U.S. Built Custom Bicycles in Titanium and Titanium-Carbon Mix
U.S. Built Custom Bicycles in Titanium and Titanium-Carbon Mix
Palo Alto Bicycles customer Kirk went all out on his new Axiom SL. 44mm headtube with tapered road fork, Campy Super Record EPS electronic shifting, carbon rims and cockpit. And, he was happy with the outcome.
Kirk says:
I got the Axiom SL together last Saturday and went on my first ride yesterday. The bike’s ride and feel is incredible. I have never experienced a bike that has such sure feel about it and holds the line going around curves and downhill. I can’t wait to get back on it again.
This is Melinda’s brand new 650c Axiom S. We built it in partnership with our friends at Podium Multisport in Atlanta. The challenge here was to find a good, balanced design and fit for Melinda, who is both diminutive in stature and aggressive in riding style. Working around a 650c wheel size, Podium gave us positionals to work from, and we came up with this bike, which seems to be just what Melinda was looking for…
She reports:
My first real ride didn’t occur until yesterday! We went about 53 miles, and I honestly didn’t know what to expect. Here is my first impression: All the the ‘hot spots’ where I felt uncomfortable on my other bike were nonexistant..The pinch at the ankles, tweak in the knee, hip; ache in the back, etc….all gone. It felt like I could be on the bike and actually relax my entire body. Like sitting in a “stressless” chair (if you know what those are).
From a power perspective, on my old bike I always felt that I couldn’t pull up on the pedal stroke efficiently and I was correct! I was missing about half my power in the stroke because I couldn’t get the pull. On this bike I felt like I could utilize muscles and power that I never had access to. Rather than feeling the crunch at mile 20 and hanging off the back and thinking I couldn’t possibly go another 30+miles, I stayed toward the front most of the time, was able to fly up the hills, and even had energy left over at the end of the ride. It was beyond anything that I could have imagined!
Needless to say, I am pleased! I felt the road but not all of the bad things that come from the road like uncomfortable bumps, etc. It absorbed those nicely. It was incredibly responsive and ZIPPY! There is no better term for it! I don’t think Alan is very happy though because I smoked him up the big hills and had to hold back to fetch his sorry ass at the end of the ride. Oh well, can’t please them all!
We just heard from our good friend William Ko at Shenyang, our Taiwanese partner. He recently returned from a two-week trip to China where Shen Yang organized an exhibition and race.
It is always interesting (and thrilling) to see our bikes in distant locales. Through great partnerships, like ours with Shenyang, we have consistently been amazed by what our brand can mean to people all over the globe.
Today, when so much of the import/export traffic seems to be one-way from China to the US, it is particularly cool to know that we can bridge the gap between our cultures just by doing what we do, which is bike building.
William has put a lot of work into promoting high-end cycling, both in Taiwan and in China. He is as passionate as we are about what we do, and we’re lucky to have him represent us. In 1997, when we were just setting out on this adventure, we dreamed of sending bikes to all seven continents. It’s part of why we chose the name Seven to begin with. To see these pictures now is humbling in all the very best ways.
It tells us that we’ve achieved much of what we set out to do, but also that the opportunity to build great bikes for people is even larger than we initially believed.
Our showroom, such as it is, is a beautiful space, with vaulted ceilings and a generous supply of natural light. In the morning, the sun slants in through the blinds and bathes the few bikes that live there in a warm glow.
Invariably, we display our project bikes there. The Berlin Bike is often in residence. The Bicycling Magazine bike has been a frequent occupant. But, also invariably, those bikes want to go out to bike shops for display or for special events.
Today, just today, the bikes in the showroom consist of: Rex, the very first Seven, the primogenitor, the bike that spawned all others; Rob’s belt drive Cafe Racer with custom Tiberius handlebar and S&S frame couplers; Karl’s Elium SL, all carbon lightness in a pure-speed build.
We should make clear that employee bikes end up in the showroom quite a bit. Back at home, garages and storage rooms struggle to accommodate all of our cycling predilections. It ends up being a symbiotic arrangement. The showroom gets beautiful bikes to display. And our loyal Seven staff get more space for even more bikes.
There are a few frames hung in one corner, examples of our best custom paint work, and a pair of Elium SLXs with internally routed Di2 builds. They’re on their way out, demo bikes for shops who want the very latest in their own showrooms.
We joke a lot about the showroom. What do you call a bike company with no bikes? More than once, a passing tour has offered to buy an employee’s bike right off the display rack. It’s good to make a product you can’t keep in stock. It’s the problem you want to have.
Our good friend David traveled with his new Seven to compete in the Maritona dles Dolomites, a Gran Fondo that has been described by National Geographic as, “one of the biggest, most passionate, and most chaotic bike races on Earth.”
Before he departed for this adventure, Dave took time to sit down with us and talk about the bike Seven designed especially for this event.
What qualities of your Seven are most important to you in this particular event? I know that on my Seven I’ll be confident in what’s under me, so I can focus on the climbs, and on actually enjoying the experience! I like the idea that I can ride this unfamiliar course and I’ll almost be able to ignore the bike. Not that my Seven doesn’t have personality, but it is so light, it hasn’t weighed me down during my training rides prior to the Maratona. All built up with the couplers, the wheels, the pedals, and 2 cages, the bike is only 16 lbs.
My new Seven is able to be uncoupled and shipped without sacrificing any ride or performance quality. I know that when I get to Italy and reassemble the bike, my ride will be the same as when I am riding at home, and having that comfort, familiarity, and power is invaluable.