NEW BIKE MODLE : THE RAMBLER

The Rambler is a Gravel / Bikepacking beast geared toward control, durability and functionality. Coming standard with a steel fork (Carbon fork optional) and all the bells and whistles. What makes this bike different is the clearance for 700 x 2.25" rubber and a 70.5 degree head tube angle making rocky, squirrely descending a breeze. Rack mounts and water bottle mounts where you want them and standard UDH rear dropouts. Add in Dynamo routing or configure the Rambler how you want to roll. Trick it out as a camping boss / Gravel daddy or a plush upright townie.

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THE RAMBLER

Aspen Ridge Bikepacking: No Sleep ‘Til Salida

I drove 3,500 miles and spent 4 days on the road to ride with my friends, and I’d do it all again at the drop of a hat. 

I made my friend, Krysten Kohn (former painter at Mosaic cycles) a custom bike for some bikepacking adventures she had in mind for the upcoming summer. Krysten, a long-time ambassador for Pas Normal Studios and more recently Arc’teryx, is a super strong cyclist and generally an awesome person, so I was stoked to be working with her to say the least.  

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She planned these bikepacking trips with friend and Colorado photographer, Sean Greene, for whom I was also building a bike.

After chatting a couple of times with them both on the phone, they invited me to join them on one of their trips. Cycling and summertime in general is pretty great in the Catskills of New York, but I was hooked on the idea of getting out west and into the Rocky Mountains.

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Two days after the Horse Gravy Days gravel ride, I hit the road and drove 26 hours out to the front range of Colorado and weaved my way into the mountains to meet Krysten and Sean in the little town of Salida.

That night, after some fly fishing just south of Leadville, I met Sean in person for the first time over a dinner of trout caught earlier that day. We all packed our bikes and hit the sack at a local BLM campground just outside of town.  

The next morning, we loaded up and crossed the Arkansas river and some rolling hay fields on the outskirts of Salida to start our 19 mile climb up to Aspen Ridge.

The rain clouds, looming over the Cascade Range, held off for the time being and the sun shone through spots of clear sky. I was fully captivated by the changing terrain, color of the dirt, summer flowers, and thick aspen groves as we wove between patches of open cow pasture and dense chalk colored Aspen trunks.

The climb was long and challenging but consistent, which I could appreciate coming from the punchy rolling hills out east.

As I approached the top of Aspen Ridge on chunky double track, Krysten and Sean, knowing the challenge of the climb for me at altitude, cheered me on and up and over the ridge adding energy and gratitude to my simple feeling of accomplishment and relief.

For the next few hours, we traversed the high plateau toward our rough camping location and settled on a flattish cow patty speckled group of aspen trees where we could set up a few tarps in case the rain clouds decided to join us… which they did. 

The stoke was high as it usually is on such trips. And just as we got camp set up and finished our Indian Jetboil bliss, the rain began to fall. We realized our water quantities were low to non-existent and with no water sources to be found to filter and the thought of no coffee in the morning, began to collect water off the tarps as we huddled under our shelter. About three liters later and a brief sunset that poked through the storm, it was bivy time. It rained most of the night, but I was told that rain of this magnitude was rare for a Colorado summer. Either way, I was so happy to be outside, in the mountains, with friends, with a great feeling of calm.

The following day was just as incredible with views and weather and patches of varied landscape and terrain. Right before our last long climb at Whitehorn, we were pelted with a hail storm. I have to say: the last climb on the tail of the hailstorm, which turned to a cold rain, was my best moment of the trip. Something about being soaked in your surroundings while pushing yourself up and over a climb in isolation. Somehow at the top of that last climb, I had all the feels of joy and gratitude.

The next 20 miles were the longest single descent of consistent winding road I have ever experienced. And as we coasted back toward the Arkansas river (the boundary separating the mountains from the valley), the sun came out and we all stopped by an old train depot about a mile from where are cars were parked, as if to say “we know our little adventure is close to the over but let's hold onto these good feelings just as long as we can.” 

Something about the trip allowed us all to feel a super connection. Not just to the landscape and to the adventure, but to each other. My words can’t explain, but Krysten and Sean are some amazing people.

