Venture Handmade

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Durango, CO
Venture Handmade

Artisan-level bicycle goods. Building since 2010. Much better at making things than self-promotion and social media...
www.venturehandmade.com

08/30/2026

Now for something a little different. None of these bikes have any bags on them whatsoever... but as a former World Cup wrench, longtime photographer, and racing enthusiast, I just love bike racing, especially downhill. Super fun to watch. The bikes are cool. And the photographic opportunities are everywhere! So I headed up to Purgatory today for the series final of the newly-revived Mountain States Cup, with the family, camera, and rain gear in tow. Thankfully we didn't need the rain gear, but the camera definitely got some use. Glad to be back behind the shutter, after several months in the work asylum. It's about time to get my second biz - Freewheel Studios - rolling again now that bike season is cooling off!

08/17/2026

Nothing like a retro rig to get a certain type of mountain biker (me) all stoked. When I started racing in 1996, this bike would have been a dream machine. So it's awesome to see Chris bring it back to life, complete with a custom Venture Handmade kit! A quote from Chris: "This is heirloom-quality kit, they’re definitely going to bury me before these bags quit!" Well, let's hope that's a long way out - we're not THAT old - but I appreciate the vote of confidence. 😆

08/05/2026

Some super custom gear that went out last week! I make a full line of stock bags, and custom-fit frame bags in three most-commonly-ordered configurations. But sometimes, you just want something even more custom. And I'm generally happy to oblige.

Chris decided on a custom-color Charlie and EDC combo, but then asked me to build him a one-off handlebar harness roll. Done! It came out great, with double daisy chains and shock cord for lashing light items to the outside. I'm considering producing a stock version of this for others who aren't happy with current far-too-basic harness bags.

Jeff got a whole box packed full of custom gear - basically nothing was stock! - but probably the most interesting piece was this partial bolt-on/partial lace-up frame bag for his Mone Hijole. You'll see a lot of Venture Handmade gear on his rig for this year's Arizona Trail Race.

Got custom needs or ideas? Run them by me.

08/01/2026

The Colorado Trail Race starts tomorrow. As happens every year, the eve of the CTR puts me in full-on wanderlust mode. High alpine backcountry trail has always been my favorite, and the CTR is the prime high-country bikepacking race, one that ends on my very street! With a full family life, two businesses to run, and a knee that's been pretty dang rachet-like for some years now, it's unlikely I'll ever make the full CTR race run again. But I remember.

I remember the pre-race jitters, months of loooonnng training hours begging to be set loose. I remember starting my first CTR in 2011 on the Front Range, unsure if I'd make it (I did) or if my first-ever home-built bikepacking kit would self-destruct (it did not). I remember opening my bike shop at 3am before pedaling out for the first-ever Durango-start CTR in 2013, which left literally from the shop's front door. I remember spinning in the dark, multi-hour climbs, hike-a-bike by headlamp, epic vistas, short cold sleep, and absolutely blistering descents once the loaded weight was second nature. I remember waking up in the rain before dawn, and falling asleep while pedaling after repeated hallucinations. I remember eating Fritos in blueberry yogurt at Mt Princeton Hot Springs and thinking it was the best thing ever. I remember the deep satisfaction of finishing. And best of all, I remember being able to, after a few days on the trail, drop out of my daily life and drop into something truly adventurous. It was a killer feeling, even for a guy who's spent much of his life adventuring on a very regular basis.

Not sure what the race scene is like these days. My impression is that most people have so many devices and apps and info-trackers that they are constantly digitally tethered no matter how far they get from town or how many days they've been out. If that's the case, it's a bummer... because you can't explore the wilderness within if you never give it a chance to show itself.

Best wishes to all embarking on the Colorado Trail Race tomorrow. Rubber side down, tailwinds, look out for lightning, and turn off the damn panopticon in your pocket or on your handlebars. (Below, a single photo from 2011 and several from 2013.)

07/29/2026

Lots of custom work shipping these last couple weeks, on top of restocking Bravo, Charlie, Delta, and Sierra inventory. I wish could take photos of all my frame bags on their respective bikes, but I have to leave that up to you guys on the other end!

Here are a few fun Alpha Custom Frame Bags that I've recently built: A pair of stacked-compartment, 3-zip, fully-lined, beyond-Premium Model bags for brand-new Enve and Parlee gravel bikes. A Standard Model with a decidedly non-standard shape for a Giant Stance full-sus. And a very visible Standard Model for a Salsa Timberjack. I may not get the miles I used to, but I travel vicariously through my handiwork!

Back to work. Got some fun stuff to share next time I make it onto the (anti)socials.

07/17/2026

This discontinued Salsa Blackborow cargo bike remains one of my favorite bikes of all time. I built it up as a proper rigid MTB 29er, with DT 350 hubs, carbon cranks and bars, a Transfer dropper, a reliable 11-spd SRAM drivetrain, and 2.5" Maxxis DHF/Aggressor rubber. It just happens to be a LOT longer than your typical trail bike! No motors, no batteries, just legs and cranks and a loooonnnng chain to put the power down. Every shipping batch gets carried to the UPS dropoff on this thing - just one of the real-world links from your order to my workshop to your door.

07/14/2026

Now that's a good-lookin' rig. Dan's new Neuhaus Hummingbird, equipped with a new Alpha Custom Frame Bag and Cache Tank Bag. Colors were Dan's choice and they look killer. 🔥🔥🔥 Thanks Dan, now go explore some backcountry!

07/08/2026

It was obvious going into this summer that the fire danger was high, but we always hope for the best. Unfortunately, the several massive fires burning across the region brought the obvious to life. My thoughts are often genuinely with those affected by the Gold Mtn, Ferris, Aspen Acres, Babylon, and other fires in the larger neighborhood.

Beyond the danger to human life and property, I'm also thinking about the forests and the creatures that call 'em home... I've packrafted the Dolores River Canyon, bikepacked Elk Ridge west of the Abajos, and hiked through the mountains northeast of Ouray. All those areas are forests of blackened, lifeless trees now, and they won't return to normal for many years. That's a huge bummer, to say in the least.

Here in Durango we've been very fortunate so far, with no immediate fires or even much smoke to worry about. That could change any day, but I appreciate it while it lasts! And apparently there's still blue sky and wildflowers over in Utah, as this nice shot from Nick Bierman makes clear. Stay calm and ride on!

07/02/2026

I'll be real - for people like Nicolas, who just set a new record on the TransAm route, the only thing their gear needs to be is highly functional. It's not like his Alpha Custom Frame Bag *helped* him set this record - it just stayed out of his way and did the job with no fuss. And obviously there are like three different brands of bag on his rig, so I won't pretend only my gear was chosen!

But I am impressed with Nico's incredible cross-continental ride. Just hours over two weeks, self-supported, that's wicked fast!

And I'm even more impressed that Nico simply approached me, asked if I could build what he wanted, paid for it, and then only at the last minute mentioned that he was doing the TransAm in a few months. He didn't tell me he was a big deal, or try to broker some social media exposure "sponsorship" swap. As a trail guy who doesn't follow road events, imagine my surprise when Nico reached out the other day and nonchalantly said "I made it to the end of the TransAm with your frame bag." I love meeting people who just quietly crush it.

Congratulations, Nico! Thanks for choosing my work as part of your record run. Let's work together again next year.

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Durango, CO

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https://www.venturehandmade.com/

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