Bike

solid as steel

“THAT WAS IT,” SAYS JOHNNY WENNER, 43, pointing to a bandsaw. “I was cutting a large bundle of material, and as it was traveling through the last bit, my hand was in the wrong spot. It barely grazed my hand, then I looked down and I could see my bone split in half. When the pain set in, it was like my hand was on fire in a vat of acid.”

The saw sliced through the metacarpal of his pointer finger and required 30 stitches and some titanium. That was 2009, and it’s the only injury Wenner has sustained in 17 years of professional metal fabrication and six years as a welding professor.

“I like the permanence of metal,” says Wenner. “It’s not easy to work with and there’s a level of accomplishment with it.”

We’re in

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from Bike

Bike5 min read
Crafting A Rescue
Skye Schillhammer was shooting photos in Bellingham, Washington, on a winter day with Pacific Northwest ripper Taylor James, a local well-known for his wild-guy antics on and off the bike, when suddenly the day took a serious turn. James had just att
Bike6 min read
Permanent Installation
IT’S SATURDAY, SUNNY AND 75 DEGREES. THE FOREST IS A vibrant green and recent rains have made the loamy, redwood soil nothing short of magical. A seemingly endless conga line of riders labors up a dirt road. Before embarking on their descent, nearly
Bike3 min read
Re-formation
Sometimes the most difficult part of being a pro athlete is figuring out how to not be a pro athlete anymore. When racing or sponsorship obligations no longer fill your cup, financially or otherwise, what’s the next step and how do you take it? For K

Related Books & Audiobooks