The Philly Bike Expo often has a good mix of seasoned builders and others that are beginning to hone their craft. Sam Scipio just started building frames earlier this year under the moniker Jubilee Manufacturing and already had a beautiful cyclocross bike (her second build) ready to show off at the Expo. Today, accompanying Jarrod Bunk‘s detailed photos, Sam talks about her bike and why she’s inspired to be building frames.
After riding bikes for years that didn’t quite fit right, or didn’t have all the features I wanted, it was time to build my own. My friend Dan at Pachyderm Bikes graciously agreed to teach me early 2021. The goal was to have the bike done in time to ride it down the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route (GDMBR).
Not only did the bike fit me like a glove and do everything I ever wanted, it also was one of the most liberating experiences in my lifetime. Imagine: building a machine then using your body to power it across mountains! That is the feeling I’d like to share, the feeling I dream for other Black people, Indigenous people, and People of Color; to have a machine that is theirs and is filled with the joy they already contain
This Jubilee bike for the Philly Bike Expo is a cyclocross-specific bike. The specs are nothing fancy, various manufacturer straight and round tubing everywhere (save for the Pego Richie chainstays), and 71deg headtube, 76.5deg seattube. The fork is a straight No.9 CX from Whiskey Parts Co.
Some of my favorite details are the brass headbadge, matching bottom bracket drain hole, and the eye in the brake bridge.
SRAM provided various parts for the build, including the full Red AXS groupset and Zipp 303 wheels. The paint is a “Bold Move, Sam” special: rattle-can Montana with glitter sparkles. I’m anxiously awaiting fall 2022 so I can race this thing all over the US!
I’m dedicating this winter to setting up my own shop, which will hopefully be ready by summer 2022! Right now folks can support Jubilee by purchasing small parts from my website, including these little straddle cable hangers that are very cute.