Back in June, I approached Freeman Transport with an idea for a feature. I wanted to do an image-heavy piece on how bicycles were built, following a thought I had that much of what we read in our little niche doesn’t adequately get to the nuts and bolts of manufacture. We consistently discuss quality and at times hinge our aesthetic ideas on that notion as well.

Founded in 2006, Freeman Transport produces hand built bicycles and American made accessories for the traveler. The company is Ben Ferencz and Nathan Freeman, designer and artist respectively, who together decided to translate their frustrations with shipping bicycles into a product led idea. The result is a bike built with S-and-S couplings, designed to fit into an airline approved bag. Based in Montana, they've got a unique environmental perspective. And rooted in travel needs, a unique requirement of their product. These went hand in hand in piquing my interest. All the nuts and bolts of Freeman Transport aligned to make for a fascinating story of manufacture.

Collectively, Ben Ferencz, Nathan Freeman and I decided to go for it. We’d produce a photo essay on the making of the bike. Problem was, like all good things, it took a bit of time. As the months passed and the photo portion of the feature finally came to completion, the next step was considering the best companion text for the images.

I decided to continue our dialogue more concretely, and move from learning about manufacture to discussing trends and the idea of “Made in America.” Freeman, as a brand, focuses on fulfilling (to some extent) dreams of producing the perfect item for a given task. There’s a lot of integrity, a lot of thought imbued in each item. Given that, the decision to move this route was not only logical, but incredibly fruitful.

Ben and Nathan gave a beautiful interview. I added the occasional thought. And, in the end, what follows is more than just brand profile, but something I hope will spark the imagination and thoughts of our readers.