As a woodworker and a mountain biker, I really love your channel. I started following because of your woodworking and now I'm really digging the bike content.
6:23 What a portfolio. Some of my favorite bike designs of all time are in there and the fact that you had a part in designing such iconic bikes is insane 👏🏻
I just rescued an all black 2022 Sirrus X 3.0 from my apartment complex dumpster. I was surprised by 2 things… 1) how well that aluminum frame soaks up surface jitters. 2) all of the interesting design details like a copper stem cap, reflective paint, and stickers over the presta wheel hole to prevent scratching the rim while tightening the valve, and plenty of tire clearance. I love it. The only “bad” part of the bike is the weld quality. A bit ugly, but completely functional. You folks make a good product.
This is wonderful! I've been working as a Graphic Designer for many years but only came into road cycling quite recently. I can imagine the job you have now is a dream for many, including myself, and from one designer to another I think you are absolutely killing it with the work you have done for specialized! Thank you for sharing something so personal.
Thank you so much, it's really special to hear the work I've created is really resonating with people. Best of luck with your new endeavors into road cycling!
Spending time in nature is by far the absolute best therapy to heal ourselves with the everyday routine 😊 the trails. In the forest are amazing keep on sharing all that positive energy and god bless 😊🌴
My gravel bike has taught me that I am generally overbiked, that old school MTB tire width and new school geometry are pretty much good for 90% of the trails out there, and that just riding around in nature without having to push my technical limits is still a lot of fun.
Man I loved everything you had to say in this. I'm about to graduate design school which I only really entered into because of my love for custom bikes. I'm absolutely dreaming of (and working towards) ending up in a position like yours. Also, it's really cool to see the stuff you've worked on and to put a face to some of my favorite designs I've seen from Specialized recently. A friend of mine at the shop I work at has a custom Roubaix in the White Sage Ink paint job, we consistently refer to it as the coolest bike in our city.
That's awesome! I wish you all the luck pursuing that dream. That Roubaix is so incredible! Credit where credit is due, that paint scheme was designed by Kayla Clarot who is an extremely talented designer.
It all makes more sense now! Thanks for sharing! Big fan of graphic designers and their bikes. The recent custom paint jobs for sponsored riders have been awesome!
You and your team as a whole are doing a fantastic job. This brand definitely has a significant edge in that regard ! It's very cool to discover the people involved behind the scenes 😊 (And side question : do you do private work for individuals ? I'll build an SL7 for my next season and I would really dig a custom paintjob 👀)
I'm a specialized/s-works fan and rider. You have pretty much created everything I've looked at and thought "wow that's cool." over the last few years (especially SD Worx). Amazing work! I wish I could jump from the tech / media world to putting my creative skills into something cycling related.
Looks like my home town Santa Cruz … banana, slugs, and redwood trees, beautiful fresh air through the forest trails . What a great job I remember riding specialized bikes when I was little I guess it’s a Santa Cruz thing. ❤
Very cool that you get to design some of the physical products. It’s a lot more rewarding than working on marketing graphics that basically disappear after a few months. I work as a graphic designer for a media company in Canada, my bike-design projects are stuck to personal side projects, I’m envious you get to work on these things everyday (and get paid). Great design work 👏
I've mostly ridden Trek bikes since the early 90's (although my current gravel bike is a Merlin Sandstone), but I LOVE that Forward 50 color scheme. One of the best I've seen and an instant favorite as soon as I saw it (in this video lol).
I also have a Sirrus X 5 that I use as a gravel bike. It’s one of my favorite bikes I’ve owned. The compliance junction and future shock are fantastic.
@@elenamakesit's a very underrated bike. I get that the frame design isn't for everyone, I didn't appreciate it until I saw it in person, but I find it very elegant in addition to being a very comfortable fun to ride bike. It's also very cool that you work for Specialized, I'm a fan and own 4 of their bikes.
What a great job! ...I've really been impressed with the way Specialized has been heading with the bike & graphics designs recently ...I have been familiar with Specialized since the early 90s, and they have always imo had an edge with the looks, so it's really cool to know that you are a part of the team coming up with the ideas! Congrats!
