Richard Sachs Cycles

[Dornbox]

maybe i'd build frames without a concern for my income and could ride just for fun atmo.
now there's a thought: a life without a bottom line or a finish line.

Now that sounds blissful! If money wasn't an issue (pixy land) do you think you would find as much enjoyment making frames and giving them away as you do now?

[WayneJ]

as a 57 year old

Wow - I thought we were closer in age. You're a freaking animal !

Question:

It may be a bit premature, but I'm curious to hear how the move from Chester to Warwick has changed things for you That bow window in your new shop has me picturing you looking out the window and pondering your next tube cut, file stroke or whatever. In other words, it seems like a place that invites one to daydream and reflect a lot. Do you find the new setting is more or less conducive to the task at hand? I know your frames are great either way - just wondering how it has affected you.

[e-RICHIE]

Now that sounds blissful! If money wasn't an issue (pixy land) do you think you would find as much enjoyment making frames and giving them away as you do now?

money has never been the issue atmo.
i make these for my own self first.
the fact that it all is intertwined with commerce is just a detail.

[e-RICHIE]

Wow - I thought we were closer in age. You're a freaking animal !

Question:

It may be a bit premature, but I'm curious to hear how the move from Chester to Warwick has changed things for you That bow window in your new shop has me picturing you looking out the window and pondering your next tube cut, file stroke or whatever. In other words, it seems like a place that invites one to daydream and reflect a lot. Do you find the new setting is more or less conducive to the task at hand? I know your frames are great either way - just wondering how it has affected you.

i turned 20 y.o. in chester and hid there for as long as i could.
in the blink of an eye and over the course of 30 plus years, the two street town changed from a village to a suburb.
the picturesque town folks drive through and stop in for a gallery visit or a cup of coffee became overwhelmingly crowded.
as hard as i tried to ignore the signs for the last 10-15 years, chester was where i lived but certainly not home.
as soon as we landed here in franklin county, i knew i'd gone from a life of attitude to one of solitude atmo.

[WadePatton]

solitude rules, so long as the broadband can stream in...atwo.

[e-RICHIE]

hi all i just wanna use my Smoked Out thread as a soap box to anyone one who reads here. we need more of the framebuilders registered here at V to step up to the plate and take a swing atmo. so far, we have lassoed about one sixth of those who could be part of this but aren't. i took my swings because it came at a time when the well went dry. since then, another three has gotten in the queue and we can forge ahead for a month or so. after that, i go back to beating bushes and hassling my fellow tradesmen. there's some great talent on V and not everyone wants to pen a text and have a stand alone thread. i get excuses like, "i don't want to let folks into my special little secret place", and "i don't think i have anything good to say", as well as "i am behind on orders and don't want folks picking on me". this place is not a snake pit atmo and there's no reason to shy away from starting a thread on Smoked Out. this place exists only for framebuilders who normally post on V to hold court without distraction. you're already showing your work, selling your stuff, and hiring workers here in plain view, so why not be on this board too? i mean, it's not like you'll get a sexual disease or similar if you actually expose yourself here. so man up, guys. i need you to be part of this.

hey - thanks for reading.

[Dave Kirk]

hi all i just wanna use my Smoked Out thread as a soap box to anyone one who reads here. we need more of the framebuilders registered here at V to step up to the plate and take a swing atmo. so far, we have lassoed about one sixth of those who could be part of this but aren't. i took my swings because it came at a time when the well went dry. since then, another three has gotten in the queue and we can forge ahead for a month or so. after that, i go back to beating bushes and hassling my fellow tradesmen. there's some great talent on V and not everyone wants to pen a text and have a stand alone thread. i get excuses like, "i don't want to let folks into my special little secret place", and "i don't think i have anything good to say", as well as "i am behind on orders and don't want folks picking on me". this place is not a snake pit atmo and there's no reason to shy away from starting a thread on Smoked Out. this place exists only for framebuilders who normally post on V to hold court without distraction. you're already showing your work, selling your stuff, and hiring workers here in plain view, so why not be on this board too? i mean, it's not like you'll get a sexual disease or similar if you actually expose yourself here. so man up, guys. i need you to be part of this.

hey - thanks for reading.

