Speakers and Performers

Founder, Six-Eleven Bicycle Co.
photo courtesy of Matthew Butterman

Six-Eleven Bicycle Co. was started in 2008 by Aaron Dykstra and his wife Michelle out of the basement of their home in Roanoke, VA.  Today, the company is based in downtown Roanoke, has been featured in publications throughout Europe and Asia, and has sent bikes to customers in Indonesia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Europe, and throughout the United States. Six-Eleven Bicycle Co. has received two best of show awards from the premier handmade cycling expo, the North American Handmade Bicycle Show. 

Aaron served in the US Air Force before moving to New York City to work as an event space manager. While helping to produce fashion shows and other large scale events, Aaron maintained a connection with the bike, volunteering for Transportation Alternatives as training ride coordinator. Aaron and Michelle left New York in 2006 and moved to Chicago, where Aaron took a job with Chicagoland Bicycle Federation as the Production Manager for Bike The Drive, a one day cycling event with over 20,000 participants.

In 2008 the couple relocated to Roanoke. Just a week after closing on a house, Aaron flew to Colorado to study the art of framebuilding under master Japanese builder Koichi Yamaguchi. The minute Aaron picked up the torch, he knew he had made the right decision. Aaron spent the following year honing his skills, holed up in a small basement with two tanks and a whole lot of steel tubing. And thus, Six-Eleven Bicycle Co. was born. Drawing from the local rail heritage, Aaron sought to convey craftsmanship, ingenuity, and tradition in his product name. Inspired by the Great 611 J-Class steam locomotive, Six-Eleven Bicycle Co. perfectly pairs performance and artful design to create the ultimate in custom steel bicycles.