As a visual designer, I feel that 90% precent of bike brands skimp on graphic design and development, especially when compared to other sports like snowboarding/skiing etc. - Orbea might be a stand out, and of course high end stuff from some brands. Always wondered why nobody did more asymmetrical or pattern designs too. Oh, well, but great video, I'll follow along.
I would say you can't really compare. When it comes to what people seem to buy, bikes are closer to cars than they are to snowboards with design / color. Of course, a few people might want those really "wild" graphics but the vast majority end up buying a sleek, more timeless looking paint job for their bike. When it comes to limited and athlete bikes, we get a bit more wild / experimental with it.
@@elenamakes I might disagree a little bit, the Specialized Mix-tape bike collection was a really good example of adding value through design/graphics. But you'd know better than me. I'm just slightly perplexed when I see most enthusiasts spend a lot of money on color coordinating anodized hardware, for example - that paint and graphic don't get more emphasis from the factories :)
@@danielgrafik I agree that bikes like the Mix-tape bikes were super cool and it's important to have moments like those bikes in the line-up to create stoke and hype, but a lot of people say "that bike is amazing!" and then turn around and buy a much less "wild" paint job. It's all about finding a balance between wild and more mild :)
That explains the Future Shock 2.0 upgrade. Everything else are unsurprising to me. Roval Terra wheels, although I did not get a set, but it's certainly seriously considered. But retrofitting an adjustable Future Shock on Sirrus? No, that has to be a HARD Specialized fan.
You mentioned asking others who are riding bikes with your designs what they think of them, but how often do others ask about the bike you are riding? I'm betting you are nowhere near the pinnacle of your career as a designer yet. One never knows what the future holds. Great video, as always.
Thank you for the very kind comment, it made my morning. It’s funny, most people who ask about my new bike think it’s a decal wrap from Ride Wrap or something and ask where they can buy the wrap lol.
Big fan of Sarah Sturm's design! It always felt very reminiscent of Ten Speed Hero to me. Did you take any inspiration from that or knew about it before?
I can see the tie to Ten Speed Hero, but it was more inspired by Sarah Sturm's personal tastes. She really likes primary colors and that sort of color blocking :)
This is so cool 🙂 Like others, I started watching your content for the woodworking projects as I've recently got into it myself, but my mates and I have been riding (and in a previous life, selling) SBC since the early 90's. I also had a brief stint as GD for the UK Shimano distributor (Madison) in the late 90's/early 00's, although I'm now doing a different thing, in a different (much more boring) industry. Quite the overlap! I guess the UA-cam algorithm knows me well :-/... Please keep producing the authentic, passion-lead content you do, no matter what the topic. The draw is the personal insights and credibility you bring your your content IMHO, not just the subject matter.
Since the last video I watched about your inky paintjob on your bikeframe I was wondering where your Spezialiced soft spot might come from - thanks for sharing your story. I also think your personal journey is a good motivation for anyone who is passionated and want's to get the passion and job and life into harmony 🫶
As a woodworker and a mountain biker, I really love your channel. I started following because of your woodworking and now I'm really digging the bike content.
I’m happy to hear that! It’s been fun making videos about both.
I'm in West Texas and we have these beautiful "Cotton Candy" skies that I want to be able to put on a bike someday.
6:23 What a portfolio. Some of my favorite bike designs of all time are in there and the fact that you had a part in designing such iconic bikes is insane 👏🏻
Thank you! Sometimes I need to take a step back and remember how privileged I am to get to do this type of design work.
Gorgeous designs! The MTB frames for the Red Bull event are killer. Thank you for sharing your work.
I just rescued an all black 2022 Sirrus X 3.0 from my apartment complex dumpster. I was surprised by 2 things… 1) how well that aluminum frame soaks up surface jitters. 2) all of the interesting design details like a copper stem cap, reflective paint, and stickers over the presta wheel hole to prevent scratching the rim while tightening the valve, and plenty of tire clearance. I love it. The only “bad” part of the bike is the weld quality. A bit ugly, but completely functional. You folks make a good product.
