I am considering ordering a custom seven cycles axiom sl road bike
i am 56 years old and looking to move back to the ride feel of my younger days and the feel of a metal bike
curious if others have been through the process with seven and thoughts on the final product
I have experience with them and cannot recommend them. They are very engaging during the initial phases but in my experience, terrible at follow-up. I currently have a custom Seven and they have not responded to some basic follow-up questions I have. Also, you have to go through a Seven authorized retailer and that experience can be very hit or miss. I would look at someone like Bingham or other reputable Ti builder that you can deal directly with.
Not specifically. ~10 years ago I was working at a bike shop in MA that sold Seven bikes and as part of that got a “VIP” tour of their factory and process in Watertown. It was impressive and the products were very nice. For a while I considered ordering a tandem from them, but never did, not because of any concerns about Seven but because my wife and I lost interest in getting a tandem. Of course I knew a number of our customers who had Seven bikes. Back then I was not aware of any systemic issues with them from the customer’s perspective.
I’ve done this experiment and going back to a metal bike wasn’t that special. It wasn’t magical like the first time you went from a steel bike to a titanium bike or to your first carbon bike.
That said, I’m sure they are nice frames and will last many years, if not a lifetime.
I have a Seven RedSky SL. I bought it in 2017. It is my “daily rider” and I love it. I had a really good experience with my local Seven dealer/bike fitter. The process was smooth and the finished bike was just what I was looking for.
If you are anywhere near Ann Arbor, MI I can recommend my dealer to you.
@daryllewis i am actually local to seven so can visit their shop as they build (has been offered to me). Trying to buy local is part of the appeal. Parlee is actually in the next town but i am leaning toward Ti
@Saddlesaur i am local to them and work in boston. the factory being in watertown is certainly part of the attraction
What did you go with? Wanted to just comment here to talk about how amazing my Seven has been. It truly was the first time I had ridden something that had felt the way it did. I had ridden custom steel, aluminum treks and others, and carbon trek Boone’s.
The seven returned energy to the pedals unlike anything I have ever ridden. As a bigger rider, the Boones I had felt like wet noodles in comparison to this bike. I had it built as a CX race bike, with the drive train stiffness at a 10 on their rating system. Ti definitely has a way of feeling springy if you design it that way.
I did end up cracking the chainstay, which after 6 years of racing and beating on, wasnt bad. I was breaking a Trek a year in the prior years, I am a bit outside the norm for size and riding style, so dont take this as an issue with the bikes. That said. Seven’s warranty department is outstanding, even made some changes for me as I’m using it more as a fast gravel bike these days, and also to change the design for more durability.