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    I expect the future of Bicycle Specialties to be bright.  Now that I am in a location where I can grow (the business...it's too late for me), I hope to finish setting up my shop the way I really want it.  New products and services are on the drawing board.  I will also be adding to, and improving my web site.  This alone will make it seem like I am adding tons of stuff.

    One of the coolest projects that I now have time to work on, is my trailer.  I have been playing with this for a few years now, trying different ideas.  Basically, it will have a much greater load capacity than the BOB Trailer, without much of a difference in trailer weight.  It will cost a bit more, but it'll be worth it.  I have been making good progress and I hope to have a sellable product in the near future......which, of course, I've been saying for a while.  But hopefully now, with the new shop, it'll actually happen.

    As I add to the web site, I will be adding a whole page (or more) dedicated to components.  I don't plan on offering much in the way of cheap stuff.  I won't offer anything that I wouldn't use for myself.  That doesn't mean that I will only offer top of the line (heck, Veloce is 4th in Campy's line, I use it on 2 of my bikes and like it), but I don't plan on offering everything under the sun.  I'm also not going to try to pretend that the prices will be a special deal.  Quite frankly, I don't have the buying power to compete with anyone for low prices.  But, the price will include assembly onto your custom bike.

    I also plan on offering things like custom aero handlebars, luggage racks, and seat posts.

        One of the best ways to improve at something is to teach it to someone else.  Because I am always trying to improve, I like to teach.  Back when I had employees working for me, I usually hired people that I had to train to do their job, whether it was painting, machining, or brazing.  I also taught a couple of high school students how to build their own frames for their "senior project".      One of my long term goals, is to be able to offer classes in frame building, brazing, and metal working.  These classes won't be cheap, and they won't make you an expert, but you will receive one-on-one instruction and you will come away from the class understanding what you learned well enough to improve on your own.  I especially enjoy teaching people how to fillet braze.  Fillet brazing is a time honored method of joining steel bicycle tubes into designs that lugs just won't allow.  If I teach you to fillet braze, you can be sure that the bike that you build yourself will actually hold your weight.  And, while your fillets may not turn out as pretty as mine, by the time you finish the class, they won't look too bad.

E-mail:  matthoule@bicyclespecialtiesonline.com        S-mail: PO Box 112 Port Townsend, Wa. 98368-0112         Phone: (360)280-8987