Skip Brown | Seven Cycles

Skip Brown: Master Framebuilder & Master Machinist

Skip Brown has been framebuilding for 38 years. He's been Seven for 29 years, and before that with Merlin Metalworks for nearly a decade.

Riders want Skip to build their frames for good reason.

We're confident that no one else on the planet has built as many custom frames as he has, with north of 6,500 builds at Seven Cycles. He's also built thousands more stock frames, one at a time, with both Seven and Merlin.

Skip's framebuilding chops are impressive, but his tool and die machining capabilities are legendary. He designs and machines all of the fixtures and tooling at Seven, and has for nearly 30 years. He also maintains all of our machinery, including machining replacement parts for our pre-war equipment when needed. He's also the facility manager, recycling manager, and expired food vacuum.

Most Seven employees have no idea how lucky we are to have Skip here. If you own a Seven with his framebuilder mark on it, you are very lucky and have a piece of New England framebuilding history without peer.

A New England mountain bike racing fixture in the 1990s and 2000s, he can still ride most of us into the ground, without realizing it.

It's been an honor to work with him for nearly 40 years. I hope we continue together until we both retire (read: die in our sleep.)

— Words by Rob Vandermark

Merlin Metalworks crew, circa 1988 — Most of the Merlin Metalworks crew circa 1988: Tim Delaney, Gwyn Jones, Rob Vandermark, Leni Fried, Mike Augspurger, Skip Brown, Ross Andrews. Photo taken by Matt O'Keefe. Tim, Rob, Skip, and Matt all work at Seven today.

24 hours of Snowshoe 4-person team. — The 4-person team of Tim Delaney, Skip Brown, Matt O'Keefe, and Rob Vandermark at the 24 Hours of Snowshoe mountain bike race. It was the last event that we all raced together. Super pro.

Skip and his broken bones — One of the times that Skip got broken bones from a car. He had a broken leg, broken wrist, and broken thumb. He was machining at work the day after he got out of the hospital.

Skip fueling up with pie. — Skip's pre-race fuel-up. He'll eat anything, but in this case, he found a pie and ate it all. Keep your fingers clear.

Skip racing for donuts. — Skip looking worse for wear at one of Seven's Donut Races. He's taken some tumbles from the lemon Pledge that people would spray on the smooth concrete in the corners. A tactic certain to cause high-speed crashes.

Skip Brown ready for a donut race, circa 1988 — Skip Brown (right) is ready for a donut race with Tim Delaney (left) and Matt O'Keefe (middle). At the Merlin Metalworks basement workshop, circa 1988.