David Kirk, framebuilder

I've been working in the bike industry since I was in high school and I always wanted to be a frame builder. I've worked in shops and raced BMX, road and mountain bikes over the years.
When I was about 14, I built my first bike frame with my grandfather Ernie King. It was a suspension BMX frame. It broke.

In 1989 I was recruited by Serotta to help expand their manufacturing operation. I worked in all aspects of production and was fortunate to apprentice under master builder, Kelly Bedford.
I moved into Serotta's custom shop after 3 years of working in the production shop. While working in the custom shop I built around 120 frames per year, start to finish. The work was diverse and included road, mountain, track, cyclocross, touring, tandem, and Softride frames. Customers ranged from well-known professional teams to individuals. During this time I also built prototypes and show bikes.

To be continued