Jay from You Bet’s La Marche Rigid SS 29er: Large Brown Bike – John Watson | The Radavist | A group of individuals who share a love of cycling and the outdoors.

Jay from You Bet!, a Nevada City, California-based bike shop, has assembled a number of stunning builds over the past year, and the first we’re showcasing is his La Marche Bike Co. single-speed 29er. Read on for a detail-packed Beautiful Bicycles gallery!

“It’s perfect. I sent him a few numbers and told him how I wanted it to ride, and he delivered.”

That sentence is what every framebuilder loves to hear from a happy customer.

Rigid, non-suspension corrected mountain bikes just hit differently. Especially when the proportions and overall frame gestalt are so well balanced. Tom La Marche recently moved to Portland, Oregon. His new shop space is nestled inside Chris King Precision Components, where he shares the old Cielo space with a couple of other builders. More on that soon.

Before he left the East Coast, he cranked out this stunning frame for Jay from You Bet!, a bike shop we just profiled this morning. Standing tall, it’s easy for a long-legged rider like me to appreciate the quality of the frame’s construction and the stunning build kit Jay selected for it.

The standout details on this bike are Tom’s custom track ends and the laser-cut fork crown.

Work like this elevates what is considered “custom” in the custom bike world. Tom’s love of BMX brands shows in this detailing. Each of these moments is burly, yet elegant, strong, yet refined. The bike looks tough but nimble and agile. Using a 1 1/8″ steerer gives it a classic look with modern upgrades like disc brakes and 29er wheels.

Jay wanted it to be balanced for the Sierra riding. Quick and agile on the climbs, with its 30:20 gearing, while still being able to course-correct and track down the silty and rocky descents. Normally, every inch of the bike is covered in silt, but Jay gave it a good wipe down before these photos.

Little details, like how the rear non-drive side matches the rear rotor’s radius stay brace, are exquisite!

Paul Component Engineering’s California Travis supplied Jay with some limited edition green anodized parts to make the build pop with the mix of orange components. The morning I documented the bike, Jay added on the orange Baby Groovy Barrel Adjusters for one last bit of Paulccouterment.