A Seven Cycles 622 SLX road bike (www.sevencycles.com). I’m an avid cyclist. This bike is new for the 2012 model year for Seven and it is their lightest production frame to date. Each Seven bicycle is custom made in Watertown for the rider’s specific body type and riding style. It’s a beautiful marriage of carbon and titanium. Or an Evoluzione Range espresso machine from Rocket Espresso is the Ferrari of espresso machines and would be a perfect addition to my home kitchen.
If you’ve ever been over your handlebars into a sand pit, you know that the forces that come to bear on a cyclocross bike can be both unexpected and catastrophic. You also know that trying to get all that sand out of your mouth is much more complicated than simply swishing some post-race beer around and then spitting, like you were at the outdoor dentist.
Because of the big hits a typical CX race bike takes, we think that a pure carbon frame is the wrong tool for the job. There simply isn’t enough forgiveness in that material to justify the weight savings you would get over a metal bike. That doesn’t mean carbon fiber has no place on the course though.
Carbon fiber is good at two things. First, it eats high-frequency vibration better than metal, so having some carbon in your CX frame is good when you’re flying over grass or even grinding a big gear on a paved section. You’ll be smoother and get better power transfer. The other thing carbon fiber is good at is being light. Light can be good when you’re racing, right?
But it’s not everything.
Metal is good at some things, too. Titanium, for example, will give a frame a suppleness and a maneuverability that an all-carbon fiber frame doesn’t have. In the technical section of any course, in the switchbacks or in the mud, titanium will give you the ability to use your whole body to steer with. A titanium drive train will be easier to power in chattery sections than a carbon one. Sometimes a little flex is a good thing.
At Seven, we have the ability to build an all-carbon cyclocross racer and make it every bit as customizable as any of the other bikes we build. When we set out to expand our cross line though, an all-carbon bike never even crossed our minds.Instead we built the machine that would come to be known as the Mudhoney PRO.
The 2012 Mudhoney PRO
The Mudhoney PRO aspires to wring every last advantage out of the two materials in its design. The carbon fiber top, seat, head, and down tubes form a light triangle. Matching seat stays settle your saddle. By putting titanium lugs and chainstays into the mix, we getsuppleness where we want it, plus added durability. A titanium drive train will improve tracking and traction; it will hold the ground better than a carbon one, especially in the more technical sections.
Marrying materials in this way isn’t easy; it takes advanced bonding techniques to gain all these advantages and still be able to offer a lifetime warranty. Luckily, we’ve been mixing titanium and carbonsince 1997.
We can’t guarantee you won’t go over the bars of the Mudhoney PRO. When it comes right down to it, sand is unpredictable, and we could all use more practice carrying momentum from the fast parts of the course into the technical sections. What we will say is that you won’t find a cross racer that trackstruer and holds the ground better. And there’s always that post race beer to look forward to.
Words & Photos by Natalia Boltukhova | Pedal Power Photography
Issue #14 of Cyclocross Magazine included a multi-page spread featuring some Seven bikes outfitted as randonneurs, and highlighting the riding and endurance skills of Matt Roy, David Wilcox, and John Bayley as they conquered the Green Mountain Double Century. Natalia Boltukhova of Pedal Power Photography captured some incredible images of these guys at every step of this grueling race, and she also wrote many tongue-in-cheek captions that, along with her photos, provide a vivid picture of that epic day. In the competitors’ own words, it was: “Insane. Nuts. Brutal. Inhumane.”
A little bit about the bikes:
John Bayley rode his Seven titanium Axiom SL with couplers. This bike is set up as a true Randonneur bike.
Matt Roy rode a Seven titanium Axiom SL Randonneur bike.
David Wilcox rode his Steel Vanilla Randonneuring bike.
Matt Roy had this to say about his experience on the Axiom SL Randonneur bike that day:
“The Axiom SL Rando project bike was great… I beat the living hell out of it. I wore through a set of brake pads in the first 100 miles. I can’t believe it showed up on my porch on Thursday morning and I put it through ungodly conditions less than 48 hours later. It handled amazingly well, climbed great, descended great, felt great!”
