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Missy Giove helps Underground Bike Works make a splash at Sea Otter w/ prototype plus bikes

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Underground bikes John Parker missy giove missle plus mtb mountain bikeIMG_4086

Long absent from the mountain bike spotlight, Missy the Missile is starting to reemerge. First appearing to race the World Cup at Windham last year, Missy Giove was on hand at the Sea Otter Classic riding around a plus bike with her name on the top tube. That bike just happened to be one of John Parker’s early prototypes from his new Underground Bike Works venture. The bike was quickly taken out of the test mule line up, built with some of Missy’s Deity components, and then sent off with her to crash the dual slalom race with the goal of slapping some high fives, roosting some berms, and (maybe) chugging a few beers.

That plays right into the script of Underground Bike Works. As John put it, “I don’t want to have a race team and go racing any more. I want to make fun bikes – and we’ve hit our mark.” As a joint operation between John Parker and his partners Mike Foxworthy and Will Kenefica, Underground Bike Works is all about the big tires, and all consumer direct…

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For those not in the know, Parker is a legend of the sport and founded Yeti Cycles in 1985. Drawing on his experience welding and building movie sets for Hollywood, Parker and Yeti were at the forefront of the sport and sponsored some of the biggest names in racing. Parker then sold Yeti in 1995 to Schwinn before leaving himself in 1997 to pursue other interests. The company was then sold to Volant, then finally to Chris Conroy in 2001 who still owns it today.

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When asked how and why he was getting back into bikes, Parker said,

When you make bicycles for a living, it’s in your blood. It’s forever. I’ve stayed close to cycling, I’ve been in a low orbit. 

My partners Will and Mike, we’re all motorcycle enthusiasts, there’s a special place to go in Malibu called the Rock Store. So like Steve McQueen, and Lee Marvin, and Jay Leno, this is a cool place to go back in Malibu up in the twisties. So we met each other up in there, and we all have a passion for motorcycles and racing and then about a year and a half ago they were like, ‘you’re John Parker from Yeti.” And I was like ‘nah, you got the wrong guy.’ The next week they came back, ‘no, we looked it up, you’re him!” And I go, ‘yeah, I’m sorry, it is.’ 

Then I found out that these guys get up at 5 in the fuckin’ morning, put lights on their bikes, and ride before they go to work. And I’m like, you know, that’s too hardcore for me but I was impressed. So we sat down and went and had a business lunch and talked about going consumer direct and changing and altering the industry.

We’re gonna go consumer direct and sell everything direct to the consumer on the internet with better prices and better parts. 

So the time is right to comeback. I went back to the studios to work in special effects. I’ve had my own motorcycle team for the past 5 years. I’ve been around and inspired by all these beautiful technologies and materials, and I’m ready to come back and make some beautiful bikes. 

The one thing I don’t want to do is have a race team and go racing any more, I want to make fun bikes. And we’ve done very well at that. We’ve hit our mark.”

Part of creating fun and functional bikes was building a number of test mules to dial in the geometry around the plus size tires. The bike Missy was using was one of the original test bikes that was built with horizontal dropouts in order to fine tune the chainstay length and try out different geos. While it looks like a dirt jumper ( in this case set up for Dual Slalom) the bikes are meant to be all purpose hard tails, but skewed towards fun.

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Production frames will look much more like the prototype shown above complete with the original Yeti-esque loop tail dropout. Only this isn’t tubing – but a massively complex machined piece that according to John, “3 or 4 years ago, you probably couldn’t even make that dropout because you need a 4 or 5 axis machining center.” The team has spent hours dialing in the machining process just for that one piece, but the entire bike has a number of beautifully machined parts that make it stand out.

And then there is the welding. The first run of bikes are all welded up by the legendary Frank the Welder. As John puts it,

“They’re all made by my old partner Frank the Welder, who was one of the original partners at Yeti. Thirty some years later we’re still friends, we still do business. You know, look at the welds on that thing. They’re stunning. I’m a good welder. I’m a real good welder. He’s a mother fucking awesome welder! His fangs hang out right below his welding hood. He’s a monster.”

Underground Bike works does have plans for a Stage Two frame that will be made overseas, but for now you can buy an actual FTW built bike through the company’s Kickstarter. Frames start at $1,750 and will be offered in 27+ and 29+ versions. Complete FTW built bikes start at $3,799 with their House Build or $2,750 for their foreign sourced bike with the House Build. John mentioned that they are looking for a way to replace the gussets on the top/head/down tube junction, but other than that the silver frame is close to finished. Along the lines of their ‘bikes should be fun’ ethos, the brand only has plans for plus or fat bikes at the moment.

