"The Horse"
As a bicycle designer for Mission Bicycle Company I see every customer's unique design. When it came to making my own I had to do something above and beyond. This build uses 100% of parts that can be ordered on a Mission Bicycle. It is, however, customized far beyond the typical services that they offer. Although possible to achieve, this bicycle pushes the limits of customization.
"The Horse" A fully custom bicycle created by Ashton Maxfield Smith in San Francisco. San Francisco has infinite unique backdrops to shoot against. This wall is the side of The Armory Club, a bar across from and owned by the recently sold, infamous, Kink Castle in the Mission District.
Along with unique places comesunique people. "It's beautiful, it's like a Horse" said one of San Francisco's quirky homeless, just seconds before touching it and knocking the bike over. "The Horse" he exclaimed, as he walked away... and the name stuck.
Brakeless and fixed gear allowed for clean and simple design choices. Deciding what was "too much" or "not enough" came down to the smallest of details. Custom paint, custom leather work, and even custom wheel decals each required their own set of decisions.
"Keep it classy and classic" was my mantra through the build but I also wanted this bike to be slightly edgy and modern, a delicate balance to strike.
"Ring ring!" No bells required to have this bicycle turn heads, but I couldn't help putting one on anyway. Beer corks and crowns from Anchorage brewing made for perfect bar ends. I chose a micro-brew instead of champagne to keep the design modern and fun and to steer away from a pretentious perception.
Blacked out 23c Gatorskin tires on hand built Velocity Deep-V wood grain rims. Brass nipples and hand sewn valve stem covers. The closer to this bike you get, the more details you discover.
Initial sketches confirmed that my concept was worth pursuing.
All paintwork (with the exception of the hand painted "M" on the head tube) is electrostatic powder coated from AJ at South San Francisco's West Coast Powder Coating.
The frame, cranks, and some of the bolts took two coats, a matte coat and the blue base coat. All of the brass components took three coats ,clear over brass over chrome.
Some parts such as the security bolts, hub threads, and a few clamp bolts were painted with black wet paint to get the look just right.
Hand building wheels is like meditation... unless you make a mistake and have to start over.
Hand cutting and stitching bar wraps was a slow and painful process. The tapered bars made it even harder to get right. I decided to hand punch holes instead of laser cut a template because I wanted to maintain the hand-built aesthetic.
Measure, measure again, cut, punch, measure, dry stitch, trim, unstitch, glue, re-stitch, trim.... repeat as many times as needed.
Twist, pop, pour, sip, relax. Almost there.
Built in, and inspired by, San Francisco. This beauty deserves to run free through the city.
Designer: Ashton Maxfield Smith
Instagram: @Ashton_MTB
Contact: Ashton326@gmail.com
Frame Manufacturer: Mission Bicycle Company
Size: 59cm
Price: $3600
Number Available: 1
Odometer: 0
Mileage: 53 miles per burrito
