Last Thursday, January 10, Eric Johnson and I met with Sean Virnig of Rawland Cycles, the new Northfield, Minnesota bike company (see my Jan. 3 post for more on the company). That’s Eric in the foreground above and Sean behind him. We met Sean in downtown Northfield and got to see and test ride Rawland’s two bikes, the Olaf and the Sogn. (The Olaf frame is for fixed-gear or single-speed bikes, and the Sogn is for geared bikes; both use size 650B wheels and tires.) We also sat down at Goodbye Blue Monday, a local coffee shop, and conversed with Sean. Because he is deaf, we did so by typing on Eric’s laptop computer.

Sean and Eric both have a lot of technical knowledge about bikes, so it was a treat for me to learn from them. Below is the transcript of our conversation, including more pictures. I’ve re-ordered a few of the pieces of the conversation to better group topics together. One note to help you follow the conversation: Rawland is derived from the English translation of Sean’s mother’s last name.

Eric: Thanks for the test ride!

Bill: [to Sean] You lived in California?

Sean: I went to high school in Fremont in the early 90s. I grew up at the Minnesota State Academy for the Deaf in Faribault where my siblings and parents went as well. We all lived in Mendota Heights. My dad designed and built my childhood home there, [a] Colonial Williamsburg [style].

Next month I will be in California on business, so I will bring the Sogn so as to ride up Mount Diablo in Walnut Creek, 3500 or so feet. That’s Rivendell’s backyard. I know Grant Petersen personally, so perhaps he’ll ride with me.

Bill: I drove up Mt. Diablo! Davis, [California,] where we lived from 2002 to 2004, is not too far from there. If you have time, you might want to check out the [bike] infrastructure there.

Eric: How did you decide to build bikes?

Sean: I’ve been riding for all but the first five years of my life. I’ve worked at bike shops, etc. I just don’t like where the industry is heading with all the high-tech stuff. I decided to start Rawland so as to show how it should be done.

Bill: How is it going so far?

Sean: Good. We will show at one of the largest bike swap meets/expos in Madison[, Wisconsin,] this Saturday. Several thousand will be in attendance. We unveiled Rawland at Interbike in Las Vegas last fall so the word is getting out. We will receive our first shipment of framesets (the Olaf, the Sogn with cantilever [brake] bosses and the Sogn with disc [brake] tabs) in April. I’ve already received deposits from customers and retailers.

The Olaf single-speed.

The Sogn.

Eric: Of all the bikes you have owned, which has been your favorite?

Sean: My next one! Actually the prototypes you just rode are my pride and joy. Other than Rawland bicycles, I’d say my beloved Ibis Scorcher would be the one. It is in my garage now awaiting springtime. I’ve ridden over 15,000 miles, all fixed [gear] around here over the past five years. I’ve ridden the Ibis across Iowa (Ragbrai). Only 100 were made in 1992. It’s like driving a rare Ferrari everyday.

Eric: My first bike was a Schwinn fixed gear that I later used to get my Scout merit
badge for bicycling. Six 25-mile rides, one 50-mile, and learning mechanical
fixes were part of it.

Sean: I rode the Ibis to Whitewater[, Wisconsin,] and back for an overnight stay with just a hip
pack and a 4 by 4 tarp, all within 18 hours I think.

Bill: Do you ride with any clubs?

Sean: I used to ride with the Northfield Bike Club for a while. I didn’t ride with them last summer cuz I like to start riding early in the morning at like 6. I have two kids so I like to be there with them as much as I can.

Eric: My favorite ride was with my wife. We took the train to Seattle and biked home on a Santana.

Sean: I surprised my wife with a Rivendell Atlantis a couple years ago. She now wants a Rawland!

Bill: I rode a Ross Gran Tour for over 20 years, a fairly cheap 10-speed, then finally
upgraded to a Surly CrossCheck with the advice of [local bike store owner] Mike Moyers.

Eric: I like the 650B wheels [on the Rawland bikes]. How does your mother like the bike company with her name? What was the name in Norwegian?

Sean: Sulland -> Sourland -> Rawland. She simply adores the name.

Eric: How do the bikes [the Olaf and the Sogn] compare?

(Photo by Eric Johnson)

Sean: Actually both have the same geometry. The 50-mm rake is more catered for loaded type of rides, with bags and all. I decided to decrease the rake for a more all-around feeling. I ride both protypes in the woods as well at Lebanon Hills and Murphy-Hanrehan [Park]. Both do very well in that capacity, so I am more comfortable with 45-mm now.

Bill: How did you end up in Northfield?

Sean: I decided to move here after several years in Eagan and Burnsville. My wife and I wanted to raise our children here. I also had a job in Faribault. I am now a full time student.

Bill: Where are you a student and what are you studying?

Sean: The University of Minnesota. Educational policy and administration, organizational studies (organizational learning, identity, decline, and so on).

Bill: Do you see your career coming out of your current studies or your bike company or both?

Sean: Both. My wife is a homemaker so she trims the sails.

