Mudhoney SL – Seven Cycles

At the Races with Julie Wright

Seven Ambassador Julie Wright checks in with us after a challenging start to her cyclocross campaign that’s taken in both World Cup races and the other big US events.

We just added a Mudhoney SL to her race day equipment.

Julie Wright smiles while blood trickles from her freshly wounded knee

For those who don’t know me, here are some random and less random facts about me. I race on a small women’s elite team, Team Averica. We’re based out of Boston, though I live in Western MA. My day job is working in analytics in the health care industry. Chocolate and coffee are two of my favorite things. So are bikes, vegetables and swimming. And riding trails. When I decided to get my Mudhoney PRO, my goal was to have a bike that would elevate my level of racing, be fun to ride and be a source of inspiration to work harder. I found all of that and more! I’m beyond excited to have the Mudhoney SL now, which is proving to be another absolutely amazing bike.

Julie Wright leans into a corner a the races

I’m fresh off my first block of racing for this cyclocross season! As is expected, there were some ups and downs. The results weren’t what I hoped for, but I’ve learned a ton from the racing and the women in the UCI field. Two years ago, during my first full season in the UCI field when I was coming up with my cyclocross goals, my ultimate goal in cross was to race in a world cup one day. At the time, I thought it was a long shot. This year, I got to start my season off with not one, but two World Cups, and both right here in the United States. It was an amazing way to start the season.

I made the trip in my little Honda Fit, packed with two bikes, five wheelsets, a trainer, clothes for racing in any imaginable weather and my work gear. I was gone for a solid three weeks, starting the season off in Rochester. I made my way west to Iowa, for the Jingle Cross WC, then on to Wisconsin for Trek CXC WC and then back again for KMC. I knew it would be a trip where the learning curve was steep, but I couldn’t have imagined how steep. I definitely lean toward the type A end of the spectrum and I really wanted a FAQ on traveling for bike racing, what to pack, how to budget, what to expect at a World Cup, and how to calm all the nerves that had been building up since wrapping up the cross season last year in Belgium. The funny thing about racing World Cups is that you don’t pick up your number at a reg table like you do at any other bike race. For those of us that don’t have a DS, we have to find the US representative who picks up our number for us either at the venue the day before the event, or if you don’t find them in time, at their hotel later that night. It’s kind of like Where’s Waldo, except for that you don’t know what Waldo looks like or what he’s going to be wearing. It was an adventure. It turns out Waldo was very nice and he had my numbers.

Lining up alongside some of the fastest women in the world is incredible and a bit terrifying. World champion stripes have the ability to be a little intimidating. We also had Annika Langvad, the 2016 XC MTB World Champion lining up. It took some practice reminding myself that I belonged there and that it was still pedaling around in circles like any other bike race.

Here’s my bike, post trip. It’s also a good metaphor for how I felt after the road trip back from the Midwest…

a Seven head tube spattered with dirt

This past week, I’ve been camped out at home, enjoying some more of my favorite things: sleeping in my own bed, cooking in my kitchen, drinking coffee slowly, getting out on some long rides and mixing in rolling dirt roads, as well as beginning to work on the long list of things I learned I need to work on from the trip. Lots of turning practice!

Jeremy Kampp on the Snoqualmie River

You get the sense that Washington State alone contains a lifetime of riding. Road. Trail. Everything in between. Thousands and thousands of miles of it. Here, Seven Ambassador Jeremy Kampp shares another little slice of his home state with us:

Jeremy rides is bike over a pedestrian bridge Seven months and over forty inches of rain might have been a dream as I awake to a spectacular 5:20am sunrise in May. A weather window with the temperature in the 70’s leaves me thinking about an adventure combining riding and fishing rather than riding and layering against the dampness.

Jeremy stands by a swift forest river

Have I told you about the enormous brown trout that I hooked but got away? Oh yeah, that fishing story has been told before. This story involves my Mudhoney SL bike and tenkara fly rod to explore along the middle fork of the Snoqualmie River and the fishing holes yet unseen.

Jeremy rides toward the camera on a gravel trail

Scattered white cumulus clouds sail above the snowy peaks. Deciduous trees reach for space between the towering evergreens with their apical buds of light green yielding little. At the trailhead I can hear the river rapids running over the cobbles before I can see the green flow. Water, food and rod on my back I accelerate up the road on my bike, ecstatic to be riding in the sun. The thrill of riding is timeless and the freedom to roam is cherished.

