Spooky?

[lookout2015]

Anyone know what’s going on with Spooky these days? Have an itch for something fast and aluminum so was shopping around a bit and they were one of the people I had in mind. But FB / Instagram hasn’t been updated in a few months, email not answered (just a couple days though), and their web site is under construction:

https://www.wearespooky.com/

[dave thompson]

Anyone know what’s going on with Spooky these days? Have an itch for something fast and aluminum so was shopping around a bit and they were one of the people I had in mind. But FB / Instagram hasn’t been updated in a few months, email not answered (just a couple days though), and their web site is under construction:

https://www.wearespooky.com/

You might try to contact FTW, Frank the Welder, who was the constructor of Spooky bikes.

[ox_rider]

I think I read that both Spooky and Vnyl took a Covid break. Maybe try Internet archive to the last page they showed. Facebook doesn't look updated either.

[ikecycke]

I got the impression that FTW was no longer building Spooky's bikes. They used to make it pretty explicit on their website that he was the builder, but all mention of him had been removed before the site went dark a short while ago.

OP, if you're looking for something fast and aluminum, I was in that boat not long ago and went with a Low. There's a bit of a backlog in builds right now, but Andrew builds a damn fine bike. Plus the pricing on the new Low-Key line is fantastic.

[prototoast]

Spooky has changed ownership and business models so many times, it's amazing to me they still have so much brand equity.

[pjbaz]

Contact FTW directly?

http://www.frankthewelder.com/

[Pegoready]

Why is everyone telling the OP to contact FTW? He was a contract builder at one time for a brand that constantly changed builders. Unless you want to buy a FTW, I wouldn't contact him to needle him about Spooky.

Their IG says they are built in AZ now. I wonder if Tsunami is building them? Just a thought.

I'd personally want to buy a bike from someone who actually wants to sell me one. For aluminum it would be Rock Lobster.

[ergott]

Why is everyone telling the OP to contact FTW? He was a contract builder at one time for a brand that constantly changed builders. Unless you want to buy a FTW, I wouldn't contact him to needle him about Spooky.

Their IG says they are built in AZ now. I wonder if Tsunami is building them? Just a thought.

I'd personally want to buy a bike from someone who actually wants to sell me one. For aluminum it would be Rock Lobster.

I think contacting him and skipping the middle man wouldn't be a bad idea, not to inquire about a Spooky. That ship sailed a long time ago. He built my frame and according to his site he offers a road bike. He'd be on my short list for an Al frame, his skills are at the top of the class.

Put Rock Lobster on the radar too. They are awesome.

[kingpin75s]

I think contacting him and skipping the middle man wouldn't be a bad idea, not to inquire about a Spooky. That ship sailed a long time ago. He built my frame and according to his site he offers a road bike. He'd be on my short list for an Al frame, his skills are at the top of the class.

Put Rock Lobster on the radar too. They are awesome.

^ This. FTW has been on my short list for a long time and he has far more provenance than just being a contract builder for Spooky. Yeti cycles to start.

FTW, Rock Lobster and Zanconato would all be at the top of the list for AL.

While certainly not a road bike, I did just pick up a NOS of one of these frames and am very excited to have a FTW ride incoming:

https://bikerumor.com/2018/04/21/underground-bike-works-revival-reunites-john-parker-with-frank-the-welder/

[mass_biker]

Disclaimer - have (and love) my Spooky Mulholland. Built up w/Etap, fast wheels etc.

At my in-laws on the West Coast I have a CAAD12. Stock with Shimano 105. All I did was replace the tires (to Gp4k 25c). It gets road time when I visit.

Yes, the Spooky is lighter, more responsive, and definitely more rad for a thousand aesthetic reasons.

But that CAAD12 is pretty slick I gotta say for the $. A really nice-riding al. frame that can take decent sized rubber, can take whatever power you lay down and provides a pretty stellar all day/all conditions ride. Pretty darn good-to-go out of the box, actually.

m_b

[John H.]

I would look at another brand. Some have mentioned FTW, and also Paul Sadoff.

I ordered a Spooky custom aluminum a few years back.

When I received it, I sent it back. It was shoddy to say the least. Welds and finish were poor, frame weighed about 1 lb. heavier than he told me it would.

[fignon's barber]

I'd personally want to buy a bike from someone who actually wants to sell me one. For aluminum it would be Rock Lobster.

