Hong's BBS

MFW I am planning to launch anything new. Even if I have done this a few times, the butterflies never go away.

Will anyone even need what we're offering? Will we ever get customers who don't already know me? I remember the first time I saw a stranger riding a Karmic Bike and I didn't know who they were. It was a small milestone, showing me that our little brand had grown beyond the friends and family circle.

I don't know how far I can take but there's only one way to find out.

A lot of y’all might know me as the Bike Guy, but I’m also a longtime Startup Guy.

Day One at Sea Otter was amazing, until I got back to my car and it wouldn’t start. 😩

Big thanks to Spencer from San Diego who helped me and went beyond any reasonable expectations for rescuing a complete stranger. Gotta love bike people!

I’ll start with a few pics which I will call “Women and Wacky Old Guys of the Bike Industry”. Stay tuned for my traditional post next!

Launching something 'new' at Sea Otter Classic! If you see an older Asian Guy on this vintage Merlin, just 👋🏼 and say Hi.

I'm only going on Thursday for the informal Bike Industry Day to say Hi to my - I said that I would never start another Bike Company after Karmic...

So the new thing isn't that, but it's also not a new idea. Just something that is needed for a niche clientele in an increasingly confusing consumer market (with dubious marketing!).

The Merlin is a 🧩🗝️🔐 if you can figure it out. 😉

Always a good conversation with my friend Mike. We talked about teaching teens to drive, new EVs for our wives and of course a bit about bikes. Mike is one of those Founders who are under the radar, even though he sold his last startup. Hint, check the logo on his Patty jacket. 😉

Excited for him to launch his new startup next month. I'm still trying to figure out how much time and energy to invest in my third startup. Older Founders just don't get the same support, even if we've been through it a few times before. The upside is that we don't need it. Keeps the cap table clean! 😅

Said goodbye to the old girl this morning. Went to the car wash bright and early. Found all the little parts for the bike racks. Dug up all the paperwork, including the original window sticker. Idk why, but I have always kept these when possible. You don't buy a brand new car that often in life. I think I don't even buy brand new bikes very often either.

What's a good used car for a teenager to use around town? I'd much prefer that Max rides an ebike or his Canyon. But I was car crazy at his age, so it's nice to see that he's even interested in cars, unlike most of his peers.

I certainly didn't need these frame decals, but you never know what the future holds. I'm pretty certain steel will continue to be real in 2024 and beyond. Never doubt my ability to envision the next generation of bicycles.

Yesterday was a great day! Starting off with a quick gravel & coffee ride with the Fat Cake Crew at my favorite coffee shop (). Then I scooted down to Santa Cruz to see Brendan for a quick shave. It still 'lathes' to have bike industry friends like him! The Merlin will be back on the road soon!

Then I thought I would check out new showroom, since I haven't seen it yet. I'll definitely be back to demo the new Oso! Great catching up with Roxy & Hans too. Really smart, passionate and well-seasoned Founders of a great bike brand. I've owned a half dozen Ibises over the years.

Last but not least were stops at Good Karma Bikes for a tire swap, and SV Bike Exchange for an unexpected come-up. Gregg knows I have a soft spot for ebikes, so he gave me a price I couldn't refuse. I promised my wife no more bikes, but I swear they (almost) gave it to me! 😅

They say sports can be a game of inches, but building up old bikes is much harder. I'll finish up my Fancy Townie when I get a machinist friend to round down 0.6mm from this damn fork. Or I will get impatient and hack it with a flat file.

Happy with the tires from my friend Kenneth! We just trade parts back and forth every time we see each other.

And yes, I do have three Thomson collars that are within a couple mm of each other. Why do you ask?

Today's been a day! And I better get out of court in time for dinner with my favorite girl. The American system has a lot of room for improvement. That's all I can say for now. 🤫😑🤐

Great chatting with a bike friend about job searching and career stuff. I don't know if you know, but I'm a recruiter and always happy to help anyone looking for a job or thinking about a career change. Today's chat was about climate tech, and I think we're going to be okay if we get more folks like Suzanne to apply her knowledge, experience and energy to make sure the planet is going to be ok. Well, more like making sure humanity continues to exist, because the Earth has been around long enough, with or without us. 🌎

Also, kinda nice to get a cup of coffee on the house. I can't recommend Cloud9 Coffee enough! If you are anywhere on the Peninsula, you would be hard pressed to find a better cup of coffee, served up by a nicer crew than this one.

There's a bittersweet feeling when your local coffee shop is blowing up and it's so packed that you end up waiting a bit. But I'm so happy to see this place get the love it so richly deserves. I'm still trying to do my best to make this the preferred spot on the Peninsula, so keep an eye on the baristas 🧢 next time you stop by Cloud9 Coffee.

