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“Blue Bilenky” A great story!

Stephen,

I am back from Europe.  The bike was GREAT!  It assembled with no problem and putting it together on a daily basis out of the car trunk was a two minute process.

The airlines really crushed all of our luggage (our hard sided suitcases that have been back and forth to Europe for 20 years were totally collapsed) but the bike was ok.  The wheels were pretzeled; but, a couple of hours with a spoke wrench solved that.  I had to re-adjust everything, as expected with a new bike, and then it was fine.

Packing it, except for the anxiety of doing it the first time, was no problem.  I left the rear derailler on, and am working on other packing positions to allow me to leave the crank or fork.

Because I had it with me, I got to ride along the Rhine in Germany, through a bunch of great bike paths in France (they have beautiful, smoothly paved bike paths in Alsace), and up and down the trails and passes in Switzerland.  Once I figured out everything, the extra rear disc brake turned the sharp descents from screaming terrorizing spurts (interspersed  with stopping to let brakes, wheels and tires to cool), into fairly relaxed fun.

Harry

Hi Stephen,

I just wanted to write you a quick letter to let you know how much I'm enjoying my Midlands. Sometimes when you read testimonial letters you get the sense that people are trying to make themselves feel good about their purchase, so I really wanted to put some miles on the bike before commenting on it. Now that I've been riding my Bilenky for about 6 months (my daily commute and a couple of short tours have somehow totaled almost 3000 miles), I can wholeheartedly say that I am really happy with the bike. The mix of components we worked out together have been very reliable and cost-effective. The bike itself is not only beautiful but rides like a dream (of my 3 bikes, it's certainly the most-ridden). Finally, the couplers came in really handy when I took my Midlands with me to New Zealand recently. No problems with the airline or customs at all. I love how versatile this bike is and unlike my two other bikes, I'm sure I'll still be riding my Bilenky 10 years from now, if not even longer. Yeah, the bike cost me some money, but when I think about how long I'm going to have it, I think it's actually working out to be a really good deal. Thanks again for your excellent service and the excellent bike.

Best regards,

Thomas

P.S. I'm attaching a picture of my Midlands in front of an old Japanese house. This is on one of my usual weekend long ride routes here in Japan.

Hey Stephen,

 I put the bike together today and had a great ride of about 50 mi, RT up Vail Pass. I like the bike very much. It didn’t make a sound today. Good work. The fit is great. I thought that you were sending a conventional frame and was fretting since your stock size is a bit bigger than I’m used to. I was delighted to see that it’s compact since I think that’s better with frames that are a bit on the big side. The fit is great. I was surprised at how light it is. The TIG welding is excellent—it is so smooth it looks like fillet brazing. I have the same dropouts on my Ti bike and I like them. All the components salvaged, repaired, or new, worked like new. I really appreciate your going over these to see what we could keep.

 I really am delighted with the whole shebang.

Thanks Stephen. You’ve done great work and I’m really satisfied. I bumped into a friend today who saw the bike and asked for your website.

 Paul

Stephen,

I've just come back from a 10 day charity ride in France and Italy. Our route was like a piece of the Tour-from Evian to Cannes over the Galibier, the Madalaine, the Telegraphe, L'Alpe d'Huez, the Roselend, the Izoard, the Lataret, the Vars, the Columbiere... I could go on.

The bike traveled well. Thanks for the "hack job" on the frame. the Brits I rode with were so fascinated by the frame that I had to take it apart one night just to show them how it worked.

Well done.

Cheers,

Matt

Stephen -

Just wanted to drop you a quick line to say thank you for the incredible work on my bike!  It's beautiful in every regard and everything is so finely finished and detailed - I'm very happy with how everything turned out!  The fillet brazing is really great looking - I can't imagine how great it would look if these were fully finished.  I've gone out for several rides since I got the bike and am very pleased with the ride and finally having a bike that really fits me!  My kids love being towed behind "Daddy's new bike" - so, again, thank you for all of your great work!

I'll be taking pictures from my first tour (a short one on the Greenbrier River Trail) and will be posting to cyclofiend under the current classics gallery when I get back - just can't wait to show the new bike off a bit!

Best regards,

Phil

Just returned from an exdellent ride on my Bilenky.  I've built it up with a mix of 7sp equipment and a one on on midge bar, and it rides like a dream.  I've got a rivendell custom and I really can't say which rides better. Just a grand bike.

I'm am totally happy with the bike, the couplers, the build. . . the philosophy that seems to be behind it.  I'm sure you're told this all of the time, but YOU DO GOOD WORK.  Get a t-shirt built so that those who love your bikes can advertise for you.  My best to you from dry, sunny, drought-stricken Nebraska.  David

Hey I love my bike and the wonderful work you did. It is my joy. See a picture. I think that you folks are wonderful and have art and love of bicycles.

YYYYYEEEEEEHHHHHHHAAA

-Nard

A while ago, I sent out a message to the list about sharing my pain while I waited for my Atlantis to come back from Bilenky.

Well, the bike came back.

I built it up over the weekend and took it down 20 miles of dirt roads, up a lot of hills, and over to the coffee shop.

The people at Bilenky did a great job on this bike. The S&S couplers look like they were part of the original design, the paint is flawless, and the frame prep was better than when the bike came new from the Toyo factory: Bilenky faced the BB and HS cleanly and chased every threaded hole on the bike. They added a kickstand plate and braze ons for the Nitto mini rack, both perfect for my parts. Seriously, if you ever need frame work or couplers done on your bike, these guys know what they're doing. Good prices too. www.bilenky.com

Someone asked on the list the other day about dropout mounted lights- mine works fine.

Gads, now if I can just finish my degree and hit the road already.

best,

Sal

Stephen,

The bike is awesome!  I've attached a picture of the Normandy coast from my trip to France where I was visiting my brother.  Honestly, I don't think I'd change a thing.  I can feel that the bike is little heavier then my other one, but I'd have to say in terms of handling it's pretty much better then anything I've ever ridden.

Take care.

Mark

Hi Stephen,

Greetings from Switzerland.  The Viewpoint is performing very well and we've been getting plenty of questions.  By splitting the bike at the front couplers, we've been able to put the back section fully assembled in the back of our small rental car.  Assembly is pretty quick and we've gone on many rides.  This shot is taken on the waterfront near Montreux.  This is Lake Léman, known in North America as Lake Geneva.  While the roads are much narrower here and the traffic is much faster, we've found the Swiss drivers much more accommodating and respectful of cyclists.

Cheers

Fernand

Hi Stephen,

Attached are some pictures of my new cycle.  I thought you might like to

see them.  She is perfect.  I rode a a 115 km populair last Saturday on

her. She performed flawlessly and drew much praise.  Thanks again.

The Gold Bike is great.  You would not believe the comments I get.  People

almost drool over it.  This summer, I rode her on three 200 km brevets,

one 400 km brevet, two centuries, and tons of other short rides.  She is a

joy to ride and a feast for the eyes.

Brian