Last year’s interview with Cielo’s Design Manager Jay Sycip was a bit lengthier. This year’s abbreviated answers suggest they’re pressed to get things ready for the show. That’s not uncommon among builders at NAHBS, with most working until the 11th hour to prep their show bikes. And it was confirmed in this case with a quick phone call requesting images to go with Jay’s answers – there are none yet, because the main new bike hasn’t even been welded together yet!
What is that new bike? Read on and see…
BIKERUMOR: What are your main building materials?
JAY: Steel.
BIKERUMOR: What’s new with your company since NAHBS last year?
JAY: Advancing the racing line. But you will have to wait until March to see what we come up with.
BIKERUMOR: Any killer custom bike builds in that time?
JAY: Nope. We make production bicycle frames that are highly accessible and built locally with care.
BIKERUMOR: Say a customer gives you free reign, where do you draw your inspiration for the best projects?
JAY: Vintage race cars, motos and land speed machines. those days when you could feel, smell and hear the fuel, oil and rubber. Also items that are well crafted and timeless, Watches, denim, jackets, boots and knives.
BIKERUMOR: What are you building this year that’ll draw a crowd?
JAY: Style and a long lasting brand that the market and count on.
BIKERUMOR: Scenario: NAHBS introduces a new category called Mashups, pairing two completely different builders to make one bike. Who’s the yin to your yang, and what kind of bike do you think you’d build?
JAY: Curtis (Retrotec) or my brother Jeremy (SyCip) who was my yang for 18 years.
Editor’s note: Word is, they’ll also have an updated version of the Tanner Goods bicycle from their 2013 exhibit, and a new Purple limited edition bike that’ll likely be your only chance to score some no-longer-in-production purple ano bits. That last one’s a guess, perhaps they’ll announce their next limited run color instead!