Hear Hear!

dave

[e-RICHIE]

.....

[Jas0n]

Beautiful - every single frame. Beautiful.

Having spent a disproportionate amount of my life within the industry - ten of my twenty six years - I wish I would have developed the sensibility earlier to put my name in Richard's queue before that book closed. I already lament not having the pleasure of riding one of his purpose-built creations, but the real regret comes in realizing the opportunity lost to own a piece of his history.

That sounds more like an elegy that it ought to, but ...

[sevencyclist]

Hi e-RICHIE,

Your approach to framebuilding has impact beyond cycling. Your approach to quality rather than quantity resonated so greatly with me that I resigned my position at a busy academic medical practice, and started a solo medical practice focused on quality rather than quantity. Instead of managing a panel of 3000 patients as a physician with suboptimal access for my patients and me feeling overwhelmed and trying to play catch up all the time, I now focus on only 200 patients and feel I am really making a difference in their lives. I am inspired to be the best by being measured by the quality of care I deliver rather than by how many billable visits that is tracked by insurance or institution. I have been able to enjoy teaching medical students and volunteering at local free clinic to give back to the community much more than in the past. Thanks for your inspiration.

Rex

[e-RICHIE]

Hi e-RICHIE,

Your approach to framebuilding has impact beyond cycling. Your approach to quality rather than quantity resonated so greatly with me that I resigned my position at a busy academic medical practice, and started a solo medical practice focused on quality rather than quantity. Instead of managing a panel of 3000 patients as a physician with suboptimal access for my patients and me feeling overwhelmed and trying to play catch up all the time, I now focus on only 200 patients and feel I am really making a difference in their lives. I am inspired to be the best by being measured by the quality of care I deliver rather than by how many billable visits that is tracked by insurance or institution. I have been able to enjoy teaching medical students and volunteering at local free clinic to give back to the community much more than in the past. Thanks for your inspiration.

Rex

hi rex -

i'm charmed.

to say thank you for these kinds words hardly begins to show my gratitude to you for writing them and feeling this way.
your involvement in our 'cross team (rex is one of our longest standing supporters) has sent a positive ripple through
our group and we do all we can to share that with all whom we come in contact with all season long.

all the best.

e-RICHIE

[Dornbox]

Hi e-RICHIE,

Your approach to framebuilding has impact beyond cycling. Your approach to quality rather than quantity resonated so greatly with me that I resigned my position at a busy academic medical practice, and started a solo medical practice focused on quality rather than quantity. Instead of managing a panel of 3000 patients as a physician with suboptimal access for my patients and me feeling overwhelmed and trying to play catch up all the time, I now focus on only 200 patients and feel I am really making a difference in their lives. I am inspired to be the best by being measured by the quality of care I deliver rather than by how many billable visits that is tracked by insurance or institution. I have been able to enjoy teaching medical students and volunteering at local free clinic to give back to the community much more than in the past. Thanks for your inspiration.

Rex

ATMO- that has got to feel good. Have you ever received any other reports/compliments about how your bikes or your philosophies regarding the biz have stretched out and influenced or touched others beyond the world of bikes?-Chris

[e-RICHIE]

ATMO- that has got to feel good. Have you ever received any other reports/compliments about how your bikes or your philosophies regarding the biz have stretched out and influenced or touched others beyond the world of bikes?-Chris

and then there's the important stuff atmo -
ATMO

[bigmonter]

Will you retire at some point in the traditional sense? (not necessarily rock in a chair but no longer sell made to measure frames).

Or do you always plan to build, albeit at a less productive pace? (with humor I note that seeing the earlier adds posted here your production is declining at about 30% over two decades based on the 5-6 per month I think is the current goal).

If you have some set date where you do hang it up, who will get the last frame?

[ron l edmiston]

never be a "atmo last frame.." --- the spirit/soul, "forever young" in all smoked out's ... to ronnie, that's what this is all bout ....

ronnie & rod

[e-RICHIE]

Will you retire at some point in the traditional sense? (not necessarily rock in a chair but no longer sell made to measure frames).

Or do you always plan to build, albeit at a less productive pace? (with humor I note that seeing the earlier adds posted here your production is declining at about 30% over two decades based on the 5-6 per month I think is the current goal).

