We’ve been working on a new project bike code named SOURCE. It’ll be public soon. In the meantime, here are a few images of Skip working on the frame’s rear triangle.
Framebuilding: Special Projects Team
Author: Seven
Velosmith Performance Allroads Bike: Titanium XX with In-Route System
Designed and built with Velosmith Bicycle Studio, a Seven Cycles retailer in Wilmette, Illinois. Velosmith brought the Seven to the Chris King Open House. The Radavist took some fantastic photos at the Open House along with many beautiful bikes. Seven was fortunate to be part of it. Thank you, Velosmith, Chris King, and The Radavist! Photographs by The Radavist.
Three Head Tube Badges
We have three styles of head tube badges. One for each tubeset type we offer.
Seven’s titanium tubeset page provides details about the XX, SL, and S frame platforms. All of our carbon-titanium frames come with the XX-type badge.
You don’t choose your badge; you choose your tubeset platform or model. That determines which badge your Seven will have.
All are laser-cut stainless steel. Clean and understated.
The screw-hole locations for each of the three badges are different, so you can’t swap badges.
Public Service Announcement: The Midlife Cyclist
This is not a review. It’s a strong recommendation.
When I first heard about the book The Midlife Cyclist, I thought, “Oh no, not another storybook with goofy anecdotes about getting old on a bike. I already live that every day.” Fortunately, I couldn’t have judged the book by its cover more incorrectly. I read a few early reviews and was surprised by descriptions of the content. I picked it up and was happy to be completely wrong in my presumptions.
The Midlife Cyclist is filled with easily understood and digestible data, research, and smart thinking about riding longer and healthier far beyond midlife. The book’s tagline, “The road map for the +40 rider who wants to train hard, ride fast and stay healthy,” is precisely correct. It is indeed a contemporary map and compass for our riding future. If you’re 40 or older, reading this book is in your best interest.
In this relatively recent era of easy access to too much information, perceived comparative stats, and online competitive riding with real-time data, some of us become captives. Cavell’s book provides a path forward to sustained fitness and sanity. After reading Midlife I expect you’ll have more fun on your bike. You may reevaluate your goals. You’ll rethink your relationship with your bike. All of the questions and answers in this book are worthwhile.
The writing has stuck with me. I keep coming back to it in my head over and over. For me, that’s the sign of a valuable book.
In Cavell’s words,
“the Midlife Cyclist is my attempt to square the holy triumvirate of age, speed and good-health, using the very latest clinical and academic research.”
He has accomplished this seemingly impossible task.
Who is Phil Cavell? Why read his writing?
I don’t think anyone has a more overlapping Venn diagram of skills for this topic. He’s been working on these themes for many years; his performance-based cycling knowledge is second to none; he is technically adept. Cavell’s circle of confidants is among the best in the world for this subject, too; he’s been working with world-class athletes for decades; he has access to the most progressive and cycling-aware physicians and doctors on the planet. And, oh yeah, he’s an excellent communicator and the founder and CEO of Cyclefit.
The book has only one flaw: Cavell didn’t write it fifteen years ago when I was just starting on Team Midlife.
I look forward to the next book Cavell says he’s working on (I hope): The Twilight Cyclist. It better happen soon if I’m going to benefit from it. For now, I’ll reread The Midlife Cyclist.
Read it and ride on.
Seven Cycles’ 24th Anniversary
Twenty-four years ago today, on January 7, 1997, four bike industry veterans launched the foolish idea of building custom bikes for everyone. The industry called us crazy – and worse.
More than 30,000 custom bikes later, we haven’t yet accomplished that goal, but we think we’re well on the way. We will make it so long as we keep listening, learning, riding, working with our hands, and innovating.
So much has changed over the years. Unfortunately, we rarely look back at how Seven has evolved. But even a quick sideways glance shows us that our first bikes have little in common with our latest designs.
Well, not everything has changed. Three of the original four founders are still “leading” the company. In fact, seven of the first ten full-time employees still work with Seven. Sometimes it feels more like a family than a business.
When asked about the anniversary, Seven’s first founder, Rob Vandermark, looked up from his latest pile of prototype parts and sketches and said, “What? Who’s anniversary?”
Regardless of Rob’s confusion, we’ve had an unbelievable journey so far. We might share some of the less embarrassing memories throughout this season. For better or worse, we’re still crazy after all these years because we’re pretty certain we’ll accomplish our original goal within the next 24.
Stay tuned.
Your Seveneers