The Bicycle Garage, LLC

About "The Bicycle Garage"
Read The Bicycle Garage Chronological Timelime by clicking here.

A Brief History...
The Bicycle Garage has been in business since 1993. Prior to 1993, I (Matt Klucha) worked as
a bike mechanic in a cool service oriented bike shop in Toronto, Canada.

Torontonians can put their bikes through a lot of abuse. For example, the city is chock-full of
bike couriers riding their bikes all day, over anything, (including the occasional pedestrian...) in
all weather, and in every season... rain, shine, sleet, snow... you will find it in Toronto. Bike
couriers can be a hardy bunch. So, needless to say, I've seen my share of worn-out, beat-up
courier bikes. If a mechanic can get one of these bikes back from the brink of extinction, then
they can just about repair anything.

Note about this website, and associated websites: all of the content is created or developed by
me, either through engineering, self learning & teaching, or empirical learning & testing. I
believe these are the truest methods, as they are based on fundamentals.

Humble Beginnings...
The first incarnation of The Bicycle Garage in 1993 was literally a bike shop in a garage:
T he First Bicycle Garage 1993... while on a 16-month engineering job internship in Ottawa,
Canada.

The Modern Day Shop...
The current shop has been in Connecticut since 1998, and has been upgraded significantly
over the years, with top-notch capabilities.
See what the shop looks like these days: TBG & MSH1 Shop

More History...
Back in 1993, starting The Bicycle Garage seemed logical to me at the time, since I had
experience as a bike mechanic, enjoyed working on bicycles, and in general loved being
surrounded by bicycles. Even as a young kid... I've always ridden a bike (as far back I can
remember). Perhaps the earliest memory of one of my bikes, is when a kid down my street
stole my little maroon 16" wheeler bike. He ended up accidentally losing one of his Christmas
wishes as result of his indiscretion. Still have the scar on my right hand from the collision of
knuckle and incisor... This "equal exchange" of pain and misery resulted in an equal exchange
of forgiveness...

In the "Early Years" I rode various 24" miniature ten-speeds, 27" ten-speeds, "banana-seat"
bikes with coaster brakes. Most often built from various bits and pieces of frames and parts.
(In those years) it was a monumental day (which of course will stick in memory forever), when
my first brand new bike was waiting for me on the patio upon returning from school - a hi-
tensile steel, red Sears ten-speed - it was great. Although by current standards would (and
should) be considered seriously lacking in balance and reliability.
At around the age of 16 to 18, I got more serious about cycling, graduating from a "too-big-for-
me" 60cm Miele Binova to a properly sized Vitus 979 Duralinox bonded Aluminum race bike;
during which training, team riding, and racing all amplified.

Living in Toronto, I quickly learned that cycling to get around was exponentially quicker than
either driving, or taking the bus/subway/streetcar. A commute to work or school that would take
maybe 25 minutes by bike, took at least an hour by subway... probably longer by car. I will never
forget one wet / slushy / icy winter evening when riding home. The commute involved a decent
climb with about a 10-15% grade. Wasn't just a regular sprint up that day. I had to stop to
muse at the twisted chain of cars stuck, "Z'd" all over the road... they could not get up the hill,
and the ones going down were not that much better off. Needless to say, after the musing, the
sprint up the rest of the hill that day, and the days that followed, always were a bit more
motivated, satisfying, and inspired...

The Merits of Winter Cycling...
I have enjoyed winter cycling for a number of years. Some of the best rides I have had have
been after dark, ~20-30F, snow falling, and the snow flakes being illuminated by my headlight.
I think my fascination with winter cycling started one winter day on the farm when I was about
10 years old, after a summer where I got a spanking red Sears miniature 10 speed. Although
not fully equipped for winter riding, it did have enough tread to get traction, so sure enough out
on the fresh 4-5 inches of (wet) snow I went. Couple things you learn quickly... balance, weight
transfer, maintaining a straight line, and awareness of what is around you. As I trekked down
our rural route, sure enough a car driver, probably going to fast for the conditions, and not
looking ahead, etc., caught my attention as it veered off onto the field on the opposite side of the
road. Clearly, not regulating his speed accordingly, therefore losing control... there he was
yelling at me for making him take the ditch. Even at 10, I had a hard time accepting
responsibility for his bad driving (and sheer lack of awareness of the fact that bicycles are
considered vehicles of the road, just like is a car). So, all I could do of course was to give him
advice on how to get out of the pickle he was in. Luckily for him, the farmland he landed in was
flat enough such that he could negotiate his vehicle to the next driveway about a quarter mile
down the road. So, realizing, that this was is was his best option, on his way he went.
Main lesson out of all that, be aware that the drivers around you are often "driving badly", and
typically not expecting cyclists to be present on the road - in good, or bad weather...

