Spending time in the bike shop and seeing the best and worst of the industry, it’s hard not to run into a few “who thought this was a good idea” and “if only they did it this way” moments. Historically, it has always been a helpless frustration. Things could be better but there was nothing I could do about it. It wasn’t until I met my now business partner, Emory Rempel that I felt empowered enough to search for solutions instead of waiting for fixes.

I found Emory through Instagram when I stumbled upon a damn gorgeous bike stem that I was immediately enamoured by. I was thrilled to find that the stem was made only an hour away from my house by some local guy in Sooke, BC. The only problem was that it wasn’t readily manufactured for sale. A few months of conversation later and it became apparent that Emory and myself had very similar views of the industry and shared an understanding about where there was room for improvement. With Emory being a bike mechanic turned machinist, and my role as a bike store owner / mechanic, we recognized our complementary skillsets would put us in an ideal position to create non-compromising bicycle parts. It is with this understanding that Farside Components was born.

www.farsidecomponents.com

I want to take a brief moment to highlight Emory in this process. I know there is a ton of great work that is done by people that clock in and clock out of their 9 to 5, but I believe exceptional work is born in the backgrounds. As a self proclaimed bike nerd, I am certain that my living, breathing, obsession of bikes has given us at Cowichan Cycles a competitive advantage in the market. I see this same obsession in Emory as a machinist. I set very high standards for myself and am reluctant to align with anyone who doesn’t share this mindset. Knowing that Emory pours his heart and soul into the world of machining has made it so easy to let my guard down and start a partnership. Talking with Emory, it is clear that machining isn’t something he does, but an integral part of who he is. That is the kind of person I want making my bike parts.

I love a strong-value product as much (maybe more) than the next guy/gal. In my role at the shop, it always gets me excited when excellent performance becomes more accessible. One of the highlights of my job is seeing people access increased performance for the first time, and this is always easiest to achieve watching newer riders grow into the sport. However, as undeniably practical as value products are, there is something intoxicating about a product that was created simply to be the best.

These products at the top of the cycling food chain are the items that you lay in bed at night dreaming about. The products that you set as your computer background just so that when you close that window, you can get a little surprise treat of that dreamy magnificence. It is this area of the market that Emory and myself are aiming for as we launch Farside Components to the world.

There is something so pure and focused about aiming for perfection because when any decisions present themselves, you already have your answer. When you are not focused on compromise, there are far less tough decisions in your way. It would be arrogant to say that we have created something better than anything else on the market, but I can honestly say that when looking at our first product, we are seriously in contention.

Although our long term goal is to release products that solve problems and provide improvements in function, our first product is simple in the sense that we are building something that is already mechanically proven. The bicycle stem has been a consistent performer since we moved away from quill stems years ago. Instead of starting from scratch and creating something entirely new, we have been able to simply focus on doing the job better. Being a new player and trying to create something complex like a suspension component would almost surely result in mediocracy. By setting our sights on the basics, we can come out swinging with a product that is truly one of the best built on the market. That is an introduction to the world that we are proud of.

Enter the Cyclic. Emory spent some time early on as a helicopter pilot. The cyclic is the control stick that essentially steers the machine. With obvious cycling similarities in the name, and a connection that both the stem and cyclic are used for steering, it was a natural fit for the name of our first stem.

Emory fondly calls the Cyclic his “guitar solo” as a machinist. It’s not trying to blend in and it’s not trying to work within a specific price point; it’s simply his vision of the best version of the bicycle stem. I’m now bias, but based on my initial reaction to seeing the product, I think he hit the nail on the head. The Cyclic somehow rides the fine line of elegance and aggression. Its curves flow into each other beautifully, while the wide and somewhat angular faceplate make it known that this is a tough unit designed for serious off road riding. This is all highlighted exceptionally well in our raw polished aluminum which is my personal favourite.

During my time with Emory I have learned more about the production side of the industry. One thing that I found particularly surprising is how inconsistent and irregular bike components are in sizing. During Emory’s day job, he is regularly working within tolerances that are within a fraction of a human hair. It turns out the bike components he has been inspecting vary significantly in size compared to the standards he adheres to during his work as a machinist. This is the first area where we can aim to improve upon the current market. Small batches of parts and close inspection of every individual unit means that our tolerances are at the leading edge of the bike industry. This obsession over tolerance might seem excessive when current products on the market are performing well. Unfortunately, I have seen properly torqued stems from reputable brands slip far too easy. In our opinion, one slipped stem is one too many. Tight consistent tolerances are critical.

Although less of a performance feature, we also take huge pride in our finishing. When machining, every second counts, as time equals cost. As we clean up the stem, we have taken care to make extra passes when necessary to minimize our tooling paths. We even prioritize the finish inside the main cavity of the stem where it is common to leave big aggressive tool paths. This means any material left on the stem is there for a reason and there is no remaining aluminum that doesn’t serve a purpose. Finally, the stems are tumbled in ceramic cones to further smooth off the rough edges. They then do a round in the corn husk polisher to give every stem a smooth mirror like lustre. These steps are what make our polished stems so magnificent and add an extra layer of depth to our anodizing.

Even though we had taken every step to ensure that no corners were cut, we still needed to be certain that our stem was safe to sell to the public. We took the plunge and sent our stem to the EFBE testing facility in Germany where they performed extensive stress and fatigue tests to earn us ISO certification as well as the optional additional “maximum overload testing”. It was with this final step that we could bring our stem to market.

The Cyclic is exceptional in design, competitively light, finished with titanium hardware that won’t corrode over time, and exceeds all strength tests. Everyone’s priorities are different, but for the rider that is willing to spend on a product that is beautiful, light, and strong, then the Cyclic is in serious contention with the best of them. Factor in the fair working conditions of our machinists, the money staying right here in our community, and a grassroots approach that is focussed on working with other local partners, and we have a formula that I am damn proud of.

I couldn’t be more excited to officially introduce Farside Components to the world.