If you have some set date where you do hang it up, who will get the last frame?

thanks, bigmonter atmo.

these are all great questions and the kind for which replies could vary depending on the mood. for the last several years or so i have stayed on a 4-5 frames per month schedule and that's almost half of what used to do. i think i hit an intersection in (my) life when i realized, or perhaps it's more exact to say - i admitted to my own self that more doesn't equal better. i'm not a machine, but i have been a machine over the years and i could do it again at the drop of an over-sized, extremely loose fitting, cooler-than-kewl atmo hat. making more frames is no problem from an operational standpoint. heck, back in the 1970s when i started my business i was doing 3-4 a week with little effort.

i also have a parts and materials and soft goods business to nurture and i have found the effort needed for this is also part of the job here. for a long time i fooled myself that i could plan inventory and pack boxes after work or while a lug was cooling down. a line in the sand arrived and it was obvious that i didn't need to work that hard or get in touch with my inner workaholic to find a nice balance between making frames, filling orders for the RS toys, training/racing, managing the 'cross team, and - most importantly, having a personal life worth living atmo.

there are a lot of orders in the queue. most folks realize these are not shoes from thom mcan's. i don't go into a back room and grab a pair of size 8s for a customer. there's so much more to this (my) job than standing at the bench and making a frame, and then starting the next one a few hours after it's done. even without the side work that i manage, the time it takes to make my signature frames is nearly twice what it was in the old days. every epiphany, every improvement, every detail that i see and tweak - each of these doesn't always make the assembly easier and faster. the more critically i look at my work, the more i see. the consequence of this is i am far less prone than ever to care about output. the frames are exponentially better than what i ever produced when the numbers were high. when i was younger, it was a badge of courage (or even smugness) to know and say that i was a 100 frames per year guy. some of it was tied to that i didn't want folks confusing what i did with the part timers and artiste framebuilders who were cranking out 10-12 units a year. oh has time tempered my ass atmo.

so, yeah - i work slower now, and folks will wait longer now. but the balance has never been better. sorry for the ramble, huh.

[zetroc]

Richard,

Thanks for setting this whole thing up.

Regarding the Smoked Out section, it's been evident that beyond the first few dozen builders enthusiastic about the project, getting new interviewees has been a challenge. Have any builders refused to be included in this section? There are dozens more framebuilders of whom I'd love to ask questions.

Again, much appreciated.
steve

[e-RICHIE]

well heck yeah there have been some who have refused, and i addressed that 3-4 days ago above.
remember - this subforum is only for framebuilders who are active here on V, as well as for anyone
who has asked me for posting permissions on the frame board atmo. if someone in the community
is on your radar and has not appeared here yet, hassle his ass and maybe we can get the net cast
out a bit wider.

Richard,

Thanks for setting this whole thing up.

Regarding the Smoked Out section, it's been evident that beyond the first few dozen builders enthusiastic about the project, getting new interviewees has been a challenge. Have any builders refused to be included in this section? There are dozens more framebuilders of whom I'd love to ask questions.

Again, much appreciated.
steve

[bigmonter]

thanks, bigmonter atmo

.

Nah thank you.

the time it takes to make my signature frames is nearly twice what it was in the old days. every epiphany, every improvement, every detail that i see and tweak - each of these doesn't always make the assembly easier and faster. the more critically i look at my work, the more i see.

That was another question I had, at this point after nearly 40 years of building, do you improve your knowledge base in a dramatic fashion or is it more of an incremental process at this point? has it been along time since you have said to yourself, hey I had not thought about it that way before?

when i was younger, it was a badge of courage (or even smugness) to know and say that i was a 100 frames per year guy. some of it was tied to that i didn't want folks confusing what i did with the part timers and artiste framebuilders who were cranking out 10-12 units a year. oh has time tempered my ass atmo.

reminds me of that old joke from the movie Colors about the old bull and the young bull on the hill looking at a herd of cows...

so, yeah - i work slower now, and folks will wait longer now. but the balance has never been better. sorry for the ramble, huh.

Thanks for being candid.

Steven

[e-RICHIE]

why CFRA atmo -