Eric Tomczak grew up in Durango, CO, surrounded by mountain bike culture. The one-man bike company describes himself as "detail-oriented to a fault," and said he feels both younger and older than his actual age of 32: "Like, I'm starting to lose my hair but I still send my friends dumb memes." Five years ago, when he wanted a mountain tandem to ride with his wife, he looked around and didn't see what he wanted. A professional TIG welder, he decided to make it himself. Once he started building, he didn't stop, and Myth Cycles was born with the goal of making high-quality, steel adventure bikes. Since his early frame-building days, Eric has dreamt of making a full suspension bike, and in 2020, he realized that dream with
the Zodiac.
The full suspension idea moved into action about a year and a half ago, when Eric's friend Anthony Diaz talked him into it. Diaz runs a
suspension tuning company, and the pair spent countless hours discussing how Eric could focus on the right parameters to create exactly the bike he wanted. Part of the inspiration came from handmade, steel, full suspension bikes he saw released in the UK, examples of the type of workmanship he wanted to bring to the U.S. handmade bike market.
Eric chose to work with steel both because of its ride qualities and because it's his favorite material to work with. He explained that the way steel flexes is very controlled, resulting in a bike that rides "like a dream," and it's durable and repairable. He believes these characteristics are responsible for steel's continued presence in the bike industry, even as most major companies make bikes only out of aluminum and carbon. "On a personal note: Every metal is totally different to work with, and steel is my favorite," he said. "Knowing a material is like knowing a language, and steel is the language in which I can express my ideas the best."
The whole project was a series of puzzles to solve, like sourcing quality steel tubing as well as facing the inherent costs of making a small number of frames by hand and the vast amount of labor it would take to scale production up. Another challenge was fitting all the design features he wanted into one design package. "I have a very specific idea of how I want every piece of the design to work, and the challenge at the end is making all those criteria come together into one frame," Eric explained. "And all the little things, like dust caps for bearings. There's a million decisions to be made, and none can be left out."
The process starts in CAD. Eric likes to have the design essentially finished before he even steps into the shop, though sometimes it can be nice to work out small details in the physical world. After designing the bike, he gathers the materials -- tubing, dropouts, head badge, braze-ons, bearings, lathe stock, and laser cut parts -- cleans everything, and marks the tubes for mitering. He has three milling machines, and each has a specific set of tasks. Once all the prep is done, he sets up the welding jig, miters the tubes, applies the laser-cut parts, welds it together, and does all the finish work, with countless nuanced steps along the way. It's an involved process, Eric said, but it makes more sense as he continues to figure out his systems.
| I think a lot of different riders would have a place in their quiver for this rig. The whole time I've been working on it, I think of my favorite place to ride; the Colorado Trail. Lots of technical, big downhills, steep climbing, and most importantly; long all day outings. A lot of us who live and breath bikes feel somewhat defined by the bikes we ride. If a bespoke American made frame born in the mountains of Colorado speaks to you, maybe it's designed for you.—Eric Tomczak |
The original Zodiac. Like any new product, the Zodiac has evolved and become more refined as it has approached its final design. Before eventually adding a powder coat, Eric left the steel raw while he test-rode the bike and added incremental amounts of bracing to the swingarm between each ride.
Eric's three guiding principles in designing the Zodiac:
Simple: The lowest ratio of “care and feeding” to hours shredding.
Durable: The Zodiac is meant to be ridden for years to come.
Works: We didn’t assume that a simple full suspension is simple to design. Every detail has been painstakingly worked over until there are no compromises.
Eric said the ride quality is what he's most proud of in the Zodiac, but that pride is rivaled by his satisfaction with how it looks. He doesn't consider himself an artistic person, he said, but he loves when he can find aesthetically-pleasing solutions to mechanical problems.
The second prototype features aluminum plates at the shock mount that can be swapped out to adjust geometry.
The first prototype looks nice and polished with its new powder coat.
When asked how the bike had changed between the two prototypes, Eric said the geometry had remained more or less the same, but his execution of a few points, like how he tied the bike together at the pivot bearings and how he made the forward shock mount, had evolved countless times since the bike's initial design.
| It's like, if you draw a bunch of pictures of a dinosaur, the last picture is still a dinosaur, it just looks better.—Eric Tomczak |
The first small run of frames is scheduled to be ready at the end of May and will sell for $2,599 USD, with options for complete bike builds as well. It will initially be available in sizes S, M, and L, with XL and XXL frames on the horizon. Eric said that one of his favorite things to work on is streamlining the manufacturing process to make production increasingly efficient, accurate, and repeatable. He anticipates spending the next six months fine-tuning the details until he feels he's solved the puzzle.
