Ok here it is, the long story told medium long.

I originally grew up in Hailey, ID, which is just south of Ketchum/Sun Valley.  I entered my first mountain bike race when I was 10 years old and have never once thought about giving it up. Though I don’t race much anymore, I ride more now than I ever have.

Through out high school I worked at Sun Summit South (crankandcarve.com). It was at Sun Summit, that I honed my ability to work on, understand, and study all things bike related. I had a lot of fun at that job and worked there for over 7 years. I returned every summer when I was in college to work and ride in the valley. Chip, the owner, was a great mentor and we continue to ride and ski on a regular basis. The shop organizes a Thursday night ride every week and contributes to the Galena Grinder race.

Upon completion of High school I moved to Bozeman to attend the state university. I completing my general core requirements in two years . I had to select a major to continue, but couldn’t make up my mind. So I did what any 20 year old would do. I moved to Vancouver Island and enrolled in the Summit School of Guitar building (luthiers-international.com). I had planned to complete the one-year masters program, but cost and weather cut my training short. Most of all, I wanted to move back to Bozeman. It took leaving Montana to realize how nice it is. I also figured it was a bad idea to make it halfway through college and quit.

So I found myself back in Bozeman, and enrolled in the college of business with an emphasis in management. One semester later I switch to accounting, because I thought there would be less job competition and the subject matter wasn’t overly challenging. I graduated in 2008 with a bachelor’s degree in accounting.

Now rewind back a year to 2007. I decided on a graduation souvenir for myself. A little early, but whose counting? I wanted a custom frame to replace my Lemond Poprad. Carl Strong and Dave Kirk where the hometown heroes. I remember meeting Carl at his shop, Stark Raven Cycles, in 2002. First I called Dave and chatted with him about a lugged cross frame and fork. After a couple of weeks, I decided I didn’t need a new bike and my current cross bike was just fine.

Well, my cross bike had a long winter (it doubled as a daily driver) and one of the water bottle bolts seized in the frame. I contacted Carl to see if he could fix it. While I was in the shop, I made the mistake of inquiring about a replacement for my Lemond. One thing led to another, and my name was placed on the board.

After my bike was built, I would visit the shop every two weeks or so. One day Carl mentioned that he wished I would have come by when I was still in college. He thought I would make a great apprentice, but he couldn’t pay me so it wouldn’t be practical for a college graduate. I told him I was in no hurry for the real world and would be interested, if only a couple of hours a week. Carl then decided that he was too busy to take on an apprentice at the time.

Looking for a change of pace, I moved to Bend, OR. I had visited Bend a couple of times and thought it would be cool to live there. I moved in June of 2008 and struggled hard to find a job. After a couple months I finally found a job working at the Gear Peddler in town (gearpeddler.com). It was a sweet gig and my boss was beyond cool, but it really wasn’t a step forward. I only moved to Bend to ride my mountain bike as much as I could. I was successful at that, but it was time to make something happen.

My girlfriend still lived in Bozeman and the long distance was getting old fast. She was in her last year in the Masters program for accounting, so she had to stay put. I called up Carl and told him I was moving back. I begged and pleaded for a couple days a week. It was right around the time of the shop remodel, and the place had doubled in size. Carl said it was a good time, so I loaded up the U-haul and headed out “west”.

For the 19 months, I’ve been working as an apprentice at Strong Frames. I work Wednesdays and Thursdays with Carl. The rest of the week I work at Montana State University in the Graduate Education Office as an accounting analyst.

I will use this blog to display, in real-time, what it is like to work with a professional framebuilder. I will also discuss my progress as an aspiring framebuilder and the generous help I receive along the way. I will post a lot of ride photos and skiing in the winter, and probably a little about my other passion music.

Please feel free to comment on postings with questions or ideas.

Thanks,

Erik Rolf

Alliance Bicycles

erik@alliancebicycles.com

6/20/10