Nice! Glad you were able to give that bike a 2nd life 😊
This is wonderful! I've been working as a Graphic Designer for many years but only came into road cycling quite recently. I can imagine the job you have now is a dream for many, including myself, and from one designer to another I think you are absolutely killing it with the work you have done for specialized! Thank you for sharing something so personal.
Thank you so much, it's really special to hear the work I've created is really resonating with people. Best of luck with your new endeavors into road cycling!
Spending time in nature is by far the absolute best therapy to heal ourselves with the everyday routine 😊 the trails. In the forest are amazing keep on sharing all that positive energy and god bless 😊🌴
My gravel bike has taught me that I am generally overbiked, that old school MTB tire width and new school geometry are pretty much good for 90% of the trails out there, and that just riding around in nature without having to push my technical limits is still a lot of fun.
Man I loved everything you had to say in this. I'm about to graduate design school which I only really entered into because of my love for custom bikes. I'm absolutely dreaming of (and working towards) ending up in a position like yours.
Also, it's really cool to see the stuff you've worked on and to put a face to some of my favorite designs I've seen from Specialized recently. A friend of mine at the shop I work at has a custom Roubaix in the White Sage Ink paint job, we consistently refer to it as the coolest bike in our city.
That's awesome! I wish you all the luck pursuing that dream. That Roubaix is so incredible! Credit where credit is due, that paint scheme was designed by Kayla Clarot who is an extremely talented designer.
It all makes more sense now! Thanks for sharing! Big fan of graphic designers and their bikes. The recent custom paint jobs for sponsored riders have been awesome!
Much appreciated :)
Congrats on your work! I was a fan before I knew you took part in those designs!❤
Thank you for giving us a peek into your professional life. It really adds context to what I'm watching from your channel.
You and your team as a whole are doing a fantastic job. This brand definitely has a significant edge in that regard !
It's very cool to discover the people involved behind the scenes 😊
(And side question : do you do private work for individuals ? I'll build an SL7 for my next season and I would really dig a custom paintjob 👀)
Thank you! No, I don't take on custom work currently but hope you find a great painter to help ya out.
Great Video as always. Love the wood working stuff as well as biking. Keep up the great work. Best regards from southern Germany, Joerg
As a graphic designer, a painter and a cyclist. I'm jealous.
I'm a specialized/s-works fan and rider. You have pretty much created everything I've looked at and thought "wow that's cool." over the last few years (especially SD Worx). Amazing work! I wish I could jump from the tech / media world to putting my creative skills into something cycling related.
Nice! So happy to hear you're stoked on the work 🙌 the SD Worx team designs are some of my favorites I've had the pleasure to work on.
Looks like my home town Santa Cruz … banana, slugs, and redwood trees, beautiful fresh air through the forest trails . What a great job I remember riding specialized bikes when I was little I guess it’s a Santa Cruz thing. ❤
I think I saw your bike on I-880 going to Oakland Saturday. Unless there is another bike with that paint job out there. Nice paint job!
Wow! Very nice, thanks for sharing your life with us.
Glad you found it interesting :)
@ Cool points!😎
Very cool that you get to design some of the physical products. It’s a lot more rewarding than working on marketing graphics that basically disappear after a few months. I work as a graphic designer for a media company in Canada, my bike-design projects are stuck to personal side projects, I’m envious you get to work on these things everyday (and get paid). Great design work 👏
Definitely! It is very rewarding working on designs that could stick around for a decade or more.
Hi Elena love bikes 🚲 and thank you for share this video 😊 couple of weeks after ur birthday video. Wishing you the best in all your projects.
Wow! Such a nice dream job to have! You are awesome 🤟
I've mostly ridden Trek bikes since the early 90's (although my current gravel bike is a Merlin Sandstone), but I LOVE that Forward 50 color scheme. One of the best I've seen and an instant favorite as soon as I saw it (in this video lol).
Thank you! It was a lot of work but worth the end result imo so glad you think so highly of it.
This is awesome!! Thank you for sharing and inspiring me.
