How did you get into the sport?

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been into bikes. I vividly remember my 9th birthday when my uncle, who was a big roadie at the time, showed up for my birthday party and had a dark blue Masi road bike that he had just picked up. I remember it had Campy on it and he trained on tubulars. I thought that was the coolest thing ever. That same birthday, another uncle gave me a Murray BMX. I got more and more into it, and I eventually wanted a higher-end BMX bike, but my parents wouldn’t buy me an expensive one. So I “de-tassled” corn (I grew up in the Midwest just outside Chicago) for the entire summer when I was 12 so I could order a new Robinson from Frankford BMX, a mail-order company advertising in the back pages of BMX Plus. I raced BMX for a while and eventually graduated to mountain bikes. Then in college I was racing a 250GP bike as part of the AMA Superbike Series and used a mountain bike to train on when a mechanic friend of mine, Mike Rockwell (another roadie) got me out on an old steel Bianchi to “chase some school buses” for fitness. From that moment on, I loved it and I’ve been on road bikes ever since.

Reading the background on you guys, it sounds like you have put together an interesting business model. How did the Franco brand get started?

My cousin, Hector, and I have both spent our entire careers in consumer goods. Hector on product development as an industrial designer and engineer, and me on the business side. Our experience there was really pretty simple. We would partner with retailers and base every decision on consumer insights, always focusing on the customer needs. That meant if we kept the focus on the customer, the business would take care of itself. Having bought a lot of bikes ourselves we didn’t think that was the case in the bike industry. We’d find what we thought was the perfect bike and then we’d have to try to find it, since our local dealers didn’t always have them in stock. One time in particular, when I was looking for a specific new bike in my size, that meant printing off a list of US dealers for that brand, and calling every dealer from the east coast to the west until I finally found it. I found it in Utah, and since I was on vacation with my wife, she didn’t appreciate my efforts that morning as much as I did! Experiences like this and our network of contacts allowed us to create a company that did exactly what we wanted when purchasing a bike. Franco Bicycles was born.

Tell us about the direct-to-consumer model you have established and what makes it a unique service?

Our direct-to-consumer model, “The Franco Experience,” is unique in that it allows us to custom tailor a new Franco bike to every individual customer. We get to know the customer first and the type of rider they are. What type of riding they will do, the terrain they will ride on, and the kind of experience they want to have on the bike. This may mean building the Ultimate Race Bike, or building up an elite performance bike that delivers real all-day, in-the-saddle comfort. We accomplish this by matching components to the customer needs.

Here is an example, while a build with SRAM Force comes stock with alloy Ritchey Logic II bars, a customer who doesn’t race and wants the additional vibration damping a full carbon bar offers can upgrade to the Ritchey WCS Carbon Curve bar. They can even upgrade to the Ritchey Superlogic Evolution bar if they do a lot of climbing. Or through conversation we might find they might benefit from the slightly swept-back tops of the Evolution bars, which are designed to help you keep your elbows in and head up when climbing. Every part is upgradable at the cost of the upgrade, and not as an add-on. The bike is shipped exactly how the customer wants it. That means they get everything they want from their new bike, and nothing they don’t.

Combine this level of service with a complimentary bike fit using Retul’s 3D motion capture that comes with every complete bike we sell and customers get a new bike that is tailored to them and delivers the performance and experience that they expect when they buy a bike of this caliber.

So one day there was no Franco product and now you are sitting with the Balcom frame: tell us how you went from scratch to creating a product of this quality? What was the design process like?

Once we had decided the type of bike we wanted to create we traveled to Taiwan a number of times and met with manufacturers that we thought would offer the manufacturing capabilities that were most important to our vision and could commit to the quality that we required. This meant touring a lot of facilities and seeing some of their exclusive manufacturing processes firsthand. We then went to work on developing the product. This was a long process that included CAD development using Solidworks and ProE, initial FEA analysis, prototyping, refining and detailing carbon layups, samples and sample testing. Various steps were repeated until we had a rideable prototype. We rode and tested a lot of prototypes before finally settling on the Balcom, which is now for sale. The final steps were deciding on a graphics package and finally offering it for sale! That took just 2+ years!!

What is the ride quality like on the Balcom? What type of rider or conditions does it suit best?

The Balcom was designed to be an Elite Performance road and race bike. It’s a super stiff bike that provides immediate feedback when you push on the pedals or hard in the turns, while being comfortable enough to endure long training rides. Can you ride a century on it? Sure. Are there more comfortable bikes out there to complete a century on? Sure. Will they be faster than ours? No.

You spec your bikes out beautifully. What is a typical build weight?

