Axiom SL – Page 9 – Seven Cycles

Seven at the Paris-Roubaix Challenge

When we walked into Cyclefit in Covent Garden, London last week, we were greeted by this filthy Axiom SL. Closer inspection revealed it had been ridden by resident physiotherapist and fit analyst Morgan Lloyd in April’s Paris-Roubaix Challenge, a ride that takes in all of the cobbled sections of the pro race along the 170km route.

Morgan hadn’t cleaned the bike. He was keeping all that dust and grime as a sort of trophy.

He reported that the bike performed superbly with no mechanicals or punctures. He also said, “I could not wish for a better bike, everything felt solid and it gave me the confidence to ride the sections hard despite it being my first time on pave. The frame absorbed some of the vibration protecting me a little from the punishing terrain and when I got my technique and line right I felt as if I was flying along! Is there a better frame for this event or a better test for a bike?! Brilliant.”

We are, of course, grateful to him for bringing us along.

Seven at the 2014 Taipei International Cycle Show

We were very proud to be represented at the recent Taipei International Cycle Show by our good friends at Shenyang Bicycle International, who make the trip from the south of the island, near Tainan, to the north, for this big event on the international calendar.

Traditionally, Taipei serves as a meeting place for cycling industry insiders. It’s where the big companies meet with the factories who produce their bikes, and where component makers fete bike makers in an attempt to get them to include specific parts on their stock builds for the coming season. A lot of new products debut there, and the season’s trends begin to emerge.

A few things from the show piqued our curiosity this year. First of all, a surprising number of builders brought Ti bikes, confirmation that one of the materials we’ve been working with for decades is in something of a renaissance among riders who treasure its durability and superior ride quality. The other thing we noticed is the preponderance of drop bar bikes with disc brakes.

Thanks to William at Shenyang, we are present in Taipei each year, making the reverse trip most American bikes make. Instead of being built in Taiwan and shipped to the US, we are built here and shipped to Asia. Given the nature of the show, our partnership with Shenyang seems both supremely important and also a little subversive.

Jim K’s Axiom SL

The day we get tired of hearing about the amazing adventures riders get up to on their Sevens is the day we pack up the shop and ride off into the sunset. This is Jim and his Axiom SL, built with our friends at City Cycle in Corte Madera, CA.

Jim says:

For my 70th birthday, I had a Seven Axiom SL made and took it from my home in California to London to do the first ever RideLondon London-Surrey 100 on August 4, 2013. The century was on the London Olympics road racing course which was closed for the day. The ride started at the Olympic Park in London and finished at the Mall in front of Buckingham Palace. This is a picture of me taken at the finish in front of the Palace. Both the bike and the rider did just fine.

Thank you Seven.

Seven at the Gran Fondo Hincapie

This is our good friend Eric from High Gear Cyclery in Stirling, NJ on his Seven Axiom SL at the recent Gran Fondo Hincapie which takes place in the beautiful Blue Ridge foothills. Eric has been putting in big miles on his Seven this season, and pictures like this are his deserved trophy.

Eric says:

Hi Neil, love my Axiom SL. Climbs great, and handled the descents in the most confidence-inspiring way!

Here is Eric with Big George himself, post-ride.

Joe W’s Axiom SL

We ran into Joe at the StarCrossed race in Redmond, WA. when he had just ordered his custom Axiom SL from Cascade Bicycle Studio. He opted for an oversized headtube and a BB30 bottom bracket, as well as a stealthy, blasted decal, so we were curious to see what the final build would look like. And now, here it is.

Joe says:

When we talked at StarCrossed you ask for a finished photo of the new ride. It turned out great. Looking forward to putting some long hours on it this winter. Also, it came in pretty darn light, 16.2 lbs with tire liners, cages, pedals and a power meter (~270gr for the spider alone).

Thanks to you and the rest of the Seven crew for putting together an awesome frame!

– Joe