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The New Guys: City + County Bicycle Co

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The New Guys: City + County Bicycle Co

Retail ain’t easy. Especially in the bike industry and it’s not like San Francisco doesn’t already have a large number of bicycle shops already, so if you’re going to start up something new, you better take a unique approach.

City + County Bicycle Co is a new shop in SF. Well, new to me! I’ve known the owner, Jon for a few years and first met him at Box Dog Bikes years back. The shop is located off Clement Avenue, right en route to GGP via the Presidio. If you know the area, you’ll note that it’s intravenous in the vein that is the route to the Golden Gate Bridge. i.e. one of the main access points to the Marin Headlands.

Later, SF!

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Later, SF!

San Francisco, you’re always so much fun. Thanks to everyone who made this trip particularly exceptional. Now it’s time to head down the coast to Los Angeles but there’s much more to come from my stay here, so stay tuned!

Inside and Out of the Falconer Cycles Workshop

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Inside and Out of the Falconer Cycles Workshop

“I don’t have a studio, I have a workshop. I’m not an artist, I’m a fabricator…”

We were talking about the mystique surrounding custom frames and the public’s perception, or in many cases the perpetuation of preciousness associated with “bespoke” frames. Cameron Falconer isn’t an artist, he makes straight forward, utilitarian machines meant to shred. Sure, they’re tailored to fit and Cam’s years of racing and riding influence a lot of their nuances (water bottle cage placement for example) but these are bicycles, not art…

Cameron’s Not a Falconer Caballo Road Bike

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Cameron’s Not a Falconer Caballo Road Bike

This bike is not as it seems. Sure, it says Falconer and it uses Cameron’s signature no-nonsense solid color powder coat but it’s not technically a Falconer.

When Jason at Montano Velo was looking for a local frame builder to produce a new road frame for his in-house brand Broakland, he was introduced to Cameron at Falconer Cycles. Cam, as they call him, had some extra time and enjoyed making production bikes, so he built this frame as a job interview for the position.

The tricky part: tig welding S3 tubing, a True Temper offering that has a bad reputation for being brittle and in general, difficult to work with. Difficult to work with yet a pleasure to ride. Since S3’s seat tube offerings are limited to a 1.125″ diameter and the S3 top tube measures 1.25″ in diameter, Cameron took to Solid’s seat tube cluster sleeve to solve not only the difference in diameter but as a reinforcement for what is essentially a crack-prone area of an S3 bike.

For the fork, Jason’s a fan of the Wound Up. A fork that’s polarizing in terms of consumer’s aesthetic preferences. Some hate it, some love it and for Bay Area cyclists who began their passage into cycling on a track bike, Wound Ups offered a bomb-proof solution to a street-thrashed track bike with a bent or cracked fork. As Cameron and I were discussing the fork, we both concluded that we’re not a fan of them aesthetically, but they ride really damn well.

Oh, he got the job and began making the frames… Months later, Cameron still had this frame in his shop and it wasn’t until a customer requested pink powder for his own bike that he decided to get it coated. From there, it became a home for his thrashed Dura Ace group and now it’s Cameron’s only road bike.

There’s more to the Falconer story coming soon. If you want to know more about the Caballo road frame, head to Broakland.

Geoff’s Raphael Cycles Touring Bike

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Geoff’s Raphael Cycles Touring Bike

Like many framebuilders, Rafi Ajl began his love for the bicycle at a young age but it wasn’t until after graduating from Harvard’s Graduate School of Design that he began pursuing his love for building bicycle frames. Ajl’s background is fine art and as such, his bicycles began functional art. Something you would not only love to look at, but would love to ride and would be able to do so for the rest of your life.

Perhaps it was Rafi’s passion for art, design and the bicycle that drew Geoff from Box Dog Bikes, a local, owner run co-op bicycle shop in the Mission of SF to Raphael Cycles’ work. Or maybe it was the proximity. Rafi Ajl is no longer making frames, but when he was, Raphael Cycles was literally blocks away from Box Dog Bikes.

Geoff wanted a classic touring bike with external routing, fender, rack mounts and a 1″ threaded headset. A seasoned tourer, randonnée, cyclocross racer, shredder of vintage mountain bikes and all-around capable cyclist, Geoff knew exactly what he wanted and has been thoroughly enjoying this bike. As evident by the years of use.

A SON hub powers the S3 lighting and a well-positioned and broken in Brooks saddle cushions and inviting a ride, so much that I pedaled this bike for an hour or so before finding the perfect spot to photograph it.

