A couple of years ago I met, through the kustom bicycle forums, two incredibly talented guys- Richard Greenup and Dan  Morgan, who have bent the envelope of design, and created some astounding art you can ride, to say the least. They started calling themselves iRide Customs.  Here goes my first question to the duo:
.
Marty: How did the two of you hook up to become the hottest builders in America! 
.
Dan: I was on a mountain bike ride in a nearby city with a couple of friends when I saw this guy driving by with a mountain bike in the back of his truck. I stopped him and just started talking to him about riding and asked if he would like to ride with us. We rode for a while, chatted a bit more, found out he is very similar to me, in many ways, and is a skilled rider, of which there aren't too many 'round these parts...at least ones that can match my skills. I asked him where he lived, and he said he lived in the same small town as I did- only six or seven blocks away!! We were both very surprised that we had not seen each other riding at some other time. We just started riding mountain bikes together, and that's pretty much how we met. 
..
Marty: What really inspired you two guys to modify your first bike and then step up to making your first one-off frame?
..
Dan:  What inspired me to modify the first bike was actually my wife. I originally bought her a mountain bike to ride with me; but she has a problem with depth perception, so that bike got ridden about three times. I thought that maybe a beach-style cruiser would be better for her, so I got her a Dyno Kosmopolitan Kustom Cruiser. Once she had that, I thought that I would look silly riding next to her on my MTB, so I started shopping for a cruiser that I could ride. I finally chose the Dyno Roadster, and it stayed stock for about three days. I started adding on things here and there, and knew it would not be enough. I was shopping for tires and stumbled across the Electra Fatty-O tire for the first time, and it was ON!
..
Richard: Dan calls me one day and says "Dude I know you are not really into road bikes, but I have got this idea to build a chopper kind of bike"
..
I said, "That's great! For a long time I have wanted to combine my hot rod-building skills with my love of bicycles. I never really thought the parts were available to do what I had in mind."
..
Dan said, "Go to the bike shop and look at this Electra bike".
..
As soon as I saw the rear tire, I knew it was time to build. So I guess you could say the Fatty-O was the inspiration for the whole thing.
..
Marty: Can you say the Stingray had an impact on you guys? Yourselves and lots of others have modified Rays and WWC bikes; however, your bikes look nothing like the original, which, of course, makes me happy- and everyone else as well.
..
Will you keep doing this in the future? Lets face it, to just buy a complete bike for all its parts is a very smart thing to do!
.
Dan: The Sting Ray was a huge impact! The rear wheel was what we were looking for ever since first seeing the Electra Fatty-O...something excessive!
.
Richard: The rear wheel has helped to give our bikes that "Pro Street" look. Using the 4.25"-wide rear wheel is definitely here to stay. Even if we don't use actual Sting Ray parts.
.
Dan: When the Sting Ray was originally released. I picked up four of them. One of these was number 13 of the original run. I stashed that one in the attic, sold one on eBay, and busted out the grinder on the other two. The original idea we had for the Sting Ray was to simply make a frame that any Sting Ray owner could buy and actually ride. We all know that the Sting Ray was made for a child, and adults have a very cramped ride on it. I started hacking away on the Sting Ray, and The White Hot Inferno was born. This bike was purchased by the Portland Trailblazers mascot "Blaze".
.
The WCC bike was also a great customizing tool- Lots of good parts for a great price. One thing that I really liked about the WCC bike was the tank. I know that what we make are bicycles and not motorcycles, but they have a motorcycle influence. With the tank from a WCC bike as a starting platform, the Jet Bike was created. It's still one of my favorite bikes. 
.
Marty: Recently our roving reporter from BR&K- Erik Suttles (Wordbiker) went to the Vegas Interbike convention. What did he post that interested you guys the most? And what future projects have you guys been dreaming of? 
.
Richard: For me the coolest thing that I saw was the skull and bones brake disc. I don't want to elaborate on future products, but I have some ideas for skulls and bones. Maybe full suspension.. and something else I am not saying...
