Cal: What is it that you like about randonneuring?
Henry: Brevets are a combination of challenge, adventure and opportunity to ride in new areas and meet new fellow cyclists. It also turns out to be a good way to test your willpower, creativity, grit and get in (or sometimes out of) tune with your body.
Cal: When did you decide to buy a Seven?
Henry: A half year into cycling, I knew I wanted to buy a Seven. I did not feel my current bike would be a good bike to do PBP. Ride Studio has a close partnership with Seven. It was built locally here in Watertown; they are custom tailored; I know a number of folks that work for Seven, and it was the beauty of the bike that made me go into cycling in the first place. And, of course, it is a very well made, reliable, easy to ride, beautiful bike. I ordered the Evergreen in early 2014 and planned to ride PBP in 2015. I was planning to do a 1000k in the Summer of 2014 in Virginia that took me thru Shenandoah and Blue Ridge mountains.
Cal: Tell me about the process of getting your bike - what inspired your choices? What was it like working with the Studio?
Henry: At the time, I was starting to do more rides with dirt and gravel and my first bike could only handle 28mm tires, so I was looking for more clearance. I also wanted to do longer brevets that required installing lights, fenders, and bags in a reliable way. Other choices were the disc brakes. We had an interview discussing my requirements including a hub generator in the front wheel, extra bottle cage under the down tube, and we had a fitting session. We had some discussion on the color. I liked a certain orange on a bike that was hanging in RSC. Hence my Evergreen's nickname everOrange. When the bike was built, I saw the actual frame being welded in the Seven factory in Watertown. There were a lot choices, but RSC helped me to get through that and came up with the right options for me.