Chris King's Open House is an exciting time because it's when the company introduces new colors, and it's also just a great opportunity to hang out with a bunch of bike nerds. With builders coming from all over the world to be at the event, the range of perspectives was pretty broad, and it showed in the bikes.
On the first pass of walking around Chris King's impressive building, it was hard to get past just taking in the two new colors: Violet and Matte Bourbon. They were everywhere: on bikes, on displays, and even on the match-anodized rivets of Brooks Cambium saddles. The new colors are beautiful, and they open up a whole new range of color combinations, so we're stoked about that. We really love the re-addition of a brown-ish color to Chris King's line with the limited-edition Matte Bourbon color (which sits somewhere between brown and gold). We hope these won't be super-limited editions, but only time will tell for sure. At the moment, it's looking like they might not be here for long.
THE BIKES
Sklar Bikes Basket Bike
In a sea of flashy bikes, Adam Sklar's Basket Bike stood out partly because it was so low-key. Of course, a second look revealed that not only was the matte tan frame made of titanium, but everything else about this bike was about as bling as you could hope to find. It was a very tasteful bike though, and a perfect example of what makes Adam's bikes so special.
Isen Workshop All Season Ti
Isen Workshop is based in London, and is one of a small segment of the framebuilding community that has a paint shop in-house. The fade on their All Season Ti bike was stunning, as was the rest of the bike. This was one of many bikes at the show that paired the new matte bourbon with some kind of blue, but the addition of turquoise to the fade really take this bike up a level.
PURSUIT CYCLES LEADOUT
You've heard of Carl Strong, but did you know that now in addition to Strong Frames, he's also heading up a new company called Pursuit Cycles? Pursuit is making custom carbon fiber frames in the US, and like Carl's other brand, they are in a class of their own.
Like the Sklar Basket Bike, this frame uses fairly understated paint (though when you get close, the metal flake gives it a beautiful depth), and lets its construction speak for itself. Quite fine.
Sage Titanium Storm King
While some of the bikes in this post are on the understated side of the design spectrum, there were plenty of bikes at the Open House that screamed colors at our eyes, and the Sage Titanium Storm King was definitely one of those. The paint was intense and intricate, and perfectly set-off by the very dull finish of the unpainted portion of the ti frame. Very cool effect, and very nicely done!
Stay tuned for more from the 2019 Chris King Open House!
