This week’s Readers’ Rides is one for the dog lovers out there! PDW co-founder Erik Olson just got himself a new puppy, Sammy. He recently decided to rebrand his Kona Dew Plus to reflect his love for the new pup…
What we have here is a rebrand and a rebuild. All the parts on this bike used to be on my beloved Signal Cycles commuter, but I recently got a puppy and needed something longer and more stable to better accommodate Sammy, my new canine passenger.
I’ve always wanted to bring my dog with me to work, but the 60+ pound lab mixes my wife and I rescued never cottoned to riding in a Burley or a Bakfiet. Sammy, whom my wife and I adopted from an employee of Cyclepath Bike Shop here in Portland, was my chance to train a bike dog in its formative years, so I jumped on the opportunity.
The frame here is a Kona Dew Plus with some fun rebranding that I created using my vinyl cutting machine. I added a custom head badge—featuring Sammy’s portrait—plus custom decals on the downtube. I kitted it out with a lot of Portland Design Works gear—I’m a co-founder there— and voila, Sammy Cycles was born.
Fortunately, Sammy took to riding in the basket almost immediately and now accompanies me on the commute along the Willamette River to and from work almost every day. It’s a delight to passers-by, and a dream come true for me!
Build Spec:
- Kona Dew Plus
- Swapped in a short Truvativ stem
- Swapped in some ultra-wide Ritchey bars
- Swapped in Teravail tubeless tires
- Swapped in Shimano Pro saddle
- Swapped in SRAM rotors and pads
- Added Timber to Town ZigZag Basket (large)
- Added Loot Bag with a padded bottom for Sammy
- Added Cork Chop grips
- Added prototype front rack (shhhhhh)
- Added Swigamajig bottle holder
- Added Watch Your Back! mirror
- Added Everyday rear rack
- Added Full Metal Fenders
- Added Timber to Town ZigZag bottle cage
We’d like to thank all of you who submitted Readers Rides builds to be shared here at The Radavist. The response has been incredible and we have so many to share over the next few months. Feel free to submit your bike, listing details, components, and other information. You can also include a portrait of yourself with your bike and your Instagram account! Please, shoot landscape-orientation photos, not portrait. Thanks!
