my bike. I'm in the

process of putting it back together but going slow as I don't want to

mar the beautiful work.

I'm really looking forward to riding it again and have been telling

everyone around what great bikes you create ! Even my wife recognized

the workmanship and she told me "oh my, you'll have to get a better lock

for that baby" !

Geoff (one happy customer)

Bina, I love my bike. I’m commuting 9 mi r/t every day (year round in Orlando)… and with weekends get in about 75 mi a week. Since the re-do I’ve gotten pannier racks and have bags on the front full time. The campy components rarely need much attention, so other than a wash once in a while I’m just ridin every day.

I get many comments on the nice paint job and don’t hesitate to point out the quality workmanship and mention the Bilenky website !

Thanks for asking !

Geoff

Stephen,

I recieved the bike a couple of days ago. I have commuted to work on it and it rides great, exactly what I wanted. Looks great too. Excited to go out and play on it this weekend. High hopes for some touring this summer... Thanks so much,

Jim

Dear Bilenky Folks -

Earlier this year you made a frame for us to replace our worn-out Counterpoint. We used the new frame -which is ten pounds lighter! - on the third year of our cross-country bike ride: Three Legs Across America. It worked wonderfully - Dan says it is easier to steer and he can enjoy the view more than he was able to with the Counterpoint, where he felt he was always having to watch the road. I've attached a write-up of our ride from Adventure Cyclist (that photo is of the Counterpoint) and a photo of us with the Bilenky at the top of Hoosier Pass, the high point of the TransAmerica Trail. Thanks for keeping this design alive - we get lots of comments and questions, and it is the perfect tandem for riders of different physical abilities. Feel free to use the photo - would appreciate a reference to our fund-raising efforts if that fits. Will keep you posted on our progress - two more thre-week rides to go.

-Nancy and Dan

Thought you guys might enjoy seeing my travel MCR which you

retrofitted and touched up. Nice work. Thanks.

Harvey

Dear Steve,

I did an indelible ride on dirt road from the Thai border to Sisiphon, Cambodia, so dusty I put on my swim goggles, lots of loose gravel, sandy spots and potholes, avery tough cycling, 30 miles felt like 100. I put it on a par with the Chihuahua mountains. I came down to Battambang this morning, a lovely ride, the weather is perfect and the road all good and paved. Traveling mostly through farm country, motorcycles going by laden with produce, or woven baskets full of squealing piglets, busy street markets in every little village, school kids practicing "hello, what is your name?" A really nice ride to make up for yesterday. Got into Battambang around noon met some Australians and a Swede who steered me to a good $5/night hotel. I'm on the 3rd floor, with a balcony overlooking the river. I put my bike in the room.

I don't have my cable with me to unload pics, but i'll send some as soon as I get back to India, Dec 21.

Best, Paul

Stephen --

Haven't written in a while. Just wanted to let you know that for our 20th anniversary this past September we shipped our Viewpoint to Niagara Falls, spent a couple of days there as tourists, and then rode to Albany along the Erie Canal over nine days. What a super trip! Perfect for us old folks who are not too crazy about hill climbing. The first three days didn't have 50 feet of elevation change. The weather was perfect, just one day with a little rain. Absolutely no problems with the bike, not even one flat in 420 miles. We averaged right at 45 miles per day with the longest being 62 and the shortest 34. We had no reservations except at the beginning and end. Each day about noon we would figure out where we were going to end up that night and we made a couple of calls to B&B's for a room. It was no problem. Probably helped that we did the trip after Labor Day. We did have a little trouble with DHL and shipping but it all worked out in the end. All in all it was a pretty perfect trip, and good for our relationship too. The front lowriders take a pair of Arkel T-28 panniers very well. I got to use the small ones in front and my wife, Gayle, got the bigger T-42's in the rear. Hair dryer & stuff, you know.

We passed 11,000 total miles on the bike on the CanalTrail, not a lot by many people's standards, but a testimonial to your craftsmanship. We have never had a major problem with the bike, from frame to components to wheels. The only changes we have made have been because we wanted to upgrade something. Not that you aren't already aware of it, but I think you guys KNOW how to make bikes. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Hope you had a great Thanksgiving. And I hope all is well with BCW. Please give my thanks to anyone there who had a part in our bike's construction.

Tom&Gayle, riders of Big Blue, the Viewpoint formerly known as BUFF.

Stephen,

Just a note of sincere thanks for what you have done for me. I

grew up with operations and casts on both of my legs and spent most of

my childhood in a wheelchair. As a result I`ve spent most of my life

riding a bicycle, mainly because with the limitations of my body, I can

not do any other type of exercise.

