Latest eNews is Out and a quick update

If you aren’t receiving our email newsletter, be sure to sign up for it! Here’s the latest one to check out - there are A LOT of new rides on our autumn calendar and we’re already looking forward to hosting the 8th annual First Snow Ride!

Subscribe to our e-newsletter if you’re not already getting it in your inbox. If you’re not seeing it, be sure to whitelist connect@rideheadquarters.com so it comes through.

The HQ van hosted a welcoming party to Dan Schmitt as he rode into town after completing a cross-country bikepacking trip on his Seven Evergreen. The van loves popping up ice cream parties!

It’s been quite a year! We’re celebrating the big, red van’s first anniversary today. We have enjoyed the ability to meet riders all over New England and spec out amazing new bikes with you in an even more dedicated, thoughtful way. The new bikes that have resulted have been so great, and have been treating riders to fun, local rides, and big rides all over the world.

We saw an uptick in S&S coupled bikes that are easy to travel with this year. Getting back to normal has involved making up for lost travel time with the bike during the pandemic.

Bike components are all coming back into stock now, we’re not seeing nearly as many stockouts or lengthy leadtimes on the components you want for your new bike. Seven Cycles continues to crank out frames for our excited riders.

While we work with quite a few people on performance road bikes, it’s very common for these bikes to have more generous tire clearances and handling qualities so the bike can easily double as a gravel bike.

As we transition into autumn and shorter, chillier days, we recommend thinking about your winter cycling.

It may not be the thing you want to think about now, but imagine being excited to ride in the snow, imagine having a chance to connect with your cycling friends in the dead of January. We host absolutely awesomely fun rides on the “worst” days of the year. Seven Cycles’ Treeline bikes are performance mountain bikes, bikepacking bikes, and lightweight, nimble fat bikes as well. Ask for a demo to see just how much riding a Treeline can make available to you, all year.

Ask us about building a Seven Cycles bike for four seasons of riding, perfect for safe, fun winter riding then extending into the best summer riding on all kinds of dirt trails and roads.

Mixed Terrain at its best with Honey 100 and the Honey Moon 100

The Honey 100 ride and Honey Moon 100 rides were more than an incredibly fun day (or night) on a bike! Riders discovered trails and back roads they’ve never seen before, saw what it is to ride in mixed terrain in this area (very different from the dirt roads of western Massachusetts and Vermont), ate very well, and shared a lot of memorable experiences.

We’d like to thank Honey Bikes for sponsoring this event, give huge and heart-felt appreciation to our fabulous ride leaders who showed groups of riders the way, acknowledge the very hard-working staff who cooked, worked the food stops, managed the myriad riders; we had 120 registered riders who came out! And we’d be remiss to not mention how much work the route designer did to develop and scout the very special, inspired routes.

Check out some great photos of the Honey 100!

Riders preparing for rollout.

Iced mochas fresh from Ride Studio Cafe were available at Ride Headquarters and at every stop on each route.

The route meeting - talking about the flow of the day and getting ready for the good times!

The end of the “funnest” fun ride yielded one group of smiling people!

Regrouping on a scenic knoll.

Loving the beautiful trails.

The mid-ride food stop saw all of the riders during the day and night rides, and it was exceptionally well stocked with all kinds of food.

Food Stop. Look at that spread! The cookies in the foreground were very special and particularly big hits. The pie and ice cream hit the spot, too, as well as the savory sandwiches and chips.

Celebrating the vista at the top of this hill few people see!

Enjoying more great trails. The best pictures couldn’t be taken since it takes two hands to be on the bike through the coolest sections!

After the ride, no one was in a big hurry to leave, it is a day of riding and enjoying the company of old friends and new!

Team Dirty Vertigo challenged all of the other teams to a photo contest.

Team Rippers may or may not have known about the contest, but they were certainly vying for the “most fun” team prize.

Team Hustle Hive took Dirty Vertigo to task on the photo contest. Not only do they color coordinate together, but they match the pavement, too!

The Honey Moon riders weren’t a team, but they certainly rode as if they were! They had a ridiculously good time out there, lighting up the night - and keeping the good people who were supporting the ride on their toes until 10pm. One couple who came out for this ride had an anniversary to celebrate; the Honey Moon ride couldn’t have been more appropriate for them!

Honey Bikes - Inspiration for the Honey 100

This bike is one of the Honey Allroads titanium bikes, a bike that was seen under many riders for the Honey 100 since it’s most perfectly suited to gravel and mixed terrain riding.

