(Long) Road to NAHBS 2020 – Teaser interview w/ Aaron Barcheck of Mosaic Cycles

Our readers love the North American Handmade Bicycle Show, and so do we. That’s why we were all saddened to learn of its postponement due to the COVID-19 virus.

What to do? The show has been rescheduled to August, but we still have plenty of great NAHBS content to share with you. We’re going to have our usual series of pre-NAHBS interviews to put the spotlight on a handful of our favorite builders – and will start sharing these stories NOW, when the original show was scheduled to begin. Economic times will be tough for us all, but perhaps even more so for small independent businesses. Thus, we feel it is our duty to help promote these builders, and keep the excitement going all the way to the forthcoming August NAHBS.

Please enjoy this interview with Aaron Barcheck of Mosaic Cycles.

Bikerumor.com: What’s your name, your bike brand, and where are you based?

Aaron Barcheck: Mosaic Cycles is based in Boulder Colorado. My name is Aaron Barcheck, founder and lead frame builder.

Bikerumor.com: How long have you been making bikes? How’d you get into it?

Aaron: Mosaic has been producing titanium and steel frames since 2009 with the intent to build the highest quality handmade bicycles for each individual we work with. We focus on true Bespoke customer experience by meeting rider fit, frame performance and personal aesthetic requirements unique to each of our customers we build a frame for. We work through and with our extended base of bike shop partners around the world to provide Mosaic through their truly exceptional fit, build advice and customer service.

Bikerumor.com: How many frames have you built, and what’s your material of choice? Why that material?

Aaron: Many, many. Mostly Titanium frames with some steel, in categories such as road, disc road, all road, gravel, cyclocross and mountain.

Bikerumor.com: What’s going to be the highlight in your NAHBS booth this year?

Aaron: For NAHBS 2020 we are launching our second uniquely created Artist Series Paint Design within our updated paint program. As a follow up to our Prismatica design fall 2019 our latest creation, named Kaleidosaic, is a unique combination of layered pattern, pearl transparency and eye popping sparkle effect. It will be offered in three colorways starting April 2020. We have a bike built up in each colorway with a few of our brand partners: Blacksmith Cycles (Toronto), The Bike Tailor (UK), Bicycle Speed Shop (Houston TX) and Black Oak Velo (Greenwich CT).

Bikerumor.com: What’s your inspiration lately?

Aaron: Our creative team has been working on new paint layering techniques along with our sister brand, Spectrum Paint & Powderworks, to create visually stunning effects that can be paired with our current frame layouts. We want to create a finish program that really adds personalization to each Mosaic Rider’s bike, something that not everyone on the road or trail has and when you see it you can’t look away. Since colors, design and effects can be endless, we really get excited to get creative, ideate and get lost in the endlessness for a while, and then come back with a more focused piece that gets honed into the next Mosaic offering. Look for more of the Artist Series from us this year, but we’re super pleased with how this one came out.

Bikerumor.com: What’s the oddest request you’ve gotten for a custom build?

Aaron: Recently we got a request to make a gravel frame built ready to accept bike packing bags with our hidden bag bolts. The unique request was to have the custom bags made by JPaks, out of Denver, sewn in a camping themed wool Pendleton Camping Blanket to complement the frame. The frame is themed after a red speckled ceramic camping mug. This bike will no doubt be one of the classiest themed bikes we’ve ever done, plus it’ll have a SRAM Mullet group to go with! (Photos on this still to come!)

Bikerumor.com: Someone calls you up and says “Can you make me a race bike?” – Describe the first kind of bike that pops in your head?

Aaron: I actually asked myself that very question recently. I have been making gravel bikes for myself with larger tires for a few years now, but produced nothing that really got me excited. Too many of them ended up being noodly, not quite the snappy feel I was looking for. I wanted something faster to race Lost and Found with our Builders for Builders challenge again this year. In reaction to this I built up a larger, double butted version of our GT-1 45. The massive tubes really did the trick for me, and paired well with the Shimano GRX group and Enve G23 wheelset with Chris King ceramic bearings. Its fast, snappy and playful for a bike the accommodated 700×45 tires and built for someone (me) at 6′ 2″. I’m seriously loving this bike/tubing/parts combo.