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I’m a bit behind on posting some of the great material I’ve been collecting, but now that I’m on vacation in Switzerland, I thought it might be a good time to post something from the backlog. I was in Seattle a few weeks back on a work trip, and was fortunate to be staying in a hotel just around the corner from Elliott Bay Bicycles. It turns out that Elliott Bay is a front of sorts for Davidson Bicycles, a frame builder in business since 1973. I am a huge fan of Davidson frames, and was lucky enough to meet both Bill Davidson and Bob Freeman while there. I was given a deluxe tour of the shop which houses both retail and frame building facilities. Everything is done in-house, from welding to finishing to painting. It is an incredibly impressive operation churning out handmade frames one at a time. I saw at least 10 frames in different stages of the building process. Surrounding the machinery and bikes are a collection of vintage bikes hanging on the walls that could be the core collection of a bicycle museum. There are absolutely beautiful bicycles from Masi, Gios, Colnago, Schwinn, and many others. Bob walked me through the collection, and I easily could have spent the entire day learning more about the bicycles and the history behind them. The front of house showcases some of the newer Davidson bicycles as well as a handful of the vintage bikes. The entire place feels a bit like a house of worship for bicycles and their history. I admit I went back to the shop each day I was in Seattle, and each visit only got better. I would be incredibly thrilled to order up my custom Davidson Ti frame with S & S couplers, capability for larger tires, and disc brakes. In other words, the perfect all around travel adventure bike. I’ll be hitting fifty in a few years, and if I start saving now, maybe the bike will be a possibility. Purchasing a bike from a builder of such high quality would be amazing, and it would also be a thrill to have a bike made by someone so important in the cycling industry. The photo at the top is of a Davidson currently for sale at the shop. I fell in love with this beautiful machine, and had my credit card been convenient and with a high enough limit, this might have made the trip back to LA with me. You never know, maybe it isn’t too late.