Seven Cycles Inc.
Builder Profile
About Seven:
Seven Cycles was founded by Rob Vandermark in early 1997. Rob, previously head of R&D at Merlin Metalworks, decided to branch out on his own and develop a company to build high-end titanium and steel frames. He also wanted to offer the rider custom geometry, without extra charges and long lead times. So Rob assembled a team of experienced craftspeople who all shared a common goal: To build the highest quality, most innovative frames, and therefore provide the cyclist with the best riding experience possible.
Seven Cycles exists because you have asked for more from your cycling. We understand, for we too are devoted cyclists. We are a team of skilled craftspeople—designers, engineers, machinists, welders, and service professionals—whose love for cycling fuels a single-minded desire to build the world’s finest bicycle frames and accessories. We want to create the best bicycle you have ever ridden, using an uncompromising approach to design, materials choice, workmanship, and service. That is an aspiration we have fulfilled for thousands of serious cyclists in fifty states and in more than twelve countries. Now it’s your turn. Let us build the bike you have always dreamed of.
This is Seven Cycles
A Hands-on Approach
From the first tube cut to the final finish, precision and craftsmanship are poured into every aspect of frame fabrication.
Our machinists strive for 100 percent accuracy on every part they work on. Once machined, tubes are cleaned, then handled only with cotton gloves, as even a fingerprint can degrade the strength of a weld. Our welders purge oxygen from the weld zone using a customized TIG welding torch that bathes the frame in argon gas. Then, they use an alternating welding pattern developed by Seven to ensure perfect alignment. Welders check frame alignment five times, altering their pattern to maintain tolerances. In fact, there are more than 17 alignment checks during fabrication.
Once welded, the frame enters final machining, where it is reamed, faced and chased to the tightest tolerances in the industry. In finishing, titanium frames are brushed to a natural luster, and steel frames are meticulously painted for an impeccable finish. Finishers also perform a thorough final inspection to ensure that the frame meets Seven’s standards. Our final touch is to include Seven’s frame card. The card lists your frame geometry specifications and serial number, and is signed by everyone who built your frame. It signifies that the frame is indeed one of a kind. Yours.
Commitment to Excellence
At Seven Cycles, our philosophy is that the better your bike fits and functions, the better your ride will be, every time you clip in to the pedals. For that reason, painstaking attention to detail in each frame we build is not an option; it is an imperative. It shows in the vast amount of personal information we collect to build your frame, in the frame materials we select, and in the way we have designed our factory. We handcraft our frames one at a time because we believe that excellence is a tangible quality ultimately measured by how well the frame responds to each cyclist’s specific needs.
For you, a perfect day in the saddle might be spent pedaling country back roads or competing in national-level triathlons. Perhaps you have unique physical requirements for which custom geometry is the only solution. Or, you may be an exact 53 cm, well-served by a stock frame. Whatever your needs, you have cycling goals. Your bicycle should help you achieve, and then surpass, them.
We believe you can and should expect the best. For that reason, we will stop at nothing short of excellence when we build your frame.
Tailored Fit and Function
Seven addresses both fit and performance when building your frame, offering customization that you can see and customization that you cannot. As a result, you will never have to compromise comfort or performance again.
Seven’s rider-specific geometry is customization that you can see. Using details you provide in the Seven Custom Kit™ (at the back of this brochure), we create your frame blueprint. Working closely with you and your bicycle dealer, we design a frame that fits you like no other.
The customization you cannot see is a tailored tube set, hand selected to suit your riding style, habits, and goals. Tube diameters, wall thicknesses, and butting are specifically engineered to yield a frame stiff enough for instant acceleration yet vertically compliant enough to smooth out even the most unforgiving terrain.
Even if you select one of our stock frames, available in more than 200 sizes, your frame will be built to order. And with information such as your weight, flexibility, intended usage, and riding preferences, we will customize your tube set to enhance our frame’s ride quality specifically for you. Though you may not see the difference, you’ll certainly feel it.Customization:
One of Seven's missions is to take the mystery and intimidation out of ordering a custom frame. So we developed the "Custom Kit", an ordering system that asks you very specific questions about your body measurements, your current bike, your riding style, and what you're looking for in a frame. If you know exactly what you want - great, we'll build it. But since we know that not every one aspires to be a frame builder, we're more than happy to develop specs based upon the information you provide for us. Before we build anything, however, you'll have the opportunity to review your specs with your authorized Seven dealer. That way, you know exactly what you're getting, and won't be unpleasantly surprised!
