Tubes, Lugs & the Road to NAHBS

As mentioned a few long weeks ago, there will be a few frames at the Hand Built show that bear the Bruce Gordon name. The majority of the bikes that will be at the show fall into the 'affordable' category - meaning they are real bikes that can be ridden by real people and don't require you to sell a kidney to buy one. Not saying we won't bring one or two classics along that might require such a transaction... Maybe you might see one featured in the video below:

But we're getting way off course, now aren't we?
The point of this post was to give you a sneak peak at the cool new frames that will be at the show.

Are you ready??
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Here you go:

Guess the good news is there is still another month until the show. Someone threw away the assembly instructions for these things - not sure if any of us can figure out how to put these things together...

Until then - keep the wheels spinning. And don't forget to come visit the Bruce Gordon Cycles booth at the show, we promise to be fun. Really.

STOP! In the Name of Fenders...

Sometimes we listen to the signs that life presents us. Sometimes we don't. Actually, most of the time we don't, this is the bike business you know.

Despite this rather dry winter we've had out in CA (complaining? Hell no..), I can say that Bruce's full fendered road bike creation is ready for the rainy season, with style. I mean just look at it...
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Speaking of looking - you should have seen the look on the face of the dude riding a new Look and getting passed, on a climb, by some dude riding a steel bike with full fenders and big 28mm tires. Bragging about my riding ability (it never hurts) - not really - just another confirmation that a properly designed and comfortable bike means more than the marketing guru's want you to believe. I heard that this year's color scheme is faster than last years - and some how it's stiffer and more comfortable too. Wait - what are we talking about again??

Either way, it doesn't matter. And that's the point of this post. Bruce was spot on when he asked me how it rode - "Like a bike, eh?". Tongue in cheek -  maybe. But the more I ride this road special, the more I realize the beauty of a bike that rides, well, like a bike. You forget about the bike and enjoy the ride. The bike is a quiet, humming extension of your body.

Bruce Gordon knows how to build a bike - a useful, comfortable and enjoyable bike that turns its share of heads and rides like a bike should. And for that I cannot thank him enough.

  Have a BG Bike Story? Submit it w/ a picture or two and tell your side of the Bruce Gordon Story.

Show Bikes on the Horizon - NAHBS Update

Oh my - it has been a little while since our last visit. But things are picking up here in the BG Cycles shop. We have 4 lugged framesets to build for the NAHBS show - which is about the amount that Ed and I figured we could safely complete before the show. We don't exactly want to pull our hair out trying to finish these things up at the last minute. Not that we don't like excitement, we're just not sure if what hair we have would grow back (and I'm not volunteering to find out).


Ed and I had lunch yesterday to discuss our plan of attack for these new bikes. The one we're most excited about (ok - we're excited about all of them) is a cool resto-mod concept showcasing a new line of Italian drive train components. While we can't let all the cats out of the bag just yet, our marketing whiz kid made us promise to take pictures along the way. Not sure if its because he has a weird bike obsession or wants us to share them (the pictures, not the obsession) with you. Call them teasers if you will.

In Other News...
We have finally put together a mailing list! Not the old fashioned newsletter in the mail kind of newsletter, the digital kind (I'm old, give me a break). We haven't actually written the first newsletter, but there will be one in the future. If we're motivated, you might see one (as in single) a month. So no worries about email spam. You can sign up at the bottom of any page on www.bgcycles.com. If I can figure out how to add a sign up link to the blog, I'll do that too.

Last But Not Least...
Happy 2012! We are the lucky few that get to experience the ending of the Maya Long Calendar. Some are taking this beautifully out of context to suggest the end of the modern world. Whatever. All I know is it's January and I'm still riding my bike to work (though it's a bit cold most mornings). No matter what you believe, make sure to spend some more time this year planted in the saddle of your lovely bike(s). That is a good thing for everyone.

Custom Lugged Frames Are Back & Ed Litton Lends a Hand

In preparation for the new year, friends of BG Cycles and myself have been discussing in great detail new offerings for 2012. Being a small company, we can't stretch ourselves too thin. But after much discussion with my dear friend Ed Litton, we have decided to join together and produce a new line of lugged and fillet brazed bikes. Why lugs and fillet brazing? It pays homage to the classic methods of frame building that we cut our teeth on, as well as makes a lugged Bruce Gordon bike more accessible to the public. Not that they weren't previously, but we understand that not everyone has $7000-$10,000 to spend on a bike.

