Why build custom?

This has been a pretty great week. Ok, so at 7 this morning I ate it hard on some ice (and spend most of the day eating vitamin I and sleeping), but other then that, pretty darn sweet.

For most of us custom built bikes are a decadent luxury. Sure, I am pretty darn flexible and have really long monkey arms and short femurs, but deep down I know I'd be ok fit wise with a 53 to 55 cm road bike from any of the major companies. While I have built bikes with a much more precise fit (in some cases event specific fit), it's really not necessary so much as fun, challenging and technically interesting. And thats the case for 98% of the bicycle riding public. Does it mean they don't want, deserve or purchase custom? Hell no- custom is fun, and a chance to get what you want how you want it.

But every now and again, you find a customer that really, truly, needs a custom fit.

This week I have had the pleasure (at my day job) of building bikes for a 4ft tall 100 pound rider, and a 6'2" 350lb rider.

I don't know of a quality stock bike on the market that would really fit and preform well for either of these customers, and I am proud to help make options available to folks well outside the boundaries of a saddle and stem swap. Outside of cool lugs and fancy paint, this is what custom means to me.

Oh, and I finished the torch (and most of the clean up) work on the step through.