#40: Paul Sadoff of Rock Lobster, Part I

My guest this week is Santa Cruz-based builder Paul Sadoff of Rock Lobster Cycles. I first encountered Rock Lobsters in the late 1980s when mountain biking was exploding. It was only later that I learned just how accomplished Sadoff was in building road bikes and especially cyclocross bikes. He is one of those rare builders, like Richard Sachs, who sponsors a team and can be found at cyclocross races in the Bay Area most fall weekends. In a world where handmade is often synonymous with fancy, Sadoff is headed in the other direction. While he has the skill set to do a pretty, lugged bike, many of his bikes are TIG-welded aluminum race bikes. When you place function ahead of form, that’s an understandable answer. Our interview was lengthy and meandering. Once again, this will be a two-parter, with me editing in bits of the conversation we had before the official interview started. He’s a fascinating and thoughtful cat and has a refreshing perspective on what it means to be a custom frame builder.