We’ve talked about these guys before.  But it sure is exciting to get a call from a company that you admire and respect on a number of levels, and have them tell you that they dig what you are doing.  We’d be lying if we didn’t say that they were part of the inspiration behind starting Sweetpea.  I mean, if a bunch of surfers, climbers, and mountaineers can do it – and do it right – then so can we.

Many of you may be in committed relationships with your road bike, city bike or touring bike. That is sweet, commendable really. But at the risk of throwing your life choices into question, I just want to say… Remember that mountain bike you loved back when you were in middle school,/high school/college? Well, the mountain bike has grown up and gotten sexy. And it is time for you to get reacquainted.  Meet the Bombshell. Hard tail, soft curves, suspension fork, disc brakes. This Bombshell may rekindle some powerful feelings. It did for me. The tailhead starts here.

• Fox F32-100mm shock with 15mm axle.
• Thomson seat post and stem
• XT drivetrain
• Portland Design Works Speed Metal Grips
• Reynolds Canyon Disc MTB wheelset
• Schwalbe Nobby Nic Tires 26 x 2.1
• Chris King Headset

Writers talk about the obligatory semi-autobiographical first novel. It is the book that has your voice and is perhaps the first story you can find inside yourself to share with the world. But when the middle aged male author can write a teenage girl into a first person narration, then he’s really done something.

Until now, most of the bikes I have built are in some way autobiographical. I can mentally plop myself onto the saddle of a road bike, commuter, mixte, touring bike, cross bike, etc. and imagine the ride. Not so with a mountain bike, not one that is to be ridden with skills that I do not have, and a fearlessness that I may never know. And that is why I was so thrilled to build my first mountain bike for a woman whose experience and talent as a mountain biker were known to me even before I met her.

This hardtail’s curves complicate the notion that robustness necessarily has a straightforward form. It will be built up with a Fox F32-100mm fork and a White Industries double mountain crankset. The final build is shaping up to have a bright and weightless aesthetic, fitting for both bike and rider. Expect pictures soon.

Important things for you to know:

• S’mittens will be back in limited and colorful numbers.
• We will also have some of Natalie’s block prints, including one brand new (and quite large) addition.

It’s the holidays people.  Let’s do this thing.

It’s an ambitious goal. And today we’re going to take it one step further.

Like all custom builders out there, we have been students of the craft honing the design and fabrication of the bikes that we build. This takes hours of work, effort, and imagination. But we have also spent years studying the language of the body on the bike. Any builder can tell you that fabrication skills take years to develop. And any bike fitter can tell you that you need to do hundreds of bikes fits to understand the intricacies of the body on a bike. It is kind of like learning how to be a machinist and physical therapist at the same time.

And it’s something we have been doing this for the last four years.

Today we are announcing the Lust line: a limited production run of bikes that incorporate all that we understand about the relationship between women’s bodies and their bikes.

(Prototype)

A project more than a year in development, the Lust line is going to start with the release of our most requested bike: The Little Black Dress This design is informed and inspired by the ideal riding positions of real women and offers an elegant alternative to the standard bike shop fare. It won’t work for everyone, but it will work for a lot of women.

The best part: these bikes will be less expensive than our custom options and they will be delivered in just a few months.

LEARN MORE about the design process and the LUST line here.

Well this month, we are whispering “we’ve been here for years.”  Outside Magazine has included Sweetpea Bicycles in this month’s DIY article entitled “The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen* (And one badass bike-building gentlewoman.)”  Natalie covers what goes into a Sweetpea, what makes us different, and how a bike can fit like a favorite pair of jeans.  

Momma said check it out.  

If you are interested in a Sweetpea, but think that waiting a year and a half for a bike is absurd, we encourage you to send us a note by clicking here. We got something cookin’ that you might be interested in.

January 1st we are going to be raising our custom frame prices to $2000 from the $1800 that they are today. So if you want to save $200, then you have until the end of December to put down your deposit. Lead times are around a year and a half, and you can get in line here.

RAPHA Cross Roller Race – Oregon Manifest 2008 from RAPHA on Vimeo. 

We donated a frame for the first ever women’s division, which was won by Megan Farris from Team River City Bicycles (Megan – if you are out there, give us a call!).

For a fantastic set of images from the event, check out PDX Cross here, here, here, and especially here.

Much like getting a loan for a car, you can now get a loan for up to $2500 towards a custom Sweetpea Bicycle. The details are here, but instead of a couple big payments, you get to spread it out over the course of a year. Our hope is that by participating in this program, it will be easier for you to get your dream bike.  (To see a little press about the Bike Loan Program, click here.)