One of the highlights of our time in Bozeman with Adam Sklar was being able to see not one, but two complete bikes come back from powdercoat and be delivered to their new owners. I already posted a gallery of Sam’s powder blue 29er, on which he then rode a good chunk of the Colorado Trail in what I take to be quite inclement conditions.
The other bike to be delivered is one that you probably noticed in yesterday’s gallery from Sklar’s shop. This gleaming white 27.5+ hardtail was commissioned by a customer from Sklar’s home state of Colorado. Elliot is a former downhill and 4x racer with what sounded like a fairly big set of dirt jumps in his front yard.
When Elliot got in touch with Sklar, he was debating between commissioning a frame and buying his own frame jig. That happened to be the same circumstances that got Sklar into building: wanting to be able to build bikes that could handle all the abuse he could dish out. Elliot wanted a snappy, fun hardtail that would be suited to his riding style, and left it in Adam’s hands.
Sklar’s touch is evident throughout the bike. His signature curved tubes work to Elliot’s desires, keeping the rear end tight and the top tube low, while the internal cable routing keeps things quiet. From the custom anodized dropouts to the locally cut frame and fork decals to the carefully selected color-matched bits, you can tell Adam had fun building this one up.
Sklar really enjoys building complete bikes for his customers, and for good reason. It gives him the chance to help in choosing a build kit, and he gets to assemble it himself which means he’s in complete control of the delivery from start to end. And, of course, he gets to see it built up in person and ride it to feel just how the customer’s requests materialized.
When Elliot came to pick up his Sklar, he immediately hopped on and mashed the pedals across the parking lot like a start gate had just dropped. Then, he rode a wheelie until he was out of sight, coming back with a huge grin on his face. To witness that moment was truly something special.
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