The word "custom" gets thrown around a lot in the cycling biz, but what exactly does it mean? The definition varies, but here it means designing the bike around you. Your anatomy, your riding style and your personal preferences are all included. First your physical dimensions are taken. Those being your height, weight, inseam, torso and arm length, shoulder width, and foot size. After the measurements I'll discuss your current bike and ideally, measure the basic tube lengths for comparison. This is usually coupled with the discussion of your riding style and any inherent flaws in your current rig. The information gathered here along with your body measurements will be the main tools for designing your custom frame geometry.

Next, I'll select the tubes individually to meet the design requirements. For example, a 200-lb. rider will get a heavier down tube than a 160-pound rider will.

Are you a spinner, or a masher? Will you be racing, touring, or sport riding? A masher may get a stiffer rear end since her prefers to stand and climb at a lower cadence than a spinner who keeps his pedal cadence high and stays in the saddle.

Geometry plays a critical role in meeting the needs of a demanding cyclist. Are you riding flats? Big rollers? Are you climbing mountain passes and taking long winding descents? I use the property called trail to differentiate these riding styles so the bike handles predictably on your type of terrain. Don't think the bike will be too "specialized" for one type of riding. I guarantee the bike will track straight, corner smoothly and absorb road shock to keep you riding from 20 to 200 miles.

Finally, we look at your personal preferences, your quirks, or superstitions. It's custom, so we'll do whatever you want. At least we'll discuss the benefits or disadvantages and let you decide. For example, carbon forks are becoming popular and they are lighter than steel forks. Vertical dropouts are being used more on road bikes. There are a host of braze-on do dads to choose from like water bottle and rack mounts, pump peg, chain hanger, bottle opener. Do you need large tire or fender clearance? We want the bike to be special, a bike that fits you better than any stock bike could with any options you'd like along with a design that matches your riding style and keep you pedaling for years to come.

Interested? Call Around Town Bicycles and speak to Rich about your dream bike.