I did get to chat with a customer who was on vacation from Seattle. She said she just closed her coffee shop a few months ago because most people would rather go to Starbucks. You can't complain about a lack of community and neighborhood feeling if you don't support your local small businesses. Stop by next time you're riding on the Bay Trail and tell 'em that the Bike Mayor sent you!

These days, it seems like everyone wants to be special and stand out from the crowd. What about being regular and a good stand up person in your community? The unsung heroes of everyday life. Folks who do the work to make things better for everyone else, without much fanfare or recognition required.

Three days in a row at Cloud9 Coffee makes me feel like a 'regular' and yet they treat everyone like a special guest. I really love it here. 🥰

So great to learn more about working with non-profits from Andrew and others in my orbit. We joked about not riding to coffee, because we both had bike projects in our wagons!

Also kinda wild to see friends riding to the local coffee shop and using the bike racks!

I don't know what the point of this post is, but in a world of wannabe CTRs, maybe we should celebrate the humble grey Civic sedan too.

So great to get a with Clarrissa this morning at my favorite coffee shop in town. They just give you a matcha latte when you're the Bike Mayor! 😉🍵

Looking forward to working with the new Executive Director of SVBC as a new board member. I'll be helping her build, manage and lead the team, as well as other operational stuff. My 15yrs of startups may not be directly applicable, but many of my own companies were non-profits!

When I saw her crossing the 101 on Embarcadero, I did what any good friend would do. I put on my blinkers and followed from a safe distance to make sure she had plenty of room to get across a very dangerous bit of road. Now we'll work to make sure everyone gets this treatment while riding in Silicon Valley.

Also got another Ibis, but I didn't technically break my resolution since I didn't buy it. Happy to trade the last Karmic Koben M for this green machine. I already got plans to rebuild it, and you should know it's going to be a weird one. Inspiration can come from anywhere! 🪥

You know those people who foster kittens and doggies? They take care of them until they find a forever home. I'm kinda like that, but with bikes.

Happy to see Rippy going to a great home! I know Natalie will take good care of her, and probably rip some 'mo trails faster than I could. New bikes are so ridiculously expensive these days, and there's great deals to be had on pre-loved rides like this Ibis. I'm just doing my part to make this sport more inviting and affordable to more people. Spread love, that's the Brooklyn way!

The Secret Service Course is only for friends and family, but I'm a friendly person. Hit me up if you need anything, or if anyone you know would be interested in a bespoke bike build this year.

First bike out of The Secret Service Course! And surprisingly it's not for me. 😅 I'm not trying to be a professional bike mechanic, this is just what I do to relax and get some alone time in the garage.

This rebuilt Specialized will hopefully be going to a local high schooler in the neighborhood. School starts back up next week, so I wanted to get this one done before the weekend. Follow for part two!

An S-Works road racer for $1k? No way Jose! Yes way!!

Well, I thought I would kick off The Secret Service Course with a banger 🧨 & Jessica got a deal of a lifetime. This Amira was supposed to be for my daughter, and I have to admit that cycling just isn't going to be her sport.

Since Jessica is a friend of a friend, she gets a freshly rebuilt bike for a super sweet 🧁 $. The Bike Industry has long had a problem getting new people into the sport. And making $14,000 bikes isn't helping anyone. That's another rant for another post. I'm just doing my tiny part to make cycling more accessible and affordable.

Save the rim brakes!

Hit me up if you or a friend needs a new to you bike. I can't promise a smoking deal like this, but I always do my best to give value to my Clients.

365 days. That's how long I've had my new SuperSix Evo HiMod frameset. I bought it for myself as a Christmas gift at last year's Winter Sale. Why is it taking so long for me to build it up?

There are a few reasons, mainly because this year has been kinda rough for us and everyone. The other was finding all the specific parts I wanted and then being able to justify the expense. Dream bikes can be a nightmare.

Well, I got the final piece of the puzzle yesterday. So this latest Evo might just be coming together in time for this Christmas. Maybe I will try to do the Festive 500 on it! Have never managed to finish before. 😅

And yeah, it would have been way easier to just buy this blackish Evo gen 4 as a complete bike!

The Bike Mayor also rides. Well, when my bikes are actually working. Nate's TTR #8 was a blast, even though my bike was still dirty from SSCXWC weekend. The pack split up after the first turn-off and I ended up with the stragglers and Boris on a SS Lobster. I also forgot to Strava it! At least there's donuts at the end of the ride.

My new jersey doesn't quite matchy-matcha but I dig it for a few reasons. I'll probably wear it for most of my gravel rides. At least until I get a blue bike again!

And of course I had to stop by the EF Tibco SVB winter sale. Managed to leave without buying another bike, and got the final piece of the puzzle for my new Evo. More details in another post. Swing by Menlo Park and get yourself some great deals on Rapha gear, POC helmets and Cannondale race bikes.

