By blackmountaincycles,
Filed under: Black Mountain Cycles frames, Shop stuff
As we close 2023 and open 2024, one thing is unchanged – the difficulty in maintaining a small bike brand. The challenges that came up during the early part of the pandemic are not easing much. A little, but they’re still there. Fortunately, the cost to ship a container is back to reasonable levels. A ten-fold increase was barely manageable once and, thankfully, the rates are back to pre-pandemic levels. What hasn’t change is the minimum order requirement for each frame size. The minimum order for each size is still 30. That’s totally manageable for the middle sizes, but really difficult for a super small brand like Black Mountain Cycles to absorb and sell within a reasonable time period. In hindsight, I should have approached sizes and quantities differently, but lesson learned. After 36 years in this industry, I’m still learning things.
Blue Lug in Tokyo has been an outstanding distributor/partner and has worked to market Black Mountain Cycles to increase the presence in Japan. They solved my problem of being able to justify ordering minimum quantities of the smaller frames. If not for them, I would have discontinued the smallest frame sizes for every model. Now, it’s just the biggest sizes that are my bane. And storage space. I have a very finite amount of storage space. Warehousing opportunities are non-existant in Pt. Reyes Station. I eked out a bit more space by halving the size of the retail footprint a while back. It’s easier to heat in the winter too, so there’s that.
What does all that mean for you? More Monstercross and La Cabra frame are currently in production. The smallest two La Cabra frames got a size revision at the request of Blue Lug. The original 15″ size is now a 16″ frame size and the original 16″ size is now 17″. The main reason for this was aesthetics due to the sloping of the top tube. It’s an easy revision. In early February, I’ll receive 16″, 17″ and 18″ La Cabra frames. Because I have so many 20″ and 22″ frames still in stock, I didn’t order any more of these sizes. In fact, I probably won’t need to order any more for, at least, the next couple of years. And when I do order more, I probably won’t be ordering the 22″ size, so, that size will likely run its course with the existing inventory. If you’re 6’3″ and up, might want to nab one before they are done and gone. What color are the new La Cabras? Yellow/Gray RAL 7034 will be the one color for the incoming 16″, 17″, and 18″ frames.
Like the La Cabra, I also have way too many large sizes of Monstercross frames. One thing I did to address that high frame size MOQs was to reduce the number of sizes offered in the Monstercross frame. The sizing run went from 52cm, 54cm, 56cm, 58cm, 60cm, 62cm, 64cm to the new V6 frame with 50cm, 53cm, 56cm, 59cm, and 62cm* sizes. Down from 7 sizes to 5 sizes. No more 64cm. A nicely rounded out frame size selection. There are a couple other minor changes to the Monstercross frameset. A braze-on for a rando-style front rack was added to the fork. The rear hub spacing was changed from 130mm to 132.5mm to accommodate 130mm or 135mm hubs. And the bottom bracket drop was lowered a few millimeters. Lowering the bb height by just a couple of millimeters does a lot to improve stability, not the the V5 frame was unstable. Just a change I’ve been thinking about for a while based on how folks are using their bikes these days. The website has updated geometry charts for further in-depth analysis.
While I noted that there would be no more 64cm size, that’s not to say I don’t have any 64cm sizes. In fact, I’ve got a many years supply of this size due to that pesky MOQ. Additionally, I have plenty of the 60cm, 62cm, and 64cm in the Kinda Blue color. *And until these current 60cm and 62cm sell through, I won’t be ordering any more of these big sizes, so the new 62cm V6 frame is not in the current production run . It’s a good thing the Kinda Blue color is timeless.
Colors? The new Monstercross V6 frame colors (50cm, 53cm, 56cm, 59cm) will be Cranberry PMS 187 and Fence Post Gray RAL 7030. Fence Post Gray because I was looking at an old, faded fence post and digging the color “that’d make a neat frame color.” Inspiration is out there if you let it happen.
The frames are in production now with an ETA of early February. I won’t be maintaining an email notification list, but will post details on when frames are available to order here and on Instagram. Maybe the shop Facebook page too, but I loathe Facebook. I’ll probably make the frames available to order in a couple of weeks since it’s helpful to ship frames as soon as I receive them because of my limited storage options. Keep checking in.
(What’s playing: Roxy Music Virginia Plain)
7 responses to “2024 Shop & Frame News”
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Thank you for the updates Mike.
Guess I’ll be one of those guys fighting for a small MC frame! Interesting how the demand for small frames has changed. (I don’t feel like a freak any longer with my 28” inseam).
Will you be taking deposits again?
Take care bud.
Jonathan Fong
Frame size demand has always been bell-shaped and based on population heights. Frames will be able to be ordered probably near the end of the month.
I have always admired your frames and I’m still kicking myself for not buying an orange road frame!!!
Hi, I have a 58 cm for sale if you’re interested: https://boston.craigslist.org/gbs/bik/d/arlington-black-mountain-cycles-road/7704043826.html.
That’s a great song.
lets GOOOO
I have a 58 cm blue from the last run still with packaging on the frame–I dry fit parts, but it’s never been ridden. I’d sell that locally here in Chicago to fund a Pantone 187c.