Honey Bikes, builder of titanium road bikes, both rim and disc, gravel bikes, fat bikes, mountain bikes and more, created the Honey 100 years ago to show riders the joy of mixed terrain riding in our area. This ride lives on to inspire riders to get off of the main roads, experience trails, see what it’s like to ride in new places, and get to know others who are into adventure riding and experiential riding, as well.

Honey Allroads gravel bikes have been really well received by everyone wanting a super fun gravel/mixed terrain bike, those wanting a bike that does it all throughout the year, and, with a tire swap, they are also being very happily ridden as disc-brake road bikes.

Honey Allroads Titanium Bikes are the ideal gravel bike because they are:

• Lightweight: It is as light or lighter than any bike in its price range.

• Fast: Honey's chainstays are stiff, translating pedaling power directly to the rear wheel.

• Responsive: The bike is designed to do exactly what its rider asks without rider fatigue.

• Sure-footed: Keeping the tires on the ground is the best way to stay upright on loose surfaces. This bike maintains contact with the ground, rider confidence is the result.

• Made in the USA: Honey Bikes are designed and hand-built in Massachusetts.

• Price: is competitive with any other bike built with this same parts kit.

• Titanium: This is the best material for a gravel bike frame. Titanium won't rust or corrode under any conditions. It's super durable for rough terrain and treatment.

• Durable: Gravel bikes experience more stress and frame-testing situations such as rocks being flung up onto the frame and hitting potholes at speed than road bikes.The parts kit is curated for light-weight durability.

• It fits and feels great: A Professional Bike fitting is included in the price of the bike.

• Backed by us and our Professional Mechanics: 1 year of labor is included with your bike purchase.

Feedback from Honey Allroads titanium riders has been overwhelmingly positive, with people finding they are doing so much more on their bikes than they ever thought possible, relishing the ride qualities of the well-designed and hand-built titanium frames, and realizing just how nice it is to be able to ride hard and not worry about the bike.

Seven Cycles Wins Best Road Bike, Best Gravel Bike, and takes home other top honors at NAHBS

We are thrilled to parter with Seven Cycles, they are an incredibly thoughtful, quality-first company who builds every single frame for each rider. Seven is located in Watertown, MA and they build the best bikes in the world. This past weekend, Seven Cycles attended NAHBS (North American Handmade Bicycle Show) and took many awards home. Hundreds of bikes are judged at the show so to take home both Best Road Bike and Best Gravel bike and being a dual-suspension mountain bike finalist with their new-to-the-world dual-suspension bike (among other finalist categories) is a next-level accomplishment and shows the depth of Seven’s design and bike building expertise.

This is the Seven Cycles Ultimate Axiom Disc award-winning road bike! See it on Seven Cycles’ website.

To celebrate Seven Cycles winning Best Road Bike, if you order a Seven Road or Gravel Bike between now and March 31, we are offering you a free headset upgrade to Chris King, a color upgrade on your wheelset (if you choose Industry Nine wheels or another brand that offers color choices), a free year of service on your bike including the first Professional tune-up, and a free professional fitting. This is a package worth over $1,100.

Email us at connect@rideheadquarters.com for more information and to set up a demo ride of *the* NAHBS winning road bike or any of the awesome Seven Cycles bikes (road, gravel, mountain bike or any kind of bike)!

News as of January 4 - Ride Updates and Winter Riding Clinic this Weekend

Topics Included in this Edition:

• Brutiful Roads Triple - Adventure road ride series that begins in remote locations no more than a 1 hr drive from either here or Ride Studio in Lexington - it will NOT be running tomorrow, January 5, due to rain. This means next Saturday it is likely to be running. Be sure to RSVP so you get the latest news from us as to when it will be running and other very important details!

• Winter Riding 101 Clinic: Learn how to Enjoy Staying Outside on your Bike. We’re hosting, CRW is bringing snacks and drinks! Be sure to RSVP! Only a couple of spots are left! It’s this Sunday, January 6 3-5pm

• Nailing Your Nutrition, Riding to Lose Weight Seminar is happening Tuesday, January 15 at 7:00 pm, be sure to RSVP to attend. CCNS is presenting valuable insight.

• Lactate Threshold Testing - CCNS is offering LT testing on January 15 during the day, be sure to reserve your test slot!

• Weekly Group Rides for this weekend:

  • SELF-LED THIS SATURDAY: Sunshine Express Road Ride - Saturday Mornings 11:00am Rollout - This ride is self-led if you want to ride, it’s going to be raining, so come with the route.
    

  • Beowulf Terrain Ride - Gravel bikes, cross bikes, mountain bikes - Saturday Mornings 11:10am Rollout - Canceled for this Saturday due to WET trails. We run this ride when the trails are DRY and/or FROZEN!
    

