Seven Cycles Collaborative

Working on this lugged frame project has reminded me of one of the valuable lessons I learned in school:  I don’t learn well if a topic is theoretical—with no real world application in the immediate term.  But, I learn pretty well when I see how a topic connects to the world around me.  I’ve also learned that many people have this same learning challenge as me.

So, on this project, for the first time, I’m really understanding the attraction of lugged construction in a way that I couldn’t when I was just a spectator of the build method.  I’m hearing this from a lot of my Collaborative teammates, too.

Deconstructing each element of the frame through lugged eyes has been enlightening.  This artificially forced lens provides a view that we would not have if we didn’t choose lugged construction and one of the project directives.  For example, if we chose a TIG welded frame as a directive, I’m fairly certain that our embedded assumptions caused by 20+ years for building more than 40,000 frames would preclude us from seeing frame building with new eyes.

So, while a lugged frame project may seem off kilter for Seven Cycles, it’s perfect for the Collaborative’s learning directive.

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Velvet at Seven Cycles. Every morning is like velvet.

One of the inspirations for the Seven Cycles Collaborative came from feedback regarding a tumblog we did called Velvet at Seven Cycles.  This was a super simple and super fast journal of a special project.  The blog takes place during a 4-week period earlier this year.  Here’s an excerpt:

“Here’s a tumblog about Seven Cycles’ and Raceware’s project to bring a new product to life: Velvet.  We’re using this site as one of the communication modes between our companies.”

I heard from a number of people that it was a really interesting view into the development of a product.  And, a couple people even said they used it for training purposes.  That’s cool!

Keep in mind that the Velvet blog was a test.  It served its purpose well and helped me in formulating the Seven Cycles Collaborative journal.  The CoLab blog is a lot more comprehensive than Velvet.  Velvet was fun, first and last.  The CoLab is more than just fun; we hope it is also communicative, informative, creative, and lots of other “-tives”.

You tell us.

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We're a brick, too--just with more holes than most.

I often talk with people that tell me it’s pretty cool that we get to build bikes for a living.  And, I often forget that these people are right—building bikes is an awesome vocation.  One of the many reasons it’s awesome is because bicycle frame building an uncommon practice.  There aren’t really that many companies that do it—unless you live in Portland, Oregon

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Lugs and tubes and silver, oh my!

The list of reasons is long.  Today, I’ll start with this reason:

Seven Cycles has never offered a lugged steel bike.

We’ve made a lot of steel frames over the years–all tig welded, never lugged.  We’ve built a lot of lugged frames–all titanium and carbon, never steel.

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So, what is this long-term project I’ve been writing about?  The short answer is:

Design & Build a Steel Lugged Bike

We have a more definitive mission for the Collaborative, but that’s all I’m going to say for now.

This may not seem very exciting.  However, I am pretty confident that it’s going to be interesting and engaging.  Yes, exciting—not for everyone but for some.  It’s already been exciting for me and some of the people in the Collaborative.

People that know Seven might find this to be a strange project.  In some ways it is; it’s certainly not a type of frame building for which Seven is known.  And, a lot of people would be surprised to know how many people at Seven have built lugged steel bikes and how long that’s been going on.

More on that later.  Back to work now.

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