Bikes of America (and Canada!)

[Canuk]

Masi's high quality bicycle production was operated in Carlsbad, California under the supervision of the maestro “tailor” of champions, Faliero Masi. Italian production continued under his son, Alberto. The USA company in turn fostered many fine USA builders and artisans. Mario Confente (now deceased), Brian Baylis, Jim Cunningham, Mike Howard, Gian Simonetti, Joe Starck and David Tesch are part of the heritage of Masi USA.
The ownership and manufacture of the Masi cycles has changed over the years and a new line of contemporary bicycles is currently being manufactured “off shore.” (see link below). The early Masi bicycles made in the start-up era have developed a strong following amongst vintage buffs.

 

[Canuk]

Faliero Masi commenced making bicycle frames at the Velodromo Vigorelli in Milan in the 1950s, after a career as a semi-professional racer and team mechanic. In 1973 his son Alberto took over the Vigorelli shop. Faliero and two assistants went to the US and began production at a new facility in Carlsbad, California after selling the "Cicli Masi" name and trademark to an American businessman, Roland Sahm.

Later, Faliero returned to Italy. Disputes over volume production caused a break in relations between Masi and the US Masi investors. The ownership of the US trademark remained with the US operation, so the Masi family were unable to sell bikes in the US under their own name.[3] This was despite Faliero Masi having brought over master builder Mario Confente from Italy to help establish the company's U.S. operations, which came to be regarded as producing even finer bicycles than its Italian counterpart.[4]

Alberto Masi would later release bikes into the US under the "Milano 3V" name.

The U.S. rights to the Masi name and logo are now owned by Haro Bikes.

 

[Canuk]

Paisley Scott tandem

 

[Canuk]

Scott Paisley explored bicycle frame building on a fellowship in London, England with the Holdsworth Company. He returned in 1981 and initially set up shop in Hudson, Ohio. In a short time, he moved to Charlottesville Virginia area, built custom frames full time, and then became an owner of the Blue Wheel Bicycle Shop. He has pursued frame building full time and more recently, shifting to much more part time, as but one element of bicycle shop operation.

 

[MattiThundrrr]

Georgina Terry, exceptionally rare in that she's a female builder focusing on bikes for female riders.

Some really unusual stuff, she liked smaller front wheels

https://www.sheldonbrown.com/harris/terry/history.html

 

[vtwinvince]

Don't forget CBS out here on the wet coast.

 

[bulgie]

@vtwinvince, who is CBS? I don't know them. I'm West Coast myself (Seattle) but I obviously don't know everyone.

Some of my favorites from yesteryear, some still active, in no particular order: Albert Eisentraut, Brian Baylis, Glenn Erickson, AD Stump, Peter Weigle, Jim Merz, Mark DiNucci, Bruce Gordon, Doug Fattic, Jeffrey Bock, Rich Gangl, Peter Johnson, Chris Kvale, Columbine, uh I'm slowing down here on remembering more so I'll stop, though I'm leaving out plenty of GREAT builders.

Some 3rd Millennium "new kids" making classic style steel frames who've caught my eye: Brian Chapman, Chris Bishop, Corey Thompson, Hahn Rossman. Mitch Pryor (MAP Bicycles) was a youngster making wonderful lugged steel frames of the old school until his shop burned to the ground when the whole town of Paradise California was leveled by fire a few years back. Mitch survived but is no longer in the bike biz. Alistair Spence was another promising up-and-comer who had just finished building his shop in Paradise when it burned, also no longer building bike frames, a tragedy.

A couple that are close to my heart:
<brag>
* A Rodriguez tandem, frame made by me (though Angel Rodriguez was the designer) was written up in Bicycling Magazine in 1980 as the most "advanced" tandem they'd ever seen. I don't usually expect much actual knowledge or wisdom from magazines, but in this case they got it right. One of the testers/writers of the article was Gary Fisher of MTB fame. His frames were made by others, but he knew stuff.

* Any Davidson made by me, '84-'94 (I made all the custom frames in that period, the rest of the crew made production models, Mr. Davidson made nothing in those years, but paid my wages and let me build frames as nice as I liked, for which I'm grateful). Other Davidsons, meh, plenty good but not as astoundingly great as the list of names above. Here's a detail from a frame I made in '88:



(That's after it was crashed, had TT & DT replaced and a repaint. Unfortunately I didn't take pictures back when it was made)

I rode my '85 Davidson MTB to victory in the only race I ever entered as a Pro, in '88. Full disclosure, there were only about 10 pros in the field the day I won, and none of the top teams were there. I was not on a pro team, I took out a Pro license on a lark, but I won fair and square! I definitely had the best bike there, in fact it's fair to say I won largely because of my bike.

One Davidson I made was ridden in two Olympic Games (no medal), and another was ridden to Silver in World Championships. Both of those were Match Sprint (track) bikes. Many of my frames were ridden to gold medals in National Championships, I lost count. If you include age-graded (Juniors and Masters) then it's dozens for sure.

</brag>

I don't equate myself with any of the names in my list above though, who are all people who founded their own brand, unlike myself — I was always a journeyman.

Mark Bulgier
Seattle Washington USA