Singletrack/MTB
Gravel/All-road
Dirt-road Touring
Fat-bike
Seattle-based Good Weather Bicycle & Cafe specializes in custom bike builds and weekend breakfast tacos. We reached out to co-owner Jason Marqusee to learn more about the evolution of their latest gravel bike, the Goat V2. See more here…
Words and photos by Jason Marqusee (@goodweatherinseattle) and Brandon Waterman (@newrooky)
We’re a small business in Capitol Hill, Seattle, with a cafe and full-service bicycle shop. It’s a business I started with my business partner, Brandon, eight years ago.
The first GOAT frame was an early concept for us, designed during the years when we were an appointment-only shop on the second story of a slightly dilapidated building, behind a locked door, up two flights of stairs, sharing spaces with a bunch of artists. We called it the GOAT—Good On All Terrain—because, like most people riding gravel bikes now, we used it virtually anywhere we could. This was before the term “gravel bike” was in circulation, but for all intents and purposess it was just that: an ideal gravel bike.
The first iteration came from experimenting with older bikes designed for 27″ and 26″ wheels, setting up different brake configurations and drivetrains. Seattle is a hilly and wet place that makes for great field testing. Transitioning from in-city riding to singletrack in the nearby Cascades, we quickly found that the challenges we faced were how to fit the fattest, most forgiving tire and whether we could set up stronger brakes than standard cyclocross canti-posts would afford.
Our first prototypes were a mix of 4130 and Ti frames, and we attempted to build something around disc brakes that felt quicker on streets than a hardtail, more versatile than a cyclocross bike on singletrack, and capable of being loaded up. The initial runs weren’t perfect and, being a little shop with limited resources, we slowly kept making changes and doing small runs, modifying frames to meet the needs of individual customers rather than producing a stock design, and this meant two orders a year of maybe six frames, tops.
This brought us to our first production run in 2019, the Titanium GOAT. There were so many hurdles leading up to that bike – finishing choices, sourcing components, adapting to changing standards, etc., that we really had to decide how or if we wanted to compromise on certain steps in the process. We were fortunate enough to have those small-batch runs as a good rubric for how to get our favorite characteristics in the bike without compromising quality and still remaining within budget.
Those years leading up to 2019 were very informative for us; things really started to change, as the whole bike industry was seemingly headed in the same direction we were. We spent whatever time we had aside from the frame project focusing on how to build other peoples’ bikes, testing out new components, and, as our top priority, we put more effort into helping to build up the local cycling community by hosting group rides, campouts, and events featuring local makers. We established a better groundwork for our shop by supporting the people around us, and this effort informed our choices, making our products smarter and better suited for the kind of riders we are here in the PNW.
We’ve never taken outside investment and tend to do everything by bootstrapping whatever profit we have into new product development. We get to make the things we want, not stuff other people tell us to make, and autonomous financing is absolutely necessary for that. It has been a slow process, but now that there is some exponentiality about it, the production side of the shop has created some of the most rewarding work we’ve ever done.
Goat V2 Features
Now to the nitty gritty, the culmination of that effort; the new GOAT V2. Some of the features secondary to the frame that informed this build are as follows:
We started a powder coating and finishing company so we could use more interesting, durable finishes, and all of the colors you see on our frames are processed internally by Brandon at our side hustle, Stunt Doubles Color. We produce our own carbon fork and wheels, partnered with Bitex hubs to afford us the specs, colors, and product availability. Our wheels are handbuilt in-house using Sapim spokes, brass polyaxial nipples, and matching washers. We do our best to support American/local companies as much as possible, so all of our frames feature Wolf Tooth and ENGIN components wherever possible. There are a bunch of other build options to choose from as well, including parts from ENVE, White Industries, Astral, and Chris King, to name a few.
It’s Made For…
The most recent iteration of this design leans heavier in the “adventure” direction, with a slightly more sloped head tube angle, a CNC chainstay yoke for crank and tire clearance, and internal dropper routing. The new iteration takes 27.5 x 2.3″ knobby or 700 x 50mm tires. It’s outfitted with either the Kid Thunder or ENVE Adventure fork, runs 12×100 and 12×142, flat mount disc, and features our 32h GW carbon wheels for added strength and durability. The 650B iteration of these wheels weighs in at 1460g; they’re a good example of how a laterally stiff carbon wheel can still be super light. We added the newest ENGINE dropper seat post collar to make sure things stay put on bumpy terrain. Big tip of the cap to those folks for making amazing stuff, as well as everyone in the bike industry we get to buy things from.
Customers and shops have the option of choosing between a few in-house paint jobs or consulting with us for something custom. This particular bike is using a matte black reflective powder coat we’ve been experimenting with; it’s something we’re really excited to share. This powder represents as Matte Black in the day and the shiny reflection you see in the photos at night when hit with light–all while being very resilient. This powder work is something we are doing so that people are safer, more visible, and generally super shiny at night but still look good during the day.
We feel so blessed to be a part of this amazing community of builders and shakers. Bike people are the best. Our hope is that we can make meaningful contributions to the scene, giving people opportunities to grow with and love their bikes as much as possible.
The frame and fork will set you back $2,750 USD, and their team is all about consulting with customers to dial in the perfect build kit. You can learn more about the Goat at GoodWeatherinSeattle.com, and all inquiries can be made to hello@goodweatherinseattle.com.
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