Customer Profile: Eric Baird

A Black woman wearing a denim shirt is carrying a bicycle down a set of stairs in an urban environment. The bicycle has a green paint job and honey leather wrapped handlebars.

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A woman bicycling on a bright summer day over a green lawn wearing suede fringe cowgirl boots and with a 6-pack of Anchor Steam beer connected to the top tube of her bicycle with a honey leather 6-pack frame cinch

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A dark brown leather round, barrel-shaped saddle bag with cedar wood sides mounted to the back of a brown leather Brooks saddle on a cream-and-brown painted bicycle

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Two sets of travel dice on a dark brown leather table surface. Both sets show six dice coming out of a square brass tube. The dice are 7mm, smaller than standard. One has white dice and the other has black dice.

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Two people playing dominoes using small, domino-sized playing cards on a walnut wood table with snacks and drinks. The domino cards are double 12 with different colors for each number and hand-drawn.

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Close-up of a folding leather travel backgammon board mid-play on a weathered wood surface. A hand is reaching in and moving four game pieces (which are brass nails) between triangles, which are laser-engraved in the honey dyed leather. Accessories are visible, dice and doubling cube and peg storage

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A variety of handcrafted leather and wood handles on a sample board as seen from above and an angle

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A white chest of drawers in a white and lilac baby nursery with three colors of leather Morrison bin pull handles, in Honey, Dark Brown, and Black

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A white kitchen drawer under a gray countertop that has a natural tan colored leather handle with nickel hardware and an engraved label that says 'Silverware'

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Two cabinet doors swinging open towards each other with matching leather Lovejoy loop handles. The leather touches so the cabinets don't crash into each other, a solution for problem corners in kitchen design planning

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Valerie and Geoff from Walnut Studiolo are standing on a pile of driftwood between two boulders on the North Oregon Coast beach near Manzanita, with mountains and grey sky in the background

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Valerie and Geoff Franklin of Walnut Studiolo standing behind their bicycles on a grassy green lawn. Geoff is doffing his hat to Valerie and she is smiling, as a gesture of service.

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by admin
March 29, 2017
2 min read

A few years ago, amidst the chaos of grad school, Eric Baird picked up a vintage motorbike that wasn't in great shape. It had a seized piston and a torn seat, but drawing from his upbringing working on small mechanical projects, Eric says he was instantly hooked on motorcycle restoration. The next project, however, was much more involved, and Walnut came along for the ride. Eric's most recent project, the full rebuild of a 1964 Honda S90, was a labor of love. The bike was a rust bucket sitting on a rural ranch in Jackson Hole, Wyoming with a broken off handlebar and cracked side clutch cover. "Nothing moved due to rust. I had to have a buddy help me literally drag it off the ranch. In the process of restoration, I realized since it needed so many new parts for both the engine and body I could completely re-imagine the bike as a cafÃ© racer." CafÃ© racers are visually minimalist, lightweight bikes that often have a 50's style. Eric knew that in order to achieve this look a heavy dose of leather was in order so he turned to Walnut for help. "I had searched Amazon, and a few other websites for leather bike straps, but wasn't pleased with the quality. I eventually stumbled on Walnut's website and found exactly the look I was going for. Walnut's leather straps proved invaluable and the tutorial videos were an enormous help as well." The project wasn't easy. Eric used customized leather grips from Walnut as he strove to achieve the perfect look and feel. Eric says he completed most of the restoration work out of his apartment and it took two and a half years. "In the end it is really awesome and looks and sounds fantastic!" "What I love most about motorcycles are putting together a working engine, and doing it in style. The thrill of putting a bike together and riding it, knowing every little part of it and knowing you put it together makes it worth it." Now it seems there's no stopping Eric. "I never meant to collect motorcycles, but it seems to be happening. I'm looking forward to more adventures with bikes now that this project is completed! I've already started my next project, the first bike I picked up back in grad school - a 1973 Kawasaki MC1 90cc bike. It's pretty unconventional as a build, but I'm determined to make it in a desert sled and off-road kind of bike. I've learned a lot from the S90, and have a lot of good skills I can take to future projects." We can't wait to see what you do next, Eric!