Shimano Ultegra 18-speed group, 12-23t 9-speed cassette, 39/53t chainrings, Seven custom titanium stem, 3T Prima 199 bar, Wound-Up seatpost, Chris King headset, Mavic Open Pro 32-hole rims, 700×23 Continental Gran Prix 300 tires
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Titanium dream machine
Best Thing About This Bike
Not-of-this-earth craftsmanship and endless custom options at no extra charge.
Worst Thing
The price. Seven shaves about $600 bucks off the price of their butted titanium Axiom frame by using straight gauge tubes in the Alaris, but it’s still far from what we’d call affordable. Our test bike came with goodies like a custom ti stem and all-carbon fork and seatpost, which also jacked up the price.
The Ride
The beauty of Seven bikes is that they’re custom, so each one is designed to meet the customer’s needs. Our Alaris came in one of Seven’s Signature Sizes, which is as close as they get to offering a standard geometry, and per our request, a slightly sloping top tube and extended head tube was added. Handling was set up to be quick and ideally suited to the skilled, corner-crazy criterium junkie, while the carbon fork and curvaceous rear triangle offered an exceptionally smooth ride without compromising road feel.
Have It Your Way
There’s no such thing as a stock Seven—each frame is made to order, from the fit and geometry down to the ride, which is tuned to meet individual rider needs through careful tubing selection. Plush, stable century cruiser, razor-sharp race rig or somewhere in between—it’s your choice.
The Verve
When the November print issue went to press, Seven called this bike the Verve. Since then, they changed the name to Alaris. Same bike we planned on testing, just a different name.
Weld beads are so clean and uniform they look almost sculpted, and they thought of every detail, from aluminum water bottle bolts to a chain hanger, pump peg, nifty laser-engraved headtube badge and a composite seat tube sleeve to keep the post from seizing. They even make a titanium headset spacer stack to give the front end a cleaner look.
History Lesson
At the helm of Seven Cycles is framebuilder Rob Vandermark, who helped sculpt Merlin Metalworks into the legendary company that once supplied Lance Armstrong’s Subaru Montgomery team. Rob left Merlin and started Seven in ’97, and the company as almost named “Wright Cycles” in reference to those brothers who tinkered with bikes and accidentally made an airplane. But there were too many ways to spell “Wright”, and for various reasons, the founders settled on Seven.
Buy It If
You lust for custom titanium from a true master and want to save a buck or two with straight-gauge tubes.
Forget It If
The frame price still sounds like a lot of money compared to the custom steel and production titanium out there.
A bike is a bike, right? Not so for Seven Cycles. Each bicycle—mountain or road—is made to order using titanium, carbon fiber, and steel in Watertown, Massachusetts, Take one out for a spin and you’ll understand why over the past 10 years Seven Cycles has become the largest custom builder in the world. If you can’t win the Tour de France, at least you’ll feel like you can. Models start at $3,200. Locate a dealer by calling 617-923-7774 or visiting sevencycles.com.
On July 20th through the 22nd, the Mount Snow resort in West Dover, Vermont was the host of USA Cycling’s mountain bike national champion weekend. Mount Snow has long been a host of world-class mountain bike racing, but this is the first time the national championships have taken place at the notoriously challenging venue.
While the event was a first for Mount Snow, it was like old hat for Team Kenda-Seven pro Mary McConneloug. Mary earned her third cross-country national championship title on Friday and then topped it off on Sunday with a win in the short-track race, giving her the unique distinction of being the U.S. National Champion for both racing disciplines.
“This was the focus of my year; it’s what I wanted to do,” McConneloug said. “Getting the national championship title back was my season goal, and it feels great to be able to come here and race.”
McConneloug’s victory earns her an automatic spot on the US National team for the UCI Mountain Bike World Championships in Fort William, Scotland.
But Mary wasn’t the only Kenda-Seven racer to make the podium this weekend. Mike Broderick road to a career-best third place finish to earn the bronze and round out the top three in the pro men’s cross-country. And as if that wasn’t enough racing for the technically masterful Broderick, Mike also went on to finish fifth in the Super-D competition and 10th in the short-track.
All in all, the dynamic duo of McConneloug and Broderick brought home two national championship titles and four podium spots. Not a bad weekend.
Diary Entry from Team Kenda-Seven’s Intrepid Pro Racers, Mary McConneloug and Mike Broderick
Olympian and 4-Time National Champion, Mary McConneloug
Mary and I made it down to Chile, and as soon as we got off our red-eye flight, jumped in our tiny box van and made our way west through the sign-less maze of Santiago. We felt justified for all the energy and effort we put into setting up this trip. There are a lot of places we could be at this time of year and several places we wanted to be. To make things more confusing, we had been struggling a bit in deciding whether or not we were going to spend our fall racing cyclo-cross, mountain bikes or perhaps take a seasonal break. Once we stopped overanalyzing things and decided to follow our instincts and passion to simply (or not so simply) continue on as traveling mountain bike racers, everything seemed to fall into place.
Something about Chile struck a sweet chord with us and this long skinny country was still on our minds from our initial visit earlier this year. The fact that there was the potential for bettering the USA’s national ranking by competing in Chile’s late season UCI races, and effectively increasing the number of Olympic spots for cross-country mountain biking from 2 to 3 on the men’s side, definitely played a role in our deciding to return. On one hand, our trip could keep the door open for a personal dream to become a reality, but I think that it was as much the excuse that we needed to book the tickets for another epic journey.
