Retrotec bikes are modern geometry cruisers that can be ridden for fun or racing, in the dirt or on the pavement. I started making traditional straight tube frames in 1996 under Inglis Cycles. With both types of frames, I can offer customers just about anything they would want.
RETROTEC HISTORY
Retrotec started in 1992 when Bob Seals wanted to race his old cantilever chassis. This put him on the road to produce cruising bikes from the modern and quality geometry. I moved to Chico, CA in 1993 to build the Retrotec chassis for Bob when his first welder left. Living on the ranch was great and I learned a lot, but with Bob’s blessing I moved the company to San Francisco, CA in 1995. Curvy steel bikes were out of fashion at that time and very few orders were coming. Bob probably thought that I would just spin my wheels for a while and then the company would finally fold forever. I connected to San Francisco, building part-time facilities and experimenting with new Retrotec projects until 1998, when I moved the company to Napa, CA.
Since then, custom bikes and curved tube bikes in general have been embraced globally. We have Retrotec customers in Japan, Europe and the Philippines. I have added a number of new chassis styles to the Retrotec mix over the years and continue to update the geometry as tire sizes change every time I blink. If someone had told me in 1993 that my "summer job" would last so long, I don’t think I would have believed it.
INGLIS HISTORY
I launched Inglis Cycles in 1996 while living in San Francisco, CA. I was sharing a live-work space with the Sycip brothers South of Market and wanted to offer a more traditional straight tube frame in addition to Retrotec. After extensive market research and a focus group, I decided to cash in on my last name for this brand… or I couldn’t think of a clever name, so I stuck with my last name. Whatever the case, here we are twenty years later.
With both types of frames, I can offer customers just about anything they would want.
Thank you for your interest in my bikes.
– Curtis