Time for a New Bike
Before my Kona Zing frame broke this past spring, I had in mind that once that bike bit the dust, I was going to get a new bike. The break in the frame solidified that decision. The replacement frame that Kona supplied had a different geometry and was a little smaller than the one that broke. That got me started on the path toward a new bike.
There is a dizzying array of bicycles to choose from. I had seemingly endless options available to me. They ranged from sticking with the replacement frame until it broke or wore out (the cheapest option) all the way up to some of the very expensive bikes that make bike riders drool (but justifying $15,000 for a bike is pretty tough).
I started in what might be an unusual place. I decided that I wanted a titanium bike. Carbon bikes are light and fast, but I’ve never really wanted to ride a carbon bike. I like the feel of steel. I have an aluminum bike. Titanium is light, durable, beautiful, and seemed to be the right fit for the kind of riding that I do. The decision to go with titanium narrowed the field significantly.
I then read an article about how most road bike companies do all of their development around a frame for a 5′ 10″ average male and that smaller riders get a harsher ride as the tubes are simply cut shorter while taller riders get a “sloppy” ride because the tubes are cut longer. I really liked the idea of getting a custom bike for my unique size and needs.
That lead me to look hard at a Seven. They are a custom bike builder outside of Boston (USA made) that cut their teeth on titanium and are considered experts in the titanium custom bicycle building world. Our local bike shop is a Seven dealer and when I learned that custom Sevens are the same price as off-the-rack Sevens, I was hooked. I just needed to figure out which model and enter the process to have them build me a bike.
What follows in several additional posts is my process. I intend to blog here about each step along the way until the bike is delivered and ridden.
Rev Rider 