Question 1

Has Spectrum Cycles closed?

Accepted Answer

Yes. As of February 20, 2021, Spectrum Cycles ceased frame building and repair operations after 45 years. The shop's website remains active as an archive of its work, and the founder continues to answer historical and technical inquiries about Spectrum and Merlin frames via the contact page.

Question 2

What types of custom frames did Spectrum build?

Accepted Answer

Spectrum built custom steel and titanium frames for road, track, touring, tri, brevet, adventure, and cyclo-cross applications. The shop did not build mountain bike frames. All titanium frames were designed by founder Tom Kellogg and built in partnership with Seven Cycles and Merlin Metal Works, featuring Spectrum's signature glass-smooth welds.

Question 3

What finishing options were available for Spectrum frames?

Accepted Answer

Spectrum offered over 120 stock Imron colors plus an exotic assortment of neons, candies, pearls, and traveling colors. Titanium frames were also available in natural brushed titanium and clear-coated titanium finishes. The shop emphasized that no standard finish existed; custom color work was tailored to each customer.

Question 4

What tubing and components did Spectrum use for custom builds?

Accepted Answer

Spectrum selected individual tubes from manufacturers including Columbus, Reynolds, True Temper, and Dedacciai, rather than using pre-assembled tube sets. Hand-made lugs were finished to the shop's specifications. For forks, Spectrum offered ENVE, WoundUp, Pegoretti, and Seven options, and exclusively used Chris King headsets.

Question 5

Where can owners get repairs for existing Spectrum frames now that the shop is closed?

Accepted Answer

Spectrum provided a list of trusted frame repair and refinishing specialists for ongoing frame work: Joe Bell (Spring Valley, CA), Noah Rosen/VeloColour (Toronto, ON), Dark Matter Finishing (Colorado Springs, CO), Good Color Studio (Santa Barbara, CA), Black Magic Paint (Portland, OR), and Hot Tubes (Boston, MA). For titanium frames built by Seven Cycles, Seven can perform repairs; for Merlin-built titanium frames, Bilenky Cycles is recommended.

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