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We made this little fella a few years back but for some reason during a “portfolio simplification” it was cut. Since then we’ve had at least one request a week asking where it went. Sometimes two or three. Finally we got our heads screwed on straight and we’ve reintroduced it.
Originally it was designed for bike polo, because one hand is always holding the mallet in that nutty game, leaving only one hand for braking. But as time went by the sales to those with impaired hand use dwarfed the polo market sales. We’re proud to offer those in need the option for a much higher quality unit.
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We killed it at this years Quincy Grinduro with not one, but two aid stations. First we brought the party to the riders first stop way out on the course (actually Paul got us lost on the way there) with bacon and our other goodies. There may have been a keg of Sierra Nevada Pale Ale and some whiskey too. Then since the (supposed) keg wasn’t dry and we had more bacon to cook, we went over to our usual spot which just so happened to be at the end of the last timed section. There, we finished off the keg and the bacon while the Lost Sierra weather switched from brilliant sunshine to hail and back all day long.
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Then it was off to Philadelphia for the Philly Bike Expo, our favorite bike show of all time. It being our 30th anniversary, we went all out and brought not only our current line, but also a table of goodies from the past. One-off’s and production pieces alike. Being Left Coasters it’s always good to connect with our fellow east coast bike dorks. Seriously, you should plan on attending next year.
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November 8th marked a significant day for the towns of Paradise, Chico and the surrounding communities. It marked one year after one of the worst disasters in the country, California’s worst in modern times and most assuredly the worst day of their lives for many people here.
Leading up to the anniversary I think everyone in town was on high alert. Sirens tend to set off the PTSD for me personally. Now that it’s passed and there currently aren’t any fires threatening the area we’re all a little more at ease. Still, at an out of town trail building symposium for the SBTS I attended this weekend, the social talk was a lot of “you’re from Chico huh, wasn’t that near that big fire?” The answer is yes, very near. We had the worst air quality on earth for a couple days back then, our roads have been pulverized by the extra traffic and services like police, fire and hospital are all over loaded. And don’t even try to hire a contractor. Something like thirty thousand people moved into a town of eighty thousand overnight. It’s been a mess.
However, the town of Paradise has been scraped completely clean of the toxic residue that was left after all that plastic burned. So many things in our lives are plastic and will burn very well, and very dirty, a lesson we learned last year. But as of last month, eleven houses have been built up there. This doesn’t seem like much for a year, but it’s taken so much work, pain and grief to get here that we’re all thankful that the ball has finally started rolling. It’s actually feeling like while things will never be the same, we’ve turned the corner and things are getting better.
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Now you have a friend in the drop bar dropper trigger business! We’ve taken the best features of our flat bar dropper trigger and applied them to our 31.8 Dropper Trigger. These include a double sealed bearing pivot, the ability to use with either end of the cable, and comfy ergo touch points. Then we rotated the housing exit 90 degrees so there will be no interference with other stuff bolted to the bars, and added a touch more leverage for easy actuation.
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7 Questions with Paul Sadoff
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Did you have an inkling you’d still be doing this after 40 years?
Building frames was just a hobby for the first 9 years. I didn't think it would be possible to be a real full-time job, so…no. I didn't think I would be doing this for a living, let alone for 40 years. Now that it has been my work for so long it's hard to think about stopping.
You must be in some sort of stable place by now. Sure, not getting rich probably, but hopefully ok with going to work and having a little fun now and then. Any particular focus you had that helped get you here? One or two things you decided you’d do or keep in mind to help get through the scarier leaner times of starting a frame building business?
Stability or just sustainability didn't really happen until about 2003. I definitely had some good years before then but when Cyclingnews.com did an article about a bike I built that had been in the CX worlds, it kind of changed my life. Up until then I was playing in bands to help keep the food on the table. Keeping a low overhead and servicing the needs of my cycling community have been elemental in my viability. Notice that I don't use the word "Success"......unless you consider non-starvation a success in the frame building world - I guess you could! The thing that kept me from quitting was the realization that most of my friends were met through my work and cycling. They were all very supportive and encouraging.
The CX race scene is a priority for you. Is that mostly just passion, advertising, a bit of both? Do you think it’s been worth the trouble on a strictly monetary level or does that not even matter to you?
Without cyclocross I would probably not be in business. I do build all kinds of frames but through the last two decades CX race bikes have been the thing that kept me busy in the shop. I have been building CX bikes for at least 30 years and have sponsored a few riders here and there but when I started my own team in 2004 it got me really involved in the sport .The CX team is a passion but it is also my most effective promotion. People at races see folks on my bikes and it makes an impression. I do spend a lot of money and energy on the team but it’s worth it in so many ways. It helps the sport by having another competitive team at the events. It helps the promoters as they sell more race entries. It helps the athletes as they get sponsor dollars so that they don't go broke racing their bikes, and it helps me get my name out there in a sport I really care about.
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Tell me about the first ever single speed mountain bike. Don’t be shy.
Single speed # 1 was a bike built for a friend of a friend who wanted to race 'Cruiser class' as it was called back in 1987. I had thought about building a single speed dedicated racing MTB before then but I was too broke to fund the project. This guy named John Miller said that he would buy a single speed and race for me if I gave him a good enough deal. In early 1987 I built the bike- it was a 24" rear wheel and a 26" front. I thought that the small rear wheel would feel quicker as it was a bit lighter than a 26" wheel.
John wound up winning nearly every race he entered. The Lemurian, the TNT, Whiskeytown....those are the ones I remember. John said that no matter where he raced, he did not see another custom single speed. Everyone else was riding on converted bikes or cruisers......he was pretty sure that it was the first one.
I was at a talk with a bunch of MTB hall of famers in North Carolina in 2005. These folks were the real deal- Jaquie Phelan, Paul Thomasberg, Joe Murray, Ross Shafer. So..... here I was, a nobody who made bikes alone in a shed telling all assembled that I might have been the guy who made the first dedicated single speed MTB. Sure, people had been riding single speed in the dirt many years before but I have not seen a bike that predates the one I built in 1987 that has the same features. Maybe there's an earlier one out there from another builder but I have yet to see it. I'm sure that people think I'm a real douche for trying to claim the title of 'father of the single speed MTB'. Well, I can't claim that but I can say that I was someone who believed in single speeding in the dirt when hardly anybody thought it was anything less than insane.
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How often do you practice guitar and how many gigs a year does the band play?
I hardly play guitar at all these days, maybe once every other week but I did two gigs last year and I'll probably do a couple more this year. I really miss it but I'm so busy with building frames it’s hard to have the energy. Also, the older you get the more of your music buddies die.
Your shop seems to be some sort of cosmic chaos that must work for you. Comment?
Yes, my shop is a colossal mess but I still get stuff done. In 2017 I built 102 frames in my old shop. Maybe I work well in a mess. My new shop is a little cleaner and I'm making plans to make it even more organized but it is not in my nature to have a pristine orderly workplace. I admire people who do, though....
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Beatles or Stones?
Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac before either the Beatles or the Stones. Sorry......
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