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Jim's Seven Axiom XX

Build Kit

Frameset

Custom Seven Axiom XX Titanium / Carbon Frame

Cockpit

Zipp SL-70 Carbon

Groupset

SRAM Force AXS 12 Speed

Wheels

Zipp 30S

Tires

Pirelli Cinturato 32mm

Saddle

Selle Italia SLR Boost

In this week’s Bike of the Week we’re featuring Jim's unique Seven Axiom XX, a blend of form and function that’s perfect for his aesthetic tastes and riding style.

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The Massachusetts company has been making the Axiom model for almost 30 years and during that time it has developed numerous different ways to refine the best titanium tubing to produce better and lighter bikes. It proudly states that more than 30,000 builds’ worth of experience finds its way into the latest Axiom XX, which Seven says is as light a frame as it can build while still incorporating all the features its customers want and delivering the exact blend of stiffness and compliance they need. However, this isn’t any old Axiom XX. This frame is unique. It is the first and only frame built by Seven that features a carbon seat tube while the rest of the frame is titanium.

The artisans at Seven are exceptional at working with titanium and carbon-fiber tubing and offer an impressive range of options for combinations of the two. Even so, this one is the first to feature this specific construction. Seven's response to our request for a carbon seat tube was: "That’s not strictly a frame we make but we’ll do it for you."

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We love Seven's commitment to truly custom projects. Eschewing recent trends in the industry, we chose a traditional BSA bottom bracket shell in order to highlight the beautiful ride quality of titanium without making the frame overly stiff, and the carbon seat tube helps to reduce vibration to the saddle.

Medium-modulus filament-wound carbon tubes made by Wound Up Composites here in America have the perfect blend of performance characteristics for this type of frame construction. To take it another step further, we chose externally routed hydraulic brake hoses made by Jagwire in a beautifully complementary dark silver because there's still nothing quite like a bike with perfectly clean routing. This decision also allows for the ability to retain cockpit adjustability with minimal difficulty.

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This gorgeous bike has classic European flair but was built mostly with components that were either designed or produced here in America, excepting the Italian saddle and handlebar tape. The groupset is from SRAM and the headset and bottom bracket from Chris King, while the fork is by ENVE. Finishing kit is all Zipp and there’s no other choice for a bike like this than tan Selle Italia bar tape that’s carefully matched to the Selle Italia saddle.

The paint was done by Pro Bike Design and executed to perfection. The fork and seat tube feature one of Seven's old stock colors called Sage Green, while the lower section of the seat tube is clear coated carbon-fiber.

We are thrilled with the outcome of this project, and we are delighted to have been able to help Jim realise his dream bike.