Thomas Epling

Make Friends, Ride Bikes #stellarwerks #custombike

STELLAR WERKS S.I STEM Introducing the Standard Issue Stem (S.I), a new handmade offering from my little shop. These stems are designed to play nice with modern cockpit standards, featuring a 40mm stack, 28.6 steer clamp, and 31.8 bar clamp. Each one sports a 4-bolt face plate to make swaping bars fast and easy, and the +/- 6° angle lets you find that comfy position. Available in lengths of 50-100mm to find the right reach. The fillet brazed construction and custom finish set these apart from other stem offerings and are sure to class up your ride. These stems come in your choice of Heat Ano or raw brushed steel with a tough clear coat to provide protection and a nice patina. These will soon be available on my upcoming Webstore. I've got the site paused currently while I test out the settings, and it should be up and running by next week. If you want to grab one before then, hit me up at [email protected] or shoot me DM 🔫 Happy riding ✌️ #stellarwerks #handmade #hardwerk #custombike

THANK YOU PHILLY 💚 We had such a great time at the recent @phillybikeexpo . Many thanks to Bina and her team for putting on such a positive and electric show! The love and excitement for the handmade bike community was so heartwarming. It was great to see old friends and make new ones. Many lovely chats were had with @francescycles , @amarlowe89 , @nikasbikes , @horsecycles , Furg of @ritcheylogic @wake_robin_cycles , @chapmancycles , @chumbausa , @manzanitacycles , @fine_bikes And @wan.gerin Thanks also to Carl and Rachel of @metalgurunation for hosting a much needed happy hour and leading us to the after-after-after party. Lastly, thanks again to the support of our friends @paragonmachine who sponsored our booth. It just so happened to be my birthday that weekend, so Emily and I treated it like a little vacay. We had a wonderful time exploring Philly and hanging at the show. If you ever have a chance to attend the show, you gotta go. GO BIRDS! 🦅

STELLAR WERKS AT PBE Check out this great photoset of my ATB by the talented @morajez of @bikepackingcom , taken at the 15th edition @phillybikeexpo I partnered with my friend's @simworksusa to deck out the bike with their lineup of bikepacking bags, and they really tie the room together. In addition to the bags, the tires, rims, spoke nipples, cable housing, and bar ends are also from Sim Works. This bike also features parts from other great brands and makers, including: @paulcomponent seatpost and brakes @whiteind cranks, bb, and headset @velocityusa cliffhangers, a la Sim works @sinewavecycles dynamo headlight @ritcheylogic venturemax bars @brooksengland cambium saddle I've been refining this bike model for a couple of years, and after making several for customers, I think I have the platform dialed in. If you're interested in your own custom adventure bike, hit me up! 📬 Special thanks to our friend and sponsor @paragonmachine ! From dropouts to bottom brackets, Paragon is baked into the DNA of every Stellar bike. #stellarwerks #hardwerk #handmade #steelisreal

SUNDAY SUNDAY SUNDAY The first day of the @phillybikeexpo was a blast and today is sure to be another great day! Come by our booth and check out some handmade goodness and beautiful bicycles featuring parts from our friends: @simworksusa @paulcomponent @whiteind @kingcage @brooksengland @velocityusa @mkspedal @sinewavecycles Make sure to come snag a sticker from our sponsor @paragonmachine ! See y'all later ✌️ #stellarwerks #steelisreal #hardwerk #handmade

As promised, a little about our newest addition to the framebuilder list! @stellarwerks will be joining us at the Philly Bike Expo this year 🥳 Thomas Epling is the framebuilder behind the custom bike company, Stellar Werks. Originally located in Austin, Texas, Thomas now builds custom frames in his new home of Portland, Oregon. Stellar Werks bikes are handcrafted from high-quality chromoly steel and feature a distinctive style of classic looks with modern function. Each bike is made one off for every customer, creating a unique and tailored product. Originally focusing on road and cyclocross bikes, Stellar Werks has expanded to off-road touring rigs and recently mini-velo cargo bikes, in collaboration with @Kyootbikes . In addition to the growing line up, the small brand will soon be offering stock handmade components and accessories. Stay tuned! . 15th Annual Philly Bike Expo PA Convention Center, Hall F (12th & Arch streets) 🗓️ March 14 & 15, 2026 #phillybikeexpo #pbe2026 #pbesquad

