U.S. Built Custom Bicycles in Titanium and Titanium-Carbon Mix
U.S. Built Custom Bicycles in Titanium and Titanium-Carbon Mix
We built this stealthy Expat S with our friends at Wheel Werks Custom Bikes in Crystal Lake, IL.
John says:
Wow – what a great bike you designed and built for me! I spent most of the weekend riding as much as possible! It’s solid, responsive, and comfortable to ride. I even got my first, “Hey, what kind of bike is that?”. It was fun explaining the frame and components!
And here is John with Bob Olsen, the man with the plan at Wheel Werks.
Performance Fit Designer Neil has ideas he just can’t let go of, and he always has a project going, so none of us was too surprised when he started pushing around the concept for a new monster CX bike based around our Expat S frame set. We had done one for our old friend Chipps Chippendale at Singletrack magazine, so that build was fresh in mind.
We were on our regular Friday shop ride, mountain bikes on local trails, and that ride always presents the challenge of breaking off at the end and getting to work on time, or at least on-time-ish. So Neil got to thinking of good solutions, and this is the result.
The 29-inch wheels allow him to crush it on the trail. The on-board bag takes care of commuter essentials. The disc brakes make it an all-weather beast. It rolls fast across town with a stiff, compact geometry and a rigid steel fork.
The orange paint with red and black accents is an homage to the Bridgestone XO-1 Neil grew up coveting, and we did a custom decal (see left) that echoes the famous Bridgestone decal from that great builder’s hey-day. If you’re going to nerd-out, go all the way, right?
The XO-1 was originally sort of the slow-roller in the Bridgestone line-up. It came with a moustache bar and an upright riding position. It’s a short step from there to the wide drop bar associated with modern monster cx set ups. The disc brakes and fat tires just complete the re-think of this classic bike.
We saw our friends from River City Bicycles at the Interbike trade show in Las Vegas a few weeks ago, and they asked what weird, wacky stuff we were tooling on in our spare time. Well here it is guys, a throw-back Monster CX commuter.
Seven Cycles announced today that they have formed a partnership with Cycling Silk to become the official bike supplier for their upcoming yearlong journey. Cycling Silk is both an epic adventure and an exercise in environmental advocacy. The 2011 expedition’s aim is to explore and promote conservation across borders as a force for peace, environmental integrity and sustainable development in mountainous regions along the famous Silk Road from Istanbul to India.
Cycling Silk is comprised of two scientist/ explorers, Kate Harris and Melissa Yule. Kate is a writer, wilderness conservationist, adventurer and photographer. She won a Rhodes Scholarship to Oxford University where she completed her Master’s thesis on transboundary conservation and peace parks. She also holds a Master’s degree from MIT in earth and planetary sciences. Melissa is a social scientist, environmentalist and endurance athlete. In her work and research, Mel combines community development with environmental science to study ecological impacts on human health. She holds a Master’s degree in International Development from the University of Guelph, and is currently a researcher at the International Development Research Centre in Canada.
Throughout the duration of their trip, Harris and Yule will conduct research to develop case studies on conservation and advocate for eight existing or proposed Transboundary Protected Areas or “Peace Parks” along the mountainous route. They have planned periodic stops along their route to survey the regions, meet with local inhabitants, and continually update followers via their website.
The duo are using bikes to enable the autonomous and adventurous exploration of remote transboundary wildernesses, and to reinforce the notion of the Silk Road as a landscape of continuity, despite the borders that attempt to divide it. In the process, they hope to inspire others to get outside and ride bikes and explore the wild and look beyond borders. Both Kate and Mel will be riding Seven’s Expat S expedition bikes.
“Mel and I are so indescribably thrilled and honored at this chance to ride Sevens down the Silk Road,” said Kate Harris. “With this type of self-supported expedition, having bikes that are utterly dependable and tailored just for us means two fewer things to be concerned about,” added Harris.
“Kate and Mel’s approach to cycling and environmental stewardship fits perfectly with our company philosophy,” said Mattison Crowe, Marketing Manager for Seven Cycles. “Not only do they embrace the challenge, but through their efforts, strive to create an environmental impact many orders of magnitude larger than themselves. On top of all that, this adventure represents an ideal proving ground for our bikes.”