Asheville, NC · Framebuilding since 2014
Every frame mitered, brazed, and aligned by one pair of hands.
Custom steel bicycles built to your body and your roads. Twelve frames a year, no more — every joint gets checked twice before it goes to paint.
The shop
One builder, one bay, one frame at a time.
Mara Voss started Solstice out of a rented garage bay in West Asheville in 2014, after six years welding aluminum for a downhill frame company that folded. The switch to lugged and fillet-brazed steel was deliberate — steel forgives a slightly imperfect road, and it's the one frame material she trusts to still be true in twenty years.
There's no second builder and no apprentice on the torch. Every miter, every braze, every alignment check happens at the same bench, which is the only way Mara has found to guarantee a frame rides the way it was drawn.
"A frame is a promise about a road you haven't ridden yet."— Mara Voss, framebuilder
Sheet 01 / How a frame gets built
Six steps, in this order, no skipping.
Every build follows the same sequence. It's slower than a production run, but it's the only order that lets us catch a bad fit before it's welded into steel.
Fit & consultation
An hour on the phone or in the shop, going over your body, your riding, and the roads or trails you actually spend time on. We measure, not guess.
Draw the geometry
Your angles, lengths, and stack are drawn by hand before they're cut. You'll see the sheet and sign off on it before any tube gets touched.
Select tubing
Columbus or Reynolds, sized to your weight and riding style. A loaded tourer and a criterium bike get different wall thicknesses, not just different paint.
Miter & braze
Tubes are mitered on a fixture, brazed by hand, then checked on a granite alignment table before anything else happens.
Paint & build
Sent out for paint, then built up in-house with the groupset and finishing kit you've chosen, wheel to wheel.
Deliver & ride-in
Local pickup includes a fit check on the finished bike. Shipped frames come with a follow-up call after your first 100 miles.
Sheet 02 / Starting points
Three geometries we come back to.
Every frame is drawn to your own numbers — these are the three starting geometries most riders end up closest to.
The Causeway
Clearance for a 45mm tire, a relaxed front end, and enough mounts for a week away from pavement.
The Meridian
A quicker front end and a stiffer rear triangle, drawn for riders who still race a few Saturdays a year.
The Long Haul
Built for a rear rack and full panniers, with a wheelbase that stays composed fully loaded.
Sheet 03 / Every build starts here
A drawing, not a template.
Before any tube is cut, your geometry is drawn out to scale and checked against your fit numbers. This is the sheet that gets pinned above the bench for the whole build.
Sheet 04 / Recently delivered
A few frames that shipped this year.
Every build gets a paint code and a mileage check-in at six months — a few recent deliveries below.
Causeway, size 54
Meridian, size 56
Long Haul, size 58
Causeway, size 51
Sheet 05 / From riders
What comes back after a few thousand miles.
Unedited notes from the six-month check-in calls, with permission.
"It's the first bike that's fit me instead of the other way around. Climbs like it weighs nothing loaded."
"Mara asked more questions about my commute than my last three bike shops combined. Worth the wait."
"Fourteen weeks felt long until I rode it. Now I get why every joint gets checked twice."
Sheet 06 / Before you write in
Answers to what usually gets asked.
Still curious after this? The fit consultation covers the rest.
Why steel instead of carbon or titanium?+
Steel is repairable almost anywhere in the world, forgives rough roads better than a stiffer material, and ages predictably — a well-built steel frame from the 1980s still rides true today. Titanium is available on request for a premium.
How long is the wait, honestly?+
The current queue runs about fourteen weeks from deposit to delivery. That includes the fit consultation, drawing, build, and a four-week paint turnaround that's outside our control.
Can I spec disc brakes and modern groupsets?+
Yes — most frames leave the shop with thru-axles and flat-mount discs. Rim brake and quill-stem builds are still available for riders restoring a specific look.
What if the fit needs adjusting after delivery?+
The six-month check-in call exists for exactly this. Stem length, saddle position, and bar height are easy fixes; if the frame itself needs adjustment, that's covered under the build warranty.
Do you ship outside the US?+
Yes, boxed and insured, most often to Canada and the EU. Duties and import fees are the buyer's responsibility and vary by country.
Sheet 07 / Start a build
Tell us about the riding, we'll ask the rest.
A short note is enough to start — Mara reads every inquiry and replies within a few days.
Direct lines
Sheet 08 / Last thing
The queue moves slowly. Your inquiry doesn't have to wait for it.
Deposits hold your build slot in the order they arrive — the fit consultation can happen months before your frame goes on the bench.