Anderson Custom Bicycles
Builder Profile

 

Builder Statement: 

"Bicycles built by hand for YOU, not the masses"

I specialize in building one of a kind custom bicycles and frame sets. Each is designed and hand built exclusively for you, based upon your unique specifications, wishes, needs, and riding style.

I offer Road, Time Trial/Triathlon, Touring, Commuter, Track, Hard Tail Mountain, Cyclocross, and Tandem frames and complete bicycles.

All of my bikes and frames are built to order and can be assembled with components selected by the bike's future owner. 

Dave Anderson


Dave Anderson

Why Custom? 

Pretty much everyone can benefit from a custom bicycle. A truly hand made custom bike is designed and built for you and you alone. It will fit you perfectly and will be built with materials and components that reflect you and your riding style. A good custom bike will also say a lot about you, your personal tastes, and your sense of style.

Almost all of the non-custom bicycles available on the market today (including many marketed as "hand made" or "custom") are designed to fit the "average" rider. They reflect significant compromises that the manufacturers feel are necessary to try and accommodate the largest number of people with the fewest number of frames and are constructed with methods and materials designed to reduce the cost of production. For example, have you ever noticed that most "compact" frames only come is four sizes? Manufacturer's have come up with all sorts of marketing hype to sell you on these frames, but the main reason they exist is to cut costs. MFG's feel they can "make them work" over a larger range of riders, thereby reducing the number of different sized frames they have to tool up for and build, etc.

When you go into a bike shop to buy a bike, most of them try to sell you one of the bikes that they have in stock and then attempt to make your body fit it, which often results in unacceptable compromises (in our opinion!), such as too short or too long of a stem, less than ideal seat positioning, improper weight distribution, too many headset spacers, & etc. What we do is exactly the opposite........rather than try to make your body fit a bike we are trying to sell, we literally build the bike from the ground up to fit your body!

In addition, a Custom Bicycle allows you the opportunity to get in on the creative process and experience the rewards of having something built by hand especially for you. All of my bikes are built with considerable input from the rider, from lug selection to paint and lettering details. When the bike is finished, you will truly have a bike that is not only beautiful, but uniquely yours.

In other words, with a custom bike, you can have it all; a bike that reflects who you are and what you want and need from a bicycle.
 

Why Anderson Custom?

I have the knowledge, experience, attention to detail, and, of course, the passion that's necessary to build you a truly great bicycle. I build bikes that I believe are as good or better than any out there. Though phrases that include words like "custom" or "hand made" have become overused and clichéd, I do build truly "hand made" bicycles, with all of the skill and care that someone buying such a machine should expect. I do it all from start to finish...including the finish. No one touches your machine, from the time the tubes are pulled off the shelf until you pull it out of the box on delivery, but me........

What it comes down to is this..... I love bicycles and building custom bicycles is something that I am very passionate about. I would like nothing more than to build you your new bike.

What about fit?   I do not live near your shop. Can do you design and build me a custom bicycle if I am unable to travel to your location?

Absolutely! In fact, the largest percentage of my customers, by a great margin, are what I call "long distance" customers. Customers that do not live anywhere near Minnesota and have never come to my shop. In fact, I have built great fitting and riding bicycles for people from all over the world. In short; data that I acquire through our various conversations and via my "custom build questionnaire", allows me to design and build your new bike with great accuracy.

Steel

There is SO much that you can do with steel, that its hard to provide for it all on this page. In short, just about anything you could want can be done in steel; Road, Touring, Mountain, Cyclocross, Commuter, Comfort, Time Trial, and so on. Therefore, my pricing reflects a base price for a frame and steel fork utilizing either lugged or fillet brazed construction. Options can be selected from there. My steel frames are built with only the best tubing from top suppliers like Columbus, Dedacciai, & Reynolds, such as Columbus "Life" and "Spirit" and/or Dedacciai SAT14.5 (Zero) and SAT16.5, and/or Reynolds 853 and 953. (Note-If you would like, a specific tube set can be requested and we will do our best to accommodate your request.)

