Blog
That Rock ‘n Road Tire is Back…
Our fellow resident crumudgen Bruce Gordon is bringing has brought back that legendary Rock n’ Road tire. Yes, that one from the late 80′s. Don’t believe us? Check it here, here and here. Why do you care? Because you have a bike that is itching for a nice 43mm 700c tire that rolls well on … Continue reading
Handle Bra – That Leathery Loving Support for your Hands
The fact of the matter is that we’re a little snobbish when it comes to equipping our bikes. Not to the extent of swapping out derailleur hardware for color coordination purposes (do you have a $100 for some fancy bolts?) or sporting $140 water bottle cages, but we like nice shit that serves a purpose. … Continue reading
How Strong is Your Steel Fork – the Update
Back in November we rocked your world with a video of a CSPC (Consumer Product Safety Commission) test being performed repeatedly on a standard, off-the-shelf carbon fork from a company that Mr. Lopez formerly worked for (if you missed the original post, you can find it here). A quick recap of the details: The CPSC … Continue reading
Creative Manufacturing Across the Pond
SOPWAMTOS stands for the Society of People Who Actually Make Their Own Shit. Notice that the ‘Society’ does not have a geographical designation. It’s not necessarily owned by any one country – it just so happened that being Americans that have seen millions of jobs (as well as many within the bike industry) shipped overseas, … Continue reading
Xenophobia, Politics, and Why We Do What We Do
SOPWAMTOS is an interesting organism and often misunderstood, misconstrued, or taken so far out of context that one can only sit with their head half cocked and wonder ‘WTF is that person talking about???’ We’ve been called old, Stone Age, cranky, grouchy – even xenophobic (which means a fear of foreigners). And this is only … Continue reading
When “Good Enough” Isn’t Good Enough
Seems some feathers were ruffled when the topic of outsourcing vs. insourcing (in the bike business) was brought up. But it’s time to be 100% clear – Bruce Gordon Cycles has not always manufactured, in house, every, single, little, nut and bolt that goes into every bike I’ve built. I don’t know best practices for … Continue reading
Passion for Making Shit vs. Passion for Outsourcing Shit
Over the last week there has been a lot of chatter about China, imports, profit margins, marketing and Rapha. And while everyone has their opinions to the moral rights/wrongs of building “stuff” at a low cost factory in a country with environmental/human rights violations that would make Nike cringe, some things became very clear to … Continue reading
It’s Alive – the New Road Bike Lives
A month ago we teased you with the prospect of a new road bike that was fast, relatively light, and could accommodate wider tires & fenders. All while not riding like a slug. A short time ago we teased you with a naked welded frame. As of today, the bike is ready. Feast your eyes … Continue reading
How Strong is Your Fork? Reynolds Composites Drop Test
Some people don’t like carbon. Others enjoy pointing out all the failures that occur with carbon bike parts (for joy, information, or otherwise). Proponents & skeptics aside, the best answers come directly from the people that build the stuff. That said, reading is pretty laborous ( <- so is proper spelling). So we bring you … Continue reading
Adding Some ‘Homebrewed’ to the Parts Mix
Sipping on the last of my personal IPA is a bitter sweet moment. Clearly I enjoyed the batch now that I am at the end – but unfortunately all I have left are empty bottles. On the bright side it’s time for a new batch o’ brew! But this blog post isn’t about my emotional … Continue reading