About ten years ago, I was in Penn Hospital, recovering from

hip replacement surgery and became upset while watching the movie

"Breaking Away". The reason that I was upset was that I realized that I

would never be able to ride a road bike again. But thanks to you I was

wrong. This past weekend I rode about 70 miles on my bike that you

custom built to the specific needs and dimensions of my body. It is by

far the mot comfortable bike that I have ever rode in my life.

thank you,

Rick

to Stephen and the artisans at Bilenky Works:

many thanks for the fine handmade steel artistry. i rode the Bilenky this weekend for its maiden voyage through ther hills of Fitchburg MA, it fits and rides like a dream.it is an honor and a privledge to have such a fine device, and i wanted to extend my thanks and appreciation for your efforts.

please let me know if i can come through again with a Cog or a Raleigh 3 spd part.

much respect,

Peter D Rubijono

Service Dept.

Harris Cyclery Inc.

Hi Steve,

I just wanted to drop a quick note to let you know how happy I am with the bike. Though the frame had been in Boston for paint, I had not seen it until I went to IF last Friday where Trystan was building all the bikes for our ride the next morning (he's good!). The bikes look great in their black coats with pink highlights and Pete's and mine are discernible by the different single pink letters. I particularly love how clean the machine is and the pencil-thin seatstays with the neat (Breezer?) dropouts. Beyond looking fantastic, the bike rides so well - I can't believe how it at once feels racy and turns so fluidly yet also feels so solid and all terrain (the area around Fitchburg has some totally wrecked roads!). I think it's the perfect bike for the continental project and beyond.

Again, thank you very much for contributing this bike, as well as Pete's, and further for obviously spending so much time deliberating on the design.

Here's a shot of the bike painted and built...plus there were many 'studio shots' taken that will be appearing on the continental site.

Best,

Pierre

Our good friend Trystan, at Rapha

Pierre’s Bilenky Rapha team bike

Steve,

Forgot to mention, I LOVE THE BIKE! The blue parrot lettering and the pale pink is simply AMAZING!

Thanks for such a beautiful bike, which will serve me well.

Best,

Jonny

Stephen,

I wanted to follow up and let you know the bike looks wonderful. I received it just prior to my trip to Colorado for the Copper Triangle ride last weekend. Everything about it is perfect, and with the new components it rides better than when new. I got many comments from other riders inquiring about the paint and the conversion, and it was a big hit with the Mavic neutral support crew who were really complimentary about your work.

I've attached a photo of me at the top of Fremont Pass, the highest point of the ride.

Regards,

Brian

Hello,

I have been riding my STERLING mountain bike for 25+ years. It has held up well and I have traveled what I estimate to be 20,000 miles on it. Thought you might like to see a "blast from the past!" I have

ridden it at Moab, throughout NM, and It has seen just about unlimited incarnations.

Sincerely,

Walt Shubsda

I took my new ride out for the first time this morning. As luck would have it my wife had to be at her shop today and my son was sleeping over at a friend's house. This meant I had some quality time to spend with the new bike.

Soon into the ride, we had a twisty decent. I have never driven a Ferrari. I can only assume it would handle as well as my Bilenky did on the curves. It was incredibly stable and confidence inspiring.

Someone in my group asked if the frame had any flex due to the couplers. I am a fairly heavy rider. There was a long climb that required being out of the saddle for a good bit of time. There was absolutely no sign of flexing in the frame.

After 4 hours of freewheeling, it was time to try out the fixed gear side. I spent another hour cruising around and figuring out how to ride a fixie.

On a side note I was in a bike shop yesterday and happened to look at a pretty high end bike. I instantly focused on the welds. The welds on that bike do not even compare to how smooth the welds are on my bike.

It is very evident to me that my bike was built with care. It will be owned and treated the same way it was built.

I love this bike. I can't wait to ride on it some more.

Thank you for building such as nice bike.- Hugh Ayles

Hey Bilenksters!

Just a note to comment on our S&S coupled bikes. They are B-A-D-A-S-S!!

Excuse the language, but sometimes appropriate language just doesn´t

cut it. These are the exception to the rule of exceptional biking

modifications. We are 5,000km and 6 months into a 2 year ride through

South America and our bikes are absolutely the bomb. I am in love with

my bike and plan to be riding it well into old age. No doubt it will be

I who fails before my bike or either coupler does.

As a bonus, I found that I can fit a 7 piece fly rod within the top and