Editor’s Note: Bend Velo is an advertiser on Bike Around Bend. I personally ride around on a J. Livingston and love it. None of those facts makes this story less worth telling.
Photo © Shelley Hanlon
At this year’s Bicycle Leadership Conference, which was held to coincide with the Sea Otter Classic in Monterey, CA, bike manufacturers and accessory makers rubbed elbows and talked about industry trends. Social media panel moderator Matt Haughey posted about some of what he heard at the conference. He highlighted two important trends:
- Used bike purchases are on the rise: “In a survey from 2000 not a single responding road bike enthusiast rode a used bike. In 2010 though, anywhere from 20-40% of riders are on used bikes (it skewed higher the younger you got). Even affluent riders were riding used road bikes 20-25% of the time.”
- “The Bike industry seemed terrified of used bikes. Craigslist and eBay are really making used markets work in a way they never did in 2000.”
A subset of the used bike market might be called the “re-purposed” market. Here in Bend, Eric Power, owner of the Bend Velo Bike Shop, capitalizes on the trends Haughey highlighted. His primary bike line is the J. Livingston. If you’ve never heard of it before that’s because you won’t find it in a brochure from a major bike maker. The J. Livingston line is custom made to order.
Excerpted from 2010 Paul Horton Presentation "Sustainable Transportation Systems"
Click image for larger view
Click here for our 11/2010 article with link to the Horton Presentation
Origins of a Rebirth Bike Line
As a serious bike afficionado who cut his bike mechanic teeth at Palo Alto Bicycles, Power is a fan of high-end bikes. In direct contrast, John Livingston, Power’s friend and a case manager at Neighbor Impact for the last eight years, would put together bikes on the cheap. He knows from experience that one of the chief household expenses low-income Bendites face is transportation; some studies cite a figure of up to 19%. He became king of old mountain bikes, buying cheap ones and fixing them up to give to his client families to help “level the playing field” for them. It’s his way of saving the world in a small way.
At parties where the two would rub elbows over drinks, Livingston would chide Power, “What makes your $1,000 commuter bike better than my $75 one?” Power found himself making unconvincing arguments. Livingston argued Bend needed a bike shop that offered reliable and affordable alternatives to our expensive dependence on cars. As other friends started their own bike rebuild projects, they started calling them Livingstons. The idea for a rebuilt bike line was born. While he carries other bike lines, the J. Livingstons are his passion.
According to a study from Sightline Daily, it’s the lower
socio-economic half of society who bike. It’s likely that form
of biking isn’t for recreation.
Make Local Habit
From the decals he puts on his bikes, to the fresh powder coating they get from Armordillo, to his custom branded chainrings, to the steel bike frames he saves from Knott Landfill, as well the labor sourced to disassemble the bikes, Power believes in doing what we can to drive dollars towards local companies.
Smith’s philosophy is that, “Everybody should have
the opportunity to take the same risks you
and I do. Our clients get great satisfaction and
gratification when they receive a paycheck.”
It’s one of the reasons he gets help from Central Oregon Resources for Independent Living. A team of two to five of CORIL’s developmentally-disabled clients disassembles the locally-sourced steel mountain bike frames. The disassembly takes place at CORIL’s Twin Knolls facility where they house the tools and equipment for the job. According to Mike Smith, Work Center Manager for CORIL, the learning curve for the disassembly task is steep for his workers. But, he adds, “Once they get it, they’ve got it for good.” He cited several other Central Oregon businesses who’ve become more efficient as the result of outsourcing to CORIL: Cesna Aircraft, Sara Bella, as well as RuffWear and RoundButte Seed Growers where they have CORIL clients on-site, in what Smith calls “enclaves.” Power’s shop is also slated to become an enclave according to Smith, and he hopes that will expand his Twin Knolls’ team’s role to include more light assembly and part sorting in support of the on-site vocational worker.
woman who came into the shop saying,
“I haven’t ridden in 10 years. My memories of
riding aren’t good; the bike was too
heavy and not comfortable.”
She now has her own J. Livingston and likes riding
again.
Making it Your Own
J. Livingston’s are bikes customized to a customer’s exacting standards: from the paint color, to frame sizing, to a tailored upright riding position made comfy through a range of swept back handlebars. This bike line is made with the commuter in mind. Fenders for weather, a kick stand, a chain guard, and even an integrated lighting system are what Power uses to craft a bike that makes it effortless to get on your bike and get where your errands take you.
Photo © Shelley Hanlon
My own experience of getting sized for a J. Livingston included experimenting with different frames. We searched and found the one that had the right step-over height for easy dismount even with loaded panniers, and one that also had the right pedal clearance when I had bags of groceries on my rear rack. What I ended up with has become my everyday utility work-horse that’s the most comfortable bicycle I can ever remember owning.
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