Posted on February 14th, 2012 by John
Two unrelated frames got the same color this week: Blue Ice Explosion.
Phone camera pics don’t do the color justice. But lack of fancy pics have kept a lot of pictures off this blog for the last couple months. So we’re going ahead with what we got. Glen has been busy. Our goal will be to snap a picture, any picture, and get it up here of all the bikes that are going out.
The queue at the moment is 10 bikes deep. He’s around 2.5 months out. If you’re pondering, pull the trigger soon, as word of high-value customs from Spokane is slowly spreading.
Traditional seat stays on Darlene's road bike.
Darlene's road bike.
National Forest Explorer with disc brakes.
Posted on November 14th, 2011 by John
Passing by the petting zoo
Steph came in 1st in her class. Her mountain bike skills came in handy today.
Posted on November 12th, 2011 by John
Web-awesome Dylan recently added some buttons on the About Glen and Bike pages to better expose the hidden galleries that lurked beneath.
And here’s something cool. Go check out this CX Magazine article.
It’s shows this piece of art, called Holy Cross, by Pineapple Bob:
Holy Cross by Pineapple Bob
Glen is in the picture at the top left. He’s the guy in orange on the right with straight arms.
Posted on November 2nd, 2011 by John
While not jury-dutying this week, Glen is building. The new site has yielded a handful of orders right off the bat.
Here he’s brazing some canti posts on a single speed cross race frame. It’s at paint now.
In the future, hopefully this space will be claimed by Glen and his famous dry wit.
Posted on October 18th, 2011 by John
Why are Elephant bikes so inexpensive?
As we put this site together, this question came up a lot. Glen’s prices may not always be this inexpensive. But for now they are.
Glen’s response to this question follows.
Experience. Efficiency. Low inventory. Low overhead.
Experience I have built a lot of custom frames, as have most builders. I have also managed the production of some large batches of very high-end production frames. It’s a lot harder, in my opinion, to make sure everything comes out right on hundreds of frames in varying sizes than it is to manage one frame at a time. And when I’m working on your frame, that is the only one I’m working on.
Efficiency I work by myself. I am a poor multi-tasker. I can’t talk to visitors and do good work at the same time. I don’t forsee this changing. Shop visits are welcome by appointment. I would go on, but I have work to do.
Low inventory The materials I keep around are only the ones I use. My heavy-duty seat collar, wishbone parts and headtube rings are all made locally to my specs, the stuff that makes an Elephant an Elephant. I only keep enough tubing in stock to make 3-4 bikes. The dropouts I use are chosen for their blend of strength and ease of use.
Low overhead I work from my own shop. I have accumulated my tools and equipment over the course of about 20 years. I have no employees, I don’t sponsor a racing team, don’t have a shop vehicle. I use a powder coater who does better work for less money.
Posted on October 3rd, 2011 by Dylan
Joe's new 29er. Don't worry, he's not camping.
Seatstay details
Disc brake details
Money shot
Stare at the bottom bracket for a bit in this pic and the next. Glen did things a tad differently to fit fat tires, small chain ring, and derailleur.
Increased clearances for chainring, tires, derailleur
This is one of two yellows that Glen has easy access to.
For parts, Joe got a screaming deal on a Salsa El Mariachi and swapped over all the parts. As it turns out, the Mariachi frame was Glen’s size and he wanted it, so looks like a win-win all around.
The bike suits Joe. And of course, it makes him faster.