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U.S. Built Custom Bicycles in Titanium and Titanium-Carbon Mix

Tag: Isle of Man

The Places We Go

Cyclists riding an endless dirt road

Because we build our bikes one-at-time, for their riders, we don’t have to manage an inventory of anything other than raw materials. That allows us to build the bikes riders want instead of trying to guess what they want or trying to convince them to buy what we have already built.

The challenges our riders have been taking on this last year really bring home to us how the way we do things allows our customers to lead us forward, to take us where they want us to go.

Mike Bybee rode from Arizona to Canada on his Sola SL bike-packing rig. Brad rode across the US, from Oregon to Virginia on his Evergreen SL, set up for loaded randonneuring. We rode in Yorkshire and on the Isle of Man. Matt Roy and David Wilcox attempted a 1000km brevet in the worst heat wave the Pacific Northwest has seen in decades. Daniel Sharp rode the Oregon Outback. Seven was at the Mt.Evans Hill Climb, in the Pyrenees and at Dirty Kanza. Sevens have been ridden through the night, through two full centuries, around Lake Michigan, through Paris and over the Paris-Roubaix cobbles.

Sometimes we shake our heads in wonder at all of it. What ends up happening is that, as much as guide Seven riders through the process of designing their bike, they guide us through the world of cycling. They show us what is possible and change our own ideas about what a bike can be.

Image: Daniel Sharp

On the Road – Yorkshire and the Isle of Man

It can be arduous, getting away from the shop here in Massachusetts, extricating ourselves from bike building, to the sorts of far flung locales that serve up riding adventure. The village of Clapham in Yorkshire, just outside Settle, is a place we never imagined going to. In fact, we didn’t know it existed, but a few hours from the plane in Manchester we found a small inn, nestled in seemingly limitless green fields.

riding on the wide open plain to a lake

The Yorkshire Dales offer up these incredible, exposed landscapes, every rise letting you look off to the horizon,  all the roads hemmed in by high hedges or stone walls. You come across very few people, but the lush greenery and ever present sheep keep the place feeling very alive.

stone walled trail riding

 

A Dale is a valley, so you could forgive us for hoping the landscape would be more forgiving than it actually is. Miles and miles of short, sharp climbs on unimproved roads and cattle track make for grueling adventure, but ultimately, it’s so beautiful there, you just don’t care.

bike leaning on a stone fence

Riding near a viaduct

After a few days of wandering the Dales, we made our way to Heysham, and the ferry to the Isle of Man. The Irish Sea boiled with windy white caps, and we didn’t hold out much hope for holding down our modest breakfast, but we came through with the help of some strange, herbal remedy and mounted our bikes on the other side.

Riding on the coast

We had been spoiled for weather so far, the notorious English rain holding back in favor of sunshine, but our time on the Isle restored meteorological balance. We’d opted to camp instead of luxuriating at in inn, so we spent the last of this trip wet through. Fortunately, we snuck in a warm camp meal before the heavens opened.

Hot Meal Before Cold Rain

Descending the White Trail

It was worth it. We’ll be warm again one day. And of all the places we’ve ridden, New Zealand, Sedona, and more, the rolling, roiling gravel and grass paths of Yorkshire maybe captured our hearts the most. We could ride here forever and not tire of the views.