For the next 24 hours we all hung out, ate all the food and dipped our bodies into the hot springs down the road. We spent one last night camping and after a superb breakfast burrito in Buena Vista said our last goodbyes. Los Tres Amigos. Salida, CO.  <3

-Thomas Callahan-

@horsecycles

@sean__greene

@koko-ehn

JONES PASS / ADVENTURE WAGON / KOKO KOEHN

Jones Pass, topping out at 12,454 ft

Photos taken by Sean Greene

KOKO riding here Horse ADVENTURE WAGON

Jones Pass, topping out at 12,454 ft, is a mountain pass that crosses the Continental Divide in the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. It is 7.2 miles out and back with about 2,000 feet of elevation gain from base to summit. The road is a chunky jeep track that switches back steeply through a dense pine forest until emerging into the tundra and opening up into a massive bowl traversed by streams and falls of snowmelt runoff and surrounded by high, snow-spotted summits. To the east, the gold and red mountain interior is visible due to the Henderson malignum mine. The riding up here is no joke—pitches of up to 20% between 10,500 and 12,500 feet make for some hearty lungs, but the views, wildflowers, glacial streams and seclusion of the location make the effort well worth it.

- Koko Koehn

GALLERY

Photos taken by Sean Greene

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3rd Annual GRAVY DAYZ!!!!

GRAVY DAYZ IS HERE! We are excited to host the 3rd annual gravy dayz gravel ride in the great Catskill Mountains of upstate, NY. Gravy dayz is an all inclusive fun centric rip around the local mountains surrounding the Horse Cycles workshop. This is a open event with no cost or bike reg. The ride starts in Andes, NY at the Horse Cycles workshop…. link below and we roll out at 930 sharp. After the ride there is swimming and hangs and a party with music and fireworks. This ride is unsupported so please bring lots of snacks for the ride and anything you would like to eat post ride. We will provide beer! Thanks to Founders and Mohou! There will be a porta-potty and drinking water for your enjoyment! We will have a BBq if you would like to grill any snacks after the ride. There is a pond to swim in and grass to relax on. At sunset the Flatbed Band will play music and there will be a few DJ’s after that with a fireworks show around 9pm. I am super excited to ride with everyone and to hang and celebrate summer! More details below!

CAMPING: There is limited camping on the property for friends and family so if you would like to camp out please reach out. This is mine and my families home so please practice respect and leave no trace. There are no amenities. There is also camping available 3 miles away at the Steady Slope Campground. I would strongly recommend steady slope. They have a tone of land to explore and they bathrooms, water, great sites and a wood fired sauna!!

GRAVY DAYZ

JULY 13th!!!

Ride Rolls out at 9:30

376 BURGIN RD. ANDES, NY

20 MILE ROUT GPS LINK

40 MILE ROUT GPS LINK

Hangs

Music

Fireworks

STEADY SLOPE CAMPING

HOUND MTB ENDURO HARDTAIL

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THe Hound is a Simple shredy Hard Tail with all the feels. Bouncy bikes are great but nothing beats a hardtail when it comes to trail feel and connection to the dirt. Tucked rear tire, slack front end. long reach. Set up with a 140mm front fork and optimized for 29” x 2.4 - 2.6 wheel size. The hound Climbs like a beast, descends like a bear and is light weight and flickable. Enduro styling with two two sets of bottle bosses as mounting points for gear or H2o. Throw a frame bag in the triangle and take it on an overnight!

Offered in a custom configuration and Small - XL

Something i’ve always wanted to try is applying a textured truck bed liner to all the areas on the frame that get exposed to the most wear. The same durability as your Toyota tacoma truck bed. The black bed liner is nicely complimented with a vintage range rover gold. I always like to highlight the US made parts and this bike is no exception. Topping it off with White Industries head set and M30 cranks, Paul box car stem and thumbie and Smooth Move handlebars from Hunter.

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This Harty UDH equipped enduro steed was built for a customer in Colorado and displayed at the MADE bike show in Portland, OR. Thanks so much to John Watson for the beautiful photos.