.
Dan: There are many, many plans for more Sting Ray/WCC based customs in the future. As I said before..."Can't beat that price for a decent set of parts to make a bike from". Erik a.k.a. Wordbiker did an excellent job of getting some great pictures at this year's Interbike show.
.
I think what inspired me the most about Interbike is the amount of kustom-style chopper and cruiser bikes. It seems as if this fad is actually catching on with the masses! Felt has really turned it up a notch with their line of cruisers. They have some really great stuff. Even the new line of Schwinn Sting Rays is looking very promising.
.
Other things that are very encouraging are the amount of aftermarket parts and accessories that are geared toward custom chopper/cruiser bicycles. The guys at Choppers U.S. are a great example. They have an excellent selection of aftermarket parts and accessories, of very high quality! Not only that, they are a good bunch of guys to deal with.
.
Marty: I haven't sold a bike yet; but you guys have had no trouble selling anything. What is the most expensive bike you have sold so far?
.
I can imagine a paint job alone by Richard is worth more than
a new moped, Richard are you willing to paint bikes for anyone else? As of right now, I know of only a couple other kustom bicycle painters for hire.
.
Richard: Dan handles the business side of things. You will have to ask him about the most expensive. Thank you for your compliments on my paint work. In the future, I might be interested in painting for other people outside; but you may not get to pick exactly what you want.
.
Dan: The most expensive bike sold so far? Well, I would have to say that would be the most recent bike we've made, The Urban Soul. I can't say exactly what is being spent on this bike but I can say it is more than $2000. To see pictures of IRide Custom bikes on the internet is one thing...to see them in person is a totally different thing. The quality of finish that my partner, Richard Greenup, puts on a bike in outstanding! This, I believe is one of the best selling points of our bikes...to see is to believe.
.
One of the other more meaningful projects iRide has done was to build a chopper for one of my wife's students who had leukemia. Erik chose the colors for his bike (yellow for Livestrong and the colors of his favorite college football team, the Florida Gators). I wanted to make sure the bike was special to him, so I incorporated his name into the frame. The "E" is the upper front section of the frame, the "R" is at the cranks, the "I" is the seat tube, and the rear dropouts are in the shape of a "K". When we delivered the bike (with an iRide shirt) he didn't want to get off and go inside, even thought it was only about 40 degrees outside and raining. Erik is currently in remission, still cruising his chopper.
.
Richard: Building the bikes is not always easy, and usually involves a lot of hard work and a little bit of arguing. But in the end it is totally worth it, we have a lot of fun building, and especially riding.
A couple of years ago I met, through the kustom bicycle forums, two incredibly talented guys- Richard Greenup and Dan  Morgan, who have bent the envelope of design, and created some astounding art you can ride, to say the least. They started calling themselves iRide Customs.  Here goes my first question to the duo:
.
Marty: How did the two of you hook up to become the hottest builders in America! 
.
Dan: I was on a mountain bike ride in a nearby city with a couple of friends when I saw this guy driving by with a mountain bike in the back of his truck. I stopped him and just started talking to him about riding and asked if he would like to ride with us. We rode for a while, chatted a bit more, found out he is very similar to me, in many ways, and is a skilled rider, of which there aren't too many 'round these parts...at least ones that can match my skills. I asked him where he lived, and he said he lived in the same small town as I did- only six or seven blocks away!! We were both very surprised that we had not seen each other riding at some other time. We just started riding mountain bikes together, and that's pretty much how we met. 
..
Marty: What really inspired you two guys to modify your first bike and then step up to making your first one-off frame?
..
