Birthday Reflection: Bike Magazine 11 Questions

Today's my birthday. This Bike Magazine "11 Questions" feature surfaced today at Verde Brand Communications when the Happy Birthday email went out from our Human Resources manager.

The picture is funny, I have been a dummy many times for photographers. In other words, I'll stand in while the hired gun dials in the lighting before the talent arrives for the real photo shoot. Sometimes this can be hours. I think the longest I've waited for an athlete to show for their call time was three hours. The dude showed up with perfectly quaffed and styled hair, we snapped about three total photos before he called it a wrap and believe it or not we made an advertisement out out of that shoot.

While we were waiting for said talent, the photographer and I, who had made a makeshift studio from a tiny cheap Spanish resort hotel room, asked ourselves what the hold up could be. We thought maybe he had a pimple, or was fluffing, or was trying to fix his farmer tan with fake tanning oil. Three hours is a lot of time to think of possible reasons out 'talent' was late for the shoot. Some of our theories were down right silly.

Several months later our talented photo subject became a subject of major controversy having doped at the Giro and been caught with his cheating posse a few weeks later at the Tour. Maybe our talented subject was getting a blood bag the night of our photo shoot, we didn't come up with that theory during our three hour wait with our beds turned up in a tiny hotel room to create a makeshift backdrop for the photos.

Anyways, I have a point, the photo with my hair all zany was shot by John Segesta one night in Solvang when I stood in as a dummy for the three athletes we were doing portraits of for a special feature. John has an incredible library cycling hero portraits he's shot over the years. This one of Landis stands out to me, giving the finger to the camera.

Property of John Segesta, from johnsegesta.com

So I stood in, took my hat off after a long Winter in Idaho where your hat never comes off and let him snap away. Nice job hairdo, making Mom proud, onto the 11 questions. I read through these and found it interesting to read my answers to these 11 questions buried on the internet, a virtual window into my past. I've decided to answer them once again, about ten years later. Here goes:

Describe the perfect hamburger - Well, this one hasn't changed much. In fact I had the very same burger described tonight, as a birthday treat. A grass fed 1/3 pounder from the Power House. And yes, the best burger is still the one you're holding. 

Who are your heroes or role models? - John Tomac is still the boss. And the fact he's raised Eli to be a world class motocrosser is not surprising. I think the only thing that is different in my mind at this point in life is that he fathered a Wonder Kid. I have so much fun with my son when he's riding his bike I can only imagine how scary and fulfilling it might be to watch your kid race a moto at that level.

What would you be doing if you hadn't discovered bikes? - I really don't know. This industry has been so good to me through the highs and the lows. The common denominator for cyclists is the love of two wheels. There is no better bond than one that is forged on the trail amongst singletrack companions. Some of my best friends I have met through cycling. When I was in high school I wanted to be an engineer. I really liked the time in my cycling career where I either created or directly affected product design. Marketing bikes is really fun, but creating them is special. I think the closet engineer in me still yearns to create things. If I wasn't creating bicycles or marketing them, I'd be creating something else.

Where is the most interesting place on earth? - I still find Zermat to be one of the most amazing places on earth, but I really believe there is beauty in any place you find yourself. Traveling this planet as I have the past two decades I have seen some amazing places that I did not expect to find. If you keep your eyes open, the whole world is amazing. 

What is your favorite musician or band right now? - I busted out my old CD collection during this recent move and threw RUSH, Moving Pictures into my audio system and was again blown away. Neil Peart is a god amongst percussionists. I miss albums. Why do we have to live in the world of Singles artists? What about creating an album that can be played front to back?

What was your first bike? - This one will never change, it's a constant... the Schwinn Sting Ray. But... I have a strong opinion about the current "Walker" bikes on the market. In a word; Glorious. My kid is two years old and he's rallying hard in the driveway about 4 years earlier than I found the bike. We have to give credit to Strider who have made a great product and led the charge. While the big brands have latched onto the coat tails of this movement it's Strider who really created the category in my mind.