These new Fillet Framesets will start at $2800. All will be custom sized/fit for each customer - no off the shelf sizing here. All framsets include the following standard options:

• Custom Lugged or Fillet brazed steel frame and fork designed around your personal dimensions and riding needs. (Road, Track, Touring, Cross, etc)
• Matching Lugged crown fork (an optional Carbon Fork is available)
• Standard racing braze-ons included (water bottle mounts, cable mounts, etc).  Additional brazeons available as options.
• A single color Ed Litton paint job. If you have seen any of my show bikes, you know Ed can lay down paint with the best.
• Customer choice of the classic 1" threaded Steerer or 1 1/8" threadless.

Being a custom frame, the sky is the limit with additional options - we can discuss your specific needs. If you want a complete bike, we can do that too.  Final cost will depend on additional frame options and the components selected. We'll post some build kit examples to give you an idea of pricing on whole bikes.

Guess What - It Gets Better!

To celebrate this new collaboration between Ed and I, the first frames will be on display at the 2012 North American Hand Built Bike Show in Sacramento.  If you want one of these show bikes to call your own, please order before January 1st 2012 to ensure that we can complete them before the show. Be sure to watch our custom bike page, as the new bike options will be added soon. We are so excited about this that we needed to leak it to our ever so faithful blog followers first.

How to Order 

Being old farts (and the fact the two of us are probably the slowest typers in North America), email is not an efficient way to communicate with us.  All custom frame and bike orders will be taken over the phone. There are too many details that we feel will get lost in trying to communicate via email. Give the shop a call @ 707-762-5601 (I actually answer the phone too). Deposits are the $500 on frames or $1000 on complete bikes with the balance due upon completion.

Questions? Ask Away!

Regards,
Bruce Gordon & Ed Litton

For the Classic Tourer - Blum's Bike Touring Map from 1896

Every once and a while I'll stumble across something that is too unique to pass up. And this 1896 bicycle map of California roads definitely qualifies. Complete with the original advertisements, this is close to a must have for you touring nerds out there (myself included).


Pending your desire for this type of historical artifact, I found some reproductions on Zazzle. Though not sure that I would rely on such a map for directions now a days. Then again, I don't need a map, I always know where I'm going (at least according to the super sexy British voice on my TomTom).

A New BG Road Bike Spotted in the Wild

Contrary to popular belief, Bruce doesn't only build touring bikes. He has a road bike or two up his sleeve. And to for those in doubt (or that have missed it on Facebook), a new BG road bike was spotted in the wild. Sporting 28mm tires, full Honjo fenders and Bruce's signature canti brakes, it was a sight to be seen this morning outside of Verve Coffee Roasters.

Spotted other BG bikes in the wild? Take some pictures and drop us a line. The more BG bikes on the road the better.

Polishing Some Brakes, Living the Dream

Playing a little catch up on the technology curve can be an interesting. The BG websites are starting to transform into something worthy of 2011, SOPWAMTOS is getting off the ground and people love our shirts (hurry up and buy them, we'll make more. And maybe even some stickers. But I digress). That said, via one of my google alerts I learned of a discussion that compared an el cheapo Tektro canti brake (the 720) to a BG-designed canti brake. That seemed like comparing a Kmart Huffy from the 80's and a Mercx MX Leader. There really shouldn't be a comparison. Sure, technically they're both brakes that fit on a bike - but that's where the comparison really ends. How do I know? I put a set of OEM 720's on my commuter bike and rode it up/down Alba Road in Ben Lomond...

Why You Shouldn't Cheap Out On Crap Brakes
First off, I'm not directly calling the 720's garbage (or Tektro's in general), though in their off the shelf configuration they left a LOT to be desired. Then again, what do you really expect for $27 per set? Here is what I experienced with lack luster brakes:

• Extreme pad wear.
• Chunking of aluminum (from rim). This means the rim is taking the abuse, not the pad, causing premature rim wear.
• High rim temps (due to incorrect pad compound) and very poor modulation.
• A nasty mess all over the bike from pad dust. All. The. Time.

Am I suggesting that you need to spend $300 for a decent set of brakes? No, but considering this is a component that will help prevent you from going off the road, running intersections or generally going OTB, quality should not be taken lightly (neither should tires, but that is another post). Hard pads will wreak havoc on rim braking surfaces (Jim Langley agrees), offer poor performance and add a cost to replace the pads (and rims if you're not careful).


Where Quality and Art Meet
This is the selling point for the BG aluminum cantilever brakes - they are a beautiful blend of form and function. Machined in the USA, hand polished and come standard with Kool Stop pads, it's hard to really complain about quality. You will be hard pressed to find other bikes with the same brakes - making them quite the exclusive item (not that bikers care about that kind of stuff). Bruce has spent some time over the last few days polishing up more sets of brakes. Reward his effort by picking up a set up for your canti'd bike (cross or road, doesn't matter).  I promise they'll look hot. My new bike is even going to sport these awesome brakes - and yours can too!