Quite chuffed about buying one of these with my money pounds! Can’t wait to throw it in my lorry and get my trousers dirty on this before heading to the pub for a pint. Cheers!
Is that good?
That's a lovely looking Private to drop some sausage and mash on. I like that they've made it out if electric too. Seat looks like it would be easy on your Jacobs. I'll turn up the Ronan, pop the Sebastian on and make myself a Bruce while i have a butchers at the rest of the pictures. Doubt we'll see it on the Liza smashing the world cup, but it'd be fun to ride to the battle. Or the nuclear, as you say above.
Private - Private Pike = Bike
Sausage and mash - Cash
Electric - Electric eel = Steel
Jacobs - Jacobs Crackers = Knackers
Ronan - Ronan Keating = Heating
Sebastian - Sebastian Vetel = Kettle
Bruce - Bruce Lee = Tea
Butchers - Butcher's hook - Look
Liza - Liza Minelli = Telly
Battle - Battlecruiser = Boozer
Nuclear - Nuclear sub = Pub
SA slang influenced by uk
Mate, I’m well chuffed getting one of these with my readies (haven’t told the trouble and strife yet)! Can’t wait to throw it in the van - it weighs a farkin tonne, I ain’t gonna pedal the bastard - and get my trousers dirty before a couple of pints down the pub. Cheers big ears!
scottish (weegie slang) would be...
"well chuffed wae ma purchase, cost a couple of quid. Cannae wait to chuck in in the motor, get it up the wids and get pure manky. After that am heading up the park for a bottle ae bucky"
idioms.thefreedictionary.com/have+a+butcher%27s#:~:text=have%2Ftake%20a%20%CB%88butcher's,hook%20stands%20for%20'look'.
I wonder what the WC commentary would be like if they chucked Danny Dyer in with Warner and Claudio? Presumably Rob has to start every sentance with "This muppet..." instead of "This man..."
Bike looks nice and made here in CO. Love it!
I mean it may work for someone, on cars (performance cars) the bias front/rear on brakes is super important. So playing with some of this may be super interesting.
Does anyone here actually run some strange brakes combo?
29" wheels are tall, long travel forks are tall, big tires are tall. That all adds up (and then bike geo has an effect too!), and the best bike fit doesn't mean 'oh I've always run 1.5" rise bars, that's what I'll run here'.
Bike fit > bike looks.
a: Hope Mono6 front, Shimano SLX (2015) rear
b: Avid Juicy7 (2009) front, Shimano SLX (2015) rear
c: Shimano SLX (2015) front, Shimano 2XXX series hydraulic rear
Still alive. I get used to it very quickly. It's like riding around with a rear brake that needs a bleed, but not urgently enough that you really do it. I feel like the whole 'brake feel' thing gets blown out of proportions.
YMMV
Sorry, but I have to make that joke.
Yeah seems like putting the worst brake to the rear is way to go. If I have to choose then ill go SRAM in front as it has better modulation. And Shimano in rear as they lock up easier, thats what I like in rear, just solid quick tap.
Not even mad, I have three bikes. two of them from the noughties, but yeah.
Starling, Myth, Pipedream, Cotic, Stanton, Ferrum... Surely there are more FS bikes that fit the bill. Maybe throw in a titanium framed one for comparison.
Don’t worry, Eric. Speaking from experience, it turns out hair loss is a total myth. You don’t lose it at all; it just migrates to your ears. Nothing to worry about.
WHY is is continually considered acceptable to paint the rear triangle a different color than the frame when it’s steel?! I’m sorry, but it looks like it broke and you replaced it with a generic or spray painted it in your garage. Pick one color and stick with it.... it’s more professional and clean.
I’m so glad I go that off my chest.
www.google.com/search?q=actofive+p+train&client=ms-android-huawei-rev1&prmd=imvn&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi47L7yv6juAhVjs3EKHaxxBasQ_AUoAXoECAMQAQ&biw=360&bih=657#imgrc=HuzBaGJdCNW0DM
He's not running a multinational mail-order company, he can't expense off a new fork just for this promo.
yeticycles.com/gear/detail/sb95-c-eccentric-kit-2013-2014
That patent has to have expired by now.
If you change the position of the shock (e.g. to allow usaeg of a water bottle), the drawbacks of such a construction will be indirectly amplified when riding (pedal kickback, anti-squat, etc.)
Made in North America. I wonder if the American steel company True Temper still makes bike frame tubing?
I'm not sure if they do that for legal reasons, or just to avoid public anger.
The one made in Taiwan is $900 CAD. The one made in Canada is $1900 CAD. Add shocks, bearings and mounting hardware... its probably right there as far as its few bikes made in US.
Ha.
HaHa.