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TITANIUM ALL ROAD ADVENTURE

The Titanium All Road Adventure with Ti fork is ready for the long haul. This customer wanted all Mechanical drive train components for ease of repair and maintenance on long, remote trips. Clearance for 700x55 and mounts for front and rear racks. This bike is equipped with a Ti segmented fork from Bearclaw bikes in the mid west and it makes a great companion to the all Ti frame. 1.5” tapered steerer with a 44mm head and down tube. bikes this a beef cake for carrying all sorts.

GRAVY DAYS GRAVEL RIDE / CAMPOUT

Gravy Days gravel ride hosted by the Horse Cycles workshop will be July 15th in the Catskill mountains of upstate, NY! Come ride one of the two optional routs that meets your vibe! There will be beer after the ride donated by Founders Brewing and some great giveaways by Enve. We asked 4 other local bike builders to come join the ride and each will have a bike on display. Lemarch Cycles, Weis MFG and Vicious Cycles and the legendary Garbaggio. Wild Common Wine will also be donating a few bottles of wine to the event. Swimming and summer hangs all day and party starts at 5pm Sat. Campers welcome Friday and Saturday. Let us know if your planning to camp! Details below. Please feel free to get in touch if you have any questions.

20 AND 40 MILE ROUTS LINK TO RIDE WITH GPS :

20 MILE - https://ridewithgps.com/routes/43473355

40 MILE - https://ridewithgps.com/routes/43473423

CAMPING WELCOME. WILL HAVE WATER AND BATHROOMS AND FIRE / FRIDAY AND SATURDAY

Ride begins at 10 am at the Horse Cycles Workshop

ADDRESS LINK:

https://goo.gl/maps/PbwXCEVgeyFi3VKK8

376 Burgin Rd, Andes, NY 13731

TITANIUM ALL ROAD

This is the first Generation of Horse Titanium, made in house, one at a time, at the Horse Cycles Workshop.  An "ALL ROAD TI" Geared toward speed while still providing allowances for 48mm x 700c tires.  The bike maintains the classic lines, tube diameters and Geometry of the steel frames produced for the past fifteen years while utilizing titanium alloys to increase positive ride characteristics. The titanium provides a lighter overall package making it a clear choice for climbers and longer endurance riders. The bike is painted with a multi-tone sunset horizon and reveals the bushed material on the lower end of the frame.  We are very excited to offer this new material in limited quantities. Feel free to get in touch with any questions or just to chat bikes!

Nik Climbing dirt on his new Titanium All Road in the Catskill Mountains of NY

This bike comes in light as a feather. Fully decked out with an ENVE gravel kit including Color matched stem, G23’s and the AR handlebar. We also decided to go with a Cane Creek E wing to get the whole titanium experience, linked up to a Wolf tooth chainring and a Sram Red AXS - XLPR 1x.

We were honored to be invited to show this new bike in Utah at Enve Composites annual builder round up highlighting the synergy between Alloy and Carbon.

THE MOUNTAIN - MOTO

The MOTO is the third iteration of the Horse E-bike. Its built with the new Bosch Cx 4 Gen motor platform and its a beast. Coming in under 47lbs its comparable if not lighter than most full sus e bikes on the market. This capable hardtail is a wonder every time i get on it and what a ride to have in the stable. It is build around super progressive Geometry including Uber short, super responsive rear end and the stout front end braced front triple triangle giving it a classic MOTO vibe. Its paired here with a 140 fork here, but will gladly shred with 10-20mm more travel.

Perhaps just as noticeable on this new iteration is the 64.5 headtube angle. By pushing that front axle out, it really gives you control and confidence descending at ridiculous speed hitting all sorts of variable terrain. one of the things that was most surprising is how floaty it feels, especially landing when landing small airs, lips and hips. There seam to be no downside to this laxed out angle as the stability lost when climbing with slack headtube angles is non-existent on the MOTO. the power from the Assisted Bosch motor negates most all instability climbing.

We have been using it as a pre-runner for building new trails, berms, jumps, drops and flow. Great for bushwhacking and exploring places previously unfathomable. It’s surprisingly light, stiff, and nimble under power. Its the beast that keeps giving,

GRAVY DAYZ GRAVEL RIDE / HORSECYCLES HOUSWARMING

After 3 years of building the new shop we decided to celebrate and host a Gravel ride!!!