A build with SRAM Red, Ritchey cockpit and Zipp 404 tubulars as shown on our site is 13.28 lbs. We actually have a bike built up right now that is going to be tested by a print magazine that we believe is the ultimate race bike. The bike is full SRAM Force, with Ritchey Superlogic components (including a traditional seatpost), and Hed Stinger 4 tubulars with Vittoria tires. It weighs 13.9lbs complete and retails for less than $4k.

Apart from the Balcom, what other models do you have planned?

We are just getting ready to kick off development of a new road bike, and have started development of a new TT/Tri bike. The Balcom will still be in the lineup with no changes planned for it, but we do hope to broaden the range over the next 18 months.

The Factory Team look like a bunch of pretty mean riders. How do they fit into all of this?

The Factory Team was designed to give us immediate feedback on bikes. Some of the guys on the team are ex-Olympians and current Pros that race Pro 1-2 and Masters here in Southern California, which is arguably the most competitive racing scene around. (Elcyclista: I think there are a few guys in the Park Series here might give you an argument on that.) A few of them had ridden an early prototype version of Balcom back in 2008 and have provided a lot of feedback for the current. As an example, we’re working on a cross bike, so this season we have the cross racers on the Factory Team riding an aluminum version to test out the set-up and geometry and we’ll make the bike available for limited sale next year.

Tell us about the “Nut House” ride–I saw something on your Facebook page about it.

Haha! The Nut House is a stop along our backyard route. We’re based in Camarillo, CA, and the bike’s namesake, Balcom Canyon, is just down the road from us. We often do a ride we call the Balcom/Grimes Loop. Now, I’ll be honest, on most occasions we descend Balcom and climb back up Grimes (below). No matter which way you go, you deserve a stop at The Somis Nut House. Plenty of salty snacks to get you back on the road and home. They also sell Mexican Cokes! Which are especially sweet after a hot day in the saddle.

Are you guys still able to ride and race with all of the success of the brand?

Yes, as much as we can. We both have small kids at home, and a business to run, so it’s definitely a lot harder than it used to be to get the time in on the bike, but I’ve still been able to get in 10-12 hours in per week. Racing can be pretty competitive in SoCal, so if you don’t put in the time on the bike…it’s embarrassing. I learned that earlier this season when I had been off the bike for a few weeks because of an injury and then let my friends talk me into racing the Manhattan Beach GP. It was brutal. I suffered more than I should have, and got dropped. The only way to fix that is to ride more. Plus I have a carrot that lives down my street, I ride to beat Greg Lippert.

Merckx or Coppi?

Merckx. If it wasn’t for WWII, we might say Coppi, but at the end of the day it’s Merckx.

What do you enjoy more, the Classics or the Tours?

The Tours. Even watching from home, I love the entire “Tour watching” experience. The fact that it’s happening every day, the coffee, the way it becomes a part of the daily routine for nearly the entire month. We’re on the west coast so watching the Tour live every day means you have to wake up pretty early to enjoy the entire stage without having to struggle to avoid spoilers online. Especially on the climbing stages when coverage can start as early as 3:30AM PST. Once it’s over, you can go through some serious withdrawals. That said, you can’t beat the tension and the potential for heart break that the classics offer. For so many of those riders, it’s all on the line that one day and so many things have to go right. Where in the Tours there is always tomorrow, and there are 20 opportunities for a win every year, a classics rider gets relatively few attempts at a big win. Can we say both?

If money was no object and you could own any frame you want, what would you order up (can’t be your own)?

Easy. I’d get in line for a bike from Sacha White over at Vanilla Bicycles. As far as carbon goes, ours delivers everything beyond expectation, so I would mix it up and add some variety to the garage with one of his bikes. Have you seen them? They’re beautiful.

The Franco Bikes Site »
Franco Bikes on Facebook »

When did you first pick up a camera?
I started slowly in 2003, when I bought a compact digital camera using money borrowed from my father. I found it strange taking pictures at first. Back then I was a sports teacher and cyclist. Then in 2005 I bought an SLR, and it changed everything.

Can you remember what your first shot was?
My first shot was in a Mall in Nantes with my girlfriend at the time. I photographed the escalators from the side, a classical composition, but effective. I entered it for a “Young artist” contest, and it got selected for an exhibition.

What do you enjoy shooting now?
I still love to shoot cycling,  and I am still a correspondent for Procycling in France. But since 2009 I started to also shoot social reportage as well. Travel also interests me. I have been to Burkina Faso and in April I’m going to Palestine. I have also begun work on a project based on autism.

How did you get into shooting cycling?
In 2005 I began to do editorial for magazines, then in early 2006 I saw the potential in shooting cycling. I know a lot of things about that world, seen from the inside as a rider.

