'Tis the Season

October, November and December are rough for me as a builder. The warmth from summer riding fades with the sunlight and my creative edge dulls with every waning day.


Then, January hits. And with it the realization that I have less than two months before the North American Handmade Bicycle Show- by far the most important event of my year.


This invigorates me. For the first two months of the year,  I devote almost all of my time thinking, building, and welding for this show. I give up exercise, lazy weekends, time with my friends and sleep to make this deadline. I work into the night polishing lugs and cutting tubes, ordering parts and making reservations, designing logos and redesigning my work space. 


This is what I love to do. 

The excitement I have felt about building over the last few months became palpable last weekend at Mosaic's Winter Open House.  Through word of mouth and the brilliance of facebook, we had a proud showing of local friends, family and bike enthusiasts. The fact that so many genuine people shared their support and enthusiasm for what I do makes me proud.


Seeing people come out to appreciate handcrafted bikes makes me think that we're doing something right. And it motivates me to keep going. 

Tomorrow morning I'm heading to Austin with a van full of bikes, hope to keep this momentum alive for the long haul.

-Aaron