The new workshop is located in the heart of the Catskill mountains in upstate NY about 3hrs from NYC. We still have a space down in Brooklyn and paint all of our bikes in the city.

The Gravy Dayz Gravel ride was awesome! We had a great turn out and people from far and wide came to link up with other riders for a day of views, beautiful gravel roads and hangs.

The workshop was open to everyone and we had a few bikes on display. Beers were sunk, swims were had, and general stoke was abundant.

That night we hosted a party with music, food, drinks, Fireworks and an amazing land sculpture by a talented local artist named Jessie Lee Wilson.

It was truly a party to remember and an epic celebration of community. So many people came together to make the day and evening increadably special and there was an consistant feeling of warmth and kinship.

Thank you Tara for the amazing food, thanks to Founders for slinging us beers, thank you to Wild common wind for the case of tasty bubbles, thank you to Catfish John for the fireworks, thank you to Jesse for the artwork and thank you to Jess and Steve for playing music with me up on the flatbed.

Thank you to all who came from far and near to celebrate with us!

GRAVEL RIDE SHOP HANG

HORSE CYCLES HOUSEWARMING

DESERT DAYZ

The desert is rad! An incredible place to ride and to adventure and explore, what a place to remember. Driving across the country this summer to see friends and rid was entirely worth every mile. Ian Matteson took these incredible shots of some of my personal bikes. if i had two chose two things to take on a desert island it would be these two rigs! So stoked to have shared such an amazing few days riding and hanging with these legendary humans. Kevin, from Pine Cycles, Steven Bukowski who is a furniture designer from brooklyn and Ian Matteson who is as talented as they come. Love ya boys!

PHOTOS BY IAN IN THE LITTE GRAND CANYON, UTAH

ENVEY BUILDER ROUND UP / GRODEO

The Enve Builder Round up and Grodeo was the first time getting back to and in person showcase where builders can meet up and ride with other builders, industry nerds and past, and hopefully future customers.

Enve is a gracious host and the event is top notch. 25 builders from around the world and some of the nicest most interesting builds are all on display for a visual feast.

Along side the show and just as impressive is the Enve Grodeo, A 100 mile gravel ride through the the desert, past mountain streams and large meadows of wild flower.

This year we worked with an amazing customer, Sacha, on a tuned in custom Gravel monster and the lupin flower design really came alive against the desert landscape. The real highlight this year was just getting the opportunity to connect with some amazing people. We got to see all of our long lost friends, drink, talk and ride together once again. Thanks to Enve for Hosting an epic event. if you ever have the opportunity to sign up for the ride or swing by the show, its highly recommended.

MURAZU'S DI2 GRAVEL MONSTER - GODZILLA

Photos by Murazu

When Murazu first contacted me about making a bike, not that I don’t love all my US customers (you’re all great!), and found out Murazu was Japanese and that we would be shipping the bike over to him, I was extremely stoked. I have tremendous respect for Japan and Japanese craft, perhaps because I have been making knives for so long and Japan has such a strong history in crafting some of the most capable blades known.

The bike Murazu ordered was the Gravel Monster, no doubt my most favorite bike to build. We upgraded the bike with internal DI2 and brake routing and a custom CNC’d tapered head tube.

Murazu recently sent me some photos of the bike being built. It was so great to see a Horse frame being assembled on the other side of the world, and you could tell the EFFECT workshop, where he took it, was a place oozing with talent and a love for craft. The coolest parts are definitely the DI2 shifting points integrated into the TRP shifters and the HOPE RX cranks. Honorable mention goes to the Philwood seat post collar and readhead shrink on the brake and shipping cables making it all nice and neat upfront :).

I’ve affectionately named this the Godzilla build. And though it may be cliché and a bit warn out, Godzilla was a force and could roll anywhere he liked and was also pretty awesome.

Photos by Murazu

A few words from Murazu:

“I live in Tokyo. And was in Monokusa Racing. Now I cut people's hair for a living.

I like to ride a bike and ride any surfaces. I especially like dirt riding in the past few years.

