Sunday, May 23, 2010

Seven Cycles Devo Team

If you are on Facebook head on over the the Seven Cycles Development Team page. It would be great if you became a fan! If you know me or if I have in any way made a difference in your cycling life please post a comment on the wall or under my photo album.

Friday, May 21, 2010

The Story of Sola

The life of my Sola began in late 2004. I was fed up with replacing high end disposable race frames every year. Not that I am an abusive rider but the rigors of racing week in and week out over treacherous terrain can take its toll. Fancy paint schemes are alluring but durability takes priority in my book.

In the end I chose a Seven Olympic frame. Beautiful, simple, clean, and tougher than any xc bike I have ever ridden.

On my birthday every year I go on one of my favorite rides. It is a 3-1/2 hour loop and I always do it solo with my Sola. It has long climbs and some of the best singletrack in the area. Last year (2009) I noticed the front end was creaking a little louder than normal. I figured it was all the dust, during the dry summers,  that we get. Once home, I took a closer look and noticed something that was not supposed to be there.


Sola held it together when I needed her the most (and didn't realize it)

My heart sank. After 50,000 miles of riding trusty Sola had been injured. However Seven's have something other frames don't. A lifetime warranty.

Sweat, blood, and suffering wore away the Sola name but passion, strength, and commitment to excellence is in the frame

Had I been on the latest aluminum or carbon bike the headtube would have most likely sheared off and injury would have been likely. I contacted Seven and they took care of me. Honestly I was really worried that my bike would not be the same. To fix the frame the head tube and downtube would be removed and replaced. Coming off mass produced bikes that just seemed so odd. As one of my custom frame builder friends told me "Don't worry, you have a real bike."

 


 Seven fixed my Sola so quickly that it seemed like I had just torn it down and had it shipped back to them (Thanks to Karl for fielding my distress call)



The headtube is an older version that did not have the gusset for strength. As suspension forks have changed Seven has taken steps to strengthen areas that require it. They now offer their curved downtube that provides extra strength and optimal clearance for front forks.

This is a badge of honor

The new curved downtube

I write this not to tell you how Seven's crack or fall apart.....but rather that it held together from repeated seasons of racing and training. If you want the ultimate bike that will last then look no further. Strength, durability, and the ability to look brand new after every single wash are only a couple of the benefits a Seven offers.

From training in the snow and freezing rain in the winter to the deathly hot 118 degree summer days my Sola never complained. I had more expert (or Cat 1 now) podiums with my Sola than all my old bikes combined. My Sola helped me get on my first podium at Nationals and carried me all the way to the World Champs. My Sola had a lot of battle scars (on the decals that remained) and dirt from around North America. Never once did my Sola back down.

Some of Sola's hardware

My Sola has been revived and still is my favorite bike in the quiver. My loyalties run deep. We have a lot of history together.

We have suffered.
We have felt pain.
We have been at low points. 
We have bled.
We have triumphed.
And we still chase singletrack.

Thanks for the ride Sola and thanks to Seven for making my dream ride.

My name is Steve and I ride Seven.

 Sola back home on the singletrack

Sunday, May 16, 2010

Unexpected

Yesterday was a really long day. My wife was rushed to the hospital as she was still seven weeks away from the due date of our second child. An emergency C-section was the only option and hope to save the baby. At 2:08 PM our second girl was born. The first seven weeks of her life will be in the Neonatal ICU. Both mom and baby are doing good so far.


In the meantime I squeaked out a 3rd place in the Cat 1 category at Blazing Saddles XC race on my Sola....but nothing tops being a dad for the second time....love my girls!

Monday, May 10, 2010

Movie

So I finally saw the documentary "The Cove" and if you haven't seen it I would strongly urge you watch it. Watching the footage of dolphins swimming in the open ocean remind me of the freedom you feel when flying down ribbon singletrack. What if were were caged up and not allowed to ride? And then slaughtered?

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Busy

I've been really busy lately and have not had the time to ride like I would prefer. It still doesn't stop me from thinking about everything bicycle related though. A few more weeks of crazy work scheduling and then I will have some good chunks of time to ride. In the meantime the fuel stores are ready and dreams of singletrack run through my head.