If you could play any instrument what would it be? - The accordion seems pretty hard, scratch that. I think I want a drum set. 

Who do you think is the best rider of all time? - My respect for Nico grows every year. He was fast on the MTB World Cup, he applied himself in WRC and did pretty well and has successfully bridged to Enduro now. It's hard to pick a "best" but Nico is pretty solid. I have no roadie idols, I found them to be false.

What is on the perfect pizza? - This one is a constant for me, it actually prompted me to write this blog. How is it that I still love pepperoni with mushroom, olives and garlic? I guess once you have a favorite pie you stick with it. Same.

If you could have a conversation with anyone, living or dead, who would it be? - I'd love to connect with my great grandmother. She's been gone for 20 years, I would love to see her and my son together.

Describe yourself in three words - Just Getting Started

Thanks for reading-

Adrian

The Beauty of Handbuilt

The 2014 North American Handbuilt Bike Show (NAHBS) in Charlotte, NC was like an art show with functional pieces. Builders from all regions and walks of life gathered to show their latest creations to media, enthusiasts and customers in the market for a truly custom bicycle. The experience was one a blend of McGuyver like American engenuity and good intentioned entrepreneurship. After all, the bicycle is a noble product to be pushing as it improves lives.

Trends

Not bound by minimums in Asian factories or market demand, the Handbuilder is a craftsman who can address niches the big brands could never service. One common theme found amongst the builders is the total lack of need for quantity to drive production. And who can discredit the seeds of American innovation? The light bulb, the automobile, the mountain bike, the 29er all came from home grown thinkers who cared little for convention. If the top global brands aren't already cursing the halls of NAHBS their eye is not on the prize.

If the Fat Bike segment is considered tiny, how small is the Fat Bike Alpine Touring market?

Suppliers taking notice

Component, rubber and wheel manufacturers were well represented at the show. There were two factors that played into this level of support by big suppliers for such a small market. First, every major brand has launched house branded parts. Suppliers who's specialty are wheels for example are feeling pinched by the big 5 opting to make their own parts to offset rising costs and maintain a healthy profit margin. Strong handbuilt brands who can offer complete kits with enough volume can help offset the losses suffered by the rise of house brands on complete bikes. Second, there's sex appeal to having your parts on featured bikes like those shown at NAHBS. It makes your parts look exclusive to be shown on these one-off creations and serves as a good brand positioner. One thing is for certain, suppliers are keeping an eye on this market.

An amazing creation for IMBA trail crews, no better way to clear trail in the Spring.

Real Commerce Happening
An interesting part of this show is the consumer interaction with the product and the builders. When one decides they want something hand-crafted, they want to et to know the builder and make a connection with them. They want to feel understood and know that the person who takes on their project has their needs top of mind throughout the process. It's a courtship between the buyer and the maker, deciding on the flavor and the shape. While the first day was spent with supplier-builder interaction, the weekend was about sales. The real reason to show at NAHBS is to connect with your audience and sell bicycles. These brands survive in the absence of specialty retail distribution because there's no room for them in the channel, and they connect with their customers face to face.

Embracing E-Bike solutions means we'll see more elegant integration.

Electrified Options

A really exciting segment for handbuilts are in E-bike. Products can be created with a specific purpose in mind, like delivering goods within cities. Can you imagine if small batches we're built for pizza delivery, with integrated warming bag placement and cash box? No big brand could build like this, it goes back to minimums. If we really want to replace cars with human powered transport E-bike is a huge part of that equation and functional transport is important too. It was awesome to see Gates and Bosch supporting the movement and I'm certain we'll see a lot of ideas sparked in this segment.

An aesthetically pleasing solution for cable stops on a cantilever design.

NAHBS had one last distinction from another popular bike show that is noteworthy; intimacy. The crazy halls of Vegas a convention center are in stark contrast to the experience you'll find at this show. There was time to catch up with friends, real conversations happening and no distraction from what really mattered, the bike. Next stop, Louisville 2015.