If you live in Tokyo, you have to ride 50 kilometers to the mountains. So I needed a fast bike. I decided to ride the Horse cycle where I visited the workshop when I went Brooklyn. It's a beautiful bike. (Thomas wasn't there 😆)

The bicycle was assembled with EFFECT. I trust his skills. He did a great job this time too.

Recently, I often go to dirt in Odawara and Hakone. There are seas and mountains, and the great view. I would like to ride on a Catskill in the summer someday.”

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STAINLESS ALL ROAD ADVENTURE

Nik K’s All Road Adventure is pretty dialed. So much so that I have bike envy The go anywhere shiny lightweight boss that seams to taunt you every time you looks its way, saying… “ When are we headed out on our next adventure pal?”

This build Highlights the new Enve Adventure fork that has gobs of clearance and All the mounts. We slapped some King Cage Ti Anything cages on each blade, which are so sweet. That together with the Sinewave dynamo light mounted to a Soma rack fitted especially for the fork makes this Pony -Biz in the front and all party in the back.

Speaking of a party in the back… The build also rocks a hefty mullet in the E-tap axs configuration sporting the rainbow cassette/chain combo.

The frame consists of hand picked stainless steel tubing and a custom bent seat and chainstay to balance the clearance’s of the fork upfront. We do this with a 72mm BB that allows a larger welding area and gives room for rubber, in this case 2.3” Taravail Ehline’s. The tapered head tube uses stainless reinforcement rings top and bottom and was turned on the lathe in our shop here in Brooklyn, NY.

The pictures taken here were done so up in the Caskill mountains of upstate NY, the future home of Horse Cycles, by the talented photographer Donalrey. Big Thanks to Don who Captured this bike and its stomping grounds so well. God speed people, good riding and here’s to our next adventure.

JOHN'S DUSTY APPALUSA

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John has been riding his Speedvagen Road bike all around the Texas as he’s been held up, like most of us during this time, close to family. John wanted a gravel bike that could handle anything that came his way. He also wanted something he could ride on trails where he could bring his best dude, Hank the Dog. From what i understand hank is a little ripper, cattle dog mix. John, with his love for both his dog and horses, wanted a paint job that would resemble a bit of both. Hank is a dusty mix of gray and light brown with spots of white all over. we tried to capture the essence of both hank and the Roan and Appaloosa horse breads in the paint scheme by layering color and sanding away top coats with aggressive sandpaper leaving course hair-like markings. The paint is set off with the matching Enve stem and the Chris King Matte Bourbon headset (hubs to match once built.)

Johns 650B GRAVEL MONSTER is just what he was looking for to take advantage of the amazing terrain offered in the American west. From the single track in the mountains of steamboat springs Co to rolling gravel roads of Montana. This steed will let him limitlessly explore the opportunities that lay in front of him giving him time to clear his mind and spend his best days with his best pal, Hank the dog

The GRAVEL MONSTER comes standard with a custom 3D printed stainless steel dropout now with a brushed logo for a bit of added bling. Also standard are the custom Dedda s bend seat stays. Check out the GM page for more details.

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All thee photos here were taken down at Rockaway beach at sunset.

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John Montesi is writer and photographer for an active outdoor company (Steamboat Springs, CO)

JAKE'S BABY BLUE BROOKS GRAVEL MONSTER FOR NAHBS

This baby blue Beauty was headed for NAHBS. Brooks and i are sharing a booth in Dallas. With all the goodies equipped I had to snap a few shots. Brooks sent me some fiery Cambium bar tape and a matching saddle which really popped against the matte blue paint. Needless to say this Gravel Monster for Jake came out great. Brooks also visited the shop in preparation for the show and hung out for a few days. They posted a great STORY on their site. Here are a few shots of the days spent with Jason Norton.

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Jake decked this build out! He opted for the custom tapered head tube and double internal cable routing on the frame, finishing it off with a dusty matte blue paint scheme. For components we have a Full Enve cockpit, Enve G-27 wheels, sram force drive train. White industries crank and headset, Brooks saddle and rap and some slick Switch back Hill tires from Rene Herse. Check out the full photo set of this build below.

