We found Matt Adams a couple years ago, working as uber-fabricator and custom seat leathertooler at Seattle's Lucky's Choppers. Now out on his own with RedSoul he wanted to give you folks his take on Seattle's hip chopper scene. Check out the next issue for his very first RedSoul custom, started when he was working at Lucky's.
I sometimes wonder why Seattle is virtually unknown in the custom bike world. It must be due to the rainy city stigma where the streets are shot and every right-hand turn leads you straight up a hill. A lot of us ride year-round despite the fact that there is only about three months of sunshine in Seattle. I suppose if you didn't live here it might be hard to picture highend choppers bombing through rain-soaked streets, but that's just how we do it.
The bike scene also lives under the large shadow cast by other Emerald City giants such as Microsoft, Boeing, and even Starbucks. Seattle has become the breeding ground for these industry titans who have actually changed the world and the way we live our lives. God forbid we should ever go a day without our double shot espresso. On top of commercial advancement, Seattle is also mother to performing arts, bearing children by the name of Hendrix, Pearl Jam, Nirvana, and Alice in Chains. And let's not forget that little glass blowing company known as the Chihuly Empire. There is a lot Seattle is known for, and it's in this shadow the custom bike world is digging roots and adding one more name to the list.
In my mind this is the perfect place to build a custom bike, especially when you consider the readily available resources. Boeing has left Seattle saturated with old-time machinists packed with knowledge and trained to meet airline standards. There are almost as many machine shops as there are coffee shops; you can build anything if you knock on the right door and ask the right questions. Seattle is also home to the largest harbor in the northwest, which makes it a first stop for raw materials. I can find any type of metal or alloy in abundance and purchase absolutely everything needed for a ground-up build in a three-mile radius.
With these resources, you would think Seattle would be packed full of new bike builders trying to carve out a name for themselves. I see new shops pop up from time to time, but nearly all of them wash out with the rain. This isn't the sunshine state where everyone wants to ride; riders up here are the ones who are willing to put up with the rain and potholes. The Seattle bike scene is strong but very small, and with the law of supply and demand, only the best of the best survive. Bolt-together bikes just don't cut it when the shop down the street hammers out their own tanks and machines custom foot controls. Quality and innovation are a must, and everything else gets left behind.