Cutlass Velo

In light of the recent blog post by Velo Orange I figured I should reintroduce myself to those of you who may not be familiar with me or Cutlass Velo.

My name is Tommy Barse. I’m a West Virginia-born, Maryland raised Baltimorean.

I started Cutlass Velo in late 2015 while I was still a full time bike messenger. Cutlass began as a custom wheel build and wheel service business. Sensing demand for a consistent, dedicated mechanic in Baltimore City, I switched to performing service beyond just wheels starting in 2018.

Cutlass is many things to me. It is a quilt; pieced together with many types of fabric and thread based on my lived experience. I treat it as an heirloom because of the many lessons and experiences that have been passed down to me; it is priceless.

The work is the work; there is nothing glamorous about it. It is dirty, it is frustrating, oftentimes it can be confusing (in a philosophical sense) and can even  be disappointing. The flashiness and glitz seen on social media is quite often misleading.
It’s hard work - not always, of course, but while navigating all the intricacies of managing a business, managing expectations, and ensuring client safety and satisfaction, it compounds to being One Hell of a Job.

But I love it.

The relationships. The problem solving. The decisions. They have all contributed to the here and now.

Cutlass is the destination for anyone who wants their bike and equipment to work in harmony with their pursuit of the joy of cycling.
Whether that’s going for a spin around Druid Hill Park, chasing PRs on your regular routes, or chasing the top step of the podium: I am rooting for you.

If you have been on the fence to schedule for service or a custom build: make that commitment. I look forward to welcoming you into Cutlass.

Big thanks to Igor Velo Orange for the great photos.

First week with my Velo Orange Chessie: excerpts from Grinduro and other musings thus far.

We started off on the paved tarmac heading into Lock Haven, PA then we dog-legged over the Mighty Susquehanna, and rode west along the river. In a few miles, we took a right turn onto a quiet road and shortly went left onto a steep gravel climb (Carrier Road) that was roughly 5 miles that averaged something like 4%.

Between the encroaching Canadian wildfire smoke and the morning fog, my efforts to syncopate the two metronomes of my breathing and my pedaling cadence was a challenge. Eventually, a wood thrush was cheering me on as I neared the top of the climb. I become so enthralled by birdsong when I'm riding. I both want to stop and listen but also continue to see what more I can hear during my forward momentum.

The Chessie was floating effortlessly skyward with me. Each pedal stroke went immediately into the tires as they gripped the softened and saturated gravel surface below. The gearing felt perfect, small jumps in the middle and higher gears for steady efforts, larger jumps in the climbing gears that felt like they were designed to match my legs’ rhythm. The only thing that took getting used to was how the front wheel wanted to wander a bit if I was climbing steeper terrain on the tops but it quickly felt confident and capable once I repositioned on the perfectly shaped Ekar GT hoods.

Sneaking over the second crest was where I let the Chessie and Schwalbes take control of the situation. I trust Velo Orange and Schwalbe know what they’re doing. So, I plunged into my intuition in the same fashion that I was careening down Hazard Road. The speed of the descent was exhilarating. The tires screeched and screamed while I hollered for more; the segmented steel fork soaked up the surface variations without hesitation; there was zero shimmy nor a hint of speed wobbles. I wish I had gone faster because nearing 40mph felt like the Chessie was just getting a Costco-like free sample taste for why it was made. But I kept a bit of reservation just in case - me and Chessie are only just getting to know each other’s qualities.

I am proud to call this Velo Orange Chessie mine.

I'll do a proper photo shoot once I have my position dialed and steerer trimmed (if needed).

Thank you dearly to my friends that made this happen. More about this to come.

I'm bummed to see this bike leave Baltimore City.

Years ago I provided guidance to Matt Jørgenson on this custom Rock Lobster build.

I got to work as all the parts and components came in to build a really stellar cyclocross machine.

Being able to guide, build, service bikes for friends and members of the Baltimore CX/racing community is such a privilege and honor.

But Matt did something for me that I really have a hard time putting into words.

He checked in on me some random morning last year to see how I was doing. In that exact moment he reached out I was reeling. Spiraling. Plummeting. Careening into a maelstrom of self loathing and anxiety. I had learned that I potentially missed something important on a client's bike, I was sick on the couch, and I was recovering from a crash two weeks prior.

What came from that conversation was a life vest he had thrown out to me.