This. I just talked to Paul a couple days ago about a cross frame. He has a 6-8 month delivery time right now.

[Hellgate]

Frames???

I was thinking Cantilevers. I ran CF cantis on the Ridley Super Cross 15 years ago. No idea the name was associated with frames.

https://www.cxmagazine.com/spooky-brakes-interview-founder-harrie-van-der-burgt

[gavingould]

i knew the guy who ran Spooky for a couple years. basically he bought the name, and FTW was involved for a time under his ownership, though i'm not sure how long that tenure was or if it was up until the end.
haven't really been in touch with him, but as far as i know, what was left of the brand was sold off to a shop in AZ a year or more ago.

[Octave]

This. I just talked to Paul a couple days ago about a cross frame. He has a 6-8 month delivery time right now.

Frames???

I was thinking Cantilevers. I ran CF cantis on the Ridley Super Cross 15 years ago. No idea the name was associated with frames.

https://www.cxmagazine.com/spooky-brakes-interview-founder-harrie-van-der-burgt
The quote from Fignon's barber is refering to Paul Sadoff, the builder of Rock Lobster cycles. Not the same Paul as Paul Components.

[Pegoready]

The quote from Fignon's barber is refering to Paul Sadoff, the builder of Rock Lobster cycles. Not the same Paul as Paul Components.

Heh, we're getting our wires crossed here. SPOOKY is also the name of a cult favorite cantilever brake, no relation:

https://www.cxmagazine.com/wp-content/gallery/company-profile-spooky-brakes/7.jpg

[woolly]

I love my old-school Spooky - would be hard to part with my Skeletor & Supertouch. But if I was in the market for new aluminium I think I'd be looking at a Lobster or a Zank.

[likebikes]

if anyone is looking for a spooky t shirt, i have one for sale here: https://forums.thepaceline.net/showthread.php?t=231294

[Cantdog]

I love my old-school Spooky - would be hard to part with my Skeletor & Supertouch. But if I was in the market for new aluminium I think I'd be looking at a Lobster or a Zank.

If those are old school, are the original antiques?

[fignon's barber]

The quote from Fignon's barber is refering to Paul Sadoff, the builder of Rock Lobster cycles. Not the same Paul as Paul Components.

Correct.

[majorpat]

I have an aluminum Rock Lobster road bike....get one! The wait is worth it.

[oldturd]

i knew the guy who ran Spooky for a couple years. basically he bought the name, and FTW was involved for a time under his ownership, though i'm not sure how long that tenure was or if it was up until the end.
haven't really been in touch with him, but as far as i know, what was left of the brand was sold off to a shop in AZ a year or more ago.

That'd be Brandon. I bought my Spooky when he was the owner and based in Portland. Great guy to deal with and was always available via direct message. Made the purchase and ownership experience great.

It only occurred to me that the company was sold after I reached out via DM and had a very generic response. :(

In any case, my FTW built Mulholland rips. My experience is similar to mass_rider (also had a CAAD at one point and now a Focus Izalco Max but still turn to the Spooky first).

Not sure who builds it now as well.

[tele]

I've got a Skeletor I bought from Mickey back in 2010 that is still my daily ride. Needed some new stickers after a powder coating last year and the new owner of Spooky sent some downtube stickers out quickly. Seemed to me the new owner definitely had the hipster design angle going but that was about it.

[ridethecliche]

Mickey is one of the few people from this forum/vsalon that I've met in person.

I raced in college and was going up his way to go get a retul fit and asked him if I could come hang. Had a great time meeting him and learning more about what he was into.

Good guy.

[AndresLD]

i knew the guy who ran Spooky for a couple years. basically he bought the name, and FTW was involved for a time under his ownership, though i'm not sure how long that tenure was or if it was up until the end.
haven't really been in touch with him, but as far as i know, what was left of the brand was sold off to a shop in AZ a year or more ago.

This is similar to what I've heard. Regroup Coffee & Bicycles owns Spooky, they have for a couple of years or so, though I think recently (a bit pre-Covid) I heard they parted ways with FTW.

[oldturd]

Curious now if they'll be using the same spec tubing.

[mickey.d]

It still amazes me that people have paid money, twice, for a brand I just sorta thrust into the drop bar world out of equal parts necessity and convenience.

I have so much more fun these days building trails and being involved with event promotion and management. I’ve always been in bikes because I love bike racers and bike racing. Focusing on what matters is so much more rewarding.

