A man named Adam Sklar.

Photo & Text by Shige

I first learned of his existence last year, and this year I was finally going to meet Adam Sklar of Sklarbikes in person at NAHBS. My first impression was that this young man, with his fresh and cool sensibility evident not only in the bikes he builds but also in the way he sets up his booth, was really making a name for himself.

Winning the Best Mountain Bike Award at the show, he is a promising young builder who possesses incredible skill despite being only 24 years old. During my stay in the United States as a SimWorksUSA correspondent, one thing I absolutely wanted to do was reunite with him. Of course, I also wanted to see for myself where and how he makes his bikes.

And so, at 5:00 a.m., I left Portland while it was still dim and hopped onto I-84.
The eastern sky was gradually brightening and turning bright red. I was heading to Bozeman, Montana.

The long drive to Salt Lake City this spring to attend NAHBS 2017 was still fresh in my mind, but this was my first long drive since then, and this time it was a solo trip. I was still a little traumatized by the flat tire trouble I had last time, but I kept driving east safely.

On the way to Bozeman, I also stopped by Missoula, where FairEnds has its studio, and arrived at my accommodation in Bozeman after 10:00 p.m. Relieved to have finished a long day safely, I dove straight into bed.

When I woke up, it was already morning, and my host had already efficiently made coffee for me.

Yes, this is the man himself, Adam Sklar.

Originally from Boulder, Colorado, he spent his childhood in a town home to renowned handmade builders such as Moots, Kent Erickson, and Mosaic, growing up in an environment where making things was always close at hand. Of course, he spent his summers riding on countless trails and enjoyed skiing and snowboarding in the winter.

He left home to attend college and moved to Bozeman, and while studying engineering, he never missed a chance to ride his beloved bicycles. Montana, home to the Yellowstone, is a wonderful place surrounded by vast nature, and since you can also enjoy skiing in the winter, Adam completely fell in love with the area. He founded Sklarbikes while still a student in 2015. The fact that Mystery Ranch is also based in this town, along with other garage makers and fly fishing reel makers that are not yet known in Japan, as well as various outdoor manufacturers of all sizes making things here, was another major factor that encouraged him.

Although I had met him at NAHBS, meeting him here in the town where he lives shattered the image I had of him in a good way.

Riders, builders, and mechanics. For those of us involved with bicycles, I think community is an indispensable and very important thing. And here in Bozeman, he has firmly established that community and spends every day with a bicycle by his side.

Bozeman is the home base of Strong Cycles, where Carl Strong is a key figure, and Adam says he often went to him for advice. And next to Sklar's workshop is a bike shop, and they are closely connected, helping each other out by sometimes assisting with mechanics or building Adam's bikes.

Right in front of the workshop is a very delicious bakery, and customers are constantly coming in, and just a block away are coffee shops and breweries. On Friday nights, they serve pint beers at Adam's workshop as a happy hour, and in exchange, you can get coffee or sandwiches. At SimWorks' home base, Circles, we have also been moving forward with a cooperative-style operation since long ago, and I really empathize with what they are doing here in Bozeman. I could tell right away that they have built a very good neighborhood relationship.

Nothing can start on an empty stomach, so first I filled up at Adam's favorite shop.

Personally, it was a simple American breakfast that made me miss Alibi. It was simple, but each and every item was carefully and meticulously prepared, and while I wanted to savor it as I chewed, my brain wouldn't let me. Combined with my hunger, I polished it off in no time.

Now that my stomach is full, let's go back to the workshop and get my hands and head moving.

His DIY-built workshop is a cool space with black-painted walls and plywood, and the tools are neatly organized. He makes frames here every day. I have visited many builders' workshops, but I can feel that everyone has their own creativity and determination to create an environment that makes production easier. Personally, visiting builders' workshops has its own enjoyment, and his workshop also showed many clever ideas.

Each piece is carefully shaved, carefully checked, and yet his hands move briskly and dynamically. It is a satisfying pace to watch as things gradually take shape.

What a young man!

His frames are characterized not only by the back triangle but also by the boldly curved front triangle, and they are truly alluring without any childish gimmicks. The original details, including the disc caliper mounts, create a functional and satisfying atmosphere, and the understated logos and paintwork balance the overall look.

Not overdone, yet ambitious. He has a clear idea of what he thinks is cool, and the bikes he makes seem to radiate an invisible heat, as if he simply wants to give form to that very idea. "I can only feel envy toward him. He's really amazing!" These were the words Travis of Paul Component said at NAHBS, and indeed, Adam is only 24 years old.

The bikes overflowing with his attitude toward making things—wanting to make what he thinks is beautiful—are focused on dirt riding, which is his favorite thing and what he is best at.

He says he is very fulfilled every day holding a torch, translating the experiences he gained in his hometown of Boulder and the inspiration he gets from riding around the vast nature of Montana where he currently lives into bicycles.

And on this day, the view from the summit almost brought me to tears.

Making what you love your job. It is easy to say, but it takes strength to actually keep doing it, and it is not that easy. However, he has learned a lot from those who came before him, thoroughly digested it within himself, and is facing frame building head-on.

Even he, when not holding a torch, is just a 24-year-old young man.
He is sensitive to trends, likes music, and can even cook. By the way, apparently he drinks LaCroix every day.

With Rick Hunter and Curtis Inglis as mentors he admires, and also supported by wonderful friends, he is firmly pursuing the ideal of what he should be as a builder and as Adam Sklar, all on his own strength.

Adam loves placing himself in nature and enjoys not only bicycles but also skiing and camping, and other outdoor activities. The bikes made with the belief that it is important to work on the thing you love most and to make them functional tools you want to ride every day are made one by one by his hands in this Bozeman workshop.

He has a clear idea of what he wants to do in the future and what he wants to do more of, and we were able to spend a very intense time together talking about various things, even though it was a short stay. It is my pure feeling that he has potential because he is still young, and that regardless of age, I will not be able to take my eyes off what he makes.

The 750-mile return to Portland was very long, but it passed in no time as I thought about the future in light of this Montana trip.

Sklar Bikes – Sklar Bikes

The promising young frame builder who won the Best Mountain Bike Award at NAHBS in Salt Lake City at the age of 24 is none other than Adam Sklar, the owner of Sklarbikes / Sklar Bikes.

Originally from Boulder, Colorado, a town with many renowned builders, he has been riding bicycles since childhood, and based on that experience, he makes frames in Bozeman, Montana. They are focused on dirt riding such as cyclocross, all-road bikes, and mountain bikes, and each one is handmade in his workshop.