Dan:  What inspired me to modify the first bike was actually my wife. I originally bought her a mountain bike to ride with me; but she has a problem with depth perception, so that bike got ridden about three times. I thought that maybe a beach-style cruiser would be better for her, so I got her a Dyno Kosmopolitan Kustom Cruiser. Once she had that, I thought that I would look silly riding next to her on my MTB, so I started shopping for a cruiser that I could ride. I finally chose the Dyno Roadster, and it stayed stock for about three days. I started adding on things here and there, and knew it would not be enough. I was shopping for tires and stumbled across the Electra Fatty-O tire for the first time, and it was ON!
..
Richard: Dan calls me one day and says "Dude I know you are not really into road bikes, but I have got this idea to build a chopper kind of bike"
..
I said, "That's great! For a long time I have wanted to combine my hot rod-building skills with my love of bicycles. I never really thought the parts were available to do what I had in mind."
..
Dan said, "Go to the bike shop and look at this Electra bike".
..
As soon as I saw the rear tire, I knew it was time to build. So I guess you could say the Fatty-O was the inspiration for the whole thing.
..
Marty: Can you say the Stingray had an impact on you guys? Yourselves and lots of others have modified Rays and WWC bikes; however, your bikes look nothing like the original, which, of course, makes me happy- and everyone else as well.
..
Will you keep doing this in the future? Lets face it, to just buy a complete bike for all its parts is a very smart thing to do!
.
Dan: The Sting Ray was a huge impact! The rear wheel was what we were looking for ever since first seeing the Electra Fatty-O...something excessive!
.
Richard: The rear wheel has helped to give our bikes that "Pro Street" look. Using the 4.25"-wide rear wheel is definitely here to stay. Even if we don't use actual Sting Ray parts.
.
Dan: When the Sting Ray was originally released. I picked up four of them. One of these was number 13 of the original run. I stashed that one in the attic, sold one on eBay, and busted out the grinder on the other two. The original idea we had for the Sting Ray was to simply make a frame that any Sting Ray owner could buy and actually ride. We all know that the Sting Ray was made for a child, and adults have a very cramped ride on it. I started hacking away on the Sting Ray, and The White Hot Inferno was born. This bike was purchased by the Portland Trailblazers mascot "Blaze".
.
The WCC bike was also a great customizing tool- Lots of good parts for a great price. One thing that I really liked about the WCC bike was the tank. I know that what we make are bicycles and not motorcycles, but they have a motorcycle influence. With the tank from a WCC bike as a starting platform, the Jet Bike was created. It's still one of my favorite bikes. 
.
Marty: Recently our roving reporter from BR&K- Erik Suttles (Wordbiker) went to the Vegas Interbike convention. What did he post that interested you guys the most? And what future projects have you guys been dreaming of? 
.
Richard: For me the coolest thing that I saw was the skull and bones brake disc. I don't want to elaborate on future products, but I have some ideas for skulls and bones. Maybe full suspension.. and something else I am not saying...
.
Dan: There are many, many plans for more Sting Ray/WCC based customs in the future. As I said before..."Can't beat that price for a decent set of parts to make a bike from". Erik a.k.a. Wordbiker did an excellent job of getting some great pictures at this year's Interbike show.
.
I think what inspired me the most about Interbike is the amount of kustom-style chopper and cruiser bikes. It seems as if this fad is actually catching on with the masses! Felt has really turned it up a notch with their line of cruisers. They have some really great stuff. Even the new line of Schwinn Sting Rays is looking very promising.
.
Other things that are very encouraging are the amount of aftermarket parts and accessories that are geared toward custom chopper/cruiser bicycles. The guys at Choppers U.S. are a great example. They have an excellent selection of aftermarket parts and accessories, of very high quality! Not only that, they are a good bunch of guys to deal with.
.
Marty: I haven't sold a bike yet; but you guys have had no trouble selling anything. What is the most expensive bike you have sold so far?
.
I can imagine a paint job alone by Richard is worth more than
a new moped, Richard are you willing to paint bikes for anyone else? As of right now, I know of only a couple other kustom bicycle painters for hire.
.
