This week my guest is Tom Kellogg of Spectrum Cycles. Kellogg’s career in the bike industry spans more than 40 years and includes relationships with brands like Merlin, American Bicycle Group and Time.
His bikes have won more dozens of national championships and even world championships, which is why you’ll see the rainbow stripes on each frame carrying the Spectrum logo.
I first met Tom in the 1990s when he was standing in Merlin Metalworks’ booth at the Interbike trade show. I commented on his raspy voice, thinking it was a symptom of the show, but he informed me that he has a paralyzed vocal cord, which makes his voice raspy on a full-time basis.
What stayed with me about Tom and has only grown since then is his incredible attention to detail. I’m not sure I’ve met anyone in the bike industry who gives more thought to tubing diameters, butt lengths and wall thicknesses and how they ultimately contribute to how a bike rides.
Tom and I really got on a roll in our conversation and it ran long enough that we will split it into two installments because his answers are just too good to chop down. There are some moments where his audio breaks up a bit due to a less than perfect Skype connection; sorry about that.
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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