machining – Seven Cycles

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

On Framebuilding: Part One – Machining

Collated in an ordinary manila folder are the details of your new bike. Body measurements, preliminary sketches, notes, revisions, and final drafts are all there, as is the signed confirmation form perched right on top. To non-cyclists, a loose sheaf of papers like this might not get the blood flowing, but it works for us, and probably does for you, too.

This paperwork, after all, is the blueprint to a bike that has never been seen before, a bike designed to make your favorite rides even better, a bike specifically for you.
Continue reading “On Framebuilding: Part One – Machining”

The Next Generation

Every year, for more than a decade now, Neil Mansfield – a very longtime friend of Seven –brings his metal working students from Assabet Valley Technical School for a day in our shop. At this point, Neil can usually conjure up stories about the start of Seven and his old friends here better than we can.

A group of about 20 13-15 year-olds joined us for a Q&A with shop manager Matt O’Keefe, lead welder Tim Delaney, head machinist Skip Brown, and our graphic designer Skunk who talked about the intersection between welding and art. We followed that with an extensive factory tour.

It’s always a joy for us to see young people getting excited and curious about what we do. Hearing Neil talk to his students about a possible future where you can have a job that allows you to work in a field creating something you love reminds us that we are doing something not everyone gets to do.