Seven Cycles – Page 104 – U.S. Built Custom Bicycles in Titanium and Titanium-Carbon Mix

Seven featured on Bicycling.com

One of the things a custom builder can do better than most production builders is find the sweet spots in between the traditional cycling categories. Constance Winters of Bicycling.com recently tested our Cafe Racer SL in just such a special configuration, somewhere in the space between go-fast road bike and all-purpose commuter.

First, this bike has S&S couplings so it can be broken down for travel. Total time to assemble this one, straight out of the case, is about ten minutes.

Next, it has a custom Tiberius handlebar, which gives the rider multiple hand position options, both aggressive and more upright.

And finally, it features a super quiet, super clean single-speed belt drive. The belt keeps you from getting grease on your pants if you’re riding for business, and its elegant simplicity makes break down and reassembly that much easier.

All of this in a sub-15lb package.

Image: Constance Winters

Bicyling Magazine: Silent and Speedy

The Cafe Racer offers commuters a lean, clean ride to the office

by Constance Winters

Cafe Racer

New commuters who are crossing over from a road cycling background tend to have certain preferences regarding a bike’s weight, speed, and handling characteristics. In this respect they can find typical city bikes to be too pokey. Enter the Cafe Racer—a titanium commuter from Seven Cycles that can give any road bike a ride for its money.

Founded in 1997, Seven Cycles manufactures custom bicycles in Watertown, Massachusetts, specializing in titanium frames. Built with Seven’s Integrity 325 ti tubing and 5E carbon-fiber fork, the lightweight Cafe Racer possesses the genes of the performance bikes the manufacturer is known for. At the same time, durable titanium is a logical material for sloppy roads in inclement weather. The upright Tiberius Commuter Bars and the low-maintenance belt drive are ideal for year-round urban conditions. Custom geometry accommodates a wide range of fit, wheel, and tire-size possibilities. Optional couplers offer the additional possibility of taking the bike along on business trips.

The Gates Carbon Drive is a polyurethane belt that replaces a traditional bicycle chain. Unlike a chain, the belt does not need to be oiled or otherwise maintained, which also means it will not get the cyclist’s clothing dirty. It also runs quieter and lasts longer—all of which makes the belt drive an increasingly desirable feature on transportation bicycles.

The carbon belt’s unique groove structure also calls for specific front and rear pulleys instead of traditional chainrings and rear cogs. This version of the Cafe Racer incorporates this seamlessly into its design.

Picking up the bike is always a shock at first. I am simply not used to an upright city bike—flat pedals and all—weighing in at not quite 15 pounds. With my posture moderately leaned forward and my wrists in a position consistent with classic, swept-back handlebars, the Tiberius Commuter Bar allowed for steering control and ergonomic comfort. The dramatically sloping top tube provided a low step-over—convenient for mounting and dismounting in the skirt suit I was wearing. Although the bike was not equipped with commuting accessories such as fenders, lights, or a rear rack, these options are available and optimized to keep the bike light.

The Cafe Racer took off unhesitatingly and handled like a road bike on which I happened to be more upright than usual. The ride quality has that “am I in still contact with the ground?” feel to it that I have experienced on other titanium bikes. The belt drive was eerily silent. My lapels fluttering in the wind, I flew up and down hills I would hesitate to brave on most upright commuters. It was tempting to forget myself and give in to the bike’s potential. Only the desire to look presentable for my next meeting made me hold back.

When it comes to commuter bikes, not everyone feels the need for speed, a freakishly lightweight frame, or a belt drive. But for those who do, there is the Seven Cafe Racer.

Seven Cafe Racer Belt Drive Specifications
Sizes:	custom
Color:	brushed titanium
Frame:	Seven Integrity 325 titanium tubing
Fork:	Seven 5E carbon fiber
Wheels:	700C lightweight alloy, or to customer spec
Drivetrain:	Gates Belt Drive
Brakes:	medium-reach caliper, or to customer spec
Handlebar:	Tiberius Commuter Bar
Extras Included:	full custom geometry, choice of wheel and tire size, choice of component group, choice of decals
Options:	fenders, couplers, custom racks, integrated lighting, kickstand, custom color, cantilever and disc brake options
Weight:	14.6 pounds (complete bike)

Additional Images

Bicycle courtesy of Ride Studio Cafe, Lexington MA

Garry’s Axiom SL

Just the other day we were writing about the occasional build photos that trickle back to us, and how they can serve as vital motivation during the long winter months, when we are less on our bikes and more at our work. Lo and behold, Monday morning brought this picture of Garry’s new Axiom SL in Super Hero Blue with White panels and bare Ti stays. This one also has a 44mm head tube with a tapered fork and stealth carbon wheels. THIS is why you want to build custom bikes. Thanks, Garry.

Motivations

In winter, you have to keep your eyes open. The reasons to ride can be hard to find, like forage for small animals. Mostly you operate on the faith that riding through the cold and snow, the slush and ice, the sand and salt, will have a real payoff, even if you’re not always sure, as you step out into another icy morning wind, exactly when that payoff will come.

What happens is that you suffer. The wind chaps your cheeks. You get wet in ways you never thought possible, and you arrive on the other side, sometimes unclear on whether what you just did was brave or stupid.

Of course, sometimes, somewhere out on the road or trail, you get one of those transcendent moments that repays your faith, that spurs you on to ride another wind swept winter day. Maybe it’s just the tranquility of finding yourself out in the woods, maybe on the edge of a frozen pond where the trees stir in the breeze and the world slows down, or else it’s on the road with friends and someone has a good joke and you ride fast on the laughter for a mile or two.

We usually find that, as on the bike so on the shop floor. It is impossible to maintain 100% motivation year-round. Where inspiration can vary, we create systems and redundancies to be sure we are bringing the maximum attention to detail. When one of us is lit up with inspiration, the others can catch it like a cold. We pass it around and thrive off it.

But also, you never know when you’re going to paint a bike that comes out better than you ever would have hoped just looking at the scheme on paper. You never know when someone is going to build up one of your bikes in the most thoroughly beautiful way and send you a stunning photo and thank you for what you’ve done for them.

You have to keep your eyes open for these things in wintertime, or really any time, even as you have great faith in the bike as a tool and as a way of expressing your craft. This is how we stay motivated.

Trans Andes 2013 – Mike and Mary Win Again

You only ever want your bikes to be carrying people to awesome adventures. It doesn’t matter whether those adventures are happening in their neighborhood or across the sprawling landscapes of Chilean Patagonia, as happened last week as Seven sponsored riders Mike Broderick and Mary McConneloug (Kenda-Seven-NoTubes) won the Trans Andes mountain bike race again.

The Trans-Andes is both a physical and mental challenge. The stunning scenery will not always distract racers from the punishing topography of this section of Patagonia.

Stage 1 stretched from Puerto Pirihueico to Huilo-Huilo threading its way between lakes and volcanoes. Stage 2 went on from Huilo-Huilo to Termas de Coñaripe, before Stage 3 took up the network of technical jeep track, gravel road and single track to Termas de Menetúe. Stage 4 then threaded an out-and-back loop from Menetúe out around Lake Hualalafquén and back to Menetúe with 2250 meters of climbing in between. Stage 5 left Menetúe again and looped East before heading due West for Lake Caburgua and then Pucon, which hosted the start and finish of Stage 6 south to the Villarrica volcano and back.

Mike and Mary managed to win each stage on their way to the overall in the mixed, open category.