Is there a passion that can completely dictate the life path of someone? For Mark Nobilette it was bikes - plain and simple. Walking up to the Nobilette shop, essentially a two-story cube, is rather unimposing. One would never suspect that inside this building magic takes place - tubes of metal are turned into beautiful and functional works of art. The only tip-off is the bike outside that just screams “frame builder” (high-end steel frame, Campy groupo, and a Nite-Rider) and the faded sign over the door. Once inside it is hard to find a place to set anything down. Bike frames cover the place: hanging from the wall, in jigs, on display stands, everywhere. Light music keeps the mood mellow and bike posters plaster the walls. It’s the perfect asylum for someone crazy about bikes.
Nobilette got his start in a frame building class hosted by the famed Eisentraut bicycle company in 1973. As the class concluded he was offered a job at the company based on the talent shown in his first frame – one that still hangs, although dusty, in his shop. Located in California, Eisentraut offered Nobilette the chance to hone his building skills as well as begin a short but fun racing stint. Getting his start on the Turin/Eisentraut squad he flew through two classes of racers, peaking as a Cat 2. He raced with legends like Tom Ritchey and Mike Moale for teammates, before finishing his career for Velosport/Berkley. He eventually moved to the Chicago area where he co-owned a bike shop and expanded his custom frame building business until 1992 when he moved to Colorado. Once in Colorado he focused his efforts on his frames, selling though local shops and bigger dealers like Colorado Cyclist. His circulation peaked around 150 frames a year, although he prefers doing only about 75. Nobilette also subcontracts for many larger companies such as Zinn, Racermate, Rivendell, and, back in the golden age, Morgul Bismark.
Some wonder what would compel a person to spend his or her life building bicycle frames. It doesn’t pay well, wielding isn’t the most glorious job, and very few people ever know of you. For Nobilette as well and many other builders it’s a love of bikes, a talent in art, and a passion that spans both. Art has always been the primary motivator for Nobilette, he tries to do something new and artistic with each frame. Whether it is an aero, race frame, or a stylized, custom drawn lug set, each bike has its own soul. While expanding his horizons artistically, he also pays homage to the classics. As Schwinn (the renowned American bicycle manufacturer) went out of business, Nobilette snatched up two full tube sets from them. Not just an ordinary tube set, these tubes belonged to what has been called “the most successful American racing bike of the 20th century” – the Schwinn Paramount. Nobilette shows off his first Paramount frame with great pride and his reverence for the bike is apparent.
One of Nobilette’s bikes stands alone when it comes to art – the Spiderman bike. The bike was built up from a set of hand designed lugs to make a beautiful steel road bike. Once completed it was sent to the painter’s with no instructions. What came back was a red and blue finish; with black paint on the lugs that Nobilette concedes do “look kind of web-like.” A perfect incarnation of a Nobilette frame since Mark himself owns the first hundred installments of the comic “except number two,” he adds with a touch of distress.
While no one is sure of what the future holds, Nobilette is fairly certain that his holds more bike frames. Whether subcontracting for larger builders or expanding his horizons on long-haul racers, the wielding torch isn’t likely to lose its spark any time soon. While he knows that he “probably won’t do too many more racing bikes” and that in general the time of the steel bike is over, Mark Nobilette will continue building beautiful custom bicycle frames for as long as he is physically able.
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