Jeremy smiles as he rides his Seven in the woods

Through the forest on a trail and over a suspension bridge reveals a swollen snowmelt river. Sandbars to fish from won’t be available for two more months. I fish eddies on the main river, make a note of holes that will be prime for trout in 1-2 months, and then seek smaller tributary creeks to fish.

Jeremy's sleek road bike leans against a mossy log

Riding a winding singletrack trail with blue butterflies flitting near the drying mud I cross several streams along the way. Rock hopping is easy. Wading is cold and sometimes necessary. In the end the fish swim free, I am energized by the day of exploration and the dream of the next trip forms as I ride down the long tree shaded road towards home.

Bikes and Art

People sometimes say our bikes are worthy of hanging on walls, that they are art, which is a nice thing to say, but makes us feel a little uncomfortable. In our minds bikes are tools, transportation, toys, etc. They should look great, if you can manage it, but we want people, first and foremost, to ride them. A lot. Which is rather hard to do when they’re hanging on a wall.

Imagine our surprise when Rhys W sent us this photo. It’s of his wife and her Seven Mudhoney SL, which she rides a lot, but also hangs on the wall.

A huge painting of a cyclist hangs behind a real-life version of the bike

He also wrote:

Seven. BEST investment ever for me.

Buy a Seven, ride it, and then you will understand.

Rhys

Michael’s Mudhoney SL

We built this Mudhoney SL with our friends at Wheat Ridge Cyclery in Colorado. It is Michael’s second Seven. A tall rider, with a prior back injury, Michael still loves to ride hard, so we built this one to keep him comfortable while maintaining agility and power transfer in the rear triangle. The bike’s finish, with black components and a bead blasted decal, is subtle, but classy.

He says:

Dear Seven,

I just received my Mudhoney SL, THANKS!!! It’s equipped with Enve 3.4 disc wheels and Ultegra Di2.

Thanks again Seven for fulfilling my cycling dreams!

Michael

Stephen’s Mudhoney SL – A Love Letter

This is Stephen’s Mudhoney SL, built with our friends at Sigma Sport in Surrey, UK. We might tell you more about the bike, but Stephen has done that for us. There is no better email to get from a rider than one like this.

Stephen says:

Hello Seven,

I promised myself a Seven for my 60th to keep me fit into my dotage. I needed a performance bike; one suited to my advancing years but capable of going anywhere. It’d have to be versatile, comfortable, tough, low maintenance and reliable. Thus, the Mudhoney SL stood out and, with the expert guidance of Mick Silles at Sigma Sport of Kingston Upon Thames in UK, my bespoke Seven took shape.

Getting the specification just right took several months, but throughout, Mick was the very best adviser. He listened carefully and accurately translated desires into needs (both frame and components). Mostly this was happening at a distance, because though I’m a Brit, I live in Vienna, Austria. I visited Sigma just three times, first to spec’ the bike, then for very thorough fittings and finally to take delivery. In between there were lots of emails! You surely know it already, but in Mick you have an excellent UK representative, advocate and enthusiast.

So now I’ve been riding the bike for a couple of weeks since delivery. With true good fortune, this Austrian October has been unseasonably warm and sunny – in fact, perfect cycling weather. I’ve taken advantage of that and taken off into the Wienerwald at every opportunity. On road and trail the bike is a revelation!

In climbs I’ve become instantly fitter (or just maybe, the Seven frame transmits way more energy to the road). The bike is comfortable and assured. I get no pins and needles in my hands, nor tired shoulders. Everything just falls to hand and I’m perfectly positioned to ride for hours on end. I corner confidently, everything feels taut and I know exactly what’s going on where tyres hit road. Nothing creaks or flexes, even when I’m pedaling out of the saddle.

Then there’s the aesthetics. I wanted an understated look. No paint, no discs, no suspension, no accessories. Avid Shorty canti’s, Chris King ‘Sotto Voce’ components, ENVE CX forks …. everything bare titanium or plain black. It looks fantastic but rides even better! Incidentally, for the record, I’m now a convert and consequent zealot for Shimano’s amazing Ui2 gearset – beautifully integrated into the Mudhoney frame, battery and all.

In summary, I got the bike I desired and, thanks to Sigma Sport’s good advice and the skills of the Seven Team (especially Lauren Trout and Stef Adams – oh God, those welds) I ended up with every machine I needed for fitness, sport and fun. I’m in love!

I’m so impressed with the craftsmanship, the attention to detail (like the inspired chain hanger and the rear canti’ cable post) and above all, with the way you’ve served your motto – I got my one bike and mine alone.

I’m motivated alright – next spring I’ll try the Grossglockner ….

Thank you for making me a very happy customer.

Stephen