Planning a six-week trip anywhere takes some serious effort. In this case, a six-week trip that includes three mountain bike races and a whole lot of training rides takes a lot of foresight, logistical planning and careful equipment selection. It was helpful that the race bags were still half packed from our last trip to World Championships and World Cup finals; but I knew that it was going to be critical to bring absolutely all the necessities and lots of back up gear since, Chile does not have the type of equipment stocked at most of it’s bike shops that can help us keep our race bikes in top form. In the type of town we prefer to travel in Chile, you are likely to come across a killer empanada, beautiful handmade pottery, top notch pisco sour and quite possibly a decent surfboard; however, a spare carbon riser bar and fresh race rubber is something better brought from home.
Mary and I have been getting some long looks as we rip around the dusty back roads searching out training rides through the less traveled sleepy towns in central Chile. For the most part people seem very interested and on occasion seem a bit shocked at the look of the helmet-clad gringos in matching spandex kits; but most seem to harbor little if any animosity as we pass on by. At first Mary was a bit uneasy about the constant whistles of the men, old and young, since she has not spent a lot of time around construction work sites in the U.S. But really it seems to be harmless and is certainly a compliment. We have come to feel as safe here as you can feel when riding your bike on the side of the road anywhere.
2007 National Championship Bronze medalist, Mike Broderick
Central Chile is a beautiful and exciting place to ride. From the dry coastal mountains to the eternally snow capped Andes, there are miles and miles of uncrowded winding steep and narrow back roads. We really don’t feel that out of place, since bikes are everywhere. In many towns they are the chief form of transportation and are commonly utilized for everything from vending to construction. Most towns big enough to have a gas pump have a solid bike shop, always busy and in great demand. We have made the point to visit several and there is no doubt that there are some skilled bike mechanics; though their specialties lean more toward welding cracked frames than servicing suspension forks. I have managed to learn a few things with regard to getting by with what you have. I’m sure everyone can appreciate the convenience and light environmental impact of utilizing olive oil for chain lube, not to mention its effectiveness.
Mary’s Spanish-speaking skill has been more than getting us by; the holes in her vocabulary easily being filled with a determination and willingness to hang in there use some hand signs and laugh until the point has gotten across. And this is lucky since I am just getting to the point where I can utter a “hola” without thinking about it first.
We are planning on competing in three races in our six weeks here and we are looking forward to taking our time in between to see, ride, surf and experience all we can. The first race is this weekend and I’m sure it will be an interesting one since it is being held within Chile’s second largest city, Conception. Two weeks later we will compete again outside of Vina del Mar and for the final race of the season we will drive south to beautiful Pucon. This schedule will allow us the opportunity to travel through and stay at some of the sweetest gems that Chile has to offer up for people like us. Our focus will be on the coastal towns that have shown to serve up an endless supply of training options on quiet dirt roads, and on the surfing side, some macking cold water left-hand point breaks.
We are currently staying in the village of Pichilemu, known world-wide in the surfing community for its epic big left point break, Punta Lobos. As far as the surfing we have not been disappointed. And we have been equally happy with the quality of training rides available in the surrounding hills; they remind us so much of the coastal range near Mary’s home in northern California. Not much single track yet, but lots of potential, and in the meantime, plenty of dusty Chilean back roads for training on the mountain bike.
Mary and I lucked into meeting a local gringo surf shop owner named Matt who with his Chilean wife and family has made Pichilemu home for the past 10 years. Matt manages some of the most incredible bungalows in town, within spitting distance of two premier point breaks. (For info email him at: punaniinternational@hotmail.com) He has turned out to be an incredible host, sharing his boards by day and local culinary delights by night. This connection has put us on the right track for how to enjoy this beautiful place and has deepened our love for this area ensuring that we will be returning for more than just to pick up our bike bags pack up and go.
Que te vaya bien!
Mike and Mary
glad to be off the plane
Note: Shortly after receiving this update from Mike and Mary, Chile was struck by a massive earthquake. Fortunately, Mike and Mary were well out of harms way. However, many others were not as fortunately. Seven’s thoughts and prayers go out to those who have suffered from this tragedy.
High-talking “Jamming Jackie,” who enjoys hard work and fast cars, knows a righteous product when he sees one. He says the Seven stem is as classy as a vintage Ferrari.
While most of us can’t afford to shell-out more than $2,000 for one of Seven’s meticulously crafted frames, we can reach for a more attainable goal—the company’s new Custom Ti Stem. I know, 350 bucks is a boatload of money, but it’s the closest thing to perfection available. Best of all, each one is completely custom. Seven won’t start your stem until you choose the length, rise and stiffness. Plus, the bolts thread-in from the back, which prevents premature fatigue and keeps them tight.
I spent six months thrashing a 115-mm stem with 5-degrees of rise. Since I weigh 160 pounds and am fairly aggressive, Seven recommended the medium stiffness version. The stem followed me on several test bikes and tackled everything from all-day epics to light-duty freeriding. Only when I installed it on through-axle forks did I feel a hint of unwanted flex. However, I can’t say I noticed the wanted flex either. Titanium’s main selling point is its damping characteristics; but with the medium stiffness version, I didn’t feel significant damping. But the beauty of these stems is that Seven can custom build one for a more forgiving ride—all you have to do is ask.
Just be sure to order the right size, because the stem will probably outlive your bike. The stick-on decals will surely wear off and the brilliant shine will tarnish with time, but the stem will likely outlast its owners’ affinity for riding. It’s constructed of seamless 3-2.5 titanium, the binders are rugged 6-4 Ti, and over-tightening the handlebar bolts will only damage the replaceable aluminum faceplate. And in the unlikely event that something does break, Seven offers a lifetime warranty.
There are lighter stems on the market than the 167-gram Seven, and Lord knows there are less expensive options. But the Custom Ti could make your bike fit and look better than ever and continue doing so for a lifetime.