[m_moses]

It still amazes me that people have paid money, twice, for a brand I just sorta thrust into the drop bar world out of equal parts necessity and convenience.

Are you the person who originally launched Spooky?

I suppose there’s blue sky associated with the brand. It appeals to me . . . the logo, the anodized metallic finishes, they appear to be simple, business-like, go-fast bikes.

I’ve always wanted one but I didn’t realize there were different owners and builders. I’d be hesitant to buy a used one now out of fear of getting one of lesser quality.


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[Gphin]

I still have my Original Spooky skeletor from 1999. Handcrafted and built in Brewester, New York. It is an Aluminum 6061 frame and I do believe was built by FTW. Used primarily on the road but recently squeezed some 33cc on and now used on gravel. Unfortunately I need some room in the shed so I have been thinking of selling.

[R3awak3n]

the "OG" ones were awesome bikes and I am not surprised they were popular. Both the skeletor and then havocstaff were so good, good price for a made in the USA fast bike with fast geo. Then usually were painted a cool color or were anodized.

[ergott]

I feel like we need more pics of Spookys.

Another feature of this Skeletor was clearance for 28mm tires which was ahead of the curve. I do miss it.

https://photos.smugmug.com/Cycling/The-bikes/i-Dnfh8nw/0/15915e3c/X2/Spooky%208.9HD-X2.jpg

This was a commissioned bike that ended up in my hands. Then I had it resprayed and I still take it out. I did the 180k D2R2 on it!

before current paint
https://photos.smugmug.com/Cycling/The-bikes/i-Gt7nfLx/0/30b62214/X2/_MG_3050-X2.jpg

current state (Red Roof Inn :) ) except for the one-off gearing.
https://photos.smugmug.com/Cycling/The-bikes/i-j3JwH4d/0/30dad8bf/X2/IMG_20190816_173155-X2.jpg

[R3awak3n]

Oh yeah I forgot about the clearance, very good point. My havockstaff cleares 28s easily.

[oldturd]

This is similar to what I've heard. Regroup Coffee & Bicycles owns Spooky, they have for a couple of years or so, though I think recently (a bit pre-Covid) I heard they parted ways with FTW.

I just visited their IG and their description says the frames are now built in AZ.. so no more FTW for sure.. unless he bought a place in AZ.

[ridethecliche]

If anyone's looking for a Spooky-esque bike, you're likely best off contacting FTW at this point.

[PJN]

I emailed ftw a week or two ago to ask about getting an aluminum hardtail built and he said his books were close for the time being to play catch-up on a back log of orders.

[mickey.d]

Are you the person who originally launched Spooky?

I suppose there’s blue sky associated with the brand. It appeals to me . . . the logo, the anodized metallic finishes, they appear to be simple, business-like, go-fast bikes.

I’ve always wanted one but I didn’t realize there were different owners and builders. I’d be hesitant to buy a used one now out of fear of getting one of lesser quality.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I raced for the original Spooky as a teenager(we made mountainbikes, mostly for downhill and hitting jumps).
In my late 20's(as a full-time downhill coach and strength and conditioning specialist) I re-started the brand with the assistance of Dave Weagle and Tara Seplavy and other people from Ironhorse and E.13 to make aggressive-use mountainbikes suitable for world cup racing.

https://live.staticflickr.com/5287/5270464316_47352de6ea_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/92Jvqq)marvel (https://flic.kr/p/92Jvqq) by spookybikes (https://www.flickr.com/photos/spookybikes/), on Flickr
My UK distributor(who I had assumed would buy 60% of our production) ended up being a less than reliable partner, so all Weagle's design work stayed on my harddrive and I used what money I could get my hands on to have production batches of road and cross bikes built, since it was already hard by 2009 to get people to pay $900 or more for dirt jump bikes, but $1300 for a frame and Enve fork seemed reasonable to plenty of people.

The factory we were using in Portland already had the tooling to make all sorts of really light aluminum tubes and barely any customers left, so it was easy enough to slip in production runs of 100 simple bikes at a time.

Once Cannondale announced they were going to stop making bikes in the USA I was able to capitalize on being the only brand with race-ready domestically made bikes and managed to sell quite a few hundred production bikes, mostly at tiny margins to teams or shops or straight-up free to pro racers.
My last gasp involved getting the tubing mill in Connecticut that Cannondale had abandoned re-started for a short while and it was cool to see some Turners, Ellsworths, Von Hoffs and Van Dessels out in the wild made out of materials that I'd had a hand in making.

