A Company You Should Know, But Probably Don't: Vanilla

Smooth, achingly-long curves, powerful, delicious dropouts with V-emblems, light gleaming off highly polished steel and hand-carved fluting at all crucial joints. Bike lust is an understatement; this is unrestrained bike devotion. Sacha White, founder and owner of Vanilla bicycles, builds some of the most seductive bikes out there. As a one-man operation, White produces frames, forks and stems with the highest quality building materials on the market. Each Vanilla is custom love that can make any rider give a big O sigh with just one look. We tracked down White to get the story behind his beautiful works of art. Here's what he had to say.

BIKE: Why did you name your company Vanilla?

WHITE: The sound more than anything. Vanilla rolls off the tongue, the taste and the smell are exactly how I would want a bike to ride.

BIKE: Who builds the bikes?

WHITE: I do the whole process, from talking to the people and fitting them, designing the frame, selecting and cutting the tubes, building the frame, and taking it to the painter.

BIKE: How long have you been welding?

WHITE: I don't technically weld, I braze my frames, but it's been five years.

BIKE: What materials do you build with?

WHITE: I only work with steel. For mountain bikes I use True Temper OX Platinum, Dedacciai and Columbus. I look for tubes that'll work best for specific frames.

BIKE: What got you into building bikes?

WHITE: The guy I learned from. I watched him rebuild a frame and the whole process was like magic, plus I was a bike messenger at the time. With everything, I like to have a mixture of art and science; creativity with technical. I am a right and left-brain person.

BIKE: How many frames do you sell per year?

WHITE: If I do fifty I'll be doing really well.

BIKE: Who are your typical customers?

WHITE: I have customers who don't have a lot of money but will do anything just to have one of my bikes. It's almost like they have to, like there's no choice. To other people who have money, it's not really a big deal to throw down for a fancy custom frame. My customers are people who appreciate that I'm doing something special.

BIKE: How much do your custom frames cost?

WHITE: For one of my mountain bike frames, anywhere from $1625 to $2000-plus depending on what tubeset we use.

BIKE: Where is your shop?

WHITE: In a progressive neighborhood in Southeast Portland, Oregon.

BIKE: What exactly is "progressive"?

WHITE: Portland all and all is very neighborhood-oriented and I'm happy to say everything I need is within a couple miles. I don't really consider the suburbs (or anywhere you have to drive far to a big box store to get what you need) a very healthy community environment.

BIKE: What's new this season?

WHITE: My business doesn't follow trends; I'm not into all the latest and greatest hype. I like subtle refinements. Refining a traditional part. Right now I'm making a couple of new team bikes and working with new tubes.

BIKE: So you're sponsoring some racers?

WHITE: I sponsor two 24-hour mountain bike racers and one female cyclocross racer. I'm also looking into getting a male 'cross racer.

BIKE: Would you ever want to sponsor a full team?

WHITE: Potentially I might sponsor a team. I've considered working with other custom builders, maybe four or five and trying to support a high profile, national road race squad. That would really be exciting, because a small builder alone won't have the resources.

BIKE: Do you advertise?

White: No, just word of mouth and racers. When I build bikes I think about them as ambassadors to my business, especially when they go to states where there aren't other Vanillas.

BIKE: What's the coolest paint scheme you have seen?

WHITE: This might not sound ultra cool, but I built a track bike that I love. It's chocolate brown with baby blue panels and hand-carved, polished lugs.

BIKE: After seeing your website I had my first case of severe bike lust, thank you. Do you ever lust after your own bikes?

WHITE: (resigned) Yeah, I think the best stuff I turn out is when someone tells me a little about what they want and then cuts me loose. I end up getting really lustful because it's like I'm building it for myself.