Bohemian Bicycles
Builder Profile

Our Name:

(bo-he-mi-an (n.) a person with artistic or literary interests, who disregards  conventional standards of behavior.)

Bohemian Philosophy:

My personal philosophy is to use traditional craftsmanship to build an individually customized bicycle, offering a perfect combination of fit, stability, and comfort.  Bohemian Bicycles does not believe it is necessary to follow trends.  Instead, I focus on creating beautiful bicycles that will provide years of riding enjoyment. 

Bohemian Bicycles does not use assembly line machinery  in order to mass produce.  I use the finest machine ever made…  a pair of human hands.  My goal is simply to  make the best bicycle possible every time.  Every aspect  of a frame's construction, from the selection of materials  to the details of filing and sanding, is completed with individualized artistry and meticulous workmanship.

"I have been riding bicycles and participating in outdoor events for over 15 years.  I am a graduate of the United Bicycle Institute Framebuilding School.  I have taken coursework and am experienced in silversmithing, metal fabrication, blacksmithing, and machining.  I continuously strive to perfect my skills and utilize the best materials and equipment available. This all gives credibility in my ability to produce one of the best frames you can buy. 

  David Bohm

 

What Are The Benefits of a Bohemian Bicycle?

Unfortunately, major manufacturers make bicycles for the average-sized person.  But people’s bodies vary.  Are you "average"? 

You may be tall or small in stature.  The length of your arms, legs, or upper body could be short or long.  Are you heavy or light in weight? Combined or alone, each of these issues may be a reason to have a custom frame.  This frame should be designed to your specific needs.

A custom built bicycle will allow you to optimize your performance, be as comfortable as possible, and have a better experience with bicycling overall.

The first step in production of any Bohemian custom bicycle may surprise you. It is an interview.  Because every bicycle I make is built specifically for its rider, I need to ask some questions. 

What type of a rider are you? Recreational?  Do you race?  What is your riding style?  With this in mind, I will need a number of measurements from you, such as height, leg and arm length, shoulder width, etc.  Only after questions have been answered and measurements recorded, do I begin to get started…

Bohemian starts with the most advanced steel tube sets from manufacturers such as Columbus, Tange, Reynolds, and True Temper.  It is important that the tubing is chosen specifically for your needs.

Every frame is constructed by hand and involves anywhere from 40 to 150 hours of meticulous, detail-oriented craftsmanship. Close attention is given to each stage of mitering, filing, brazing, and fitting.

Finally, Bohemian frames are individually crated and shipped to some of the finest painters in the industry.  These artists can create any design with glass-like brilliance

Bohemian Offers Three Types of Construction:

Lugged Construction -Tubes are joined using an investment cast fitting called a lug.  This process is a Bohemian specialty. The tubing is mitered (cut to fit so that there are no gaps) and then a brazing material is melted into the joint.  Bohemian uses only silver for this process.  Silver brazing requires a much lower heat than conventional brass brazing or welding, and helps to retain the original strength of the materials.  The cast lugs are from Henry James.  These high quality lugs are manufactured in the U.S. and are the finest in production.

Fillet Brazing - Fillet brazing consists of laying down a fillet of brass with a concentrated torch flame. The joint is then hand finished, creating a look which "flows" from one tube to another. This technique is excellent for producing frames with limited angles for which lugs are not available.  Fillet brazing is becoming a "lost art" due to the huge amount of labor involved.

T.I.G. Welding - This is sometimes the best option for mountain bikes or custom designs, such as a time trial frame.  A small electric arc fuses the tubing together, making it very strong and durable.

Why Lugs:

I love lugs and you should too.  Why?  Because not only are lugs the strongest method of joining two tubes together, they truly add individuality to a bicycle.  Strip the paint off of most bicycle frames and it would be hard to tell the difference between them, but not with a beautiful lugged, bicycle frame.

Lugs show the true skill of a builder.  Truthfully, good TIG welding is not easy, but decent TIG welders are easy to come by.  The only reason most frames are TIG welded today is because it is much cheaper and the clean-up time is greatly reduced.  

Lugs used to be an art.  People would wait a long time to get a frame handcrafted from a famous builder.  Sometimes bicycle makers forget that there is more to creating a bike than just making sure it works.  If car manufacturers all thought that way, we would all have Toyota's.  There would be no Ferrari's, Aston Martins, Porches, etc.  These cars represent automotive masterpieces, and bicycles should be regarded as an art form too.

S and S Couplings:

Available on all models

This is one of the custom carved S and S BTCs on my personal road bike.  It has 5000 miles on it and it's still going strong 

Dave Bohm


Products and services available utilizing BTCs.

We sell frames and complete bicycles.

Standard frames

Custom frames

Retrofitting services

Construction methods

Frame materials

Purchase from


Contact Information:

 

David Bohm

Bohemian Bicycles

5618 E. linden

Tucson, Arizona  85712

 

520-440-3094

davebohm@cox.net


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