SPECTRUM Custom Super,I didn’t know Tom Kellogg well when I started the process of ordering a custom bike for this feature, but by the time the bike arrived I felt that I’d made a new friend, a connection forged through the collaborative process of design.
Most Spectrums begin with a fitting at the 175-year-old barn that serves as Kellogg’s HQ. My visit began with a long talk about our favorite roads, local racers we both know who were doing well, music, and, eventually, the characteristics I was looking for in my next bike and how I hoped it would perform. We soon segued to a more traditional fitting, with Kellogg mounting my bike into a trainer amidst his shop’s functional clutter, then settling on the barn’s dusty, worn wooden floor. Kellogg is a chatty guy on the rides he frequents, but he was contemplative as I pedaled, his eyes dismantling every movement as he posed questions about my favorite bikes, my racing goals, my particular physiology, and old and current injuries.
Occasionally, he’d ask me to change position. When my own movement didn’t provide an answer, he’d rise up and grab a shoulder, bend an elbow, or twist a hip to put me where he wanted. At one point, displeased with the path traced by my kneecap, he used a paper shop rag to fashion a wedge to fit under my right foot, correcting a problem I hadn’t known I had.
Hours later, his notebook full of scribbles and measurements, he announced that we were finished. Kellogg went to his paint booth—the only spotless part of the barn—where he was doing some clearcoating (he paints all Spectrums), and I rode home.
Twelve weeks later, the frame arrived from Seven Cycles, where all ti Spectrums are fabricated (steel models are built by Kellogg’s long-time partner, Jeff Duser, in the barn). To meet my preferences, this Super accommodates electronic shifting, 25c tires, and includes a pump peg (Kellogg used to supply all of his bikes with painted-to-match frame pumps, and will still paint yours to match, at no charge). Immediately, I could tell that the fit was spot-on. The first ride demonstrated the bike’s nuanced, intuitive feel. The handling was precise, and the wheelbase let the tubes soak up vibrations but was still short enough to let me carve corners. Stout chainstays deliver all the power my legs have to offer straight to the rear wheel, making for quick accelerations. The bike’s ride feel—stiff in the front triangle to ensure Ferrari-like handling, but still flexible enough to absorb vibrations—comes largely from the Baseball Bat top tube, Kellogg’s own design.
My Spectrum is British racing green—the same color as the British sports cars my dad and grandfather drove when I was kid. That color is an important part of my past and helps the Spectrum completely embody my perfect dream bike. —Mike Yozell
Summay =
Most Spectrums begin with a fitting at the 175-year-old barn that serves as Kellogg’s HQ. We soon segued to a more traditional fitting, with Kellogg mounting my bike into a trainer amidst his shop’s functional clutter, then settling on the barn’s dusty, worn wooden floor. Kellogg went to his paint booth—the only spotless part of the barn—where he was doing some clearcoating (he paints all Spectrums), and I rode home.
The first ride demonstrated the bike’s nuanced, intuitive feel. The bike’s ride feel—stiff in the front triangle to ensure Ferrari-like handling, but still flexible enough to absorb vibrations—comes largely from the Baseball Bat top tube, Kellogg’s own design.
—Mike Yozell
Source = bicycling
