I started building bicycle frames when it became obvious that I needed to follow my love of cycling, both as a sport and as a life style, and to continue to explore my fascination with craftsmanship and design. With that starting point in mind, each Frank combines function, form, and longevity into a one-of-a-kind, handmade bike.

Construction

Steel offers a great range of construction techniques and design possibilities, making it a perfect material for a true custom bike frame. It's legendary durability, tunable ride quality, and the greatly reduced weight of the best modern tubes make steel the absolute first choice for many riders.

Precision, care, and craftsmanship show through in every aspect of the bike. Tubes are individually machined to create a frame that holds its alignment throughout the build process. Lugs are hand filed to take on beatiful and unique shapes on the outside, and proper tolerances on the inside. Sculpted brass fillets create a flowing, seemless appearance. Once the torch is off and the files put away, Toby at Hot Tubes applies the best finish in a nearly unlimited color pallete.

Bikes

Ninety percent of my time on the bike is spent on the roads of Waldo County, right out of my backdoor and workshop here in Belfast, Maine. It's a perfect blend of pavement and dirt, hills and coastal runs. The rest of my time is spent racing, both on the road and on New England's great cyclocross courses. I build bikes for this kind of riding because it is what I know. If the spring and fall never take a back seat to your summer, then you will be happy riding a Frank.

Frank

So who is Frank? Frank is straightforward. I'm Chris, and I build Frank.

-Chris Gardner