Low Long and Lean
Story: Michael Ojala, Photos submitted by Peter Ström
I started my shop about 8 years ago to build different kinds of bikes. I’m very open minded when it comes to design in general. On the contrary, when I build my own personal bikes, I always go on the same basic idea and then put a new twist to it.
With my customers bikes I follow their lead, but then add my own style to get that special moment of surprise.
The inspiration to my bikes come from environments and pure ideas from my mind that I feel strongly about. I guess you can say that I have a wild imagination. You can read a lot about other peoples work, but I think it’s important to remember where you came from and to stick to what you like.
The design itself is simple, clean, which suits most people. I don’t like complicated solutions, to keep it classic is enough for me.
The idea of Salt Flats Bengan with me wanting to build a classic racing bike. I ran short of inspiration, untill I remembered a movie called “The worlds fastest Indian”. I started to do some research on bikes from the Salt Flats racing and I got the idea of doping a 40’s bike with a new, modern and basically fresh feeling.
The process of building the bike took me about two years. I didn’t care how long it took, this one was for me and myself only.
During one of those years was I working as a clay-modeler around countries in Europe, for example did I work for Ducati in Italy. My job was to help the designers to sculpt a bike that is coming out on the market in a near future.
Now I’m back in the bike building industry and I have many upcoming projects that I would like to share with you.