Seven Axiom S

Rim brakes. Mechanical. Maybe 1 1/8th.

Fit on Monday.

Now that I’m in Los Angeles, the land of dry weather and hills, I thought that it was time to change my bikes up. I purchased a steel Seven Axiom S relatively recently from eBay for not much money and like it a lot, but the geo is pretty old school and it’s a bit long and low. What it did remind me, though, is that I prefer the ease of maintaining rim brakes, the aesthetics and also how well they work when it’s dry.

This has led me to want a new frameset and in particular, a titanium frame as I’ve never owned one.

I have looked at a lot of Ti bikes and builders. Considered stuff used and new from Lynskey, Litespeed, Moots, No. 22 (ex Serotta team members), Seven, Hampsten, Mosaic etc etc.

I went to a shop today. Wow. Ti is super nice to ride, huh?

The geo chart for the Litespeed T5 made me think it would be a good match, but in reality I felt horribly cramped and upright even on a Medium/Large over a Medium. Really, very upright.

A 55cm Vamoots which I'd have written off as being too big had I not sat on one felt pretty good - but do I think it's worth $4000 for a non-custom frameset? Nope. Absolutely not. Headtube felt a bit too tall, too.

I like the idea of one of the racier Litespeeds. They obviously lack sex appeal but there’s no doubt they’re pushing the boundaries of what’s possible with titanium. The frames were incredibly well welded, incredibly light and the tube profiling was unlike anything I’ve seen with titanium. There is no doubt that they're fantastic bikes, but by the time you buy a T1SL (and pay $95 for cable stops!?), even on sale, you're not far from a Seven at $2800....

Enjoying the steel Axiom made me think that a Ti Axiom made a lot of sense. This is obviously fully custom and its $3350 inclusive of an Enve 2.0 and a full, proper bike fit. Seems like a relatively good deal to me when you compare it to carbon frames and also the other Ti frames I’d considered. Especially the likes of a Moots.

Anyway.

Updates to follow...

This needs pics. Have you considered Kent Eriksen? #Sub’d

Instant follow from another Seven owner who pretty much went down the path you did and ended up a long way from where I started and have this Axiom : https://www.lfgss.com/conversations/297404/

Kent is now no longer in business, or rather, it’s been taken over by Brad Bingham and is now ‘Bingham Built’. Unfortunately I’m vein and don’t like his branding. Also, his wait list is pretty long. I’m impatient and Seven’s is no more than 6 weeks, even during COVID...

But yeah, this was also part of the reason I chose Seven over an individual builder like Max at 333fab or Brad. The Seven purchase
process is incredibly slick as far as I understand.

Thanks @Velocio - I’d been trying to find photos of yours!

Oh and it helps that the Seven dealer in SoCal is run by Craig Gaulzetti of Gaulzetti bikes fame but he’s also an ex-Seven staff member. Just makes sense to go with a Seven over someone who will only rely on me taking my own body measurements (which is what a lot of frame builders want).

I’d been trying to find photos of yours!

I migrated my Google Photos account... here's a link to some more photos https://photos.app.goo.gl/NpyK3w6kJ2aYC2jE6

I went for a very clean look, for a very functional bike. The colour was chosen to compliment my Robin Mather (the green one) https://photos.app.goo.gl/aYjSCscF3k4YiVCH6 whilst revealing the quality of the frame (it has great contrast between the lights and darks so the frame is shown off).

To long-term solve pictures and what I've had, I've updated my profile: https://www.lfgss.com/profiles/47686/

Anyhow... damn stoked you're getting a Seven, the ride is truly incredible.

Shit. I had no idea that was the case!

What are you thinking for paintwork? Can you go custom?

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Genuine question - why not just get a Trek Emonda again? You did the Cent Cols on one. What is this Ti bike going to do that an Emonda couldn't?

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Why not spend the money on another cent cols?

😉

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Rim brakes.

DBAD!

Will the forks be painted?

Are you wondering how big the logo will be?

No paint. Just a seven logo on the down tube. Paint adds an extra grand and I don’t care for it that much.

I don’t want to spend almost 2 grand on a trek frameset that I know I won’t keep. Also don’t like the way they look.

You know I’d love to do a CCC again, but I have some decent riding in my back yard 😅

No painted forks. Don’t believe that’s an option unless you paint the whole frame.

You know I’d love to do a CCC again, but I have some decent riding in my back yard 😅

You know the CCC isn't about decent riding. It's a spiritual awakening that takes months or years to enjoy.

The awakening happened. The suffering happened. The excruciating pain in my feet happened. The raki healing happened. I will remember forever 😌

See what wonderful memories my terrible advice brought back!

Seven will paint a fork to match a Ti frame. So may go down that road...

Some inspo of the kind of tube profiles I want:

What fork is it on the Seven? Ritchey? I 100% approve of a 1 1/8th head tube.

They're both Seven's up there. I think it's actually Seven's own. Which is $200 more than an Enve, so am unsure if I want to stump up the extra cash for it. I do have a soft spot for that bend though.

This is the tapered version, can't find a 1 1/8th image on their site, but they still manufacture it AFAIK.