Bill: What will be or have been the biggest challenges of starting a bike company? The competition?

Sean: Yes, esp with the size 650B [wheels and tires]. Although this size has been around for a while in Europe, particularly France, it’s relatively new here in the USA. But the size has been gaining in popularity and acceptance, so to speak. There are several manufacturers looking into offering models in 650B so that is encouraging. As for Rawland, we’re neo-retro, if you will, a new company with an old soul. We’re like the new Bridgestone.

Bill: My wheels [on my Surly] are 700C, I think. Why would I change to 650B?

Eric: My Baccheta recumbent is 650C.

Sean: 650B has more volume than 700C of the same size (width). You’ll feel more comfortable, the ride will feel more smooth over potholes etc (especially with Carol [Molnau] still the Commissioner of the [Minnesota] Dept. of Transportation). 650B is also beneficial for off-road tires. I don’t like the 29er because it’s too big in my opinion. It handles funny because it uses the same rim size as road bikes (700C). The 650B off-road wheel/tire has the same outside diameter as your 700C so it handles just like a road bike. Moreover, with the disc Sogn, one can swap between off-road 650B wheels and 700C road wheels without affecting handling characteristics, geometry, and so on. That’s an extreme example, but you get the idea.

One interesting story: in the early 80s before mountain bikes became popular the founding fathers of mountain bikes decided on 650B as the ideal size for mountain bikes, but [the] CCCP [the Soviet Union] bought out all 650B tires from a Finnish tire company so the fathers had to switch to 26.

(Photo by Eric Johnson)

Eric: My first mountain bike was that old Schwinn with 26″ MOTORBIKE TIRES. In the back of popular science magazine there were ads for a motor to clip on a bike with a powered roller to friction push the tire. I bought two of those tires.

[At this point Bill had to leave.]

Eric: I ride all winter. I would love to go with an internal hub for gears. Is your fixed-gear model a good starting point?

Sean: Absolutely. The Olaf is a perfect candidate. I have a customer who will have his built with a SRAM internal gear hub.

Eric: Can that be extended to have an internal brake or disc?

Sean: Maybe the Sogn with an optional chain tensioner. I’ll look into that.

Eric: When will the first frames be available for purchase?

Sean: April.

Eric: Have you ever heard of the Yankee Bike?

Sean: I think so.

Eric: A friend invented it. It had rim band brakes and an expanding front gear to do the shifting.
There were several small rotating gears in the crank circle that had one-way pawls so it could adjust to a series of diameters. About 15 years ago it won the Popular Science Magazine invention of the year for recreational inventions. He sold the design to Nordic Trak and then they lost their business.

Sean: That’s how I found out about the bike.

Eric: I am really pleased that there is a local bike presence. I love the Surly, hear that there is an aluminum from QBP [Quality Bicycle Products, in Bloomington, Minnesota, the maker of Surly bicycles] and now your bike. I find this exciting to see so much innovation at the same time we need to rethink how we get ourselves and our stuff around local areas.

Sean: I’ve seen the new aluminum frame by QBP. It’s quite radical in subtle ways.

Eric: Might my friend who did the Yankee have used the same builder as you? His frames were delivered by the container to his location west of Chicago and that is where they assembled the components.

Sean: My builder is the same one that builds Surly frames in Taiwan. One of the best in my opinion. Not China!

Eric: The other dream I have for a winter bike is to have the chain on a fixed or internal bike be well protected from salt/water etc. Is there a way to use the various bosses I saw on your bikes for fenders and racks to mount something like a chain protector?

Sean: The chain protector design is pretty universal, but not many frames come ready for fenders and racks these days. That’s one thing that makes Rawland unique. We’re extremely versatile, from racing to touring to commuting. So you would be all set with the Olaf, esp with internal gear hub, racks, and fenders. And a kickstand.

Eric: How did you come up with the interesting [handle] bar angle?

Sean: The bars were widely available in the early 80s, but they simply disappeared from the scene. Now they’re making a comeback. However, I am still partial to the Nitto Moustache bars
championed by Grant of Rivendell. He designed those I think.

Eric: I was on the Rivendell site last night and saw just those bars. I am thinking of those for my wife’s winter bike.

Sean: I have those on my Ibis Scorcher. I used to own several Riv production framesets (the Saluki, the Rambouillet, the Atlantis). I’m pretty much influenced by Grant’s philosophy. Rawland is a derivation of Riv, if you will, with a twist.

Eric: Have you a preference for front/rear rack types/brands?

Sean: I will add a link with links to all types of racks that can fit all models I offer. You will get an update from us pretty soon.

Eric: How about fenders?

Sean: Those too. Actually the links will be intended for the Sogn with disc tabs. You basically can use any racks and fenders for the Olaf.

Eric: I am excited to have the chance to meet you, see the bikes and even
ride them. Thanks!!!

Sean: My pleasure.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, January 16th, 2008 at 12:01 am and is filed under Biking/Walking, Minnesota, Northfield, Photos.