Glad you enjoyed it :)
Moton, YAY!. btw, love your designs.
Super cool. Thanks for sharing. As a fellow GD i found it all very interesting. Sounds like an amazing job which is rare in the design industry.
It’s got pros and cons like most jobs, but definitely some BIG pros are the projects I get to design for and the people I get to work with.
@@elenamakes what are the cons?
LOVE your work, thank you for the colors!
Appreciate it! 🙏
For me a must have on a mountain bike is the front suspension, to be able to speed on rocky sections, jumping sections. Dirt jumping bike
Awesome! I'm a cyclist and I love to customize my bikes, sometimes with wood accessories. Nice to see another wood worker cyclist.🚴🚴
I also have a Sirrus X 5 that I use as a gravel bike. It’s one of my favorite bikes I’ve owned. The compliance junction and future shock are fantastic.
haha it is funny I've seen more Sirrus X's out on trails than I have being used as a commuter bike. So far, I'm also loving it as a gravel bike.
@@elenamakesit's a very underrated bike. I get that the frame design isn't for everyone, I didn't appreciate it until I saw it in person, but I find it very elegant in addition to being a very comfortable fun to ride bike. It's also very cool that you work for Specialized, I'm a fan and own 4 of their bikes.
You do amazing work. Love your designs.
Appreciate it!
wow had no idea mate. geuinely just watch your vids so see fun projects and of course my fav is the riding
what a job - what a talent !
wow!! just wow!!
Beautiful, phenomenal, and impressive work. Love it.
Much appreciated
I'm here to know something about this frame that seems to be elastic.. and i have to say your paintjob on it is really beautiful and adapt.
Yeah, the frame ID is one of my favorites. Thanks!
You're looking so good out there 🥰
You are so cool dude! Keep on the awesome work and UA-cam videos.
Thanks! Will do ✌️
I knew you were no normal woodworker 😆
Keep the rubber side down 🤙
Ahhhh now I get it. very cool, you do great work!
Thank you 😊
Awesome job, very cool 💯👍
Awesome 🙌🏼🔥🍸
what a beautiful bike!
What a great job! ...I've really been impressed with the way Specialized has been heading with the bike & graphics designs recently ...I have been familiar with Specialized since the early 90s, and they have always imo had an edge with the looks, so it's really cool to know that you are a part of the team coming up with the ideas! Congrats!
Thanks! It’s always nice to hear that the graphics/paint work we’re doing is resonating well with people.
Hey look! It's Emma McCreary and Campus!
Very interesting thanks. Good advice too. Oh, and I have a Specialized MTB 😀
Glad you enjoyed it :)
Lovely ❤
Wish you continued success in your day career.
Thank you!
Damn, what an incredible job! Congrats. So did Specialized approach you, rather than you applying?
Thanks! Nah, I had my eye on their careers page for a bit and jumped on the role when it popped up.
Beautiful redwoods! Where is this place?
Everything is great, would you like to make more videos riding in the woods? That's really relaxing 😌
Likely yes, it's fun to film out in the scenic redwoods :)
As a visual designer, I feel that 90% precent of bike brands skimp on graphic design and development, especially when compared to other sports like snowboarding/skiing etc. - Orbea might be a stand out, and of course high end stuff from some brands.
Always wondered why nobody did more asymmetrical or pattern designs too.
Oh, well, but great video, I'll follow along.
I would say you can't really compare. When it comes to what people seem to buy, bikes are closer to cars than they are to snowboards with design / color. Of course, a few people might want those really "wild" graphics but the vast majority end up buying a sleek, more timeless looking paint job for their bike. When it comes to limited and athlete bikes, we get a bit more wild / experimental with it.
@@elenamakes I might disagree a little bit, the Specialized Mix-tape bike collection was a really good example of adding value through design/graphics. But you'd know better than me.
I'm just slightly perplexed when I see most enthusiasts spend a lot of money on color coordinating anodized hardware, for example - that paint and graphic don't get more emphasis from the factories :)
@@danielgrafik I agree that bikes like the Mix-tape bikes were super cool and it's important to have moments like those bikes in the line-up to create stoke and hype, but a lot of people say "that bike is amazing!" and then turn around and buy a much less "wild" paint job. It's all about finding a balance between wild and more mild :)
Holy crap the stuff you make is amazing wow!
