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| Entrance to the shop |
Last week I had the honor of touring the metal shop of Forty Four Bikes, in Lyndenborough New Hampshire. Since I was in the area learning the skill of frame building, I thought the opportunity to visit Forty Four Bikes was a necessity. Kris Henry, the man behind the mask, style, design and image of the brand was very accommodating to my request to visit. So accommodating that he had breakfast ready for us both as I arrived - painting a picture of this mans class right from the get-go.
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| Metal Shop |
We sat around is his beautifully decorated home, drank coffee and talked about bikes, his history and what drives him to succeed. He gave freely his opinions and recommendations of how to get started in the industry.
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| Wilton Vise & Files |
One of the first things that caught my eye with Forty Four Bikes was the curves and the branding. Every detail of his process and product is thought out to the last detail. The image I had in my mind of what his shop space and thought process was like ended up being spot-on - just from viewing his website and Facebook posts, a well defined picture. I felt a connection to Kris through artistic style and attention to detail - a perfectionist who cares as much about the process, quality and image as I do. Simple yet sexy curves, out-of-the-box design ideas that have been brought to fruition makes Forty Four stand out from the ever growing custom frame shop world.
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| Tooling |
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| Bridgeport Milling Machine |
I could go on for days about Kris' background in the cycling community, how he studied under Master Frame builder, Ted Wojcik or how he has been patiently growing his business over many, many years of hard work. How he is kind and helpful to people he's never met, and humble in his answers and prowess. I believe Kris will be going a long way with his vision that is Forty Four Bikes.
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| 44 Bikes Proto Mountain frames #1-4 |
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| Swear to Shred |
I will let you decide for yourself however - to explore his online presence and judge for yourself. I for one see a very well made product that I'd be honored to add to my stable. Special thanks to Kris for the tour, for allowing me into his home, to see his shop, process and product; and to gain yet another friend in the cycling community.
Links
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| < Kris & Burnsey> |
