My guest this week is Santa Cruz-based builder Paul Sadoff of Rock Lobster Cycles. I first encountered Rock Lobsters in the late 1980s when mountain biking was exploding. It was only later that I learned just how accomplished Sadoff was in building road bikes and especially cyclocross bikes. He is one of those rare builders, like Richard Sachs, who sponsors a team and can be found at cyclocross races in the Bay Area most fall weekends.
In a world where handmade is often synonymous with fancy, Sadoff is headed in the other direction. While he has the skill set to do a pretty, lugged bike, many of his bikes are TIG-welded aluminum race bikes. When you place function ahead of form, that’s an understandable answer.
Our interview was lengthy and meandering. Once again, this will be a two-parter, with me editing in bits of the conversation we had before the official interview started. He’s a fascinating and thoughtful cat and has a refreshing perspective on what it means to be a custom frame builder.
The Pull is brought to you by the North American Handmade Bicycle Show, the world’s premiere gathering of frame builders and frame building enthusiasts. The 2020 show will take place March 20th to 22nd at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas Texas. We hope to see you there.
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