Sklar Bikes LLC

[adarn]

I'm working on starting a new bike team/club. We did a little photoshoot for some sponsor stuff. Hoping to have something really cool going on by next summer...
Project-X Photoshoot by Adam Sklar, on Flickr

Project-X Photoshoot by Adam Sklar, on Flickr

Project-X Photoshoot by Adam Sklar, on Flickr

[Too Tall]

Short on words. BA comes to mind.

Killing it man. Keep it coming.

[adarn]

Short on words. BA comes to mind.

Killing it man. Keep it coming.

Ha! Thank you.
Words take time, and I'll tell you, talking about myself is not a strong skill of mine.

If there is anything else anyone would like to hear about, please ask away.

[adarn]

I did write a little blurb with some of my thoughts on plus bikes for my Fall newsletter. It is posted on the blog too for anyone interested!

DSC_3190 (1500x1000).jpg

[DeeDub76]

Hi Adam...love the bikes! It looks like you have a good thing going. Keep it up.

What would you use to measure success personally? Is it selling a certain number of frames? Recognization from other builders? 52 likes on an FNL post?

[adarn]

Hi Adam...love the bikes! It looks like you have a good thing going. Keep it up.

What would you use to measure success personally? Is it selling a certain number of frames? Recognization from other builders? 52 likes on an FNL post?

Hey Darrel, How's it going?

Thanks for the kind words, looks like your stuff is really coming along too.

I'm only in it for the Instagram likes!! Ha. JK.

Personally it is all about challenging myself - every time I step in the shop, or even better, designing something really cool with a customer. I also really enjoy the challenges on the business end of things.

So success... Success is feeling like I did my best to overcome those challenges. Getting recognized by builders, likes on the internet... I don't really care about those. Hearing from a customer that they absolutely love their bike is what it's all about, and really, nothing makes me happier than that.

[adarn]

Built this cool Bar Stem combo this morning. It's going on a bike that I am really excited about. Also going to NAHBS coincidentally. Who is going to be in Sacramento for that?

Shop Photos by Adam Sklar, on Flickr

[adarn]

Monday night lights....
I'm always excited to build bikes, but man, sometimes I just can't get enough.

I'm particularly excited about this one. It's going to be wicked cool.

in the shop by Adam Sklar, on Flickr

[adarn]

Just posted this over in FNL, but I figure I should post it here too, because I think it's a pretty cool photo. I've been trying to work a lot on my photo skillz to show off bikes more. I think it's important to be able to show your work effectively.

Colin's Fat Bike at night by Adam Sklar, on Flickr

It was a crazy week with the holiday and all, but I managed to finish up a fat bike and get a whole 'nother one built too (the second is for me!).

I'm excited to do some riding. It's been hanging out in the teens-twenties in Bozeman with a good blanket of snow and our awesome network of townie trails has been calling to me. Bozeman is great in the winter for skiing, but when I can't sneak off in the morning, it will be nice to throw on my lights and cruise around on the fat bike. Can't wait. I'm thinking pink...

Oh and I should mention that this bike (the customer frameset) is going to Black Magic Paint in Portland, and will be in their booth at NAHBS. I can't wait to see what they do.

Cheers,
Adam

[adarn]

I posted this photo over on instagram this morning.

btail.jpg

It is from a ride this past summer on one of my favorite trails in Bozeman, The Bangtail divide. While this particular trip was with the #SklarBikesFactoryTeam, it had me thinking about one of my favorite rides I did this fall.

The trail follows the ridge line of the Bangtail mountains, one of the smaller ranges in the Bozeman area, for the better part of 30 miles. Compared to a lot of the riding up here it is rather mild. After ~15 miles of road from my house, it starts off with about 2,500 ft of switchback climbing to bring you on top of the ridge. From there it is pure flowy, smooth, insanely fun up and down single track. I'm getting excited just thinking about it.

Anyhow, most folks choose to drive up to the trail or shuttle sections of it, which is OK if you are in a hurry. Riding the whole thing from town had been on my to do list for a while though and on this particular fall morning, I woke up and just had to go for it. I made some coffee, Loaded my backpack up with water and definitely not enough food, and headed towards the trail. I swung by the shop on the way to swap some pedals before I left. I thew on a light jacket just to cruise to the shop as I thought it would warm up by the time I left - it didn't and I was really glad I had it later. It turned out to be a perfect Fall day for riding. Just the right temperature really - something in the mid to high sixties. There were a couple brief rain showers that scared me. Had they been more substantial I could have been soaked and without rain protection some 40 miles from home (not my best move). They were just brief enough to let the trail be nice and tacky though. It's funny how a win like that can make a ride even better. The day flew by in a whir of single-speed climbing and scaring-myself-because-I-am-alone ripping descents. I miss it.

Sometimes those solo missions really do it for me. Looking at the Bangtails as I write this, covered in snow, is making me really excited for Spring. Whether by myself or with a big group of friends, we'll be back soon enough!