Construction Methods

Fillet Brazed

   
Examples of fillet brazed bottom brackets as brazed, cleaned up and painted.

 

Lugged

     
Examples of lugged head tubes as brazed, cleaned up and painted.

Paint:

I also do all of my own paint work. This allows me to have total control of your build from start to finish, and allows me to provide you with pretty much any paint finish that you might want. Do you like clean lines and classic colors? or, how about a full on flame job? No problem.

Bikes in the Buff

There is an old saying in the bicycle building business that goes something like this; "With enough Bondo and paint, you can make a Huffy look like a Colnago....(or Sachs, or Kvale, or .....Anderson ;-) )" The brand isn't important. The point is that paint can cover up a huge amount detail, both good and bad. You can only truly tell how good a bike is by seeing it without paint. I do a lot of repairs and refinishes and I am constantly amazed at what I find under the paint......poorly brazed joints, imperfect miters, defects & dents filled with Bondo, significant alignment problems (which were there from the day it left the factory), misaligned drop outs, & etc. I strive to ensure that all of our frames are as good as they can be before the color is applied. We use NO Bondo or glazing putty or high build primers or etc. We ensure that all lugs, joints, fillets, drop outs, & etc. look their best by using careful assembly techniques and by finishing each by hand using only files and sand paper. Because I feel strongly about this, we always send photos of our customer's new frames to them during the build process and prior to applying the finish. We also do all paint and powder coating in house to ensure the quality of the finish and to maintain control of the process. This also allows us to be more efficient and cost effective. I love building bicycles and I LOVE to look at the craftsmanship that goes into a good hand made frame. Its a shame to have to cover it all up with paint!!


 Anderson Four Seasons 953 frame set with S and S Couplings:

The Four Seasons is designed to be a great all around...all year round... bicycle. The frame is 100% stainless with Reynolds 953 tubes throughout, along with stainless lugs, dropouts and other fittings. The bike can be had with pretty much any brake, tire, fender combination that you may wish, and as with all of my bikes, this can be purchased as a frameset only or as a complete bicycle. All of my bicycles are available with S&S couplers as well.

John’s Four Seasons bike shown here is a good example of what can be done when a rider and builder work together towards a common goal. John and I collaborated with this and I incorporated many of John's ideas into the bike, including his desire to be able run multiple tire sizes, fenders, rack mounts, S&S Couplers & etc., and yet still have a bike that he can race. The resulting bike is a truly multi-use machine....its a capable race bike with race wheels...add 28c's and it makes for a great long distance or training ride....ample tire clearance and long reach calipers combined with 32 or 35c's make for a great trail bike.....install a rack and do some light touring.....add fenders and its ready for rough weather....and S&S couplers make for a great traveling companion! Extras like polished stainless lugs, brushed out stainless tubes, pump mounts, rack & fender bosses, and a Columbine chain hanger make for a truly special ride.

John really appreciates the versatility that S&S couplers bring to his bike. Living in Hawaii, he has to travel by air pretty much anywhere he wants to go. His S&S couplers allow him to do so easily, without incurring high airline bike charges. The photo on the right shows John with his bike in Washington DC…You can see other photos of John, his bike, and his travels, including his bike in “Travel mode” by clicking HERE

Please click on the photo above for some shots of John's new
Anderson Four Seasons 953 frame set.



Additional photos of the Anderson Four Seasons 953 frame set 


The Anderson Four Seasons 953 in its travel case

Click here to see more photos of Dave Anderson's work on Flicker 


Products and services available utilizing BTCs.

We sell frames and complete bicycles.

Standard frames

Custom frames

Retrofitting services

Construction methods

Frame materials

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Contact Information:

Anderson Custom Bicycles
PO Box 280332,
St. Paul, MN 55128

To visit the shop, please call or e-mail for directions.

Phone: 651-324-0095
Fax: 206-600-6187
e-mail: Info@AndersonCustomBicycles.com


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