Read on to get the full stats of the race, including calories consumed and burned, feet ascended, and number of brake pads replaced, and to see the gallery of Natalia’s beautiful photographs.
Official Data
205 Miles
80% dirt roads
25,000 fine Vermont feet of vertical climbing
[Winning] Team:Matt Roy, David Wilcox, John Bayley
Date: June 11, 2011
Start time: 4:01am
Projected finish time: 7:00pm-8:00pm
Actual finish time: 11:01pm
Weather Conditions: typical New England (rain showers, low 60s, overcast)
Total actual distance: 208.8 miles (according to Garmin 705)
Elevation gained: Approximately 25,000 feet
Total time: 18:52:27
Total ride time: 16:14:12
Average speed: 12.9mph
Calories consumed: approximately 6,150 (according to Matt Roy’s calculations—and he is some sort of medical scientist)
Calories burned: 15,810 (according to Garmin 705)
Flat tires: 1 (pinched on a rocky descent)
Brake pads replaced: 2 sets on Matt’s bike; David confessed he could have used a new set in the rear and has since replaced both sets in his bike; John attested to his brakes still having some life left over after the finish, but her remains unable to perform typing on his computer due to sore hands from braking on descents.
Hypothermia: barely avoided
Support crew: Maureen Bruno-Roy (Matt’s wife and one of New England’s top cyclocrossers in her own right, with super-human organizing skills, mind reading powers, brilliant off-road driving abilities, unsurpassed stamina and positivity-charging powers) and Natalia Boltukhova (photographer, and water bottle-and-what-have-you passer from the car)
Green Mountain Double Century, Or: Pretty Boys Explore Jens Voigtitude and Epicness on Vermont’s Gravel RoadsI knew Irishmen were a little weird. I knew their accent makes it sound like they put an exclamation mark followed by a question mark followed by an ellipsis at the end of everything they say. Here’s John Bayley’s top secret spin the night before the Green Mountain Double Century (GMDC)The riders started out in rain showers and pitch black darkness—so dark, in fact, that it was only later, when looking through the photos, that I was able to see the cool pine needle pattern on the ground and the excited faces of the riders rolling out.One of the very few paved sections of the GMDC, at the beginning of the ride as the sun started to rise. David Wilcox’s generator-hub-powered lights came in handy that day, as the sun never did fully emerge from behind the rain clouds. The fourth rider hung with the Great Trio’s deceivingly effortless pedal strokes, but was mercilessly dropped shortly after the shot.The women of the Grafton Village Convenience Store went to great lengths to provide our intrepid, muddy, wet, hungry adventurers with fresh egg ‘n’ cheese sandwiches and, “still warm out of the oven” perfect blueberry muffins. The boys filled the pauses between devouring the country deliciousness by entertaining the locals, who were taken by surprise with this little tornado of cycling adventure.The three musketeers! Don’t try this at home.Matt showing off his brake pad that lived a very short but adventurous life.A glorious road surface, typical of 80 percent of the route.Egg sandwiches taste like heaven. Fact: Matt Roy is cute. Fact: it was only a matter of putting together a really long, mixed terrain journey so those two could get some quality time together.The joy of suffering side by side.Perhaps the most grueling uphill section.This place had both kinds of paintings: winter landscapes and roosters. But mostly roosters.As the darkness ineluctably started to claim its throne, it all went downhill—literally, and for a while. Adroit and high-speed bunny hops over the occasional bumps, holes, rocks and logs were ahead, despite exhaustion and the poor visibility in the never-ending rain.They are nearly hypothermic, hungry, exhausted, almost no strength or spirit left for smiles. Here they have to make a call: cut it a bit short and just continue straight on paved road to the finish line, or stick to the route and quite possibly make a few wrong turns but finish as planned. Matt: “Argh, [p]uck it! What’s an extra 18 miles at this point? Let’s do it WHY NOT!?”