A lot of the shots you took in the cyclo-cross essay are pre or post race – what were you trying to capture?
For this essay I wanted to capture the essence of this cycling discipline, and not just the race. Capturing something of the mental side of the sport, the attitude. But also the audience and the passion they have for it in Brittany and Belgium.

What rider have you enjoyed photographing most?
Erwan Mentheour in 2007 for Procycling, when they asked me shoot for the theme “10 years on”. Erwan retired after the Festina affair. He was one of the first riders convicted of EPO use in the 1997 Paris-Nice when he was riding for Francaise des Jeux. I spent a day with him in Paris and Beaubourg. We talked a lot, had a lot of laughs and drank a lot!

There are so many iconic images of our sport – do you have a favorite?
Anquetil and Poulidor climbing the Puy de Dome during the 1964 Tour. That image catches the climax of their rivalry and the drama of the sport. We rarely see that now.

If you had your choice to shoot a grand tour or one of the classics, what would it be?
No hesitation, the Tour. But I also loved going to the Tour of Flanders and Liege-Bastogne-Liege.

You told me a great story about your father and Jacques Anquetil – do you want to share?
Yes with pleasure. My father had a bakery and worked incredibly hard. We rarely saw him and since I was small I loved cycling with him, my mother too. Even now I am 32 we still look forward to riding together. We have even climbed Mount Ventoux together. When July and the Tour arrived it was great, we spent 3 weeks in front of the TV watching every day, waiting for that stage. The whole day was devoted to the monument. In his day he used to buy the Mirror and was a pretty good sprinter. Even today at the age of 60 he still rides pretty well, and I am always suspicious! My father had an idol when he was young, Jacques Anquetil. When Anquetil died in 1987, I saw him cry. It was a strange and emotional thing to see. This summer I walked into an old book shop and I came across a pile of old Mirror Sprint’s. I found an issue with Anquetil and I gave it to my father. He hung on the wall in his bakery.

If I could give you your dream assignment to track a rider for a week and document it – who would you choose, and why?
Lance Armstrong without hesitation. My father took a picture of him in ‘93 or ‘94 at the start of a stage of Paris-Nice. He was with the Motorola team and I would love to meet him and have him sign that photo. He represents everything I love about our sport, courage, confidence, and attention to detail. Even though I didn’t like his attitude towards Contador at the Tour last summer, nothing changed. The best period was around 2003 when he fell, came back and won the stage to Luz Ardiden. Also the moment of Beloki’s fall, Armstrong’s handling was amazing. I loved his attacks on Ulrich, the turn, the look and the attack. I am also a fan of Boonen and found Frank Vandenbroucke so beautiful to watch on a bike (I cried when I heard he had died and I found the tribute by Flecha at Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne this year a beautiful thing).

Have you tried shooting video with any of the new digital SLRs? Would film/video be a natural progression for you?
Yes and it’s absolutely brilliant! I love video and it is a totally new means of expression for me. I am testing Nikon D3s on my next trip to Palestine, where I will shoot a short documentary about daily life in occupied territory.

If you had to choose one bike what would it be?
I like bikes to look aggressive and I love the new Cannondale’s. The frame would be in matte black, with the logo in grey and pink neon. My name surrounded by “skulls” would be nice. Equipped with Dura Ace and a pair of Zipp’s

What would your dream ride be? Where and who with?
My dream ride is Ventoux, but the Isoard is also nice. I live in the Alps and have the great Col’s from The Tour on my doorstep, so dream rides are easy. Doing this with my father would be great, but I enjoy climbing alone with the scenery and making the top is a great feeling. As a photographer I would love to do the same trip as Nicolas Bouvier in the 1950s. He left from Geneva on a journey to India passing through Afghanistan (not easy today). Or maybe the classic long road trip like Jack Kerouac’s “On The Road”, only maybe less crazy. For this trip, I’d like to meet a woman crazy enough to love me and come with me.

Coppi or Merckx?
Difficult. Merckx.

Campy, Shimano gold SRAM?
Shimano.Richard

If you are interested in seeing more of Richards work, or contacting him, his site is at http://www.richarddelaume.com/

Whenever I started Elcyclista I never imagined it would be the catalyst to introduce me to so many great and passionate people. Every day seems to bring someone new. Yesterday brought Stefan Bumbeck, cyclist and artist (or is it artist and cyclist?). When I studied at art college in London I often found the best work came from people that had a deep emotional connection with their subject. I guess the same goes for most things in life, but no doubt cyclists are definitely a passionate lot. Looking at his work and listening to Stefan you literally feel the passion he has for riding, and all the things that go with it. There is an effortless style to his work that disguises the immense skill and talent that lies beneath it. In the same way a pro has that effortless pedal stroke that we all wish we had. It is beautiful, evocative work.

