October 17, 2022
Across the Pond: A Visit to Bespoked
Bespoked, a celebration of handmade bicycles and the people that make them popped up in London this past weekend, and AC's Pete was on the ground to visit on our behalf. Naturally, our interest took a sharp turn towards Prova and Mosaic, who were displaying at the show, but there was lots...
September 29, 2022
Catch Me if You Can: Brennan Wertz on His Full Gas Season So Far
Wow, what a year it’s been. I’ve traveled more than ever and ridden my bike more than I thought possible. But with all the travel and time on the trail, it's been a while since I last penned a journal for Above Category. So to remedy that, here's an update...
Brennan Wertz
September 09, 2022
Bike of the Week: Tracy's Custom Sarto Seta
Believe it or not, many Above Category clients find us from afar. And we're not talking about the other side of the US, either. From Europe to the UK, to South Africa, Singapore, Japan and South Korea, we regularly create custom bikes for riders around the world. Often these far-flung cyclists...
September 01, 2022
Tech Talk: The Pinarello Dogma F12 Vs The Dogma F
In 2010 Pinarello changed the face of modern carbon race bikes with the Dogma. The frame used an asymmetric design emphasizing power delivery and reduction in frame flex compared to other race bikes on the market. The Dogma2 (released in 2011) further increased aerodynamics and power transfer and had a...
Ben Jones
August 17, 2022
Introducing Above Category Skincare
Skincare and cycling go together like a saddle and shorts. But when did you last think about what's in your chamois cream? A few years back, we looked at the ingredients in our (then) favorite cream and didn’t like what we found. It turns out there are alcohols, petrochemicals, paragons, artificial...
August 03, 2022
Bike of the Week: A Red Fade Bastion Demon Road
Bastion Cycles out of Melbourne, Australia, have a special partnership with Tom Warmerdam of Demon Frameworks out of Southampton, England. One Bastion/Demon frame will be built per country. And now, thanks to our most recent Bastion client build, you can scratch Mexico off that list (and 28 other countries, for...
Chad Nordwall
July 25, 2022
Above Category Cycling Chamois Cream
Cycling chamois cream. It's ubiquitous. The name itself? A misnomer. Back in "the day" (before 1986, to be precise), the "pad" in a pair of cycling shorts was an actual leather chamois, requiring constant reconditioning and moisturizing to keep it effective at preventing chafing between the skin and saddle. Now,...
July 13, 2022
Launching the Ceramicspeed Cerakote OSPW X System
It's no secret that we love Ceramicspeed. So when the Danish components brand asked us to help them launch their limited-edition Cerakote OSPW X system, we jumped at the chance to get up close with their new off-road pulleys here at AC and out on our favourite trails in Marin. For...
July 08, 2022
Bike of the Week: A Color Pop No. 22 Reactor
Hot on the heels of our recent No. 22 Drifter X BOTW, we decided to double down with another project we worked on with the gang from upstate NY. But this time, the build started with No. 22's Reactor road frame before being shipped to our good friends at Velocolour...
Chad Nordwall
June 23, 2022
Bike of the Week: A Sea Green No.22 Drifter X
No. 22 don’t do fanfare. In fact, compared to most bike builders, they’re positively silent. But what they lack in chat, they more than make up for with the quality of their work, with frames like the Aurora, Reactor, Great Divide, and Drifter X. Recently, we got a chance to...
June 08, 2022
Three Pegorettis for Tre Amicis
Three friends came to us looking for three custom Pegorettis, each finished with Ciavete 'surprise me' artwork. This week, those same tre amicis rode out of Above Category aboard their new stainless steel machines, two on Responsoriums and one on a Round. Amidst the motifs of their individual Ciavetes, small details...