Thanks!
Did you take your bike to Full Metal Cycles? I was in the shop when I saw a pretty awesome paint job on a bike. Was that you?
Nope. Must've been another bike.
That explains the Future Shock 2.0 upgrade. Everything else are unsurprising to me. Roval Terra wheels, although I did not get a set, but it's certainly seriously considered. But retrofitting an adjustable Future Shock on Sirrus? No, that has to be a HARD Specialized fan.
Haha fair enough
really cool job
Love your tanks.
Thanks! 🐠
Great job, keep it up
Superb ..... ❤
😊👍
Hola me jura aser trabajos de carpintería pero no puedo hacerlo porque no tengo un espacio disponible
Hola.es un trabajo soñado. Eres muy creativa.Voy a intentar hacerlo en este año
Can you please daily upload one video for us? Like about your daily routine, your mood and everything you want to share with us on a daily basis.
Nah, that’s not my jam. I like keeping the majority of my life to myself.
@elenamakes Happy to hear that you don't think like a daily vloggers. If it's possible you can talk about your job little bit daily 🤔
Do you prefer working on road bikes or mountain bikes
I mostly work on road bikes, so it feels like a treat when I get to work on a mountain bike.
Hey, congrats on job at specialized. Funny i find out on utube . 😂 say hi to you parents for me.
haha will do!
you're so amazing! i wish you customize my gravel bike! 😍🤞
Beautiful ❤️👍🏻👌🏻
You mentioned asking others who are riding bikes with your designs what they think of them, but how often do others ask about the bike you are riding? I'm betting you are nowhere near the pinnacle of your career as a designer yet. One never knows what the future holds. Great video, as always.
Thank you for the very kind comment, it made my morning.
It’s funny, most people who ask about my new bike think it’s a decal wrap from Ride Wrap or something and ask where they can buy the wrap lol.
I interviewed for an engineering job at Specialized a few years ago, but I was definitely unqualified for it. Needless to say I didn't get the job. 😅
I’m sure the engineering roles at Spesh are quite competitive.
Pekerjaan dan hobi saling mendukung dan ini sangat menyenangkan....hadir kawan.
Nice video my friend will come back 😊
Aloha wow you got the best job
I definitely get to work on some very cool products.
Nice bike
Thanks ✌️
Belle balade, belle couleur de vélo
Big fan of Sarah Sturm's design! It always felt very reminiscent of Ten Speed Hero to me. Did you take any inspiration from that or knew about it before?
I can see the tie to Ten Speed Hero, but it was more inspired by Sarah Sturm's personal tastes. She really likes primary colors and that sort of color blocking :)
Eu fost dor de voi pe UA-cam❤❤❤❤
красиво, вы умница
👀👀✌️✌️🙋🙋🇵🇷👍
Hi, u are georgeous
Nett, aber schwarz ist bunt genug. So wirr gepimptes Zeug erinnert mich an den typischen Blümchenbulli aus der Hippieära.
This is so cool 🙂
Like others, I started watching your content for the woodworking projects as I've recently got into it myself, but my mates and I have been riding (and in a previous life, selling) SBC since the early 90's. I also had a brief stint as GD for the UK Shimano distributor (Madison) in the late 90's/early 00's, although I'm now doing a different thing, in a different (much more boring) industry. Quite the overlap! I guess the UA-cam algorithm knows me well :-/...
Please keep producing the authentic, passion-lead content you do, no matter what the topic. The draw is the personal insights and credibility you bring your your content IMHO, not just the subject matter.
Thanks! It's quite interesting that the woodworking / bike overlap seems to not be as niche as I thought.
Since the last video I watched about your inky paintjob on your bikeframe I was wondering where your Spezialiced soft spot might come from - thanks for sharing your story.
I also think your personal journey is a good motivation for anyone who is passionated and want's to get the passion and job and life into harmony 🫶
nice work