Eventually there were no aluminum bike factories left in the USA and I hung on for a while getting FTW to do made to order bikes for customers, but by that time I was already pretty exhausted and had even less money than the -$275 and mountain of college debt I had re-started the brand with and about 7 years ago I walked away, exhausted.

Starting a bike company as a coach and team owner, my focus was only ever on race results. It was easy for me to ignore negative cash flow cycles and insufficient margins because the products were winning races almost every weekend, and making bikes for athletes to win races on had always been the whole reason I slipped into running a bike brand in the first place.

[R3awak3n]

I emailed ftw a week or two ago to ask about getting an aluminum hardtail built and he said his books were close for the time being to play catch-up on a back log of orders.

really? I just hit him up last week and he said he was taking orders and about 2 months to complete project (was for a gravel bike, not hardtail though)

[colker]

I raced for the original Spooky as a teenager(we made mountainbikes, mostly for downhill and hitting jumps).
In my late 20's(as a full-time downhill coach and strength and conditioning specialist) I re-started the brand with the assistance of Dave Weagle and Tara Seplavy and other people from Ironhorse and E.13 to make aggressive-use mountainbikes suitable for world cup racing.

https://live.staticflickr.com/5287/5270464316_47352de6ea_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/92Jvqq)marvel (https://flic.kr/p/92Jvqq) by spookybikes (https://www.flickr.com/photos/spookybikes/), on Flickr
My UK distributor(who I had assumed would buy 60% of our production) ended up being a less than reliable partner, so all Weagle's design work stayed on my harddrive and I used what money I could get my hands on to have production batches of road and cross bikes built, since it was already hard by 2009 to get people to pay $900 or more for dirt jump bikes, but $1300 for a frame and Enve fork seemed reasonable to plenty of people.

The factory we were using in Portland already had the tooling to make all sorts of really light aluminum tubes and barely any customers left, so it was easy enough to slip in production runs of 100 simple bikes at a time.

Once Cannondale announced they were going to stop making bikes in the USA I was able to capitalize on being the only brand with race-ready domestically made bikes and managed to sell quite a few hundred production bikes, mostly at tiny margins to teams or shops or straight-up free to pro racers.
My last gasp involved getting the tubing mill in Connecticut that Cannondale had abandoned re-started for a short while and it was cool to see some Turners, Ellsworths, Von Hoffs and Van Dessels out in the wild made out of materials that I'd had a hand in making.

Eventually there were no aluminum bike factories left in the USA and I hung on for a while getting FTW to do made to order bikes for customers, but by that time I was already pretty exhausted and had even less money than the -$275 and mountain of college debt I had re-started the brand with and about 7 years ago I walked away, exhausted.

Starting a bike company as a coach and team owner, my focus was only ever on race results. It was easy for me to ignore negative cash flow cycles and insufficient margins because the products were winning races almost every weekend, and making bikes for athletes to win races on had always been the whole reason I slipped into running a bike brand in the first place.

In the end no money but you became a legend.

[oldturd]

Looks like the Spooky website is back up. New model names; disc option being pushed for their road model (rim is avail but it's not one of the main links and titled as STGE)

Same geo, and seems like same tubing too.. doesnt explicitly say Deda but 7005 Italian tubing. https://www.wearespooky.com/mavrkdetail

[ridethecliche]

@mickey.d

I met you when I was in college when I came to get a retul fit from someone in that building back in summer of 2009. You shot the **** with me for a while and helped answer a ton of my questions about bikes and helped me grow even more interested in riding/racing.

Thanks for being rad.

[Blown Reek]

I raced for the original Spooky as a teenager(we made mountainbikes, mostly for downhill and hitting jumps).

The straight-edge Spooky of yore was the best Spooky. You can't change the world, but you can change yourself, you know.

[gavingould]

comparing "new Spooky" at $3k (frameset only) to say a Cannondale CAAD13 complete with Ultegra hydro disc...
i think i'd take the CAAD any day of the week.

kinda feel like i already had this bike a few years ago, but it said Gaulzetti on the downtube

[R3awak3n]

comparing "new Spooky" at $3k (frameset only) to say a Cannondale CAAD13 complete with Ultegra hydro disc...
i think i'd take the CAAD any day of the week.

kinda feel like i already had this bike a few years ago, but it said Gaulzetti on the downtube


I agree that its a lot of money, they should be priced at $2k. That said the CAAD is a road bike, the new spooky seems to focus on all road and gravel.