It’s not everyday that you manage to find some NOS SunTour Rollercam brakes! While these aren’t the XC-Pros that I was hoping for, they’re well worth the price. I picked them up from Palo Alto Bicycles, since the seller was the old store manager! He said he had two sets, but I already changed the fork, so I just needed one for the frame.

Also got new cycling shoes to match the Bridgestone!

TSSC is officially soft-launched today! And the is almost ready for Clients. Just need to finish the door handle and seal it up for the winter rain.

Yes, that’s real carbon fiber panels for the walls. The rest is reclaimed wood, the original carbon fibers of building materials. I mean, where else would you keep carbon fiber bikes?

The Secret Service Course will be invite only, so tell a friend to tell a friend. You can’t come here if I don’t know you, or someone I know does. That’s the rule folks! No exceptions, no excuses.

I have normal size hands, this just happens to be an abnormal sized Chris King NoThreadset!

Like I always tell my kids, if you can't find what you need, just make it yourself. Thin and wide cedar headers in an 8ft length don't just grow on trees you know. 🤪

Sometimes you gotta laminate these timbers yourself. Yes, I realize this isn't technically CLT, but it's about learning how they're made!

Old habits die hard I guess? Saw this Cetma 5-rail rack on FBM and had to snag it! Meetup at a random liquor store just like old times doing crazy Craigslist deals. 🤪

Then I stopped by the SV Bike Exchange to 'exchange' this old fork for something a bit nicer. Nice being relative since this B'stone is still destined to be a street beater/lock up bike. Canti up front should be easier to find versus the U-brake in back. Maybe I go fixed gear again?

Props to Gregg for letting me dig through the fork rack to find something that works. I also got a couple cheap stems for future bike builds.

If only I hadn't just given away a 1" Chris King!!!

Guess my leadership skills are waning, just like my riding abilities. No one showed up at Cloud9 Coffee and I rolled to Page Mill all by myself.

A dozen or so riders were at the park and ride, and we rode out together. I managed to hang on for about a minute before the wheel ahead started slipping away. Guess I'll be climbing up Hong Solo as well!

Still managed to knock 10 minutes off my PR. I also still prefer Old La Honda if you want to get up to Skyline. Shame it's not on the agenda for this year's LKHC. I might skip the next two climbs as well since my right Achilles is hurting.

Also if you are in town, swing by Cloud9 Coffee for their grand opening today! I hope I win one of the raffle prize boxes, they look awesome!

So I'll be the ride leader for the Ultra Low-Key Hillclimb up Page Mill tomorrow morning. Meet up at Cloud9 Coffee at 9am. Rolling out at 9:30 sharp! It might be my last hillclimb of the season, unless someone convinces me to do Mt. Hammy in two weeks.

If you are interested in suffering together up one of the Bay Area's best climbs, look for me (see pic) or my Audi wagon, or a black and chrome SuperSix Evo.

People always comment about taking a 💩 instead of spending money on shaving grams. I don't think you understand the levels of my obsession. My Evo is down to 5.55kg with power pedals, cage and Wahoo mount. Even with a semi padded saddle now.

I even changed to my lighter wedding band! See y'all tomorrow! ☕🏆🫠

Bonus: sneak peek of The Secret Service Course!

Am I really considering buying this old bike just for the saddle?! Yes, yes I am. It's an illness and there's no known cure. Someone please stop me!

Also a few pics of the CFBS and Allroad Camper setup. My neighbor Chris is an enabler of the highest degree.

Finished up my Steelman Blinglespeed!

Happy to all who celebrate! Roadies have an old tradition of riding fixed gear bikes in the winter. I don't see why mountain bikers couldn't do the same. Well, this isn't fixed because of my old knees.

Hoping to take it on some singletrack soon!

Any bike can be a singlespeed if you try hard enough! I've got some parts if you need 'em.

Trying to finish up the Blinglespeed build for tomorrow, and couldn't find my old BB tools. Resorted to the strangest collection of non-bike tools possible to get this old Ritchey BB in!

Don't try this at home kids! I'm an untrained professional!

Now I just have to install the brakes and cable/housing tonight. Time to make dinner! 🍖

Would you believe that this is only my 200th post on IG? It's probably 90% and I'd have it no other way. Made a couple new friends today and got a couple PRs on Bay Trail since I was running late. Palo Roubaix if you will!

Also made one change to the gravel groad bike for this weekend. I find that I scoot up on the nose of the saddle when I get going, so changed out the comfy CBL-R seatpost for something a bit more old school. Now the Lobster is more metal, with titanium hubs and the Syncros from my townie.

See y'all at Surf City CX! I'll be the guy with the overly color-matched bike and kit. Cycling Costume optional!

And if you go to Cloud9 Coffee, tell 'em The Bike Mayor sent you!