Richard: Dan handles the business side of things. You will have to ask him about the most expensive. Thank you for your compliments on my paint work. In the future, I might be interested in painting for other people outside; but you may not get to pick exactly what you want.
.
Dan: The most expensive bike sold so far? Well, I would have to say that would be the most recent bike we've made, The Urban Soul. I can't say exactly what is being spent on this bike but I can say it is more than $2000. To see pictures of IRide Custom bikes on the internet is one thing...to see them in person is a totally different thing. The quality of finish that my partner, Richard Greenup, puts on a bike in outstanding! This, I believe is one of the best selling points of our bikes...to see is to believe.
.
One of the other more meaningful projects iRide has done was to build a chopper for one of my wife's students who had leukemia. Erik chose the colors for his bike (yellow for Livestrong and the colors of his favorite college football team, the Florida Gators). I wanted to make sure the bike was special to him, so I incorporated his name into the frame. The "E" is the upper front section of the frame, the "R" is at the cranks, the "I" is the seat tube, and the rear dropouts are in the shape of a "K". When we delivered the bike (with an iRide shirt) he didn't want to get off and go inside, even thought it was only about 40 degrees outside and raining. Erik is currently in remission, still cruising his chopper.
.
Richard: Building the bikes is not always easy, and usually involves a lot of hard work and a little bit of arguing. But in the end it is totally worth it, we have a lot of fun building, and especially riding.
Interview Conducted by Marty Eden
A Gallery Of Recent Work By iRide Customs:
Above: Tequila Ride
Above: Wicked Ick
Above: Wicked Ick (Detail)
Above: Wicked Ick (Detail)
Above: Wicked Ick (Road Test)
Above: White Hot Inferno
Above: White Hot Inferno
Above: "The Twisted Chick".
Designed and constructed by Dan, for his wife. Wheels by Quickspeed, painted by Richard.
Above, below: "The Urban Soul"
Designed and constructed by Dan. Led lights hidden under the tank area; paint and graphics by Richard- one-off wheels by Quickspeed to match the owner's Camaro's.


">
">
">
">
">
">
">
">
">
">
">
">
Above, below: "Vader".
Designed and painted by Richard, for himself, construction by Dan. Tank by Choppers US.
">
">
">
">
">
">
">
">
">
">
">
">
">
">
">
">
Above, right: "The Kill Machine.
Designed, constructed by Dan, for himself. Painted by Richard. It has full suspension with about 3'' of rear wheel travel, which works very nicely.  It's also equipped with a Choppers US springer fork and an 80mm-wide 7-speed rear wheel.
Below: Tentatively-titled
"El Classico", this is a current work in progress.
">
">
">
">
">
">
">
">
Above: Goliath Drawing
Above: Goliath In Progress
Above: Goliath In Progress
Above: Goliath In Progress
">
">
">
">
Above: "Deadbox".
">
">
">
">
Above: "Make a Wish Bike". This bike was made for a boy named Erik, with lukemia.  The colors are his favorites; yellow for the Livestrong foundation and the blue and orange are the colors of his favorite footbal team, the Florida Gators. 

I designed this so the frame would actually spell his name.  You can see the E at the head tube, top tube are, the R is at the bottom bracket, the I is the seat post and the K are the rear dropouts.  His cancer is in remission and he rides it ALL the time. Dan
">
">
">
">
">
">
">
">
">
">
">
">
Above, below: "Jet Bike". This bike was air brushed by Richard. 7-speed jockey shift with roller brakes front and rear.  20- spoke star pattern wheels.
">
">
">
">
">
">
">
">
">
">
">
">
Above: Probably the world's most sanitary "Rat Rod". Gas bottles and tubing are just for cosmetic effect.
Below: The band "Whole Lotta Rosie", Dan and "Goliath", being stalked by a frantic "chopper zombie" (Right).
Above: Twisted Ick Standard
Above: Jet Bike in progress.
">
">
">
">
">
">
">
">
Above: Twisted Ick XL.  XL for extra long and extra low