Patience is a virtue...
Good things come to those who wait...
Even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in a while...
All these quotes have become the mantra that I've been adhering to for the last uncounted years. The reason...the story has finally come full circle.
During the late 80's and early 90's, I was racing road bikes a lot, enjoying the physical challenge, the adrenaline of the breakaway, and the speed of the peleton. Along with the time on the road came the requisite time hanging out in the shop to talk trash and check out the next great piece of equipment. One afternoon, while making a dash through the shop, a frame with myriad of colors caught my eye :shock: . I had never seen anything like it. Aside from the multiple rings of neon, the tubing was WAY oversized, changing shape as traveled linearly from joint to joint, welds so seamless they appeared as fine ripples in a placid pool. The lines of the frame seemed to be continuous as they flowed into a one piece bar/stem combination with ergonomic bends, the front end supported by an overbuilt, straight bladed fork. Though it held artistic aspects, the package elicited a feeling that was dually stated by the decals on the tubing; HARD CORE. After racing svelte steel road bikes, this thing was the antithesis of all I knew about cycling...and I was in love! Although I had never before ridden a mountain bike, I quickly decided that I would be taking this frame home.
Closing the sale, I learned that the frame was one of three that were for sale from the shop, crafted by a small frame builder in Pennsylvania by the name of Bill Grove. The other two, an ASSAULT and an X-frame, stirred my curiosity as they were decidedly different from the rest of the Schwinns/Treks/Cannondales that clogged the aisles. The Groves made a statement; not about being flashy or standing out, but that these were machines that were designed to take you farther into the wilderness than ventured before, designs that could stand up to adventure and bring the rider back exhausted but with a smile.
The next few years my riding emphasis was drawn from the tarmac to the singletrack. The Hardcore opened doors to places I would not have expected and skills that engaged the childlike fun of riding free. Unlike many who do not realize how special that first bike is until it is gone, I knew that I’d hang onto the Hardcore for a long time unless something forced it’s sale. As life often does, an opportunity came along that I could not pass up…
My wife Christi and I had become ardent tandem enthusiasts and were soon searching for a design that met our needs for a frame that could take us from the pavement to mild off road duty in our explorations of the North East. Unsatisfied with what was available, I designed a frame that I felt met our needs and began to shop around for a builder to make it a reality. That builder turned out to be Bill Grove. In visiting the shop, located in the small central PA town of Center Hall, I was drawn to the magic that went on there. The process of building frames had taken me and I knew that I had to know more. I appealed to Bill’s love of teaching and convinced him to let me come back and learn, fortunately for me, every shop needs a grunt to carry out the mundane . The only issue that I had to resolve was how I was going to pay my bills while I was gone…the solution, sell what I could.
The sale of the Hardcore was bittersweet. I hated to part with the machine that had inspired my new direction but rationalized that once I learned the craft of frame building, I could fashion my own frame to fill the void. Turns out, I could build lots of frames but none could ever replace the emotional attachment I had for that bike. I made a weak attempt to find the Hardcore but the guy I had sold it to had moved out of town and did not leave a forwarding address.
Twelve years have passed since that time and my interest in retro has been peaked. Reading threads about first bikes, bikes you wish you would have never sold, and how you got started in the sport poked me in the ribs each time I ran across one. Why did I have to sell that Grove? In a vain attempt, I made up a wanted sign to hang in the local shop, posting a reward for anyone who could provide info to where the frame is now. Silly, I know, but I thought if there was a chance… :roll:
Two weeks ago, the owner of the shop gave me a call… “Rody, you’ll never guess what just came in the door! It’s gotta be your bike, I’ve never seen anything like it before.â€
Good things come to those who wait...
Even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in a while...
All these quotes have become the mantra that I've been adhering to for the last uncounted years. The reason...the story has finally come full circle.
During the late 80's and early 90's, I was racing road bikes a lot, enjoying the physical challenge, the adrenaline of the breakaway, and the speed of the peleton. Along with the time on the road came the requisite time hanging out in the shop to talk trash and check out the next great piece of equipment. One afternoon, while making a dash through the shop, a frame with myriad of colors caught my eye :shock: . I had never seen anything like it. Aside from the multiple rings of neon, the tubing was WAY oversized, changing shape as traveled linearly from joint to joint, welds so seamless they appeared as fine ripples in a placid pool. The lines of the frame seemed to be continuous as they flowed into a one piece bar/stem combination with ergonomic bends, the front end supported by an overbuilt, straight bladed fork. Though it held artistic aspects, the package elicited a feeling that was dually stated by the decals on the tubing; HARD CORE. After racing svelte steel road bikes, this thing was the antithesis of all I knew about cycling...and I was in love! Although I had never before ridden a mountain bike, I quickly decided that I would be taking this frame home.
Closing the sale, I learned that the frame was one of three that were for sale from the shop, crafted by a small frame builder in Pennsylvania by the name of Bill Grove. The other two, an ASSAULT and an X-frame, stirred my curiosity as they were decidedly different from the rest of the Schwinns/Treks/Cannondales that clogged the aisles. The Groves made a statement; not about being flashy or standing out, but that these were machines that were designed to take you farther into the wilderness than ventured before, designs that could stand up to adventure and bring the rider back exhausted but with a smile.
The next few years my riding emphasis was drawn from the tarmac to the singletrack. The Hardcore opened doors to places I would not have expected and skills that engaged the childlike fun of riding free. Unlike many who do not realize how special that first bike is until it is gone, I knew that I’d hang onto the Hardcore for a long time unless something forced it’s sale. As life often does, an opportunity came along that I could not pass up…
My wife Christi and I had become ardent tandem enthusiasts and were soon searching for a design that met our needs for a frame that could take us from the pavement to mild off road duty in our explorations of the North East. Unsatisfied with what was available, I designed a frame that I felt met our needs and began to shop around for a builder to make it a reality. That builder turned out to be Bill Grove. In visiting the shop, located in the small central PA town of Center Hall, I was drawn to the magic that went on there. The process of building frames had taken me and I knew that I had to know more. I appealed to Bill’s love of teaching and convinced him to let me come back and learn, fortunately for me, every shop needs a grunt to carry out the mundane . The only issue that I had to resolve was how I was going to pay my bills while I was gone…the solution, sell what I could.
The sale of the Hardcore was bittersweet. I hated to part with the machine that had inspired my new direction but rationalized that once I learned the craft of frame building, I could fashion my own frame to fill the void. Turns out, I could build lots of frames but none could ever replace the emotional attachment I had for that bike. I made a weak attempt to find the Hardcore but the guy I had sold it to had moved out of town and did not leave a forwarding address.
Twelve years have passed since that time and my interest in retro has been peaked. Reading threads about first bikes, bikes you wish you would have never sold, and how you got started in the sport poked me in the ribs each time I ran across one. Why did I have to sell that Grove? In a vain attempt, I made up a wanted sign to hang in the local shop, posting a reward for anyone who could provide info to where the frame is now. Silly, I know, but I thought if there was a chance… :roll:
Two weeks ago, the owner of the shop gave me a call… “Rody, you’ll never guess what just came in the door! It’s gotta be your bike, I’ve never seen anything like it before.â€