  • BiFrost Offroad Ride - Mountain bikes, fat bikes, any bike with studded tires - Sunday Mornings 9:00am Rollout Sponsored by Honey Bikes! - This ride is LIKELY GOING TO BE A ROAD RIDE this Sunday due to wet and soft trails. However, watch our Instagram/Twitter Saturday evening for an update as to what this ride will be for this Sunday morning!

• Gravel and Winter Bike Feature - Honey Allroads - perfect for winter and gravel riding!

Honey Allroads is the best value gravel bike on the market. Get one to be ready for upcoming spring events!

Winter News - Start 2019 With Rides and Clinics!

Our latest newsletter just went out. If you’re not yet registered to receive it, be sure to Subscribe Now! We email no more than twice a month. It’s a good way to be sure you’re up on our special rides, weekly rides, and very useful clinics! Check it out!

Topics Included in this Edition:

• Brutiful Roads Triple - Adventure road ride series that begins in remote locations no more than a 1 hr drive from either here or Ride Studio in Lexington

• Resolution Ride - Ride on Tuesday, January 1 at 11am, RSVP’s important since we won’t know the best route or bike type until just before this ride due to weather

• Winter Riding 101 Clinic: Learn how to Enjoy Staying Outside on your Bike. We’re hosting, CRW is bringing snacks and drinks! Be sure to RSVP! January 6 3-5pm

• Nailing Your Nutrition, Riding to Lose Weight Seminar is happening Tuesday, January 15 at 7:00 pm, be sure to RSVP to attend. CCNS is presenting valuable insight.

• Lactate Threshold Testing - CCNS is offering LT testing on January 15 during the day, be sure to reserve your test

• Weekly Group Rides for this weekend:

  • Sunshine Express Road Ride - Saturday Mornings 11:00am Rollout - This ride is on, it's ideal road riding weather this weekend. Two speeds: 17-18mph average and 15-16mph average.
    

  • Beowulf Terrain Ride - Gravel bikes, cross bikes, mountain bikes - Saturday Mornings 11:10am Rollout - Canceled for this Saturday due to WET trails. We run this ride when the trails are DRY and/or FROZEN!
    

  • BiFrost Offroad Ride - Mountain bikes, fat bikes, any bike with studded tires - Sunday Mornings 9:00am Rollout Sponsored by Honey Bikes! - This ride is ON for this Sunday since the trails will be frozen. Studded tires are REQUIRED to participate this Saturday for the safety of all.

• Gravel Bike Feature - Honey Allroads

Honey Allroads is the best value gravel bike on the market. Get one to be ready for upcoming spring events!

What if you Could Have Everything in One Bike?

When is the last time you saw a bike you liked, but wished for it to have bigger tire clearances, lighter weight, the frame size that is right for you, the speed and ability to roll over a variety of surfaces? Do you worry about buying a bike that will break early in its life? How many times have you had to concede when buying a bike, taking the color or components that you weren't excited about?

Why make compromises with your riding, considering how much cycling brings to your life in the way of enjoyment, health, time with others.  You know that accepting non-ideal bike features, functionality, and aesthetics translate to riding discomfort, being limited in the rides you can do, and even sacrificing your hea lth and safety. This isn't a stretch, this is the norm of what we see people contending with regularly. You can likely relate to at least a few of these. 

When you walk into Ride Headquarters, what you will see are some of the bikes that comprise our 40+ demo bike fleet. These demo bikes are examples of configurations of what is possible in a variety of sizes. What isn't obvious is that we have access to the equivalent of the largest warehouse in the world filled with thousands of bikes with no two being the same. One of the bikes in the warehouse has all of the features, functionality, fit, and aesthetic that is right for you. Just walk over to the right row and pick out this bike that catches your eye over all of the others. How fun is that? Essentially, this is what working with us to get a Seven Cycles or Honey bike is all about. 

By way of examples, here are some of the bikes Seven produces. The challenge to you is to remember each of these bikes can be modified such that it fits your criteria. 

Seven Cycles' Axiom Ultimate Disc Road Bike

- When you want the fastest, stiffest road bike with disc brakes
- Too stiff means the bike doesn't get proper traction on the ground, and in New England, stiff in the vertical direction means feeling too much of the road. That has been managed with this bike. 
- Lightweight is not synonymous with disc brakes, but this bike keeps the performance and loses the weight and keeps the braking power and sleek design, too. 

Read More about the Axiom Ultimate Disc Road Bike. 

