As we move into a busy season for road racing, we close out a rainy winter here in Portland with a project demonstrating our passion for custom fabrication. Unfortunately for Canadian bicycle company, Guru, their winter came to a screeching halt in December. Accompanying the expensive relocation of their massive warehouse, the Montreal-based manufacturer of custom bikes, saw a significant decrease in sales and declared bankruptcy on the 23rd of December. What does that mean for Guru bike owners?
If (almost) any part of your bike fails, we at Ruckus will find and use the tools to keep your bike out of a landfill. If say, the dropout on my bike broke, ten minutes later you would likely find me doing a Google search to check the warranty coverage of my bike’s manufacturer. Oh, it looks like they have gone out of business?! Five to ten years ago this would mean that it is time to continue that Google search for an entirely new bike. Expensive.
After finding Ruckus through a possible Google search or via a recommendation from a local bike shop, a Guru bike with a broken dropout made it’s way to our Portland facility. The existing dropout is irreparable but we can fabricate a brand new, stronger option.
When we repair a bike, our goal is to design the repair in a way to prevent any future problems. We would never want to see a bike come back for the same reason.
With this titanium Guru dropout, we are redesigning both sides of this dropout to be laser cut from stainless steel. Creating two prototypes on our 3d printer allowed us to test the precise alignment of our design.
Instead of using aluminum similar to Guru, we designed for maximum strength. We used stainless steel and added a secret fender mount and a bit of Ruckus flare!