Have a great Thursday!
Adam

[dogrange]

I posted this photo over on instagram this morning.

btail.jpg

It is from a ride this past summer on one of my favorite trails in Bozeman, The Bangtail divide. While this particular trip was with the #SklarBikesFactoryTeam, it had me thinking about one of my favorite rides I did this fall.

The trail follows the ridge line of the Bangtail mountains, one of the smaller ranges in the Bozeman area, for the better part of 30 miles. Compared to a lot of the riding up here it is rather mild. After ~15 miles of road from my house, it starts off with about 2,500 ft of switchback climbing to bring you on top of the ridge. From there it is pure flowy, smooth, insanely fun up and down single track. I'm getting excited just thinking about it.

Anyhow, most folks choose to drive up to the trail or shuttle sections of it, which is OK if you are in a hurry. Riding the whole thing from town had been on my to do list for a while though and on this particular fall morning, I woke up and just had to go for it. I made some coffee, Loaded my backpack up with water and definitely not enough food, and headed towards the trail. I swung by the shop on the way to swap some pedals before I left. I thew on a light jacket just to cruise to the shop as I thought it would warm up by the time I left - it didn't and I was really glad I had it later. It turned out to be a perfect Fall day for riding. Just the right temperature really - something in the mid to high sixties. There were a couple brief rain showers that scared me. Had they been more substantial I could have been soaked and without rain protection some 40 miles from home (not my best move). They were just brief enough to let the trail be nice and tacky though. It's funny how a win like that can make a ride even better. The day flew by in a whir of single-speed climbing and scaring-myself-because-I-am-alone ripping descents. I miss it.

Sometimes those solo missions really do it for me. Looking at the Bangtails as I write this, covered in snow, is making me really excited for Spring. Whether by myself or with a big group of friends, we'll be back soon enough!

Have a great Thursday!
Adam

Aargh, do I ever miss Montana.

[adarn]

Holy cow is this a busy time of year!
This week so far I've got an engineering degree, Built two forks and got a good start on my third of 4 NAHBS frames. Also it is dumping snow outside and the skiing has been excellent.

Anyhow. I thought I'd post this pic. Finished up a fork for my last NAHBS bike and I am So. Stoked. about this project. It is always nice when that happens.
Cheers!
Adam

Fork Test Fit by Adam Sklar, on Flickr

[roseyscot]

Holy cow is this a busy time of year!
This week so far I've got an engineering degree, Built two forks and got a good start on my third of 4 NAHBS frames. Also it is dumping snow outside and the skiing has been excellent.

Anyhow. I thought I'd post this pic. Finished up a fork for my last NAHBS bike and I am So. Stoked. about this project. It is always nice when that happens.
Cheers!
Adam

Fork Test Fit by Adam Sklar, on Flickr

I saw your picture on Instagtram of the extremely minimalist post mounts (for that fork?). Are post mounted brakes less susceptible to the howling and resonating that early disc frames and forks battled when disc brakes were first emerging? That mount is so elegant, but seems too minimal to prevent the forces of the disc brake from causing a lot of resonance?

https://www.instagram.com/p/_V9nM4Nj...-by=sklarbikes

[adarn]

I saw your picture on Instagtram of the extremely minimalist post mounts (for that fork?). Are post mounted brakes less susceptible to the howling and resonating that early disc frames and forks battled when disc brakes were first emerging? That mount is so elegant, but seems too minimal to prevent the forces of the disc brake from causing a lot of resonance?

https://www.instagram.com/p/_V9nM4Nj...-by=sklarbikes

Hi Roseyscot,

The photo I posted on IG was for a different fork, but this fork has them as well (hadn't put them on yet in the above photo). They're similar to my old design, but use an aluminum insert made by Paragon Machineworks. I like the insert because it can be replaced if the threads are stripped and I don't have to have any unpainted steel on the frame.

Post mounts are great. I would consider myself a minimalist in that I design a bike for its intended use (i.e. rotor size) and designing a frame that needs another piece of hardware to mount a brake is excessive and old fashioned.

Brake squeal and chatter are super annoying, but they are not typically related to the way a brake is mounted and rather to the brake itself and the overall design of the fork.

[dvancleve]

Hey Adam,

You haven't mentioned much about your riding (or I missed it). Did you ride El Tour de Tucson last year, and did you finish 21st? If that was you, congrats on a great ride! Care to post a pic or two of what you rode?

Doug

[adarn]

Hey Doug,

That is interesting, I have never done that race, was someone on a Sklar down there? There are a couple down in Arizona. Or maybe it is another Adam Sklar!

[dvancleve]

Well I didn't look things over very carefully, but there do appear to be at least two Adam Sklars running around the country:

Doig

Hey Doug,

That is interesting, I have never done that race, was someone on a Sklar down there? There are a couple down in Arizona. Or maybe it is another Adam Sklar!

[adarn]

Sklar Bikes by Adam Sklar, on Flickr

Riding bikes is the most important.