Team Seven’s Mary McConneloug and Mike Broderick have taken Horace Greeley’s oft-cited advice to “Go West” and are now happily ensconced in their winter training location: Sebastopol, California.
Upon arrival in the Bay Area, Mike and Mary jumped into the Single Speed Cross Championships on their Sevens. Mike converted Mary’s Mudhoney and his Sola 29er to single speeds the day before the race, and they both proceeded to dominate the course: Mike took 2nd place and Mary took 3rd. While this race was seemingly wacky – costumes were encouraged – it was also technical and challenging.
Mary and Mike will wrap up 2011 by continuing their training in Northern California, with its bounty of incredible trails to explore and conquer. They kick off their 2012 race season with the Trans Andes Challenge in Pucon, Chile on 23 January, and will begin a European racing tour in the early spring, including three Olympic qualifying races in April and May. Their full race schedule is below, stay tuned to this 7 for updates and results.
The 2012 Summer Olympic Games will be held in London, England in August, and if Mary makes the team, this will be her third consecutive Olympic Games. We’ll keep you posted on all of Mike and Mary’s doings, and you can follow them on their very well-written Mary and Mike’s Riding Blog.
Date
Race
Series
Results
1.23-1.28
Trans Andes Challenge, Pucon, Chile
3.17-3.18
UCI Mountain Bike World Cup Cross Country #1, Pietermaritzberg, South Africa
UCI Mountain Bike World Cup Series
4.7
Pan American Championships, Mexico
4.14-4.15
Olympic Qualifying Race
UCI Mountain Bike World Cup Cross Country #2, Houffalize, Belgium
UCI Mountain Bike World Cup Series
5.12-5.13
Olympic Qualifying Race
UCI Mountain Bike World Cup Cross Country #3, Nove Mesto Na Morave, Czech Republic
UCI Mountain Bike World Cup Series
5.19-5.20
Olympic Qualifying Race
UCI Mountain Bike World Cup Cross Country #4, La Bresse, France
UCI Mountain Bike World Cup Series
6.23-6.24
UCI Mountain Bike World Cup Cross Country #5, Mont Sainte-Anne, Quebec, Canada
UCI Mountain Bike World Cup Series
6.30-7.1
UCI Mountain Bike World Cup Cross Country #6, Windham, New York
UCI Mountain Bike World Cup Series
7.28-7.29
UCI Mountain Bike World Cup Cross Country #7, Val d'Isere, France
We were thrilled, but not surprised, to see three of our retailers named to the “Top Ten Best Bike Shops in America,†by Complex website.
Cascade Bicycle Studio
Cascade Bicycle Studio in Seattle was lauded for its ability to custom build a bicycle for any customer. CBS aims to create a rider-centric atmosphere, as evidenced by their dedication to working with each cyclist on a one-on-one, appointment-only basis. This level of customer service creates a shop that the Seattle cycling community has come to trust as one of the most reliable and highest quality bike studios in the city.
Boulder Cycle Sport in Boulder, Colorado had a podium finish!Complex.com gave BCS high marks for its “dedication to finding the perfect ‘body-to-bike’ connection†and excellent repair service that the shop offers. Their efforts are paying off, as they have sold more Seven’s this year than ever before.
How did Bespoke Cycles in San Francisco improve the customer experience when they already had forty-eight years of combined fitting experience, customer first mentality, and an incredible selection of custom bikes, apparel, and gear? By moving into a beautiful new studio on Clay Street! We had a chance to check out the new digs a few weeks back and thoroughly impressed with the lay out and charm. We suspect Bespoke will be part of the top ten for many years to come.
Each of these Seven retailers shares a common trait: focus on the customer experience. A trait that, when embraced, has some profound effects. Making a top ten list is great press, but the real benefit is more happy customers, more evangelism, and of course, more sales. We’re privileged to work with retailers that set the bar so high.