STAINLESS - ALL ROAD ADVENTURE

XCR Stainless steel Adventure - clears 650b x 2.8” rubber. Custom tapered headtube, internal hydraulic cable routing, flat-mount disc mounts and an anything cage mount on the under side of the down tube. Configured for a AXS Eagle drivetrain and drop bar shifter front end. We will be putting a new carbon fork on this rig with internal dynamo routing, rack, fender and anything cage mounts.

I wanted to get some shots of this bike in the raw without fork, without headset, without any parts. I think I’m as close as you can get to being in love with some shiny bits of metal.

Tapered Stainless head tube EC34 / EC44 with machined reinforcement rings. The finish is a brushed satin over the complete frame. For the logos on the head and down tubes we did a combination of polished fine lettering with a bead blasted drop shadow creating depth with three different textures.

More to come from this build but I wanted to document it in its raw state, pared down to the bone, no parts, just steel.

GARY'S BLUE-EYED LADY

Gary came to us looking for an ultra light silky steel road machine. At 6’4” and 215lbs with a relatively short torso, a rig with custom geometry was right up his ally. After the design and fabrication of a custom frame, you can really take the bike to the next level by thinking about complete build, paint, color, and components.

This was the first build we have done with the ultra light Titainum Cane Creek eeWing Crank. The raw titanium really pops on the black backdrop of the rest of the bike.

The blue accents on the down tube and seat tube together with the matte turquoise headset from King create a balanced and subtle composition.

The ENVE AR disc wheels and the Road Racer Plus were destined to be together, in this case with the deeper 4.5 profile for the more stout rider. The hoops, in conjunction with Sram’s Etap really make this a build to remember.

Without compromising durability this 64cm Road Racer Plus came in at 18lbs flat. When looking at the weight of a bike the components are a huge consideration, more than 75% of the weight of the bike comes from the parts. By replacing the aluminum Thomson seat post, stem and handle bar with carbon, this bike would come in under 18lb all day. That being said, Thomson makes great stuff and, manufactured in Georgia, a fair amount of this bike is homegrown. That’s something we love to see. How could you not give this blue-eyed lady a second look? This bike was a pleasure to build, and working with riders like Gary who value form as much as he does, function was a real treat.

DESERT RIDE + HAPPY ENDING = LUBER FOR LIFE

Matt and Andrew are both good friends of mine, and one of them rides a trusty Horse (”good boy”). They recently adventured out into the desert through the great unknown. “We saw some horses. We ate a lot of dust.” Two friends on the road less traveled making a memory or two. These photos are taken from the Sky Island Loop out in Arizona.

The two friends moved out to LA about a year ago, both are writers, Andrew previously for the New York Times and Matt for Gear Patrol. Matt, who’s a close compadre of Horse, ventured out to start his own company. I have a lot of respect for people who take that leap. Running your own venture takes a lot of work and fortitude. Producing a good product and staying true to quality in the face of the daily challenges of independent business is not an easy task.

The best part about this tale is that Matt didn’t start a bike shop or a tech start up. He’s in the lube business. And no, not chain lube! He started a skincare company that puts out super high quality small batch plant-based products that are (I never thought I’d hear myself say this about mens skincare), actually really good. West Skincare is a CA based outfit that you might see at the next gravel event you attend. I never thought I’d delve into a beauty regime beyond beard balm, but at the end of the day scrubbing the grease off my battered face has never felt better. Luber for life!

All and all Matt is a great guy, he rides a rad Horse, and is following his dreams.

The best lube money can by - WEST

GREEN MACHINE - 3D PRINTED DROPOUT - GRAVEL MONSTER

After 12 months of design and testing we are now using 3D printed 5-15 on all gravel monster frames. This allows a super strong connection that is corrosion free. It allows the shop to continue to stay at the forefront of the industry pushing the limits of technology and performance. Even though it is a large cost, It saves time on the overall build which means I can build more bikes and get your bike out to you faster. Big thanks to Steven Bukowski for his help with prototyping and printing. One of the best parts of working in Brooklyn is being able to collaborate with such talented people who also love bikes. Check out some of the process photos below and a few glam shots of this new Gavel Monster in Land Rover Green.

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