Stumptown Magazine

Aw snap, there’s a muhfuggin PARTY tomorrow, everyone! I know, I know – there’s a party every night in Portla-la-land. But this one’s better: It’s the Epic Wheel Works first anniversary party, where you’ll be able to get hammered, dance, maybe win amazing bike wheels and help your local youngsters out, all at the same time. Beat that! See? I KNEW YOU COULDN’T.

Most of the stuff you buy at the event tomorrow (at lovely Madison’s Grill) will go to help the Bicycle Transportation Alliance’s educational program, Safe Routes to School. It’s all part of Epic’s grand plan to help the wee ones, all while making your $150 Wal-Mart fixie look awesome as hell. Epic owner and wheel guru Jude Kirstein stopped by to tell us all about it:

Stumptown Magazine: Hey Jude! Ha! It’s like that one song, by, uh, those one guys. I bet you’ve heard that a couple of times before. How are things, my friend?

Jude Kirstein: Things are great!!

SM: Now, I imagine not everyone knows about Epic. Tell me a little about the company, and what you guys do.

JK: Yeah, education seems to be my greatest area for marketing, to be honest. I build bicycle wheels–not aluminum extrusion, but from parts. There’s an art to this and wheel builders are fading fast, like home telephones.

I do custom work but everything is sort of custom. My hands touch every part and tune every part of the wheel. In short, my wheels have soul.

SM: Now, you say custom – are these order-by-order, bespoke wheels? (Get it? Be-SPOKE? Oh, bike humor…)

JK: It was a “wheely” good one!

SM: Ha! What I mean is, are you making exactly what the customer asks for, like specific designs and those kind of things?

JK: Yes, I am making what the customer asks for. I am also guiding their decisions as well. The real art, believe it or not, isn’t the building – it’s the component selection. it’s like a baker – it isn’t the putting of ingredients in the bowl that’s the art, it’s the choosing of the recipe that dictates how the cake ulitmately comes out. I know, I am over-simplifying the process but, what can i say?

SM: Give us an example. What’s been your favorite project to work on over the past year – something that was unique that really showed off what the folks at Epic do.

JK: There are a few projects that come to mind. How do I not sound dorky geeking out on this…

SM: Geek out! By all means…

JK: Let’s see. It was hard to let this set go out the door – it was a set that was an aesthetic masterpiece. The customer wanted a generator hub and matching rear wheel for a commuter bike but wanted a flashy and vintage aesthetic. i was able to give him what he wanted with a bright silver rim, high flange phil wood hub on the back and a beautiful schmidt generator hub on the front – my only regret was that i didn’t tie and solder the spokes. That would have been the most beautiful set that rolled out of Epic for a commuter bike.

SM: Sounds phenomenal.

JK: Another set i did was for a race bike. Here we were working with function and, secondly, aesthetic. We were able to create a set that rolled smoothly but gave that crisp aesthetic the customer was looking for – the bright bladed spokes didn’t hurt! God, now I’m on a roll…

Then there was the wheelset that I built for a couple going over the Himalayas in a couple of months. It wasn’t an aesthetic masterpiece, but there was a magical feeling in building those wheels. I build revolutions for people who are going out there to live their own personal revolution – it’s pretty damn cool.

SM: You obviously have a ton of passion for this. Not to get too far off course, but how did you get into building wheels? How long have you been at it?

JK: Hmmm…I worked at a bike shop going through college. I had an amazing teacher, mentor and friend and there was something special about when he taught me how to build a wheel. I think from that moment on I saw it as something “sacred” – don’t laugh, it’s true. I’ve built with other older wheel builders too and there’s something really nice about learning an art from someone who has been doing it for longer than I’ve been alive. The conversation deviates from wheel building to jazz, to rides we’ve done, to life. You know, frames get the attention on a bike (and rightly so, they’re beautiful) but wheels can play an amazing supportive role that doesn’t often get the attention it deserves.

SM: I want to talk about some of the advocacy work you’ve done, but very quickly: The party tomorrow is your first anniversary party. How has your first year gone? Is there a lot of interest in custom wheels in Portland?

JK: Surprisingly, there is a lot of possibility for wheel business in Portland, especially when they know that this local business is giving back to the community. I look at Epic as not only a business, but my voice in the world. The name ‘Epic’ is meant to inspire the company to be bigger than itself. The studio is small–no bigger than a walk-in-closet or an elevator but we’ve already done so much for our community, and one of the main ways is investing in the next generation of cyclists. Tomorrow’s event highlights Epic’s commitment to community. And as Epic grows the community involvement will also grow.

SM: That’s exactly what I want to ask you about. What has motivated you to do some of the community-oriented work you’ve done – specifically with the BTA?

JK: You know, I don’t know what has motivated me. I guess I couldn’t see running a business that wasn’t going to make things ‘better’. We live in a time where everyone has to play a part in the ‘solution’. I didn’t want to wait to be profitable to do great things. I have yet to be paid by Epic and already we’re putting community involvement as a priority. This question is hard. I just don’t think I imagined another way of doing things. My degree deals with community building so maybe it’s just in me…

SM: You say that your efforts are supporting “the local cycling community.” I think a lot of people read that and say, “Oh, sure, I know what that is.” But it’s actually kind of an esoteric concept. What are you referring to when you say that? Commuters? Guys and gals who race? Kids on fixies?

JK: You’re right – where’s the tangible evidence? I am particularly passionate about investing in the next generation of cyclists and supporting grassroots organizations (bike related) in developing countries. For example, last year I donated about 20-30 hours of time to Presentations for Kids (OMSI’s summer camp program) and helping people who don’t have resources to buy wheels for their commuters and get what they need to stay rolling. The latter program is funded by people who buy Epic t-shirts. All the profits go to fund this. On the horizon, for the future, I am asking myself how the cycling community is going to help in Haiti where bikes are important in everyday life. I am trying to get other small bike businesses involved to come up with a creative solution or be part of a solution already in progress.

Tomorrow is an example as well–it’s taken countless hours to put this together, advertise, and make it an event that people want to come to. Plus it’s great for the BTA. I used to volunteer with the program – it’s amazing!

SM: What should people expect tomorrow? Massive party? BOOZE?

JK: Booze (bike bar). All proceeds go to the BTA (sorry, beer is not included) but food is free! A photo booth, a lively flat changing competition, ability to buy limited edition t-shirts helping the safe routes to school program, and a kick ass raffle. Plus, i’ve created a set of wheels for auction that have wooden rims and the old school technique of tying and soldering–it’s functional art.

Also we have a pretty cool DJ coming to put down some beats…I even sounded cheesy saying that!

SM: That sounds like an illegal amount of fun. Thanks Jude! Good luck tomorrow!

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Epic Wheel Work’s “Live The Revolution” first anniversary party starts at 6 p.m. tomorrow at Madison’s Grill. Find your details here.