Commuting...
I became hooked on the concept of commuting by bike... as a time saver, as a healthy,
environmental alternative to non-human powered transportation. After years of commuting by
bike, it seems more natural than hopping in a car.

MSH1 Bicycle Works... Background...
The addition of "MSH1 Bicycle Works™ " to the Bicycle Garage Family occurred after my return
to McMaster University after my 16 month work internship to finish my final year. Subsequently,
earning a Bachelor degree in Mechanical Engineering, B.Eng.

As part of the 4th year curriculum, the students were required to complete a Engineering
Thesis Project. Of course there were the standard projects like: Spur gear gearbox structural
analysis, Flexible coupling for power transmission design, Sheet metal forming optimization,
etc... Although interesting topics, I wanted to build a full suspension mountain bike for a couple
of primary reasons. Firstly, at the time, full suspension was in it's infancy in the bicycle
industry. Secondly, I did not own a full-suspension bike, but wanted one. Thirdly, this project
entailed the complete engineering-to-fabrication-to-testing process. Many of the standard
engineering projects involved only one or two elements of the whole engineering process (i.e.
Design only, or manufacturing only...). The primary function for the bike was decided early on to
focus on a fully functional cross-country mountain bike with the intent to be competition-ready
for cross-country racing.

The MS Bicycle Works™ Design Process / Philosophy Fundamentals
(for University Engineering Thesis Frame building Project):

Basically, the bike project consisted of the following phases:

Conceptualization of the design and material options
Down-selection of the various design options (based on optimization of various factors such as
funding, schedule, design intent, minimization of complexity, performance requirements, bicycle
category, etc.)
Design (detailed/CAD drawings/specifications, analysis, material selection)
Hardware and Material acquisition/purchase
Fabrication/Manufacture (lathing, milling, etc.)
Funding acquisition
Contractor bidding and interface (I had to farm-out the welding and heat treatment for lack of
available facilities)
Finish machining, frame preparation (bosses/polishing/decals, etc)
Final Build
Test
Reporting/Documentation
Peer and Faculty presentation and review

With the tight schedule, demanding engineering curriculum, and limited resources, the project
required farming out the Welding and Heat Treatment. Tube mitering & prep, and part
fabrication (Head tube, BB, etc) was done by me in the Department of Engineering's Machine
Shop, which was a combination of milling, turning, and lots of handwork.

Now of course, MSH1 Bicycle Works™ is in the business of Framebuilding, so we not only do
we do all design work, we do all fabrication.
Our "Fingerprint-fit" process includes our personalized consultation and fitting. The goal of this
interactive process with the Client is to create a complete package of personalized
specifications and requirements, from which the frame geometry is calculated & optimum
material choices are made, leading to a detailed design layout, and spec sheets. Client paint
color choices are made with the aid of samples, pictures and color charts.
MSH1 Bicycle Works™ then fabricates your frame design to these personalized specifications.
If desired, MSH1 will equip your new frame with the components of your choosing.

So what is with the Acronym?
The name "MSH1" came about pretty much by chance. While on my internship in the
Mechanical Design group, I was having a conversation with a co-worker who was also a fellow
cyclist. We were discussing Canadian Bicycle manufacturers, naming off a few like Rocky
Mountain, Kona, etc. There was another company that I could not recall the name of at that
instant, but I mentioned that they were based in British Columbia and "My Sister Has One". He
asked if that was the name of the company? I said no, but it would make a cool name for a
bike company... hence, "My Sister Has One" or "MSH1" Bicycle Works™" was born, circa 1995...
(BTW, the bicycle company that I eventually remembered the name of was Brodie)

Again, hope you enjoy the site, and all the good stuff herein.
Good Riding!

Matt Klucha
Owner & Chief Mechanic

More Pictures: Reference & Links - Photos:

Iao Needle, Maui

Mt. Whitney, CA

The Bicycle Garage
www.thebicyclegarage.net
Full range of repair services for all types of bicycles.

MSH1 Bicycle Works
www.msh1bw.com
"Bespoke" Framebuilding using traditional bicycle building methods,
handcrafted and built by hand, customized to your specs.

Amati Systems Engineering
www.amatisystems.com
Multi-discipline Consulting and Engineering Services.

The Bicycle Garage