"It is certainly refreshing to deal with people so articulate with such tremendous product knowledge. I have never felt as comfortable with a purchase as I do about this bike. I will provide testimony of the quality of your organization to everyone I know and ride with."–Graig T., California
Stock Sizes:
Seven offers a wide variety of stock sizes and styles, too - over 170! So, odds are good that you might find a stock size that works for you. Custom or stock, our frames are built by hand, one at a time. Here are a few of the models we offer:
Touring
Seven touring frames have traversed the U.S., Thailand, Ireland, Italy, and Hong Kong. Where do you want to go? Start with a custom or stock frame in your choice of butted or straight gauge titanium, or steel. Add relaxed geometry, longer chain stays, and superior front end control. Blend with custom seat stays and chain stays for optimum compliance and efficiency. If desired, mix in specific design for racks and panniers. Sprinkle with extra rack and water bottle mounts, your choice of brake mounts, and a host of other options. Hop on the saddle, and ride all day.
Cyclocross
Whether you’re on the racecourse, the road, or in the woods, you’ll find that the Tsunami cyclocross frame—in butted or straight gauge titanium, or Origin™ steel—is rugged and responsive. Designed for racing, the Tsunami is stable on off-camber terrain, but features quick handling and a responsive, stiff drivetrain built for speed. Available in custom or stock geometry, the Tsunami can be designed to suit your needs. We recommend pairing it with a Wound Up™ filament wound ‘cross fork to make the Tsunami an all-around performer on or off the asphalt.
Triathlon
A steeper seat angle, shorter chain stays, and stable front-end geometry characterize Seven’s triathlon-specific frame. Our triathlon frames are available in custom geometry or in one of 24 stock sizes. Also, choose 700c or 650b wheels. Seven triathlon frames are built for snappy acceleration yet are comfortable enough to help you recover from the swim and have plenty left for the run. Add a lightweight Seven carbon fiber fork for a ride that is surefooted and smooth, so that you can focus on the race, rather than on controlling the bike.
Road (steel):
The Origin name on Seven’s Axiom Steel means that the frame was created using only the strongest and most lightweight high performance tubing, selected specifically for that frame, and fine-tuned for its rider and intended usage. Featuring Seven’s unique seat stays and stiffest available chain stays, it has the perfect mix of compliance and rigidity for powerful climbing, explosive sprinting, or smooth spinning. The TIG-welded Axiom Steel’s eccentrically butted head tube, lifetime warranty, distinctive paint options, and handsome looks are just a few of the other details that set it apart.
Road (titanium):
Upholding the Axiom’s benchmark weld, materials, and finish quality, the S-8 is a titanium road frame fabricated from the finest straight gauge 3-2.5 tubing. Specify the S-8 as a custom, or opt for one of our stock sizes. Each frame is handcrafted with a different blend of tube sizes selected specifically for your body and riding style, to give all-day comfort, optimum drivetrain efficiency, and unquestionable durability. It is available with all of the same options as our Axiom, including a 11/8" head tube for improved front-end stiffness and surer handling. The S-8, like all of our frames, is backed by a lifetime warranty.
Tandem:
Fabricated from tandem-specific butted titanium or steel tube sets, our 007 features a lateral tube frame design, the stiffest boom tube in the industry, and extra-plush seat stays. The tandem addendum to our Custom Kit™ lets us fit both captain and stoker to a "T." Specify brake type, fork model, and rack mounts. For the ultimate travel machine, pack it up and go with the S&S Machine Bicycle Torque Coupling™ option.
Frame Materials:
All of our frames are built using only the highest quality materials. Our Argen™ titanium tube sets are made from U.S.-sourced, 3/2.5 titanium butted by Seven. Butting the tubing ourselves allows us an almost infinite variety of tube sizes, and enables us to dial in a tube set specifically for you.
Seven's own Origin™ steel tube sets are made from a variety of high performance steels, such as Reynolds 853™, True Temper OX Gold™, and Deddacciai Zero™, among others. We use various suppliers' tubing so that we can develop a tube set for your size and style of riding.
S and S Coupler Models:
The S&S Machine Bicycle Torque Coupling™ is a precision system installed during manufacturing that allows you to dissemble and pack your frame for easy transport—in a case that travels as standard airline luggage. Available on all of our models, the S&S option makes it easy to take your favorite bike anywhere.
Seven builds BTC road, cyclocross, criterium, touring, triathlon, track and mountain frames in your choice of titanium or steel. For a lightweight, durable travel frame that will last forever, a Seven is the answer.
Azizul Azmi Adnan lives and rides in Malaysia, where extra mud clearance can really come in handy. His bike is also fitted with S&S couplings that allow him to break down the frame into parts and pack it for travel. He says the couplings are "a marvel."
Click here for an on-line article about this bike
Photos of the bike still going strong after 10 years! (back in 2008)
Phone: 617-923-7774
Fax: 617-923-7757
e-mail: seven@tiac.com