Seven Cycles' RedSky Endurance Bike

- When you usually want to ride on pavement, 25c tires are pleasing to you. But why have tire size limitations?
- Gravel rides are becoming more prevalent. Let your performance road bike take bigger tires for potential gravel rides or events, up to 33c knobby tires! 
- Caliper brakes and road wheels are light and performance-oriented. No need to add weight when you've been happy with road bikes all your life. Maybe you have a lot of rim-braking wheelsets at home that you would like to continue to use on your new bike. Go ahead! 

Read More about the RedSky Road Bike. 

Evergreen with XX Upgrade

- Mixed terrain is your joy, you prefer to be off the beaten path than on, though this bike rides well on every surface you can find. 
- Disc brakes and tire clearances for 40c tires on 700c wheels means this bike doesn't know limits in foul conditions, easily fits capable tires for rough terrain, and studded tires for winter.
- You want to ride hard on trails, single track, and over rocks and roots. You need to be able to rely on your frame and components. How about the unbreakable derailleur hanger? Sounds like insurance for when you take the bike for a long adventure.
- You have no interest in being fatigued in position or with handling the bike because you are likely to want to take the bike for longer adventures and a more stable geometry with maximum power transfer gets you to where you want to go...even though you might not know where you're going when you head out.

Read More about the Evergreen with XX Upgrade.

Evergreen Sevenduro 2x2 Scrambler

- You want to ride off-road and maximize tire width for the most technical riding with a rigid fork and drop-bar setup possible. 650B wheels with tires of 2.1" mounted are your riding nirvana. 
- You value short chain stays and tires as wide as 2.1" with room to spare.
- Maybe you want a fender with that biggest tire. You got it. 
- And, there are days you'd prefer to do more endurance gravel with a 700c wheelset and 40c or narrower tire. You got that, too. Just swap wheelsets and it's like two bikes in one. Or a lot of bikes in one. Infinite Evergreening experiences realized. 

Read More about the Evergreen Sevenduro 2x2 Scrabler. 

29" Mountain Race Bike

- You like to go fast. Really, really fast. You might even like mountain bike racing. A pure 29" mountain bike made with titanium frame and suspension fork, designed by Seven Cycles, is fast. Seven Cycles' founders are former expert- and pro-level mountain bike racers. Let them design your mountain bike. 
- You want a quick, nimble, awesome mountain bike. This trims out the excesses and is a light, fast bike.  

2x2: Plus Mountain Bike and 29" Mountain Bike in One 

- You want to go fast some days and be able to roll over everything in a more casual manner on others. Have two wheelsets, will travel. Will have fun. 
- Why ride a dual suspension bike? Demo this bike out and find out how much weight and how many creaks can be saved by going with a 3" plus tires. 
- Choose the wheelset you want for the ride you're doing. Why have two bikes when one gives you all of the flexility you are asking for? 
- What tires will be a treat for other endeavors you might want this bike to join you in doing? Bikepacking is in the back of your mind, adventure riding, and floating over snow in the winter can be on your to-do list. 

Our lead times are ~4 weeks from the date of confirmation until the day you roll away on your new bike and 8-12 weeks if the frame is painted. Now is a perfect time to be thinking about spring and the events you would like to do on the bike that you want to see come to life.  

Tell us what kind of riding you want to do and we'll offer our experiences and many years of expertise to help you make a well-informed decision. We'll also show you how you don't have to compromise and be the happiest rider out there. Email us at connect@rideheadquarters.com for more information!

622 SLX Disc: How combining titanium, carbon, thru-axles, disc brakes, and Di2 makes a super performance bike

At Ride Headquarters we all work together with you to bring your dream bike to life.  It is a holistic process where you, we, and our suppliers all collaborate.  Not only is it incredibly rewarding for us, but you get a bike that looks, feels, and rides exactly the way you want it to.

In 2017, we delivered a number of amazing new bikes. One that stood out was Harvard, Massachusetts cyclist Mark G's 622 SLX. Mark's 622 SLX is a performance road machine with the newest technology, classic style, and several unique features.  This bike incorporates many of Seven's coolest design features such as their new thru-axle dropouts, carbon-titanium frameset, road geometry, clean aesthetic with internally routed Di2 wires, and road disc brakes. Like all Seven bikes, it is a completely custom bicycle with the geometry, tubing, and frame features selected specifically for Mark based on his wants and needs.

As Mark describes his bike: "The more I ride it, the more I notice and appreciate the many nuances and refinement. The manner in which the bike responds to input is simply a joy. Such precise and immediate response is doubly amazing when measured against how damped the frame is on very fast descents." 

We sat down with Mark to share his story and hear what inspired his choices.  

This is the 622 SLX that Mark describes as "stable, nimble, and responsive all at the same time."

