Every year, for more than a decade now, Neil Mansfield – a very longtime friend of Seven –brings his metal working students from Assabet Valley Technical School for a day in our shop. At this point, Neil can usually conjure up stories about the start of Seven and his old friends here better than we can.

A group of about 20 13-15 year-olds joined us for a Q&A with shop manager Matt O’Keefe, lead welder Tim Delaney, head machinist Skip Brown, and our graphic designer Skunk who talked about the intersection between welding and art. We followed that with an extensive factory tour.

It’s always a joy for us to see young people getting excited and curious about what we do. Hearing Neil talk to his students about a possible future where you can have a job that allows you to work in a field creating something you love reminds us that we are doing something not everyone gets to do.

Seven is lucky to send bikes all over the globe. Our international family is one we grow and make connections with, despite culture and language barriers. Recently, our Philippine partner, George Carag from VeloCity Cartimar/DaDa Sports, sent us a series of photos from the Fondo Manilla Anniversary Ride.

The Fondo Manila Team has been hosting rides and tours throughout the Alabang, Cavite, and Tagaytay areas. The team is always searching for new and innovative ways to spread the joy of cycling to revive the camaraderie and bonding brought by the collective passion of its enthusiasts. All riders are welcome to these fully supported rides.

In early March of this year, the team commemorated its one-year anniversary by hosting a weekend of cycling on the best roads of Baguio: the Fondo Manila Baguio Series. Baguio was the chosen venue for having the highest point in the Philippine highway system, making it a befitting location to literally celebrate Fondo’s “A Higher State of Cycling.”

A group of Seven Cycles bikes were present and participated on this beautiful three day journey. Seeing the bond that this ride created between people proud to ride our bikes makes an impression on us here in snowy Watertown, MA. The places our bikes get to see is a testament to our philosophy that custom is possibility: bikes have no barriers or borders.

The Green Mountain Double Century is a singular sort of endurance event. The 2012 version was 215 miles, 80% on dirt roads, with 26,500ft of climbing. There is a time cut off of 40 hours. Theoretically, it is a race, but such is the challenge that many ride just to finish.

The inaugural event, in 2011, saw about a dozen riders start, and only four finish. Three of them were from the Ride Studio Cafe Endurance Team, John Bayley, David Wilcox and Matt Roy. They finished in just short of 19 hours. The 2012 version saw the RSC team, all on Ti Sevens, “win” the overall again, shaving three hours off their previous best time. These guys are all randonneuring legends who keep raising the bar for the endurance cycling community. We were incredibly honored to have them all on our bikes.

Natalia Boltukhova of Pedal Power Photography, who shot most of our Love to Ride brochure as well as the photo above, traveled with the winning team in both 2011 and 2012, putting together this photo set and this video, which captures the brutality  (and humor) of the event beautifully.

In addition to Quad Cross Team Seven Cycles was also to be found at this weekend’s Kearsarge Klassic Dirt Road Randonnee. Here is Seveneer Jake Bridge‘s report on what is becoming another classic New England event.

Ever the sucker for long rides on dirt roads, I drove up to New London, New Hampshire for the inaugural Kearsarge Klassic Dirt Road Randonee, a benefit for the Ausbon Sargent Land Preservation Trust. The New Hampshire Cycling Club did not disappoint me. The route was pure New England wild goodness: stone walls, covered bridges, wild turkeys, brutal climbs, and exhilarating descents.

In the first few miles I met up with (read: was passed by) team member Jason DeVarennes, as well as Seven tandem pilots and local superheros, John Bayley and Pamela Blalock. We rode the rest of the route together as an impromptu Seven team.

And the support! There are times on a long road when nothing much is better than an ice cold coke. Or, sometimes, a freshly picked New England apple. Or a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Or a chocolate covered McVities biscuit. Or potato chips. Or homemade chili. Or a brownie. The amazing volunteers at the Kearsarge Klassic had all this covered.

Good roads, good company, good food, good cause. See you next year at K2R2!

-Jake B.

Matt & Susi’s Tandem

 D2R2, or the Deerfield Dirt Road Randonee, is an annual event on the Seven calendar. Not only does the ride support the Franklin Land Trust, an excellent cause, but it also takes in some of the sweetest back roads and sweeping vistas in New England. It is both brutally hard and magically compelling. For some of us, it is the most difficult thing we’ll do all year, but we sign up over and over. It’s that good.

This year we had Seveneers riding the 100k (Matt and Susi on their Ti tandem), the 115k (Mike Salvatore), the 150k (John Lewis on his Axiom SL) and the 180k (Jake Bridge) routes, and of course we saw more Seven riders on each of the courses, some on road bikes, some on cross bikes.

John’s Axiom SL

As a randonee, D2R2 is not a race. It’s a challenging group ride. It requires cooperation, camaraderie, resource planning, group navigation and a lot of hard work. It is not unlike running a bike company.

And of course it’s all smiles and tall tales back in the food tent after the ride. All the descents were gnarlier and the climbs were longer and we came that much closer to crashing, as pulled pork and mac n’ cheese and Rice Krispy treats disappear in the feeding frenzy.

Jake, who did the long route, has the best story. Two miles into the ride his rear derailleur came apart. The lower pulley and its bolt flying free across the road. Only able to locate the bolt, he road back to the start area, cased the parking lot for any charitable soul with a spare pulley, FOUND ONE, installed it, and hammered back out onto the course, doing the entire 180k of dirt and mayhem on a cobbled together drive train.

Matt and Susi cut two hours off their 100k time from last year. Susi says it’s because they stopped to chat less. Matt believes they still stopped to chat too much.

