Photo by Shinya Tanaka/Photo by Rie Sawada
I am tracking my travels this summer in chronological order.
I realize once again what a fool I’ve been, but everyone has their own plans, and I have my own margin to play with. That is precisely why I travel across this vast, vast continent in search of the thrills and excitement that only this kind of experience can bring.
After enjoying a night in Santa Cruz, I woke up at 4:00 a.m.
(A schedule I myself think is insane.)
Without even eating breakfast, I headed straight back to SFO.
The first one I board in the morning, oh my baby...
A propeller plane. Nice.
(I absolutely cannot sleep on this.)
My destination is Oregon. Hmm, Oregon? Wait, Oregon?
I was just there the day before yesterday, babe—that’s what I find myself thinking.
But I have to go; going is the only way forward for my journey.
The destination, Ashland, is a city in Southern Oregon, extremely close to the California border.
A 40-minute flight and—yep, arrived.
I won't be doing any five-hour-plus drives this time.
I came to beautiful, livable Ashland to meet with Mike DeSalvo before his vacation so we could talk.
But first, I headed to downtown to eat that breakfast I missed.
(Downtown is coming in handy this time.)
Um, looks yum yum! Taste yum yum!
This is my absolute favorite.
Two Eggs & Hash Browns.
As long as there’s some toast filled with kindness on the side, I can survive.
I think everyone misunderstands America in many ways.
Take Denny’s in America, for example.
The portion sizes are so insanely huge that you really think they’re trying to kill you! But they actually prepare the potatoes and eggs properly in the kitchen.
What about in Japan? Isn't it all just "nuked" in the microwave?
E-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g.
Chain stores aren't bad if people are actually preparing things on the spot according to the recipe.
No matter how fancy you make "central kitchen" sound, it’s still just "nuked" food.
People who want to work won't feel motivated to do so with that kind of production method.
I don’t think I’m the only one who feels that way, so let’s do better, Japan!
While I excuse myself by saying that going off-topic is part of the charm of traveling and often leads to new discoveries, I headed toward the workshop, which was just around the corner.
Desalvo Custom Cycles
Arrived at Desalvo Custom Cycles.
He is the first person I ever placed a custom order with in America.
He is Mike DeSalvo.
I chose him because I felt he was a man who builds with extreme normalcy, extreme consistency, and extreme care.
Relatively speaking, many people overthink "custom orders," assuming that since you can do anything, they come to me looking for something "extremely" groundbreaking. Sometimes I feel like it's better not to go overboard.
(Of course, I make an effort to say what I really think, and the most important thing is matching the object to the person.)
And truly good things, even if they aren't wildly different, will eventually appeal to me and say, "I am a good thing." I’ve learned in my life so far that it is very important for us to find those things and engage with them sincerely.
(You can do that on the other side of a monitor or in the pages of a magazine.)
That’s why I carefully deliberated and compared him with the likes of Vanilla and IF until I was sick of it.
It’s been seven years since then, and I can still proudly recommend his work to you all.
I can say, "This is a good thing," and "He is a good man."
Beyond his skill and sense, his lead times and communication can be a nightmare, but that’s okay.
Even now, as more people are beginning to understand what he represents (he teaches at UBI, helps out at Speedvagen, etc.), for me, he is one of the people I want to see working with his hands more and more.
He leaves beautifully clean traces on both titanium and steel. Every time I see them, I think, "Wow, he really is amazing." And when you build them up into a complete bike and ride them, the trouble begins.
You end up asking from the bottom of your heart, "What is different about this?"
That is how I would describe a DeSalvo bike.
And his other place of work is here in Ashland.
UBI (United Bicycle Institute)
“UBI (United Bicycle Institute)”
It’s a training school for bicycle mechanics and builders.
It has been 30 years since the school started.
Sycip, Engin, and many of the builders who come to NAHBS nowadays graduated from here.
Honestly, it’s affordable.
In anything, affordability is a good thing. It leads to lower barriers to entry, which makes it easier for big things to happen.
Honestly, whether someone continues in the field or not is up to them, and whether something is good or bad is up to the customer, so I believe the most important thing is how we can provide the opportunity for them to get started.
It’s the same as finding a job; some kids will stick with it, and some will quit.
But the most important thing is whether society can provide them with that starting point.
Saving up about $3,000 to go to Ashland, immersing yourself in English, and learning the ins and outs of bicycles is an incredibly cheap investment, I think.
(Everything else depends on how serious the individual is.)
And it gets even more interesting when things that were once kept as Japan’s traditional, "village-society" style secrets start spilling out into the world.
"Oh, so bicycles are actually quite simple."
That's what I want more kids to realize so they can say, "Alright, I'm going to make a living doing this!"
Paul is now a teacher @UBI.
It’s fine to take your time and nurture them until something good is produced, or you can just tell them, "Give it a try," and let them go at it.
What’s important is whether they can decide to just do it.
After that, it's about whether all of us can support those cool people with all our might.
But I really believe this:
How wonderful and dependable it is to have someone nearby who genuinely takes care of your bicycle.
And it seems those are the only people who can truly be called "bicycle shop owners."
I think it will be much more fun when we have more bicycle shop owners with such high aspirations.
Well, I'm back in the Bay Area.
Next time, I'm heading north.
I’m thinking of going to get drunk in the premium wine regions...
I mean drunk on the people, not the alcohol, you know.
Desalvo Custom Cycles
( http://www.desalvocycles.com/ )
– Product samples [Please view the DeSalvo set on Flickr]