Mark's Build Kit

• Frame: Seven 622 SLX, Custom
  • 44mm Headtube
  • Electronic Internal Wiring System
  • Seven Max 45 Thru Axle Fork
• Shimano Dura Ace Di2 9170 Group
  • BB-R9100 Bottom Bracket, English
  • 52x39, custom chain ring combination
  • R9170 11 speed electronic/hydraulic levers with flat mount caliper brake
  • R9100 Front and Rear Derailleurs
  • CS-9100 Cassette, 12-28 tooth
• Wheelset
  • ENVE 3.4 Disc Wheels, tubeless ready, thru axle
  • Schwalbe Pro One Tubeless Tires
• Support Package
  • Seven aluminum 3D forged ultralight stem
  • Seven aluminum ergo bend ultralight handlebars
  • Fizik R3 Cyrano aluminum seatpost
• Contact Points
  • Selle Italia SLR Saddle, titanium rails
  • Fizik Endurance Tacky handlebar tape
  • Shimano Dura Ace Pedals

Cal: Mark, how did you become a cyclist? And what inspires you to ride?

Mark: Like most kids, you start when you are 4 years old and you ride your bike everywhere – that’s your little peace of freedom. I actually got into the whole road riding thing from mountain biking. I was racing with a group that was fairly competitive and we all started riding on the road to get better results in the woods. Before I knew it, I was road riding all the time. I just enjoy it. I enjoy the competitive nature of it and it’s a great way for my wife and I to spend time together.

Cal: What led you to Ride Headquarters?

Mark: Back when I was racing in the woods, Merlin was an up and coming company. My first real mountain bike was a Merlin Standard Mountain. Then when I started racing on the road I ended up with an Extralight. And then I had an old Surly Cross Check that I was commuting on for a really long time that ended up needing to be replaced. So I started looking around at who was making really nice cross bikes. And Seven stood out. The designer of the Merlins which I had I enjoyed so much works at Seven, so I went in trusting the design would be good with a Seven. Knowing the staff of Ride HQ has many years of experience working with Seven Cycles and selling Seven's bikes brought me here.

Seven's signature thru-axle dropouts are exceptionally strong and well designed. Never worry about a broken derailleur hanger again with this titanium hanger.   

Cal: When looking for your new bike what inspired your choices? Did you consider other options?

Mark: I looked around quite a bit. Initially I had a bias towards Seven but I definitely looked around. There was such a huge technology change in the last year. I knew that I wanted to have road disc brakes, thru axles and electronic shifting. 

I investigated who was building bikes that were interesting, better than what I had. There are people doing some crazy carbon/titanium hybrids out on the west coast. So I looked at that stuff but nobody really had the whole package that Seven did. Some of it was either questionable or wasn’t as fully thought out. But when I looked at the Seven 622 SLX, I started to understand what they were doing. Other companies had similar kinds of concepts but they didn’t take it the whole way. And so I was looking at the philosophy Seven had for building bikes and the technology they were using. All of those things combined, after looking at everything and looking at everybody, it was clear that Seven was one of the few companies, maybe the only company, who had a solid solution. There are a lot of frame makers out there but every other one had a question mark.

Mark opted for a unique chainring combination of 52x39 with a 12-28 tooth cassette.

Cal: What was the process like working with Ride Headquarters?

Mark: It’s been great. No matter what bike you get it has to fit. Just going through the fitting process and experiencing the end result, I have the utmost confidence in Ride HQ. Now my bike feels like an extension of myself. It’s just so comfortable. Part of it is the machine but also my position on the bike – I couldn’t have asked for a better fit.

I took the test bike out for almost two hours. I rode it in one direction until I felt I had an understanding of the bike.  I got on the 622 and said I’m not turning around until I understand how the bike should feel. I probably rode it for over an hour before I starting heading back. It was really eye opening. 

The clean interface between the flat-mount Dura Ace 9170 hydraulic caliper and Seven's titanium dropouts make for confidence in braking power, stiffness in the rear of the bike, and is indicative of all of the quality control and precise tolerances Seven incorporates into each of their frames.   

Cal: How does the new bike ride?

Mark: I have over 600 miles on it as of this morning. The frame itself, the whole platform, is just so efficient. The wheels are very, very reactive. It is really eye opening. You notice it the first time you go to ride a hill and you stand – the bike is already waiting for your next pedal stroke!

Mark and his 622 SLX regularly ride the hills in and around Harvard. 

If you'd like further information about this or other bikes, just ask. There is so much more to custom than geometry. This is perfect time to be dreaming up an awesome bike to be riding this spring! Email us at connect@rideheadquarters.com.