That morning changed the course of my life in ways I can't even begin to describe.

But Matt and his amazing wife are moving back West to be with family.

So I got one more opportunity to work on Goldie Jawn (sorry for the name, Matt) and took this photo after the final test ride.

It's only fitting that the Sun shining down on his bike is coming from the East, from where we'll all be sending light your way, Matt.

Thank you for what you've done for us here in Baltimore.

My 8th year of sobriety was less about my physical self and more about my mental self.

I learned a lot:

Resentment had been on cruise control for such a long period of my life that I had no clue how badly it was crushing any form of real progress that actually stuck.

Holding those accountable as I hold myself is a delicate discipline that comes from a genuinely good place even if it might hurt to deliver constructive criticism.

Letting go of problems beyond my control or capabilities is a relief that I have given myself.

Feeling like caring as much as I do about my profession and about quality isn't a curse but a gift. I'm passionate about delivering the absolute best quality service, experience, and product within my current but growing ability - to be able to achieve this regularly and consistently is a source of satisfaction.

I am growing in ways I had not anticipated and I owe it to my wonderful community for keeping me going.

So much that happens in the background.

Yet I am present in the foreground, working diligently to keep the maintenance of everything dialed and humming.

Keep in touch with your mental self.

I dare you.

Some of this week's service items.

1-3: Overtightened stem. Wrinkled the layers throughout the steerer. Less than ideal.

4: The last time these pulleys will look like this. (Converted to wax system)

5: A failed Hunt. Shocking.

6: Compressionless brake housing has seen some use!

7: Freehub body straight from a Baltimore Salt Box

8: The check valve on my California Air Tools compressor developed a crack somehow. Replacement valve is en route.

9: Is it flexing paint or is it a fine crack at this seatpost key hole? I put silver sharpie in the valley of keyhole to see if I could see a gap by gently spreading the top of the key hole and it appeared fine. Sharpie line to see if it extends over time and reaching out to manufacturer for support.

It's been a crazy busy two weeks but it's been really fun and exciting having some new clients coming through the door.

Working with poor frame tolerance in 1 to 100 easy steps.

Even the Var facing tool struggled with this Colnago.

I shared this in my stories yesterday but the end result is my ultimate brake magic trick.

Image 4: this is the alignment before tightening the caliper.

Image 5: this is the caliper after tightening to 6Nm.

That's how bad the mounting interface is.

Now that it's done I'll be able to sleep tonight.

This is easily the finest carbon frame I have had the pleasure of bringing to life.

The level of precision and care that went into this frame's construction is one of the few bicycle rarities currently worth its asking price.

It's the pursuit of quality that commands the decisions that contribute to a product of this level.

Pair this with a kindred manufacturer in Campagnolo and something magical comes to life.

Did I ever expect to build a personal bike for - the editor in chief at ?

The short answer is no.

The long answer is built on the joint tenures of so many folks that I have encountered throughout my life.

Thank you to for sending Bill my way. I first met Dan when we were messengers back in 2006 and we've loosely stayed in contact since.

Eyewater is the real deal after having some really great discussions with them. I felt immediately connected and heard.

Bikes and community make the world a better place.

The blooming redbuds are a visual reminder of a project I managed and produced this time last year and never posted.

The effort was to revive a cool 650b road bike bought second-hand.

Virginia is where the bike resides but made its way here for a mechanical evaluation which turned into a completely different conversation after seeing how much work the bike needed on top of the condition of the paint.

What if we updated it and made it something a bit more personalized?

I was given a few directives but the most challenging was: “the redbuds are in bloom; can we emulate that?”

Knowing what I know and knowing who I can trust to contribute, the answer was a pretty easy “yes.”

The bike was disassembled, paint stripped, taken to Bishop for inspection, and then off to Bryan Myers for expert finishing.

While all that was occurring, I put together a new sub assembly.

New Campagnolo Chorus 12 group

New White Industries headset and spacers (in purple, duh)

New White Industries hubs (also in purple) for a new wheelset using Velocity Quill rims.

We kept the handlebars, seatpost, and saddle.

When it came together I couldn’t believe my eyes when I could see the spirits of the redbuds blossoms gracing this beautiful bicycle.

Understanding, decoding, and collaborating are assets here at Cutlass; these are just a few ingredients that contribute to these special projects for incredible clients.