Gabe’s Falconer Rigid 29’r MTB

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Gabe’s Falconer Rigid 29’r MTB

The more I see the work of Cameron Falconer in person, the more I love his bicycles, especially his rigid 29’r model. Designed for everything from trail riding to multi-day bikepacking, these bikes have multiple layers of functional details. From the multiple water bottle braze-ons, to the segmented forks and custom racks, these bikes can be outrigged to take on anything you throw at them.

Gabe‘s bike in particular is a prime example. I first saw it in person when we went on our little camping trip Saturday night. The British Racing Green disappears in the low-laying shrubbery lining the hills outside of San Francisco, perfect for stealth camping and the no-hassle component build is easily serviceable from any number of spare parts bins you might find at shops while on the road during a trip.

While much of the drivetrain is no-nonsense, Gabe splurged a bit on the Thomson parts, the Jones H-bar, Paul thumbies and Spurcycle bell. Maxxis ardents provide ample puncture protection and trail bite while loaded and the Brooks saddle will continue to ripen with age. Yep. This is about as good as it gets in my opinion.

My favorite detail? The size small Revelate frame pack, cleverly hooked on the cable boss and bottle cage and the front derailleur mounting under the seat tube bottle cage…

Saturday Night Hillside Special

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Saturday Night Hillside Special

I was long overdue for a work-related trip…

After packing my bags and my bike into a box, I boarded a plane for one of my favorite cycling destination cities in the US: San Francisco. Let’s backtrack a bit first though. In SF, it’s essential to stay with friends, if you have any that live there. Luckily, I have a few and one couple has been my go-to host home in recent trips: Erik and Sofia from the Great Escape.

When I asked Erik if I could crash with him while I was in town, he obliged and then invited me on a impromptu camping trip the Saturday I arrived into town. My flight got in late, so as I was packing my bike, I loaded my Porcelain Rocket bags with the gear I’d need for a sub-24 hour jaunt into some Marin hills.

The Rock Lobster Cup

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The Rock Lobster Cup

Bay Area people, dwellers of Santa Cruz and San Jose listen up: the crustacean king at Rock Lobster is throwing a pre-season cyclocross cup on August 29th at the Bonny Doon Airport. There’s something for everyone, so if you can make it out, do so!

Swift Industries: Bike the Kasbah in SF Tomorrow

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Swift Industries: Bike the Kasbah in SF Tomorrow

This looks like a great way to spend a Wednesday night in SF, brought to you by Swift Industries and Huckleberry Bicycles:

Salsa Cycles takes you around the world with the launch of their new word touring bike, we’re excited to be one of the first to carry it but it’s a secret! You will just have to join us to see what all the fuss is about.

And Swift Industries cooks up amazing camp food to fuel the ride with taste testing, cooking demonstrations and different stove and food options. Moroccan food and drinks will be provided along with great music.”

RSVP on Facebook

Ask a Founder with Tom Ritchey at Mission Workshop

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Ask a Founder with Tom Ritchey at Mission Workshop

This Saturday, May 30th Tom Ritchey will be at Mission Workshop in SF for one of their Ask a Founder events. Here are the details:

“The Founders Event was created in effort to pull the curtain back and learn more about cycling brands that we respect. We as an industry tend to focus on the stunning finished parts but not as much on the struggle it takes to get there. For the event we simply turn the cameras on, step back and watch the story unfold. We cover the inspiration behind ideas, the projects that never got off the ground and everything in between.

For the third installment of the Mission Workshop Founders series we are honored to have Tom Ritchey on our stage to learn about the massively influential brand that shares his name. Ritchey’s love with all things two wheels started early. He built his first frame when he was just 16 years old and started his first company in his early twenties. The shape of cycling would arguably look very different without his involvement. Join us this Saturday May 30th at 7PM PST to watch Tom spin his tales live on Bikemag.com. Be part of the event by asking Tom a question via Twitter using “#AskRitchey” as the hashtag.

Live audience space is limited, if you can make it, email RSVP@missionworkshop.com for a seat.”

Mission Workshop Presents: These Girls are Machines!

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Mission Workshop Presents: These Girls are Machines!

I love seeing brands working together for a greater good. Machines for Freedom and Mission Workshop are bringing a series of events and rides to San Francisco, beginning May 14th as a two-week long celebration of the female cyclist.

These Girls are Machines will feature a pop-up shop by women’s cycling brand Machines For Freedom, an art gallery presented by Fast Chance Collective showcasing pieces by five local women artists and cyclists, and many other events and group rides designed to help carve out a space for women riders in the Bay Area.

Check out the full schedule below!