Thanks to the generosity of @paragonmachine , y’all get to see @stellarwerks in Philly for the first time ever! (Post incoming on Stellar with 🔥pics to get you excited!) Manufacturing Precision Products and Bicycle Frame Building Components in the USA - Since 1983 Paragon Machine Works is a full service machine shop located in Richmond, California, USA. Paragon Machine Works has broad manufacturing capabilties, and the ability to work with a wide variety of industries and materials. We have made components for heavy equipment, solar, environmental remediation, aerospace, and process equipment companies. Paragon Machine Works is a leader in bicycle frame building technology. We manufacture and stock a wide variety of bicycle frame building components in titanium, steel, stainless steel, and aluminum. Paragon Machine Works is constantly innovating and providing new products to meet the demands of the industry and the needs of the frame builder. . 15th Annual Philly Bike Expo PA Convention Center, Hall F (12th & Arch streets) 🗓️ March 14 & 15, 2026 #phillybikeexpo #pbe2026 #pbesquad

GROCERY GETTIN' TIME A Wald basket and cargo net are a super capable combo for carrying stuff on the bike, but I needed a little more luggage space. I whipped up this rear rack up for my 26" mtb in a classic rando style, similar to the @velo_orange rack on my wife's bike. My rack has a bonus boss on the back, so I can thread in my @bluelug rear light. This will look killer with a set of adventure panniers from @northstbags Enjoy the tiny fllets on this #filletfriday Cheers ✌️ #stellarwerks #hardwerk #steelisreal #handmade

A few more shots of Paul's 29er ATB It was raining all week when Paul came to pick up and build his bike. We put it together in my cozy shop, and he took a few rides in the downpour. As part of his trip, Paul planned to embark on an epic bikepacking route pulled from @bikepackingcom , taking him up and over the Cascades and down to Salem, where he would catch the @amtrak back to town. I hastily took these photos while he was packing his bags for the adventure. The wet floor sign was a happy accident. The bike performed beautifully and we enjoyed a hearty meal when he got back. Pics of his adventure soon! #stellarwerks #hardwerk #steelisreal #handmade #custombike

Paul's 29er ATB All Built Up Paul came to Portland with a giant box of parts for his new whip and put together an incredible build. It features the holy trinity of @paulcomponent including the Seatpost, Klampers, and their gorgeous square taper crank. The square taper allows for a dialed Q factor and let us fit a 40T @wolf_tooth_comp chain ring with 29x2.3 tires! Speaking of tires, the @continental_tire Cross Kings are mounted to @velocityusa Cliffhangers, an unstoppable combo. The drivetrain is a mix of @microshiftofficial and @rideshimano bits, providing smooth shifting and reliable performance. The matching fork and stem spin smoothly on a @chriskingbuzz headset, installed upside down for extra performance. As a last minute detail, I made a small spacer rack to support Paul's @swiftindustries bar bag. The rack has bosses on the ends, where he's mounted his dynamo light. Paul put together such a great build; I'm a little jealous. If you need your own custom adventure bike, hit me up! #stellarwerks #hardwerk #handmade #steelisreal #custombicycle

PAUL'S 29" ATB FRAMESET My buddy Paul is a seasoned bikepacker and was looking to build his ultimate adventure bike. After a few conversations to shape the build, it was clear the Stellar ATB platform would fit the bill. The frame is built around a max tire size of 29x2.3" and has all the mounts needed for an extended trip. 3 bottle cage mounts, triple mounts on the fork, front and rear rack mounts, AND fender mounts. Internal routing on the fork and frame allow for a clean and protected dynamo light setup. The main tubes are a mix of Tange and @fairingindustrial and front and rear dropouts from the excellent @paragonmachine The frame, fork, and stem are all fillet brazed and finished with matching heat ano and clear coat. I tried to keep the temps cooler on this flame finish which gave the tubes those rich bronze and red hues in some areas. Really happy with how it all turned out. Paul came and picked up his bike in person and assembled it in my humble little shop. Stay tuned for full build pics soon! Happy Riding ✌️ #steelisreal #filletfriday #handmade #hardwerk #stellarwerks

PART OF THE PROCESS Here's a peak at the process of making a Cycle Truck cargo rack. In this clip, I'm tacking up the rack and struts before the final brazing. In all, there are 16 joints on this rack. That's a lot of little fillets! I'm using a mix of 45% silver for the stainless mounting faces and bronze rod for the main joints. Hit me up if you want your own @kyootbikes Cargo bike! 📦 #steelisreal #filletbrazing #hardwerk #stellarwerks #handmade