5ive Points: Jesse Fox
The latest subject for our 5ive Points series could not have come along at a more opportune time. Jesse Fox, currently the lead bike designer for Independent Fabrication (taking over for the recently departed Joe Ingram), has agreed to subject himself to our rigorous 5ive Points interrogation: brutally yet mercifully short.
In the interest of full disclosure, Jesse put in his time in the NYC Velo Mechanic Pit back in 2006, so he’s been a part of the “family” for some time now. After leaving NYC for the (allegedly) greener pastures of that lauded bike mecca that is Portland, Jesse spent time on the management team at the Bike Gallery, then at City Bikes in the Adams Morgan section of Washington, DC. Jesse’s travels recently led him to Boston, where he fortuitously connected with our friends at Indy Fab, and new love affair was born.
A lot has been said recently about the venerable bike manufacturers in Somerville. In the handbuilt bicycle world, Indy Fab has continued to build on their reputation as leaders in creating innovative products of the highest quality. The majority owner of the employee-owned company, Gary Smith, has decided that for Indy Fab to be able to continue to offer some of the best products in the industry and to push the technological aspects of the handbuilt industry forward, a move north to New Hampshire is in order. It’s not very often that we see such significant investment in American manufacturing these days, especially not in the bike industry and especially not in New England.
A brand is made of many components and the MBA’s out there can do a much better job arguing the merits of each. Certainly, the people that work at any company, especially in a high-end specialty industry (custom bicycles), contribute much to shaping the brand, both its image as well as the substance behind that image. While the move to NH will see the departure of some of the Indy Fab team, many integral parts of the “brand” will make the transition. We have also seen some of the great shapers of Indy Fab over the past 15 years, who had previously left the company, come back on board to shepherd the team through the transition and onto what will certainly be a bright future. Keep an eye out for a few folks joining the Indy Fab team for the first time to make their mark as well (ahem, Jesse…).
We can say that Indy Fab is and will continue to be the best handbuilt, custom bike manufacturer in the world because the represent them to the public as an authorized dealer. We also say this because we are Indy Fab owners, with some on the staff owning bikes from deep into the Fat City days. We get excited for every single steel, ti, and carbon bike coming out of Somerville and look forward to seeing the first bikes to come out of New market, NH. Stay tuned to the interwebs for Indy Fab’s NAHBS offerings next month!
If there are any folks that want to chat more about the move, feel free to drop us a line (or you can give our friend Jesse a call, tell him NYC Velo sent ya).
NYC Velo: What bike do you ride?
Jesse Fox: I have a few bikes that get ridden regularly, but I am really excited about a new IF that I’m working on. It’s going to be the ultimate D2R2 bike- basically a steel IF Club Racer, tweaked for performance on the steep, beautiful and tiny dirt roads in western MA. I can’t say much more about it right now, as it will be one of the IF show bikes at NAHBS this year in Austin. All I can say is that it will rule and everyone will want one. And, it will be Sandy-approved.
NYCV: What’s your favorite ride?
JF: I’ve been fortunate to have ridden in lots of great places over the years, but one that always stands out for me is riding up to the Plains of Abraham on Mt. Saint Helens. Incredible climb, soft and tacky dirt, then all of a sudden you are thrust out onto this bizarre moonscape, riding over baby head pumice and lava rocks in the shadow of this massive caldera.
NYCV: What’s your favorite post-ride food?
JF: Burritos. The perfect food in the perfect package.
NYCV: What is one thing you always carry on a ride?
JF: I heard that Gary Klein used to ride with a .38 Special in his pack, in case he encountered any mountain lions. I’m not sure what to make of that, but besides the usual water and a spare tube I always ride with three things: duct tape, zip ties, and extra Sidi buckles (the ratchet kind that screw on). You never want to run out of Sidi buckles.
NYCV: What’s next?
JF: I am really excited to be a new addition to the team at IF, especially with the upcoming move to NH. We’ve got some pretty big plans for the new shop, and I’ll be working hard to make sure the IF of right now and the IF of the future kills it just as hard, if not harder, than IF has in the past. I like the challenge of filling some big shoes, and I can’t say enough about how much of an inspiration the current and past IF crew has been on me as a designer and builder of custom bicycles. To the future!