The bikes look good, they’re fun to ride, and are rolling out through Kickstarter, so for Parker, “life’s pretty good.”

 

undergroundbikeworks.com

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Rick
Rick
7 years ago

$1,750 for a stock aluminum frame….damn….

Mark J. McGrath
Mark J. McGrath
7 years ago

that price is for the hand made FTW frame I believe

captain derp
captain derp
7 years ago

bingo. The one and only legendary FTW.

Eric
7 years ago

I have no idea what Missy looks like, can never see her face. Like the Phantom of the Slalom.

Allan
Allan
7 years ago
Reply to  Eric

Before I read the title, I thought it was Slash.

Groghunter
Groghunter
7 years ago

So am I reading correctly that Missy raced the DS on a 27+? I’d love to see some footage of that, I bet it was a blast.

Heffe
Heffe
7 years ago

I’m glad to see these characters back in the scene. I don’t know that their pricing and products interest me all that much, but I’ll keep watching to see what happens.

C
C
7 years ago

According to Kickstarter page, ‘overwhelming demand’ has necessitated stage two–zero backers.

It’s a cool frame, but competes with Norco Torrent 7.1 at $2425 and Orbea Loki Ltd at $2999. I guess it depends whether one wants to support Canadian- Spanish- or SoCal-inflected Taiwanese. If fun is now….

Or one could have a full custom Waltworks for about same price as Frank the Welder’s stock geo. Boostlike offset but still 135mm hub spacing.

chase
chase
7 years ago

That head tube gusseting is obscene, and I like that stuff.
Seems like it could have achieved the strength a lot more artfully. Unless you just get off on stacked dimes by the foot.

badbikemechanicx
badbikemechanicx
7 years ago

Missy Giove is so rad!

Hpbiker
Hpbiker
7 years ago

I like how the person in the top photo is giving the middle finger. Such class. Would never buy a bike from them.

adrian
adrian
7 years ago
Reply to  Hpbiker

You must not be aware of:

A) The fact that some folks ride with middle finger braking
and
B) The substantial amount of professional braaap that Missy Giove got up to back in the day.

If you did, you’d probably relax a touch.

To be fair, she’s well before the current time and is probably equally notorious for getting busted by the DEA with a van full of drugs as she is for 90s DH antics.

Also, here’s Giove riding DH in the 90s. With middle-finger on the brakes.
http://www.triridemtb.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/missy-giove-1997.jpg

Jack
Jack
7 years ago
Reply to  Hpbiker

Maybe Missy uses that finger to brake with. I do. Even so, agreed, it’s not the best look for a promo photo…

hllclmbr
hllclmbr
7 years ago
Reply to  Hpbiker

(deleted)

Antipodean_eleven
7 years ago

@Hpbiker “I like how the person in the top photo”. Ho ho ho. That my dear friend is Missy G, a legend. She’s had her fair share of problems, and is quite the polarising character but, she is a mtb legend not some ‘person’.

MGK
MGK
7 years ago

(deleted)

mtb4me
mtb4me
7 years ago

Not Missy….That’s Tinker!

mtb4me
mtb4me
7 years ago

Middle finger issues…?! Touch-E, my friend…

Capn Beefheart
Capn Beefheart
7 years ago

Is the logo intentionally a Underground Products rip off?

Mike R
Mike R
7 years ago

I dont think they have announced the second round of bikes yet… I talked to them at S?O and they bring some big guns back to the front. Its close to a Norco, but with WAY better components, for $2750… The EXPENSIVE frames are hand made by FTW, Not for everyone for sure, but he is pretty much the best hand builder in the world.. The production bikes look to set the standard for someone actually building a plus bike with some decent stuff on it, not the bargain basement junk we find out there now… Its kept me from adding a bike to the quiver, but now… Parker back in the biz alone makes it worth it!

Ol'shel'
Ol'shel'
7 years ago

Unless they get some innovative design help, this is going nowhere.

BurntReynolds
BurntReynolds
7 years ago

I didn’t know Slash from Guns ‘n’ Roses was into bikes … coooooool

motarded
motarded
7 years ago

not sure about Messy’s “professional Braap”, yes she was a successful racer but the temper tantrums and weed smoking at the races in front of fans and kids were less than professional.

joby
joby
7 years ago

Kickstarter cancelled and website dead. Well, that was quick….

Maniachael
Maniachael
5 years ago

bikerumor.com should UPDATE this article.

My Revival is being built by FTW right now.

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