One to One

Installment #1


Whoa. First Blog entry.


This is like standing backstage in a theatre and you don’t know if when the curtains go up the house will be packed or empty. Then the curtain rises and it is pitch dark. I still have no idea if the house is full or empty, so here I am, mike in hand and it’s time to talk…or blog…I’m most comfortable pretending that it’s just you in the audience, so it’s me and you, one to one, OK? I’ll put the mike down…..

Blogging, like many new ideas is something that has taken me a while to warm to. I am not old-fashioned, resistant to new ideas or to change. In fact I love change…I just need to believe that whatever shape change takes, that it is worth doing. And that, in a nutshell, explains a lot about our company ideals. It doesn’t matter so much whether we are first or late so long as what we do has merit beyond sales or marketing potential. It’s great to be first, it’s better to be the best. (Lift-off, I’m off and running….).
The challenge of a ‘first installment’ is like the challenge of a first date, a first presentation, a first meeting….you know you want to make a great impression…and in my case, I can think of way too many things that explain our reason of being…so what are the few words that I can say that you will remember this time we share by….and be glad you did?

It’s hard to be heard these days….every bike company, large and small, is saying pretty much the same things: Fast, Stiff & Comfortable! Space-age, Lightweight, State-of-the-Art, Perfect Fit, AnatomicalBodyGeomspecificCooler-than-Cool, What the Pros Use, Crafted, Sculpted, Sweated, Engineered, Assembled, actuallyThoughtofbyrealAmericansintheUSA blah, blah, blah….everyone is singing the same song so how do you know what the differences might be…or if there are actually differences that mean anything of value at all? Where’s the TRUTH & VALUE?

Especially now in these times of uncertainty, I think that truth and value matter more than at any other time in the last 36 years that I’ve been in the business of building bicycles. We’ve set many milestones, many firsts, (or modern era firsts) that other companies lay claim to (you can check out our timeline if you want), but as I said before, being first doesn’t matter as much as being the best. And to me being the best isn’t about how it sells….itis, what is the product really WORTH?

I tell you without hesitation or shame of immodesty, that one to one, we are the best. That’s a claim that is based in truth and value and worth.

You ask, how so?

We are not the best because we led (and lead) the way in personalized fitting technology.

We are not the best because dealers, technicians, coaches, podiatrists, physical therapists and doctors come from all over the world to participate in SICI programs.

We are not the best because we offer an absolutely insane number of finish choices.

We are not the best because instead of paying to support marketing you are paying for more product, American labor and a business principle based on value.

We are not the best because on average our frames take hours longer to produce.

We are not the best because our material costs are higher than our competitors, because we demand the highest quality in carbon, titanium and steel.

We are not the best because our bicycles are straighter than any other.

We are not the best because we’ve designed, engineered and crafted more custom frames, one at a time, over thirty-six years than any other US builder.

We are not the best because our staff is so experienced and talented and caring…and in sports talk, we have a very deep bench of all-stars.

We are not the best because we are more vertically integrated in manufacturing and engineering than any other US company, large or small, resulting in unparalleled engineering design, process and quality control.

We are not the best because in 1986 we launched a new area in materials design and engineering.

We are not the best because we exhaustively test (in the lab and the real world) any new model entry for performance, durability and longevity.

We are not the best because we are more selective in choosing our dealer representatives than any other company.

We are not the best because our bicycles have been raced in every major national, international, amateur & professional cycling event in Road, Time-Trial, Triathlon, Cross and MTB.

And We are not the best just because I said so…..



We ARE all these things….but we are the best because more, far more than any other company, we know how to take all of these assets and apply them when we are set to the task of creating a one-to-one relationship with you….not the stereotype of a cyclist…you.

So what is the best bicycle in the world? It’s the bike that makes you want to ride more, the one that makes you a better cyclist, the one that speaks to you when you are in another inane, insane, redundant meeting, the one that you’ll still be riding fast ten (or twenty) years from now, the one that delivers the opportunity for you to achieve your personal best…performance you can count on! The bike that understands, no defines WHY YOU RIDE.
So now, one on one…tell me what you’d like to know….and I’ll pick it up in the next installment.