My journey to frame building traces back my education in art, design and fabrication at Cooper Union. Commuting to school, I fell in love with bikes, and continued to branch out into bike sports as I graduated and worked in the field of architecture. I soon realized that spending all day in an office meant that I couldn’t access my passion for fabrication, so in 2015, I moved to Portland, OR to learn the traditional method of bicycle construction called fillet brazing. With a torch in one hand, and a bronze rod in the other, I was mesmerized by the alchemy that happens when these elements come together. It’s a magical experience to melt dabs of bronze around each joint, creating a triangulated piece of steel soon to become a functional bike.
Over the past three years, I’ve worked at Breadwinner Cycles under the direct tutelage of my frame building instructor from UBI - Tony Pereira - and his business partner Ira Ryan. They along with many other mentors have patiently answered questions and shared words of wisdom, and I’m now ready to embark down a path that honors what I’ve learned while adding my own special touch. To create the elusive “modern-masterpiece”—a goal which can so easily end in a contrived and busy assemblage of metal—is by no means an easy journey, but with practice, my vision has produced bicycles that are elegant, eye-catching, and transcendent in their ability to take you places you have yet to explore as well as make known routes feel new again.
Jacqueline Mautner - builder, UNTITLED Cycles
UNTITLED Cycles 