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NAHBS 2017: Métier Vélo teams up with Tim Crossman composites for deepest custom

Written by Anna Schwinn
18 Comments
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Fun fact: one of the really cool things that happens each year that doesn’t really get talked about is the friendships that develop and the networking that happens between builders at the show. This is especially prevalent on New Builder’s row where show attendance can sometimes be very slow. People chat, relationships develop, and sometimes really cool collaborations come out of it.

Last year, Jamie White from Métier Vélo and Tim Crossman were a few tables away from one another. They talked, had dinner at the show, and ended up riding together after the show. If you remember from our coverage last year, Tim was the Ukrainian carbon builder who had just constructed his second CNC filament winding machine so he could make his own tubing with which to build bicycles. Jamie’s frames at the time featured 3d printed titanium joints conceived and designed custom to each consumer.

What has occurred is pretty neat- the pair are now collaborating in such a way that if you want a bike with tubing tailored to you, Tim and Jamie will work together to bring you that next level of customization. The result is a frame that is tailored to the consumer to the physical core of its being- that’s really something. I don’t know how you can get deeper custom than that…

The bike front and center was the embodiment of this deep custom collaboration. Not just were the main triangle tubes custom wound for the frame…

… but so were the seatstays and chainstays. When ordering the Tim Crossman option, the team can work together on custom lay-ups, as well as custom tube shapes and mandrels per consumer. The possibilities and opportunities with this level of customization are pretty thrilling when you think about it.

Once tubing is designed, Jamie bonds them into his titanium joints. Holding this in my hand at NAHBS, I regretted not bringing a scale. (should have called me over #alwaysbringascale – zach)

Once again, we were able to see Jamie’s proprietary seat tube, one that can be microadjusted and locks into place once set. “It’s very exclusive because it’s very expensive.”

Because each Métier Vélo frame part is designed custom per customer, it allows Jamie some freedom when it comes to dropouts and lug shapes. Here we have an ultra-light vertical road dropout for a traditional rim brake bike.

This road disc bike with thru-axle hubs had a very different frame part configuration- both functionally and visually. Your Métier Vélo can be completely traditional or on the cutting edge of industry trends- it’s totally up to you.

And if the customer chooses, they can have their name also printed and attached onto the frame at an extra cost.

It should be said that while your Métier Vélo can tend towards the super-custom end, super custom can be super expensive. Jamie does offer off-the-shelf stock tubing options to keep costs lower if the customer requests it.

 Métier-Vélo.com
Anna Schwinn
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mudrock
mudrock
8 years ago

Don’t know what to say..I’m just shaking my head. Almost all riders can be fitted to a stock frame. I can’t imagine where this level of customization would be required to get a good fit or ride quality for a customer. It’s like ordering custom gold leaf Faberge eggs, just because you can. To me it’s obscene to spend that much money on yourself.

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bart
bart
8 years ago
Reply to  mudrock

But i’m worth it.

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matt
matt
8 years ago
Reply to  mudrock

I think it’s more obscene to pick that font for your name plate. Yeeesh.

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TruckNutZ
TruckNutZ
8 years ago
Reply to  mudrock

Yup…Almost all can…but what’s your point?…All I gather is that you won’t be buying one for yourself…Thanks for letting everyone know that… Continuing your thread…no one needs a Lambo…ducati, a $7 Starbucks…a designer…anything…hell, what kinda (deleted) would buy a SonicCare toothbrush, when a $1 CVS Toothbrush will do the same… Spend your money as you see fit…The rest of us don’t care to hear about it.

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blah blah blah
blah blah blah
8 years ago
Reply to  TruckNutZ

yeah but the moment you say he cant “say that ” is the moment you cant “say that’

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Robin
Robin
8 years ago
Reply to  mudrock

The real question why does it matter at all to you? You’re not being forced to buy such a custom bike. Why do you care what someone wants to do with their own money? Who established that you are the arbiter of what is too expensive or too custom, and what isn’t?

I really don’t get why so many people-cyclists in the case–find the need to judge what other people find valuable or what other people want. It sure seems like the real snobs are the people sitting at their keyboards, typing “no one needs that bike”; “that’s obscene”; and other such things.

The cycling world is full of snobs, and many of them take time out of their day to post here at BR.

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mudrock
mudrock
8 years ago
Reply to  Robin

Well, you’re right. It shouldn’t matter to me. I was a broke mechanic and racer in the 80s, barely making ends meet – and that’s when I was part owner of a shop. This sport has turned into a rich boy’s plaything, and that bugs me.

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Robin
Robin
8 years ago
Reply to  mudrock

No it hasn’t. The sport is still accessible to a great number of people, and the overwhelming majority of those are not the “rich boys” that you derisively name. Your distorted view of cycling is no better than that of those your harshly criticize.