An event like D2R2 can sustain you for a year. It will leave you with much to think about, climbs you could have handled better, gearing choices that seemed right at the time, and it will send you searching for long stretches of dirt road to conquer, if only to recapture that feeling of being out in the middle of no where, on your bike and flying.

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.

Many thanks to Mark Pasnik and the folks at over,under for putting on the incredible, “Let’s Talk About Bikes” exhibit at the Boston Society of Architects Space.  We were honored to be included in such a thoughtful way, and we were floored when we walked into the massive exhibit space.

There were bikes displayed along the entire perimeter of the second floor, with bigger-than-life photographs papering the walls behind each bike.  We were excited to see that the exhibit designers used a photo of Seven’s own Staci Sommers as the backdrop for the Seven Cycles Berlin Bike display.  Staci painted the Berlin Bike, and over,under conducted an extensive interview with her about the development of the Berlin Bike’s unique paint scheme, which is published in the “Let’s Talk About Bikes” brochure.

Along with the photographic backdrop were cool graphics that contained a description of the process that took the Berlin Bike from concept to build.  We’ve never before seen such an aesthetically sophisticated display of this bike.  Because of the layout of the exhibit, the guests were encouraged to ogle each detail of the bikes on display, but there was a flow to the space that kept everyone moving around from bike to bike, which actually encouraged conversation and resulted in a palpable excitement in the room.

Seven also had Mike Salvatore’s Elium track bike on display in the front window of the exhibit.  We were honored to have 2 bikes in this show.  There were bikes on display from SCUL, Saila,  Royal H, each of whom are Seveneers who also have their own brands.  There were also bikes from Boston-based bike builders Parlee and  Firefly.  We don’t usually get to see all of these bikes simultaneously, and it was a treat to get a closer look at the creativity and skill that each builder brings to their bikes.  It was also fun to see the reactions of the guests to the artisanship on display.

The exhibit also celebrated bike photography, and the myriad ways that riding has inspired photographers from all over the city.  Seveneers Matt O’Keefe and Jonathan Henig had photographs on display, and friends of Seven Susi Ecker and Natalia Boltukhova were also represented.

Giant video installations dotted the exhibit, with one featuring the experience of Team Greenline Velo, and another shot from the perspective of a commuter’s bike ride through downtown Boston.  The video installations, along with the variety of bikes around the gallery illustrated the mission of “Let’s Talk About Bikes”: to show the diversity of riding cultures and history in the Boston area, and to encourage discussion about how all of us as a community can make riding bikes more accessible and safe.  “Let’s Talk About Bikes” seeks to start a discussion among urban planners, architects, cyclists, and citizens about how the integration of a cycling-centric culture into an urban landscape can shape our cities in the 21^st century, and can have a positive impact on everything from the economy to the environment.

Along with the creativity and energy in the room, there was also amazing food and drink, generously donated by Trade Restaurant, which is located next door to the BSA.   This elegant touch lent the evening a note of  celebration and fun that made everyone feel like they were at the best party in Boston.  If you missed this event, do not despair!  The exhibit is up through August 31.  If you are in the Boston area this summer, we encourage you to make the “Let’s Talk About Bikes” exhibit at the BSA a must-see destination.

We are excited to participate in the “Let’s Talk About Bikes” exhibit at the Boston Society of Architects.  The exhibit opens on Tuesday, June 12, with a party at the BSA from 6-8pm.

“Let’s Talk About Bikes” was conceived by the folks at the design firm, over, under to celebrate the history of framebuilding in Boston, and to explore the role of the bicycle in an urban environment:

“The expansion of urban biking raises broader transit-related questions about the relationship of bicycles to urban and environmental public policy.  The exhibition examines this theme, from the Complete Streets movement to advocacy activism to concerns raised in Boston’s larger community about roadway use.  Let’s Talk About Bikes presents many stories and outlooks in order to raise awareness and questions about the role of the bicycle in cities today.”

Seven Cycles was asked to loan The Berlin Bike and Seveneer Mike Salvatore’s Elium to the exhibit.  Each bike represents a specific type of riding: the Berlin Bike is a commuter bike and Mike’s Elium was build specifically for track racing.  Parlee Cycles and Friefly Bicycles also have bikes in the exhibit.  In addition,  Rob V. conceptualized and edited a family tree of Boston bike building for the exhibit.  Many Seveneers are included in various aspects of the show: Matt O’Keefe‘s and Jonathan Henig‘s photographs will be displayed, and bikes built by Saila, Royal H., and the SCUL gang will also be part of the show.

We hope that if you’re in or around Boston over the summer, you’ll stop by the BSA to have a look at the craftsmanship on display.  “Let’s Talk About Bikes” runs from June 12-August 31, 2012.

Pre-Bowling Warm Ups

Keeping one’s senses in tact is not usually something to which holiday party revelers aspire.   Thankfully, we have Matt O’Keefe as one of our helmers, and he managed to not only take these amazing photos of Seven’s holiday bash, he also proved to be a wicked good candlepin bowler.

Candlepin Kit

The kids show us how to roll a strike!

A great time was had by all, especially the youngsters who showed us all a thing or two about bowling stamina and the thrill of the gutter ball!

Awards were handed out for best form, worst form, and highest and lowest scores.  Although the night had to end, most of us were lingering until the folks at Sacco’s Bowl Haven politely told us it was time to give up the lanes for the next round of patrons.

Thanks to Staci Sommers for her decorating expertise and for making all party goers feel like we had entered a winter wonderland instead of a bowling alley bar; and thanks to Karl Borne who not only thought up the awards categories, but who chose the prizes for each, and then handed them out with aplomb and holiday cheer!  Happy Holidays to everyone and we look forward to seeing you in 2012!

Karl B. the evening's master of ceremonies