Frame weight is overrated for most riders. And, I think there is a market for generic, warrantied frame sets with cool paint. That article was going about it all wrong though. Came off as condescending and was full of bullshit. Good call removing it.

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2013 Wilier Cento1 SR || 2009 Ridley Crossbow || 2011 Yeti AS-R 5 Carbon

Ok, here we go.

Regarding the article, I don't get paid by Pez so every thing I've ever written for the last 10 years has been a thinly veiled advertisement for my product whether it is coaching, The Ultimate Cyclist CD or Broken Bones. Over the years I believe I've helped thousands of cyclists with nutrition, training, race strategy and sports psychology. The point is that just because I'm plugging a product doesn't mean that the information isn't valid. Since i can't pay the mortgage with fan mail, i have to get some return for my investment.

Regarding the frame, it is an absolutely fantastic frame. You'll have to ride it to believe it. We did take an existing model and we made several modifications to it so that it functioned the way we wanted it to for the Wonderful Pistachios Pro team. The frame is made in the same factory where Pinarello makes their frames so the quality of the engineering and the materials used is top notch. The reason we did not start from scratch is because we didn't need to and any manufacturer out there who claims that they are re-inventing the wheel with their latest entry is not being honest. The truth is that frame engineering on every bike on the market is 95% the same from bike to bike to bike. It's the 5% that makes the difference and i think that is where we have the advantage over our competition.

We also are using the best bearings currently on the market in our hubs, bottom brackets and pulleys. These are made by Hawk Racing and they are cheaper and more durable than ceramic and as smooth if not smoother. At interbike we will have a bike set up without a chain so you can spin the cranks and really feel how smooth they are. You will be astonished. Once again, there are limitations to how much better you can make a frame so we put as much thought into the components as we did to the frame.

Regarding our style, it is based on Dia de Los Muertos artwork and early 90s skateboard art. When i was a kid, i used to walk into a skateboard shop and my heart would race. So many colors and characters. It was really exciting. Check out the latest cycling magazine. Page after page of black and white bikes. I wanted to create a product that got people excited about cycling. And not just people who already consider themselves "cyclists" but young people entering the sport for the first time. Cycling is extremely "exclusive". We pride ourselves on the fact that no non-cyclist could ever truly understand our sport. As someone who has tried to make their living in the industry for the last 25 years i can tell you that this attitude is not good for business and it hurts the sport and it's participants at every level. My vision is to break down those walls and to make people feel welcome. In the long run i believe this will benefit every aspect of the industry.

As for the name, I realized that people will make the connection to Rock but i think as you find out more about the company you will see that I put a lot of myself into this brand and it is very personal. The name came to me during a three night hospital stay after a crash on the track that left me with 4 broken ribs a shattered collarbone and a punctured lung. My 3 year old daughter witnessed the crash from about 10 feet away and for months kept asking me, "Daddy, are you still broken?".

The name, style and even the design of the bikes is meant to pay tribute to the sacrifice and risk we take every single time we step on the bike. While i was in the hospital i was looking through a buyers guide filled with page after page of monochromatic bikes and the reality of the sport and what i was going through and what so many other cyclists have gone through just didn't seem to match up. There is more color and excitement in a Golf magazine than most cycling buyers guides. There is a true disconnect between the way the sport is marketed and the reality of the sport. I hope to close that gap.

Follow us on Facebook as we unveil some of the bikes that we will be displaying at Interbike next week.http://www.facebook.com/BrokenBonesBicycles" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

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Exp001

At least there is an admission that it is a open mold frame. Recently there was a bike company owner, on either here or ST, who was insisting that his frame was unique to him and it looked exactly like an open mold TT/tri frame that had been around since before his company. And his insistence that it was a unique design actually made him look more stupid. Seriously, using open mold frame is decent as long as your paint and customer service justifies the price increase, which a consumer can decide(or in the case of a Ribble Scuro, the price reduction over the normal Deda frame). Claiming that you built a frame from scratch and either copied a no-name frame or just happen to come up with the exact same thing, is ridiculous.

That is my take any ways.

You never know what these companies will do though. Some companies start with more generic designs and as they grow introduce new self made designs. Soul wheels comes to mind, they've now designed their own hubs and I believe are working on their own rim designs.

Such as?

And Microshift!?

Really?

You know who said the same thing? Ritte.
They 1st claimed their frame was their own design. Then they were called out on it.
So then they said, "Oh, we worked exclusively with our manufacturer to modify the geometries." Also bull feces, the geometries didn't change and can be matched entirely to the standard open mould models.

Second, some really sound advice and I hope you read this carefully:

The majority of the market, the overwhelming number of consumers that will look at your produce and think about buying it are not you. They don't think like you. They don't ride like you. They don't want to ride like you. They don't want to train like you. They probably don't want to be like you, no matter how cool or famous you may be. Actually, all they want to do is enjoy riding a bike. Period. "Broken Bones" appeals to an exceedingly small percentage of cyclists - heck, even most racers might not want to buy a bike that is named after something they want to avoid.

If you really wanted to pay off your mortgage, consider doing some market research and producing bikes that consumers will buy and some brand name that would appeal to them. They will NOT be what you want to ride on your training runs. They will NOT be what you consider to be "cool" but they will sell and you'll get your mortgage paid off.

Here's a small hint: go talk to more than a few bike shops (not just Helen's or Cynergy, I know you're local but you've got to expand) and ask them for percentages of what type of bikes are selling. Ask them.

It will look something like this:

1. Hybrid/Commuter
2. Mountain or BMX
... (some distance)
3. Basic Road
... (some more distance)
... (some more distance)
4. Racing Road

Then think - hey, I'm producing bikes in this one fairly niche category with a name that is niche on its own, further reducing my buyer base. Ok, now what? Can I compete with the warranty levels of my competition in this niche? What about price point? Customer Service? Delivery times? What will I do when there is QC issues? Insurance to cover my ass? Am I more likely to see a lawyer hand me a lawsuit because someone took my niche bike into more extreme situations of stress and the product failed and I may be to blame, or if I started out with a product that is less likely to see fail and maybe build a viable, reliable brand from there?

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Exp001

I ran the numbers through model on analyticcycling.com but mis-read the results. It's 2.6%, not the .26% I thought it was.

I don't think that's a bad thing. World is awash with boring bikes.

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2013 Wilier Cento1 SR || 2009 Ridley Crossbow || 2011 Yeti AS-R 5 Carbon

+1. Too many boring bikes trying to appeal to everyone by being inoffensive.
Ritte, the analogue, has some great paint jobs.

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r o y g b i v

Pez to BrokenBones "Sorry we weren't payin' ya, but you are fired anyway"

Don't worry, there's always roadbikereview to spam.

I think Pinarello is made by Carbotec, a taiwanese company.
I am currently riding a FM015, but I don't think it has anything to do with Carbotec.

Well this is going well.

Must have missed the apology for slagging off weight weenies too...

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Baum Ristretto, Baum Mondrian Corretto & the '89 Merckx! | "If you could eat it in one sitting, hold your line." | twitter.com/Tinea_Pedis

And yet you decided to keep the only thing about the frame that sucks, namely, that pig of a seat mast topper.

Oh?

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Bikes: Raceur, Beateur

Also bike weight has little to with speed. I can fit 36 mph pedalling on a heavy 25 lb bike down hill and on a much lighter steed. Average speed may be a little higher oon a lighter bike but for a fit rider the diferences are small. We have a lighter bike mostly to have a lighter bike, well that my reason for my latest lightweight goodies, it not for extra speed.

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www.thecycleclinic.co.uk