Seven Cycles – Page 86 – U.S. Built Custom Bicycles in Titanium and Titanium-Carbon Mix

Eilidh B’s Evergreen SLX

Eilidh recently received her Evergreen SLX, and says, “I wanted to drop you a line as I canâ€™t tell you how happy I am with my gorgeous new Evergreen. I have always loved to cycle but hurt my hip/back a couple of years ago and have never been able to cycle strongly or comfortably since. About a year ago I therefore started looking at custom bikes. In addition I am a keen mountain biker and like to cycle off road so cycling on the gravel roads around Boston is very appealing. Finally, Iâ€™m a materials scientist and appreciate careful engineering and materials selection

â€¦. and that all came together in the absolutely amazing Seven Evergreen.”

“The frame is a beautiful work of art, everything is just right from the shape of the geometry to little details such as the chain stays. It just gleamed when I bought it, although it is pretty dirty now after a few rides in our Carlisle MA slush, sand and muddy pot holes. It flies along and is stable and comfortable at the same time. I am sure it will be excellent off road when the snow and mud disappear. The best thing is the fit which is just right.”

Here’s to hoping that snow and mud will disappear! Thanks to Eilidh for the great write up, and to Patria Lanfranchi at the Ride Studio Cafe for delivering such a cool bike.

Hardly an Update on Karl’s Sola SL

The first bike I ever built was a Trek 800 mountain bike at Alpha-Lo Bicycles in Wallingford, CT when I was in 6th grade. I had applied to work at the bike shop weeks earlier, even though I had few skills in the realm of sales, merchandising, or mechanics, and yet they hired me anyway. Chalk it up to the sweetheart of an owner, and my obvious love for his store.

I worked on the weekends, and though I doubt I provided $20 of value, that’s what I was paid. Keeping the shop presentable was my number one priority, which sounds lame, but I couldn’t get enough of it. I took great pride in shifting the bikes to the big ring, pulling products to the front of the shelves, and vacuuming the floor. When the shop was clean, George, Aaron, and Matt all pitched in to help me learn the basics of bike mechanics.

The shop wasn’t enormous, but it felt like we hand an endless array of entry level mountain bikes to assemble. Building these bikes would become my second responsibility. At the time, I could operate a quick release and fix a flat, but that was the extent of my skills. I was a clean slate. The learning curve was steep, and I wasn’t the quickest learner, but the shop guys were incredible teachers, celebrating victories when I had them, and understanding when I failed. They’d gather round to inspect, coach, joke, mock, and help whenever I was stuck. They’d pull up stools and watch, or shout out advice from afar.

Life was good. What I learned at that shop wasn’t a mastery of bike mechanics, something I’m still searching for, but a love of the bike build and the fanfare that goes with it.

At Seven Cycles, we have a bike stand and work shop just beyond our bike commuter lot. Low on bells and whistles, but high on character, it has all of the essential tools to transform a frame into a complete bike, a well worn work bench, recycling bins, a vice, shelves, rags, a drawer of miscellaneous parts, and stools. Whenever a bike is being built, whether it be a new bike for a magazine review, or someone’s old beat up commuter, people gather. Opinions are voiced, jokes cracked. The stools fill with spectators. Assistance is provided, wanted or not. Should the build happen after work, the crowd grows along with the laughter.

The technology has changed, as have the tools, but the fanfare of a bike build today is no different than it was when I was a kid. I wouldn’t want it any other way, and I can’t think of a better place to build my new Sola.

Raymond Z’s 622 SLX

Raymond says, “Greetings from Reno, NV! My Seven 622 SLX is the best bike I have ever ridden! She climbs up the steep hills of Reno and Lake Tahoe and is snappy on flat roads. Pictured is my Seven 622 SLX Ultegra Di2 in ‘Swimming Pool Blue’ decals and my Boston Terrier ‘Goliath.'”

Thanks to Raymond for the kind words, and to Paul Williams at Perfect Fit for making it happen!

Folktales

One stubborn visa is all that keeps Zand Martin from boarding a plane to Kazakhstan, the starting point of an amazing adventure. The wait will be over soon though, and in the anxious days leading up to the visa’s arrival, Zand has been hard at work. For starters, the trip’s website and Facebook page have been created, and are now live!

Zand might be an outdoorsman at heart, but he is a gifted writer and storyteller, too. When he visited us a few weeks ago, it was apparent that he was biting his tongue to prevent all of the stories from rushing out, perhaps to avoid keeping us there all day. I doubt we would have noticed the clock, however. His stories sound like folktales. One such story involved his inland kayak traverse of the United States a few years ago. He came to a point where he could paddle no further, so he bought a $30 bike on Craigslist, built a trailer, and pulled his kayak right through Yellowstone. I’m sure the buses of tourists took as many pictures of him and his rig as they did the buffaloes that day.

To help us grasp the scale of his latest trip, Zand unfolded all of his maps on out showroom floor. Laying them out, it was obvious he is a map guy (I wasn’t surprised to see this 7 post a few days later). Some of the maps were what you could find on line, others were old Russian military maps and harder to acquire. While he was talking us through the route, his enthusiasm, and smile, began to gleam. If there weren’t bikes to make, we’d be on that trip with him.

Speaking of bikes, Zand has also been using his time to familiarize himself with his Expat S. His bike is outfitted with drop bars, bar con shifters, mechanical disc brakes, and due to the weight of his gear and the unknown terrain ahead, a triple chain ring. On his rack, he’ll be carrying a tent, sleeping bag, cooking gear, a change of clothes, skis, ski boots, an avalanche probe, and camera equipment. The goal is to carry no more than 35 pounds of gear and equipment. To see what all of this gear looks like, when spread out and organized over a time lapse video, click here.

And so, our excitement grows for “Circling the Golden Mountains.” As soon as the final visa arrives, Zand and his partner will be off, and we’ll be that much closer to our next folktale.

More as Sculpture – Leon’s Axiom S

Last month, together with our good friends at Velosmith, we delivered an Axiom S to professional photographer Leon Ikler. And before Tony and Andrew at the shop could work their magic on the final build, Leon took the frame away to photograph in his studio.

Leon said, “My idea was to capture the form and detail of the frame more as sculpture then just a shot of the bike from the “drive side” and I’m pleased to share my vision with you.”

Here is some of Leon’s vision: