Articles – Page 11 – Seven Cycles

Dan’s Expat S, or Bill the Pony, II

'Bill the Pony II' custom name graphic on the top tube

We spend all our time building custom bikes and talking about custom bikes and trying to tell the story of custom bike building. So it’s sort of mind blowing when you work with a customer who fully documents the process from their own perspective, and you get to read it and it opens your eyes to what it is you really do.

Smiling Dan holds his bicycle frame during a shop tour

A recent Expat S build, for Dan H, gave us this opportunity. Dan has an excellent, personal cycling 7, and he starts right from the beginning on this project, narrowing down his choices and ideas. Then he orders his Seven and does a deep dive on the details. Then we detour into naming the bike, a process that is equal parts goofy charm and intimate portrait of how bicycle riders bask in the culture of riding bikes. That part was pretty inspiring. At last, Dan comes to visit while we are building his bike, and then we deliver it to him.

You can read for yourself that Dan is quite a character, a passionate cyclist, a big thinker. Getting to know our riders is one of the very best parts of doing things the way we do. That Dan is local to Seven and comes to us through the excellent Ride Studio Cafe is great, but we have had this sort of experience with riders from Indonesia, the Philippines, Australia, Germany, Spain, the UK, Texas, California, and Ohio, too.

Peter’s Evergreen PRO – from Tenafly Bicycle Workshop

We received this cool video the other day from our friends at Tenafly Bicycle Workshop. How fitting that the first bike posted to our 7 here in 2019 features the special edition Four-Seasons paint scheme.

This is Peter’s Evergreen PRO. Watch it being assembled by the pros at TBW!

At the Coulee Challenge

Sunrise over a misty field

Brad and Matt are at it again, this time taking on the 1200km Coulee Challenge in Minnesota and Wisconsin. We remixed their TransAt bikes for this new event. This ride differs from the TransAtlantic Way they took on last month in the quality of the road surfaces (thus the switch to 700c wheels) and the type of climbing they’re doing.

From the ride description:

Our RM 1200k route includes great roads and bike trails in Minnesota and Wisconsin with a focus on the challenging coulees of Southeast Minnesota and Southwest Wisconsin. The terrain will have some hilly sections, with multiple, occasionally steep, hills crossing ridge lines followed by pastoral valleys and quiet, bucolic roads. Along the way riders will enjoy passing through a number of small towns in the coulees and river towns on the Mississippi River.

A coulee is a deep ravine, one of the defining features of the terrain in Minnesota and Wisconsin. This is no flat, mid-Western romp,so we reconfigured Brad and Matt’s bikes for the occasion.

The Coulee Remix bike is a progressive gravel bike that features a number of innovations, special offers, and incentives. It’s also available for a very limited time. The Remix employs the SRAM Force 1 group set with mechanical shifting and hydraulic brakes, aiming for the lightest weight, simplest design, and purest performance.

two riders ride away on a county road on a sunny day

Matt B’s Graphite Gravel Evergreen SL

This is Matt’s Evergreen SL turned out in the limited edition Graphite Gravel configuration, with custom decaling, a Seven Ti seatpost and alloy bar and stem. We built this one with our friend Kyle at Spin City Cycles in Decatur, IL. Matt’s photos and kind words, below:

Seven,

For years I have watched countless Sevens come through Spin City Cycles for routine maintenance and upgrades. Each time I would have the opportunity to talk to one of the owners it was impossible not to sense that they knew they owned something special.

I always appreciated that love they showed for their bike, but it was not until last week when I took delivery of my own custom Evergreen SL that I truly understood where that pride was coming from.

Very simply, the bike is perfect. It is completely customized down to the smallest detail to match my riding style, fit and aesthetic preferences. There is something special about being able to jump onto a brand new bike and just know that nothing needs to be changed or adjusted.

A special thanks to both of you for making this experience a reality. The service that I always receive at Spin City is truly second to none, and I am convinced they have found a perfect partner in Seven Cycles. Each and every question throughout the process was answered and even the smallest request you both worked together to make happen.

There have been a lot of beautiful bikes that I have admired and owned, but this one will now forever be on top of my list as the first one designed and built to meet my specific needs. A special thanks to the both of you for what I know will be years of enjoyment.

Matt B

Matt B's Graphite Gravel Evergreen SL

Omar B at the Etape du Tour – Axiom SL

We had a nice note from Omar B, who has just been in France for the Etape du Tour, on his Axiom SL. This year’s route, based on Tour Stage 10, took the riders around Lake Annecy and packed in more than 4,000 meters of climbing. But, one thing we noticed in the photos Omar sent was the big smile on his face. Regardless of how fast you’re going (and he looks pretty fast), that’s the right look.

Omar said:

Just finished my first Etape du Tour ( de France) on 8 July on my Seven Axiom Sl. Bike did great. A big thanks for a great bike.

Omar speeds down a road on his Axiom SL Omar at the Etape du Tour on his Axiom SL