The lightweight bicycle is the center of my life, whether racing or riding, building new frames or refinishing old ones. My racing career spanned 22 years, from 1965 to 1987. I was a Category 1 rider who competed locally (winning many Minnesota district titles in senior and veteran events), regionally, nationally, and internationally, and I was invited to the 1967 Pan-Am trials (placing seventh in one event) and the 1968 and 1972 Olympic trials. In 1977 my brother Kevin and I set a transcontinental record on frames built by me; in 1979 we were invited to Paris-Brest-Paris.

The intensity of racing helped me understand how important the frame was for any rider to reach his or her potential. Combining my experience on the bike with my mechanical skills, I completed my first frame in 1976 and began painting frames soon afterwards, I am self-taught, working by myself while incorporating advice and guidance from many other framebuilders. Framebuilding, repairing, and painting has been my full-time career for more than forty years.

I continue to be a recreational cyclist, riding about 3500 miles a year, and every summer I take a few friends on a tour to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Long a devotee of the fixed gear, I train on a track bike in the spring and commute daily on a fixed wheel throughout the year.

The Custom Frame
My fifty years on the bike—racing, touring, and commuting—has given me broad experience which reflects my passion for cycling and brings a unique depth of understanding to frame design.

Classic sports and recreational road frames are my speciality. I also build touring and commuting frames.

Two of the most important aspects of a custom frame are: the fit is the best possible for the rider and the design is the best possible for its use. Each Chris Kvale frame is custom-made to meet both objectives; it will provide a superior fit and will be designed to be comfortable and stable, allowing maximum performance whether it be a fast recreational ride or a long-distance tour.

The fitting procedure in the shop takes about three hours and includes a thorough consideration of the design concepts and frame dimensions. In addition to taking your body measurements, the fitting includes analysis of your current frame and a ride together to understand the dynamic relationship between you and your bicycle. If you are unable to visit the shop, we can discuss via email and phone the details of the new frame.

The frame is constructed with specialty steel tubing; the type and weight of tubing are chosen to match your riding style and use. It is built in a traditional lugged style with standard or oversize tubing, curved fork blades, all standard braze-ons, a choice of two styles of seatstays, and a stainless steel tunnel through the top tube for the rear brake cable casing. Materials include Columbus and Reynolds tubing, investment cast CKC fork crowns, investment cast lugs and bottom brackets, and forged dropouts.

Individually made, one at a time, each frame requires several weeks of work. The frame is silver-brazed throughout except for a few places where brass- brazing is more appropriate.

My style of thinned, tapered lugs expresses my sense of beauty and minimalism through simplicity where form follows function. My preference for the simple and the practical extends to my paint jobs, both for CKC frames and classic restorations; the end result is an elegant working bicycle.

Painting, decaling, and clearcoating are all done by me in my shop. A wide range of DuPont Imron paint, either solid or metallic, is available. Each paint job is custom; popular options include contrasting head tube, down tube panel, and seat tube panel. Multiple coats of clear are applied over the decals to achieve a smooth, level finish.

In addition to building my own frames, I repair and paint other frames and specialize in work on classic frames built since the 1960’s. Frames can be refurbished to modern standards or restored to a high level of authenticity with modern decals.