Builder Spotlight – Seven Cycles

What better time to spotlight the makers that get me fired up to come to work, than somewhere in the middle of January 2025?

First up?

Seven Cycles

You’ve heard me screaming from the rooftops the reasons their bikes are so extraordinary, but lost in the fray is just how special Seven the company and its people are.  I thought it might be interesting to share some lesser known, but equally important, reasons why Seven is a cut above the rest, and why as True Cyclery enters its tenth year in operation, we’re over the moon to represent them.  

In no particular order, here are a few ways that Seven continues to impress…

Employee Retention.  Seven was founded in 1997 by Rob Vandermark.  I worked at Seven from 2004 to 2014 and learned a ton while making friendships that will last a lifetime.  Plenty have moved on of course, but many of my former colleagues are still there today including Rob, Jennifer, Matt, Skip, Tim, Stef, Kirk, Neil, John, Patria, and Carolyn.  All of those people were there before the pandemic and are there still.  Good people, all playing an invaluable role in cranking out beautiful bikes year after year, just two hours away.  How cool is that?  One reason I am proud to sell Seven is because of the culture they curate with their consistent, professional, and experienced employees.

Support.  When I reach out to Seven, for anything, they pick up the phone.  Sometimes I put in a request for a speedier than normal lead time, sometimes I need help with a part number, sometimes I have questions about components and compatibility, no matter the nature of the inquiry, a real live human, often an aforementioned friend, takes it on and gets back to me with answers, quickly.  They make me feel like we’re on the same team, all sharing the same goal of making sure the rider is thrilled.  A more personal example of the levels in which they’ll go to help, is when my wife Kristin and I were in the hospital with our son.  Seven knew we had bigger concerns than the bikes I had on order.  Their solution, and I am paraphrasing, “we can do anything, we can build them, we can ship them to the customer more or less ready to ride, they can come pick them up and we’ll give them a factory tour, we might be able to deliver them ourselves, just tell us and it’s done.”  I didn’t ask, they just proposed solutions to help me in a time of need.  Dealer support might not be a sexy reason to choose your next bike, but it’s another reason I love selling Sevens, they are here for you and they are here for me.

Neil.  I don’t remember when I interviewed Neil for the role of frame designer, but I know we were both decades younger, kids!  He was an obvious hire, a California surfer (and cyclist) looking to move to Boston and play a part in drafting up a new bike design for each and every customer.  We became friends, riding and beer drinking buddies, and lucky for me, he introduced me to my future wife. He has designed all but one (if I recall) of the Sevens to come through my door, and who knows how many thousands of others he’s designed for the rest of the world, I have to believe he’s in the conversation for most frame designs ever.  Seven’s fit methodology and process are second nature to him, and from my end it is fun and simple.  He can work around riders preferences, specifications, aesthetics, or completely on his own, the result is always the same, a rip roaring bike to the exact specifications of the rider, each and every time.  I feel like royalty, but when Neil is designing your bike, he treats everyone the same, we all get the royal treatment.  One reason I love selling Seven is because every customer gets to chat with my friend Neil as he is designing their bike.

Patria.  The sales manager role at Seven is a busy one with retailers around the country and globe all needing something at all hours of the day, little things, big things.  Have you ever met someone who had mastered the time space continuum?  Patria is that person.  I know, and have taken advantage of the fact, that Patria is ready to assist me and my little shop RIGHT NOW.  I’m not going to call her at 3am, but if I did, she’d answer and be ready to plan without a moment’s notice.  Some of you met her at our event last year and saw how much of herself she poured into it – presenting, hanging out, chit chatting, demoing bikes – all while smiling ear to ear.  You’d think it was her entire life, but no, she also leads rides, competes in events around the country – like the Fat Pursuit that she just completed in an Idaho winter – and logs thousands of hard miles every year, but somehow has time for us.  There’s no one better at what she does.  Another reason I love selling Seven?  Because Patria treats True Cyclery like it’s the most important shop on planet Earth.

Business Savvy.  Have you heard about bike industry troubles?  https://escapecollective.com/how-did-the-bike-industry-get-into-such-deep-trouble/  I don’t know how much Seven was affected, but I know they have made a variety of pivots and changes to help stay afloat.  From adopting the newest technology (UDH, internal wiring, tire clearance, to name a few) to offering industry best lead time – as fast as one week for “simple-custom” – Seven has been cautious and smart in a time of unpredictability, and the result is a company that is still relevant, and still standing.  Another reason I like selling Seven is because they work like hell to keep their dreams alive.

There are more reasons, obviously (riding the Kanc with Tim every year, my wife receiving cool kid points at moto rallies for knowing Stef, etc.), but those are just a few I have been thinking about recently that make me proud to have been connected to Seven for twenty years.  At a weekly meeting while at Seven, Rob said something like, “anyone who gets something else is missing out.”  I think about that often and how I took it to be about the bikes at the time.  Now I wonder if it came from a place of pride about the people he hired, the culture they built, and the story of Seven that continues to be written.

Anytime someone comes through my door, I have a glimmer of hope that one day they’ll leave on a Seven and share in the love.

More spotlights coming soon!