Evergreening – Page 8

Seven at (Unofficial) Gravel Worlds

Gravel Worlds road sign

There is no UCI sanctioned gravel World Championship, but a hearty bunch of riders in Lincoln, Nebraska put on an event every year that stands in, a sort of not-all-the-way serious race that gets pretty serious and attracts a lot of fast riders.

One of those fast folks is Kae, for whom we built an Evergreen SL with our buddy Bob at Wheel Werks Custom Cycles in Crystal Lake, IL. Kae won the Open Women’s category and pulled on the striped jersey.

Here are some photos and a note from Kae:

Kae and her Evergreen SL

Gravel Worlds gear

Kae says:

Bob,

We were in Lincoln NE to compete in the (unofficial) Gravel Worlds Championship.

Rode with different packs, battled with high wind alone, crushed (and got crushed by) relentless hills (it’s not flat in NE!). After 9 hours of saddle time, I achieved my goal – the worlds jersey with champion stripes!!

For overall (men/women all categories included) 19th out of 300+.

My Seven really made a difference. Thank you SO much for your expert assembly and attention to details. No mechanical whatsoever, I am so comfortable on the bike, up, down or flat or HARD riding.

It’s done quite a few unpaved rides/races this year so far (KS, NE, UP Michigan, WV, PA) and more are to come. I have lots of stories to tell you …. including a HUGE moose encounter.

Hope to see you soon!

Kae

Spring’s Promise/Summer’s Heat/Fall’s Hope

Seven road bike in the woods

It’s overwhelming, Spring in New England. The flood of riding possibilities that come with better weather leave you wondering what to do first, how much to do, which direction to ride. It’s like a starving person confronted with a Vegas buffet.

And in a minute, it’s summer. The riding becomes regular, more regimented. You know where you’re riding, when, and who you’ll ride with. You start to feel fit, maybe you even are. It’s hard to tell. Everyone else is getting fit, too.

Cafe Racer SL with red and white pointed panels

Then the heat sets in. You pay more attention to your water bottles, spend more time, off the bike, making yourself drink water. If you set goals, you begin to know whether you achieved any of them, even if they only amount to riding more with friends.

Although it’s still warm here, the factory’s big tilting windows channeling in whatever air is available, we can feel the change to Fall coming. Conversations leave the road, turn to cyclocross, mixed-terrain, Fall mountain biking. Someone says the words “fat bike.”

Seven Treeline Fat bike with drop bars

If Spring is a beginning, then Fall is one, too. We start to dream about cool temperatures, wondering how much faster and farther we might go. There is an urgency, too, in Fall. Winter is coming. We will ride straight through it, but certain places and certain ways of riding will be less possible. Fall is the time to cram in the good stuff, the things we missed during the Summer’s high heat.

Open

One of the great gifts we receive, as bike builders, is riders who come to us with an open mind and an interest in collaborating on the design of a new bike. We try not to be in the business of telling people what they want. Better bikes come from listening.

Seven Evergreen S in Robin's Egg Blue

This is a challenge. We’ve been at this nearly 20 years, and while the accumulated experience of more than 30,000 builds is likely our greatest asset, there is still so much room for riders to teach us about what might make a bike great.

Open exchange like this creates buy-in on both sides, or all three sides, when you consider the bike shop who provides us with fitting and measurement data, with another set of eyes on the project. What we end up with is a bike that everyone is happy with, proud of even, because we built it together.

Joanne’s Evergreen SL

Here is Joanne’s Evergreen SL. We built it with our good friends at Bespoke Cycles in San Francisco. This one is painted Super Hero Blue, with some Gloss Black, and Platinum accents, as well as a bare Ti rear end.

Evergreen SL in superhero blue

Joanne says:

Loving the new Evergreen SL. Felt spot-on right away. Looking forward to adding gravel and dirt to my adventures.

Joanne

Evergreen SL in superhero blue

Recent Builds from Cyclefit UK

Most bike shops can put a bike together, but a fine few have the vision, knowledge, and discerning eye to build great bikes. Our friends at Cyclefit UK (Covent Garden, London and Manchester’s Northern Quarter) are just such an operation, and here are two recent builds to illustrate our point.

First we have Johannes’ Sola SL 29er, which I’m sure you’ll agree, is beautifully proportioned, well appointed, and aesthetically striking, with bead-blasted “decaling,” a Ti seatpost and wide/short cockpit.

Sola SL

Next we offer Richard’s Evergreen SLX. Richard has gone for the low-profile blasted decal as well, with no wheel decals, a low, clean fender line and an eTap drive train. There’s likely not a more elegant bike in London.

Seven Axiom SL with blasted decals