In an era when non-ferrous bicycle frames and forks are all the rage, it was surprising that Jonathan Page won his Elite Cyclocross National Championship by shredding the best of the US on a lugged steel cyclocross bike.  It was a bike built by his sponsor, Richard Sachs.  Sachs' bikes are pretty much what they always have been, a tool created by an artisan. 

The bike looks like a classic.  A simple red and white paint scheme with yellow decals, it harkens back to the days before multi-shaped tubing, carbon forks, and sloping top tubes.  The bike seems familiar, almost to the point of being low-tech, something Sachs denies, calling the steel tubes he uses "cutting edge."  The material he works with is steel, the joining means lugs.  "One joining process doesn't make a bike better or worse.  I'd have a completely different tune if I was making 500 bikes a year.  As long as my bikes are viable, the fact that there are lugs as opposed to a bead of weld, doesn't matter."

Steel-tubed bikes are often derided as heavy, but as Sachs likes to point out, "a pound of steel weighs the same as a pound of aluminum.  My cross frames are about 3.5 pounds each.  Even if they're (the competition) using aluminum, they're not much lighter."  He scoffs at the thought of frame weight being much of an issue.  Sachs feels that his frames and forks are rarely more than a pound heavier than the lightest frames and forks out there. 

He designs his 'cross bikes so that the rider sits a little more forward, a little more upright, than in a regular road riding position.  He uses more fork rake than normal to increase comfort and make the bike extremely nimble.  Sachs doesn't talk in terms of head and seat angles.  "I want to have a certain trail, a certain fork rake, a certain front-center geometry, all things considered, whatever head angle is the yield is the one I choose." Likewise, for the rear end, he doesn't think about seat angle, but setback.  "When I first started (building frames) in the '70s, it seemed to me, at least, compared to road bikes, seat angles were shallower.  As I participated more, I found that it didn't work in a practical world.  In essence, it ends up weighing down the rear wheel, and it's a detriment."

Despite the interest in frame design, and the sponsorship of a cyclocross team, he doesn't build many 'cross frames.  Most of his 'cross frames go to either his cyclocross team or customers who already own Sachs road bikes.  His customer base is such that there's a year-and-a-half wait for frames. 

It might seem strange that a one-man shop that is plenty busy sponsors a cyclocross team with a European presence, but for Sachs, it's part of the life.  "I want to do it because when I was serious about racing, there were people who sponsored me.  And now it's my turn to give back.  As far as the benefits of success, people who are my friends, and people who are my friends and clients are happy.  It makes them feel good about succeeding."  Page's national championship isn't the first for Sachs, but it is the most visible.  He says, "It's the eighth or ninth national championship since 1996 or 97."

That cyclocross sponsorship is about giving back makes sense in light of Page's past three seasons in Europe.  "As much as we'd like to see him here regularly all year long, in the top three every weekend, it would be a joke for him to race in North America for us.  We'd be holding him back to keep him around."

Page began his association with Sachs over three years ago when Jonathan made a call looking for sponsorship the day before flying to Germany for the upcoming cyclocross season.  Two weeks later, two frames were delivered to Page in Germany.  Since there had been no time for measurements, the bikes were stock geometry.  Page got solid results, and stayed with the team. 

Subsequently, the bikes were made to measure, with Sachs taking input directly from Page.  Page likes his frames a bit smaller than Richard would normally build.  The position, a little lower than one might expect, allows Page to ride the drops comfortably the whole race.  Page also requested vertical dropouts and special changes in the seat post binder.  Page is otherwise the kind of guy who just rides the bikes.  That he has two identical bikes is great. 

The amazing thing to realize is that while two identical bicycles might be impressive in the US; Page's toughest competition shows up with four bikes, two mechanics, and enough wheels to outfit a division three pro team.  Page arrives with his wife Cori, also a racer, in the mechanics role.  And when the race is over, they both repair the bikes.  "When you go through brake pads in a week and cables every other week, and then you add in the flat tires and the consequential re-glues, the work adds up."  Of course, being married to the mechanic has certain advantages. 

Besides the big win at the Nationals, this has been Page's best season to date.  He won an amateur race in Belgium, a top ten at a category I race in the Netherlands, some decent rides in some other big races, and most recently got a fourth at a category three race in the Basque region of Spain.  For the world's, he hoping top 15, dreaming top ten.  The great results will hopefully yield a contract with a pro cyclocross team in Europe.  The bike, a pretty tool, will have served its purpose.

Richard Sachs is a craftsman framebuilder who has been refining his skills for over a quarter-century.  For more information, please contact: