The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
The Spokesman-Review Newspaper The Spokesman-Review
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883
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Craft Masters

A series devoted to local craftsmen of distinguished outdoor gear. They might have a Web site, but their business comes mostly from word of mouth. Their shops may have a small sign or no sign at all, but floors littered with metal filings or wood shavings advertise the nature of their work. Even in a world obsessed with iPods and all the other glitz in the era of plastic and high-tech, outdoorsmen still have a weak spot for the craftsmanship of quality gear made by hand.

Sports >  Outdoors

The Bike Doctor

Only the very best physicians look over their patients as thoroughly as Dave Mannino checks out a bicycle that comes into Two Wheel Transit for a tune-up. He scans, listens, probes, spins, flexes, wiggles and squeezes the bike from tread to derailleur. With more than 31 years of professional experience, his well-practiced hands can diagnose a pit in a bearing, a wobble in a wheel or wear in the Teflon liner of a cable housing and treat the ailment on the spot.
Sports >  Outdoors

For quality fishing rods, Moran is top of the line

Editor's note: Fourth in a series devoted to local craftsmen of distinguished outdoor gear. Trout are natural works of art that attract the affection of millions of anglers. "When you catch something that beautiful," said Steve Moran, "it deserves to be photographed next to a rod of matching beauty before you release it back into the water."
Sports >  Outdoors

Gunmakers shoot for perfection

Editor's note: This is the third in a series devoted to local craftsmen of distinguished outdoor gear He began making guns as a hobby at the age of 15. He trained as a machinist and was earning $16 a week grinding optical lenses before moving to Spokane to renew his boyhood fascination with building custom guns.
Sports >  Outdoors

Building bicycles for the enthusiast

"These aren't bikes for duffers," said Gary Selner from the shop in the basement of tiny home he shares with his two dogs. "These bikes are for the enthusiasts, people who want to be in shape. People who buy them like to ride. They like performance, at least in their bikes."
Sports >  Outdoors

Bark is back

"Choosing a birch bark canoe over one made of Kevlar is like comparing the choice of bamboo vs. graphite for a fly-fishing rod," Spokane boat builder John Lindman explains. "It’s not a matter of being practical, it’s the feel and the romance."