Articles – Page 55 – Seven Cycles

In Season

The bike industry does not circle the sun and measure its progress in years, but rather plants its fields, like a farmer, and thinks of time in seasons. And we are in the thick of that season now, building bikes with a drive and focus similar to our riders, out in the world, making use of the summer sunlight to get more time on the bike.

In season, we have to be very careful not to work too much (we always fail at this) and to make sure we are taking the time to ride our own bikes and to stay in touch with why we do what we do (we always succeed at this).

But now a month has passed since our last post…here are just a few of the things we’ve been working on.

A 622 SLX with SRAM’s new Red integrated hydraulic brakes for our good friend Matt Roy. This one left the shop floor and headed straight for the Green Mountain Double Century, where Matt rode it to victory, along with his Ride Studio Cafe Endurance Team, in a time just over 17 hours. For an encore, Matt took it on a post-grad (Ph.D.!!) trip from Portland, OR to Boulder, CO. Just a quick spin then…

And, this is John Bayley’s Axiom SL super randonneur, also with SRAM Red hydro and a very special paint job. John rode it to a third place finish at Dirty Kanza. This bike will also feature in an upcoming ad in Rouleur. Keep an eye out for it.

Jay L’s Steel Resolute SLX

This is Jay’s new steel, Resolute SLX in Electric Blueberry. This is a collaboration with our good friend Tony at Velosmith Bicycle Studio in Wilmette, IL, north of Chicago. We love the classic lines and subtle style of this one.

Wayne S’s Elium SL

This is Wayne’s Elium SL with Half & Half paint scheme in Amber Ale and bare titanium. We built this for Wayne with our good friends at Get-a-Grip in Chicago.

Wayne says:

I wanted to let know that I picked up my new Elium SL last Wednesday (6/5) and have since put about 180 miles on it. First, let me say the bike is stunning!! Second, the fit, ride and performance of the bike is incredible!! The bike has exceeded any expectations I had.

Thanks to you and the Seven team for making me a Seven customer for life.

Seven on the World Cup Circuit

We recently built new Sola 650b SLX race bikes for Mike Broderick and Mary McConneloug and had them delivered to Germany where the pro mountain biking power couple are working their way around the World Cup circuit.

Mary said:

The frames turned out beautifully!

The care you all take with your work, the attention to detail and finesse is second to NONE! Rob – your design, is again, masterful! We know so many hands played a part in this project! Thank you guys for your artful work in planning, crafting and shipping these incredible frames to Mike and I over here in Europe!! Mike spent the majority of this past week carefully building the frames up at the SRAM headquarters in central Germany. Having access to a real shop (and not some outdoor RV camp spot) to build the bikes up was very much appreciated. Thanks to our awesome crew of supporting sponsors who helped with the various components – everything came together perfectly.

We feel so lucky to be backed by the best in the industry and we are honored to represent you all out in the field!

We got out on our first ride in the forests of Schweinfurt yesterday and instantly were both SMILING! The fit and balance of the frames are impeccable. My first impression of riding the 27.5 wheel size was the ease of acceleration. I could feel the relation of the pedal stroke efficiently translate my power to the smaller wheel size and it seemed easier overall to push and maintain a smooth cadence. The complete bike is also a little lighter and easier to maneuver through the tight turns of the trails…

We can hardly wait to RACE our new 27.5 Solas at the World Cup in Italy this weekend!!!

Thank you all again!!!

We are truly honored to represent Seven Cycles and ever grateful for your continued support of our team.

Yours truly,

Mary and Mike

Terri G’s Sola SL – Back Country Explorer

This is Terri’s Sola SL. When she called us, she was excited to build a new bike for this weekend’s Dirty Kanza, but also as a do-everything back country explorer. With a flat bar, disc brakes and a rigid fork, this bike is super versatile. We worked on it with our good friends at Richardson Bike Mart in Richardson, TX. After the inaugural 200 miles she’ll put on it in Kansas, she knows just what’s coming next.

Terri says:

My bigger plan is to put bigger tires and frame bags on it and head out to do some bike-packing. First up, Montana on the Great Divide route in July.

Best bike ever. Thanks so much!