I have to say, what someone else pedals in no way influences my enjoyment of my rides, my cycling, or my view of cycling in general. With that said, that cycling is an inclusive sport is proven false every time someone goes on about the “rich boys”, dentists, lawyers, or whatever group the person in question is looking down upon on a given day. Objectively, it raises the question of who the real snobs are in cycling: the people that buy the expensive stuff that others think shouldn’t be bought or the people that judge what others buy and ride so harshly. I think the answer is obvious.

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ELEVEN_g
ELEVEN_g
8 years ago
Reply to  Robin

” Objectively, it raises the question of who the real snobs are in cycling: the people that buy the expensive stuff that others think shouldn’t be bought or the people that judge what others buy and ride so harshly. I think the answer is obvious.”

While your points are valid, WTF cares what people buy, your point about snobs is completely off mark; at least dependent where you live.

Where I am, the snobs, the ones making cycling inaccessible, or at very least an undesirable activity to many, are exactly those that buy all the expensive kit and parade around looking down their noses at everyone. The fact that most are middle aged men or the corporate elk could have something to do with it but the reality, as a friend and I were discussing just the other day, is that these types have become the visible face of cycling here.

I’ve been on the bike for over 30 years now and I have to say, they even put me off…

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FrenchPress
FrenchPress
8 years ago
Reply to  mudrock

You’re right, not everyone fits a stock bike. I have found 2 stock bikes I fit due to my unique body (short legs and freakish long torso). Otherwise, I have to put a 140 stem on a too small bike and that’s like steering the Titanic. So, I am a fan of custom bikes for that reason. And even if I did fit a stock bike – having a bike built for you is something special. For example: You can go get a stock suit and be fine OR spend more and get a custom tailored suit that fits and looks amazing. If I wore a suit once a year, I’d go simple but if I worked day-in day-out is a suit, I’d go nice. Relating to bikes – I ride more than once a year.

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mudrock
mudrock
8 years ago

Should come with a complementary power washer so you can get the dirt out of the letters.

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zachshoulddoittoo
zachshoulddoittoo
8 years ago

Cool nail polish! That’s the mark of an experienced journalist: getting the nails touched up before NAHBS when your nails will inevitably be in at least one picture.

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Anna Schwinn
Author
Anna Schwinn
8 years ago
Reply to  zachshoulddoittoo

Thanks! I did them in purple to match my new bike and in big metal flake to get Eric Baar of Ground Up Speed Shop stoked. Mission Accomplished.

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Jamie White
Jamie White
8 years ago

Anna, thanks for a great article. It has been super working with Tim, and I think we’ll have more cool things in store for next NAHBS. I was sad he couldn’t make it to Salt Lake City.

Zach, the BB weighs 144g. I’ll post a scale photo on Instagram after I’m done doing my taxes.

Matt, the frames are full custom so you can have any font you want.

mudrock, I agree with you in some ways. I spent years as a student, grad student, and postdoc, riding tires to the casing because I couldn’t afford new. The point of a full custom bicycle is to have something special, made just for you. The point of riding one of my frames, in addition to the customization, is because you appreciate the technology and the aesthetic. I think most of us develop a fondness for our bicycles because of the places they take us. A bicycle that you have made just for you, with a fit and features and components that you select, made by someone you develop a relationship with (your builder), truly enriches the experiences that we all get from riding.

As Robin points out, a custom bicycle is a relatively modest luxury. I’m riding one of my own bicycles, and it would retail for around $13,500. I suppose that is a lot, but I ride it almost every day, for several hours each day, and it contributes to my overall health, sanity, and well-being. My neighbor has an RV that cost $120k and sits in the driveway most of the time, and mostly causes him stress. A Tesla S that spends most of the time in the garage costs $140k. I know people that spend hundreds of thousands on their horses. Where you spend your money depends on what you value. If you ride a lot, you’ll value a custom bicycle. If you choose one of mine, you’re supporting two guys (me and Tim) who would otherwise be unemployed, you get some cool technology, a certain look, and certainly a nice ride, in a package made especially for you, right down to the font you choose for your nameplate. I hope this combination would give you real pleasure and truly add to your overall enjoyment of cycling.

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James Fryer
James Fryer
8 years ago
Reply to  Jamie White

The blends on that BB lug look fantastic! Whoever is doing the modeling knows what they are doing and could teach the big manufacturers a thing or two. I am often surprised by how crummy high dollar carbon frames look because of poor transitions.

The amount of relief of the text and logos on these frames could be more subtle though.

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JasonK
JasonK
8 years ago

A Tesla model S is more like $100K than $140K, but I think your point stands.

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derf
derf
8 years ago

ah, when the rich try to understand the poor. Sorry, but I agree with Eleven. The bicycle industry is starting to price itself out of reach of the normal working person.

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Phanuel
Phanuel
8 years ago

Although the frame could be splendid (depending on taste, etc. – I might like it), I must say that the final assembly with mixed parts and manufacturer decals here and there just looks horribly sad and common. Sorry.

When you can have that level of customization, why not finish the job ? I hope you will have customers that are aware of what good taste and global aesthetic is, to build the bikes your framework deserves 😉

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