New Bike Sponsor

19.1 pounds of fury (frame weight = 3.5 pounds)

Back in May, I received a phone call from Richie Moore, owner/builder of Cysco Cycles.  He offered me a deal I could not refuse.  The past couple years I had been noticing these Ti bikes popping up at races.  I have also known Richie for some time as we used to train and race together back in the day.  Bruce, my mechanic, had a Cysco steel hardtail and John, a local riding buddy, had a Cysco Ti SS.  Every Cysco owner that I talked to had nothing by good things to say about their bike. So when Richie offered to sponsor me for 2014, I jumped on board ... especially since he was cool with me continuing to ride my Niner geared bikes.

I worked with Chris, Richie's partner, in creating the frame.  Chris has an amazing wealth of knowledge about how angles and different tube measurements will affect the handling and compliance.  He was very patient with me in designing my SS frame.  I basically started with my Niner SS geometry and tweaked it a bit here and there.  After 3 weeks of talking back and forth and looking at ALOT of drafts, I settled on version 6.0.

From bits and pieces ...

From there it was all Richie.  Based on my weight and how I wanted the bike to "feel," he selected the tubing size and shape.  Once he had the materials in hand, it took him about 2 weeks to build it.  He would send me pics of the process and I would oogle over them, wanting the bike NOW.  But I patiently waited as I knew Richie treated each build like a piece of art.

The stars definitely "tried" Richie's patience, but turned out beautifully!

Instead of putting decals on his frames, he blasts the Cysco name on ... not as easy process!  With my frame he also went to extra lengths by blasting on stars on the seat tube to represent my SS National Championship.  There is also one more piece of  uniqueness about my frame that, should it ever be stolen, I can use to identify it.

After riding it several times and getting one race on her, I can definitely say this bike was built for me.  The first time I clipped in, it just felt right.  Like an Avatar, the frame is an extension of my body.  The build is the same as my Niner SS, save for the Industry 9 Wheels; I have Stan's Race Golds on my Niner.   It is more compliant than my Niner A9C SS.  I am really digging the Paragon rockers with the 142 x 12 rear.  With no CYB and quick release, my drive train is silent.  Mind you, my Niner CYB can be silenced, but it takes grease ... both the elbow and ProGold EPX kind!

Love the thru axle stiffness.

Just look at the welds and you will realize that Richie is a damn good welder.  He has been building Cyscos for 4 years now and prior to that he worked at both Litespeed and Lynskey for 10+ years.

The curved seat stays help to improve bump compliance.  That paired with a 27.2 mm Niner RDO seatpost make for a most comfortable ride.

Yes, custom frames can be expensive.  A Cysco starts at $3400.  But it is not "cookie cutter," it is handmade in the USA!  And you get the helpful expertise of Chris when designing your frame.  And yes, titanium can be light and lively.  I cannot wait to get to know mine even better over the next few months.

Bike # 273

Addendum:  Richie's bike come with a LIFETIME warranty on materials and workmanship ... to the original owner.