Show #382 – January 6, 2018

Guests: Peter Williams, Steve DelMonte, Sean Walling

Happy, happy 2018!

I hope you are warm and safe – away from the bitter winds and “cyclone bombs”.

For our first show of the year, I wanted to take you far away from the cold and snow; so, we’re going to talk about summer time bicycle tours, a brand new triathlon, and chat with a frame builder who has been on my radar for a long time.

Peter Williams owns Eastwind Cycle, a rather unusual touring company out of Halifax, Nova Scotia. Instead of picking a tour from a catalog, Eastwind tailors your Canadian tour exactly the way you want it. Whether it’s for two or twenty, Peter will offer up routes that include those sites you want to see, the distances you want to ride, the kind of food you want to eat, and the places you want to stay.

There is a new option coming on line in Spring for a Cuba Oriente tour that highlights pristine parts of Cuba not usually touted in the usual brochures and ads for the country.

We chat about all of this and talk a bit about Canadian Wine Country too…

Then, I speak with Steve DelMonte from Delmo Sports, a boutique racing organization that offers events within a very small area of the east coast. Steve’s award winning race series will add the Philadelphia All Women’s Sprint Triathlon this coming July.

I wanted to know why he stays within the small radius of his home in the southern tip of New Jersey, why he’s producing an all-women’s tri, and what matters to him as a race director.

Lastly, it’s a long chat with Sean Walling from Soulcraft Bikes in Petaluma, California.

Back in 2012 when Brian and I were on the west coast, we drove up to Petaluma to visit the original Salsa Cycle guy, Ross Shafer. There, on the quirky and extensive property that Ross and his wife own, was the workshop for Soulcraft Bikes.

Proprietor Sean Walling worked with Ross for many years until striking out on his own along with Matt Nyiri to form Soulcraft. Today, Sean is the owner, framebuilder, and janitor at the company and we’re going to delve into his philosophy and ideas about building steel frames.

One Reply to “Show #382 – January 6, 2018”

  1. Great interview with Sean Walling. I have a special interest as I own a Soulcraft, #997, delivered in September 2013.

    I was one of those customers who was outside of his business model; I wanted a specific geometry and was looking for a builder who was willing to build what the customer wanted, as long as it wasn’t weird. I took a gamble contacting him because I knew what I was going to ask for was not his style. Since I knew all the numbers, there was very little back and forth and I certainly didn’t want to come across as a high-maintenance customer. Fortunately, he was willing to accommodate my wishes.

    I liked his philosophy of focusing on simple, sound construction methods built with a manufacturing background. I knew I could count on him to build the frame straight and strong and with all the parts fitting without a hassle.

    The frame he built for me is all of that. I wish him the best and hope he rekindles Soulcraft into a successful venture. Thanks again for the interview.

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