HOW TO BUY AN ELEPHANT BIKE

STEP 1: PONDER

What do you want to do with your bike?

Typical bike uses include (but aren’t limited to):

  • Cyclocross racing
  • Commuting
  • Touring and traveling
  • Dirt road exploring
  • Trail riding
  • Mountain biking
  • Club and road riding

You can make a bike that does most of this pretty well, but if you focus on what you really love to do, you’ll be more satisfied with the final product.

If specific features are important to you, include them in your list. For example, call out things like fenders, brake type, racks, S&S couplers, horizontal or track drop outs, extra water bottle cages.

Glen will want to know what style handle bars that you’ll put on the bike, which cranks you are using, and your shifting set-up.

Finally, do you want to purchase a full bike or just a frame?

If you don’t know or care about specific features or parts, that’s ok. But you *do* have to know what kind of riding you plan to do with your Elephant bike.

STEP 2: MEASURE STUFF

Glen needs some basic measurements: sternum, inseam, foot, arm, shoulder.

All measurements need to be in millimeters and should be done in bare feet.

  • Sternum: Measure the distance from the floor to the top of the sternum.
  • Inseam: Standing with your feet about 200 mm apart, put a book between your legs and gently raise it upwards until you can feel it against the pubic bone. Then measure the distance from the top side of the book to the floor.
  • Foot: Measure both feet and use the average measurement.
  • Arm: Measure the distance from the middle of your clenched fist to the clavicle. Measure both arms and use the average measurement.
  • Shoulder: Measure the distance between the extremities of two clavicles.


If you have a favorite bike, Glen may ask you for basic measurements from the bike.

STEP 3: CONTACT GLEN

Send Glen an email:

In your email, provide the following information:

  • Your name
  • A call-back phone number
  • Your time zone
  • The best time of day to reach you
  • The information from steps 1 and 2

Glen will call you back within two business days.

STEP 4: SEND DEPOSIT

After you have talked with Glen, you’ll have a price and a ball-park delivery date.

Normal turn-around time is about 2 months. Shipping on framesets is $50. Shipping on fully built-up bikes is $100. Washington State residents pay sales tax.

Deposit is $300. After Glen receives your deposit, you’ll receive an email notifying you that you have been added to the queue along with a more specific delivery date.

Send the deposit to:
Elephant Bikes
2001 E 17th Ave
Spokane WA 99203

STEP 5: CHOOSE YOUR COLOR

While you wait for your bike, figure out what color you want.

Elephants are powder-coated. Glen’s powder coater always has four colors: black, red, orange, and yellow.

However, you can order a pound of any color powder you want at this site and have the powder shipped to Glen. Typical prices (shipped) for a pound of powder coat powder are under $30. One customer had to have his new Elephant powder-coated Kawasaki Green. He got it.

STEP 6: RECIEVE BIKE

Glen will carefully pack your bike and ship it to you. Or you can pick it up from his shop in Spokane.

All that’s left for you to do is be delighted and ride your Elephant.