Artist and pro cyclist TJ Eisenhart builds a hub of creativity at Imaginary Bikeworks
Many years ago, I had the wild idea to paint my bicycle. I dragged my old green beach cruiser out into the yard with a bucket of spray paint and no plan. It was messy, impromptu, and imperfect. And, it turns out, not such a wild idea after all—it’s just that prolific painter and retired pro cyclist TJ Eisenhart has elevated this unconventional art form to a truly masterful level by comparison.
“You have to know the rules to break the rules,” says Eisenhart with a grin, as he weaves his way through stunning custom-painted bicycles from legendary brands like Colnago, Orbea, and Cervelo, all glimmering with striking illustrated details and vibrant metallic hues. We’re at his Greenville showroom, Imaginary Bikeworks, where his skill as an artist also pops off of the gallery walls through electrifying, often floor-to-ceiling mixed-media pieces.
There are no dusty, dirty rows of bikes here. This is an airy, lounge-like studio that just happens to be a pro cycling destination—and includes a full service station where one of the best mechanics in the Upstate, Josh Squier, builds custom rides from the ground up. “These were all done within this last year and a half. I paint non-stop—it’s how I live,” says Eisenhart, who finds just as much inspiration in his own day-to-day life as he does in the cycling world that brought him here.
Breaking rules with Imaginary Bikeworks
At eight years old, a young Eisenhart stood in the Pyrenees and watched the Tour de France thunder past. Two years later, his dad gave him a road bike, and the rest is racing history. “I knew I was going to be professional right then and there,” Eisenhart says, and he was right. He went on to compete nationally, was top ten in the world at eighteen, and spent six years racing across Europe before signing with George Hincapie’s team and moving back to the States.
While Eisenhart’s career fired on all cylinders, something was missing. “There was always this itch for the art,” he reflects. Today, Imaginary Bikeworks is that magic space where the best of both worlds clip in and make an impression. In fact, the collective that Eisenhart has built with his business partner and former racing teammate, Andrew Dahlheim, has fans the world knows by name: George Hincapie, Christian Vande Velde and other athletes who have commissioned the artist to paint custom frames for them.
Eisenhart’s relationship with wheels has changed, too.“I have a deeper connection with the bike now than when I was a pro,” he says. Racing meant riding daily, almost compulsively. Now he rides when he wants to—and usually on a bike he painted himself, something that never fails to spark smiles all around as he and his family cruise around the Swamp Rabbit Trail in color.
TJ’s Top 3 Influences
- His wife, Irene
- Pablo Picasso
- Ralph Steadman
Wrenches and Watercolors
“I want cyclists to know that we’re a full bike shop, that you can buy any brand from us,” Eisenhart says.
Find Imaginary Bikeworks at 201 Smythe St. in Greenville, or at imaginarybikeworks.com.