We got into a nice back and forth, or is that a “half-wheel”, where I am sure we “crossed wheels”. It turned into the following interview:

Tell me when you got into riding and how long ago?
I started racing in 1984, I was 15. My dad was a racing enthusiast and an art professor at Middlebury College. I had bought a Raleigh Super Corsa at a cool bike shop in Middlebury with the money I earned working at Middlebury College food service washing dishes and serving food. I entered a citizens race the next spring. I was hooked.

Great name – What is your background? Where are you from?
I grew up in Vermont. Bumbeck is a Russian name and my Mom is Italian. She was a Giobbe. As the story goes my parents were eating in a restaurant. My Mom was pregnant with me. She kept noticing two old guys sitting on opposite sides of the room glaring at each other. Suddenly one leapt up and yelled “Stefan”, the other yelled “Béla”! The two old men were long lost brothers, split up after World War II. So my name is Stefan Béla Bumbeck. I’ve asked my Mom if that story is true so many times. I’m still not convinced that it isn’t fabricated, but it’s a good one anyway.

What about your interest in painting? Did you study painting or is this something you got interested in?
As I mentioned my Dad is a now retired art professor and an amazing artist. Those are some big shoes to fill. I’ve always painted and drawn and ridden bikes for as long as I can remember. I studied studio art and psychology and raced my bike through college (UVM). It just sort of all flowed together when I was inspired by the gritty quality of an illustration by Jordin Isup on the cover of Colorado Cyclist catalog. It was a very different style than mine, but I found inspiration in the combination of paint and subject. It also had this great distressed black and white photographic characteristic to it. I love that. I love looking at old pictures of trains, cars, etc…

Why bikes as a muse? What made you start using them as a subject matter? Bike racing is the epitome of man and machine to me. It’s one of the most efficient machines we use. When we push it as far as we can it is a testament to our very existence. There are fantastic stories of suffering and triumph in cycling lore. Ottavio Bottecchia was my first favorite. Brick layer and martyr. My first series of Bike racing paintings focused on Bottecchia. He lost his life because he would not promote fascism. Gino Bartali used to ride Jews over the Alps to free them from Italian fascists, because he thought it was the right thing to do. Greg Lemond was riddled with bird shot and nearly died and then he won the closest Tour ever! Lance Armstrong beat cancer! There really aren’t any better stories for me. It’s a subject that inspires me and challenges me technically. It’s hard to draft people and almost as hard to draw bikes.

What do you think you can capture in a painting rather than a photograph?
That’s a tough one. I couldn’t really do what I do without photography. I wish I was a good enough photographer to capture the essence of cycling. Painting bike racers really is self-serving. I really enjoy it. The translation that occurs from eyes to brain to hand is so salient for me. It’s immediate gratification. It’s really deductive at first and then when I’m nose to the canvas or paper it becomes completely spontaneous and gestural. I drink a lot of coffee, too. My lines get a little scribbly.

There seems to be a retro influence/period – do you find modern frames/bikes inspiring?
Absolutely. I love technology. It’s very easy for me to get all geeked out, but I’m completely aware of the origins. So many great technological advancements have origins in the bicycle world.

Do you find any of the modern steel frame makers inspiring? (Ira Ryan, Hufnagel, Richard Sachs…)
Richard Sachs is the MAN! Back in the day I had the pleasure of riding one his bikes for the Stowe Bike Club. It is a daily regret that I didn’t buy that bike at the end of the season. Man, I wish I had that bike. I also really like to look at Vanilla Cycles. Great colors and cool designs. I’ve never ridden one, though.

What is your current ride?
I have a Tarmac, a Transition for the Time Trials, a Cannondale F2000 SL mountain bike and a hand me down Cannondale Cross Bike. I ride the cross bike the most because it has full fenders on it. Weather in VT is hard on bikes. It still has 8 speeds. HA!

Given the choice of any bike from any period, what would you choose?
You have to have more than one bike! If I had to choose one bike from the past bikes I’ve ridden then I would have to choose my Merlin Xtralight. Not the new ones, the Cambridge Vandenbrooke style. I had one back in 1996, it had Campy Record on it. I loved that bike. I could ride it forever. Dirt roads, up mountains, criteriums, etc… It was a great all-around. Little whippy though. I would really like to try a Pinerello Dogmas. They are so cool. Especially the Team Sky ones.

What would your dream ride be and who with?
Any epic day that ends with a cheeseburger and beer with my Onion River Sports Club bros. I’m simple. That’s the best part of riding. All those epic days end with “That was the best ride ever.”

Tour or the Giro?
I love the passion of the Giro. There is a little more mystique to it as well. I love those dirt road climbs too. That’s a great throwback.

Coppi or Merckx
Merckx.

Campy, Shimano or SRAM?
Shimano Di2, Campy for style. You really can’t go wrong these days.