Jeffrey Bock Bicycles
Jeffrey Bock Bicycles
Jeffrey Bock Bicycles
By Dave Mable
One of the most luxurious treats for a cyclist is a custom built bicycle that is tuned into a riders specific dimensions, riding style and ride characteristic preferences.
Jeffery Bock, of Polk City, has been building custom bicycle frames for more than 30 years. Bock, a high school technical department teacher by trade, built his first frame while attending the University of Northern Iowa in 1975. Since that time, he has evolved from a pure utilitarian builder, seeking the perfect blend of materials and geometry, to an artist. Bock does not build bicycle frames, but sculptural works of art meant to be enjoyed by their lucky owners.
Bocks artistry can be seen in his lug-work. While simple, his 80 plus hours of hand filing on each lugged frame, bring out a graceful beauty of form and function. Bocks years of experience with the airbrush translate to a custom paint job that invites the eyes to follow the graceful, yet strong, lines from the headtube all the way to the rear dropouts. One can not help but run their fingers down the spine of a Jeffery Bock.
Supple, smooth and sized to perfection, a Jeffery Bock bicycle yearns for it’s rider to take her out on long afternoon rides, where man and machine move as one. In purchasing a Jeffery Bock, a transaction is not just completed, but a relationship begun. In the age of carbon fiber sub15 pound bikes, I believe there is still a place tucked away in each cyclists heart where craftsmanship and art meet.
As each bike is cutom-built for its owner, you can not walk into your local bike shop and go for an afternoon ride on your new bike. Expect to spend two to three thousand dollars on your frame and fork and the process can take one or two months to complete. The wait is worth it, though, as you’ll not have just bought a new bike, but met a new friend.
Occasionally, Bock offers a frame building class. Participants will build their own frame, under the guidance and tutelage of Bock. Tuition, around $1,800, covers the class, frame materials and a single-color paint job. For more information, contact Bock by e-mail at: jeffbock@ix.netcom.com
