About Slowcraft Maldoror
Our bicycles aren’t SLOW, but they are made slowly. Inspired by the renaissance in slowfood production and consumption, where attention is given not only to how it is produced, or how the fruits and vegetables are grown, or that they are cooked with serious diligence and care, but also with special attention to how the entire chain of production affects their local environment and community. As you will see, our bicycles are made from the ground up: we use and modify fine pressed-steel stamped lugsets, like original Prugnant, Haden, Nervex, Nikko Sanyo, and we also make our own lugs, like, our own drop-outs, seat bridges, seatstay caps, and other frame pieces, whenever feasible. We also paint our own frames, mixing and creating our own color combinations, that gives the frame a personalized full custom touch. This usually adds more time to how we fabricate our bicycles, but that’s what makes them unique, and that’s what makes them ours! As Sir Maldoror Says, “One of a kind, one at a time” TM.
Sir Maldoror learned his craft under one of California’s seminal master of masters, builder and painter, R. Brian Baylis. He completed a 3 year apprenticeship as a bicycle restorer at Baylis’ Vintage Cycle Studios, and performed a series of personalized frame building workshops where he studied and practiced techniques in major areas of the craft in bicycle construction as executed by Mr. Brian Baylis: silver brazing, lug design, pattern layouts, and extensive hand filing, custom geometry and tube selection, hand bending and frame part modifications, painting, and color mixing among others.
After successfully proving his frame building abilities as a Journeyman Craftman, Sir Maldoror started fabricating frames for local cyclist on a limited and selective quantity under his own label. SM continues the craft of frame building, staying true to the strong cultural roots of California frame building and painting.