But you could get a mason, also alum, made in ITA for half the price of the new spooky.

[jtbadge]

The rim brake frame with CK and ENVE fork is $2400, up a little from the previous gen but still reasonable for small batch MUSA, IMO. Obviously there are less expensive options for custom builders but that's not really the same market.

[mass_biker]

Is it on the site?
All I see is the disc braked versions.
FWIW - love (LOVE) my Spooky Mulholland.
Not the lightest.
Not the plushest.
But one of the most fun bikes I've ever ridden.
With HEDs - that thing rips.

m_b

[jtbadge]

Is it on the site?
All I see is the disc braked versions.
FWIW - love (LOVE) my Spooky Mulholland.
Not the lightest.
Not the plushest.
But one of the most fun bikes I've ever ridden.
With HEDs - that thing rips.

m_b

Yeah, they hid it at the bottom of the site, strangely. Geo appears the same as Mulholland, the 50cm size might be new though.

https://www.wearespooky.com/stgeshop/frameset

[R3awak3n]

The rim brake frame with CK and ENVE fork is $2400, up a little from the previous gen but still reasonable for small batch MUSA, IMO. Obviously there are less expensive options for custom builders but that's not really the same market.

I wonder who is making them. For that price I would want to know since you could get a rock lobster or a FTW for about that

[mass_biker]

Whoops...should've scrolled up.
Ok, looks like I've got a backup plan if something happens to my current whip.
Whew!

m_b

[AngryScientist]

i gotta say, this thread just prompted me to go look.

i'm kind of loving the CAAD13. geometry would be bang on for me too.

1800 clams for a ride ready, proven platform is hard to ignore.

[joevers]

i gotta say, this thread just prompted me to go look.

i'm kind of loving the CAAD13. geometry would be bang on for me too.

1800 clams for a ride ready, proven platform is hard to ignore.

CAAD13 is absurd. Those frames have really come a long way. They're definitely heavier than any previous caad in the last 15 years but you'd swear you're riding carbon when you're on it.

It seemed like Spooky and Vynl were right in the middle of something like a CAAD and something like a Rock Lobster.

For the price I'd rather go custom and get something from Paul at Rock Lobster. Custom geo and single color paint is surely cheaper from him than from the new iteration of Spooky. Glad to see them back but I wish they were much closer to Vynl pricing.

[jtbadge]

CAAD13 is absurd. Those frames have really come a long way. They're definitely heavier than any previous caad in the last 15 years but you'd swear you're riding carbon when you're on it.

It seemed like Spooky and Vynl were right in the middle of something like a CAAD and something like a Rock Lobster.

For the price I'd rather go custom and get something from Paul at Rock Lobster. Custom geo and single color paint is surely cheaper from him than from the new iteration of Spooky. Glad to see them back but I wish they were much closer to Vynl pricing.

Rock Lobster AL frame: $1750
CK headset: $155-175
ENVE fork: $387-427

Ends up being about the same money, but you've got lead time to deal with as well as going through build and geometry discussions vs just buying off the rack.

[joevers]

Rock Lobster AL frame: $1750
CK headset: $155-175
ENVE fork: $387-427

Ends up being about the same money, but you've got lead time to deal with as well as going through build and geometry discussions vs just buying off the rack.

Good point, I didn't realize that the Rock Lobster pricing didn't include fork and the rim brake Spooky was 600$ less than the disc.

[Mtbriswill]

I've looked at that website 20 times and never saw the rim brake option, seems like a sweet setup for a very specific buyer though.

[Chris(NJ)]

Still have an original Spooky Cycles from circa '96. Always one of the best bikes I ever rode. Years later had Ftw build me a new frame. One of the worst experiences. I think his time has passed and would agree w/ others that I'd look elsewhere for a new frame. Both of these are now "wall art".

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50850149883_1a07ccebc7.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2ktsiY8)

[greengage]

So, what can people tell me about the Mulholland? Does anyone have one that can report on ride and fun factors?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[aaronffs]

anyone (know anyone who's) purchase(d) the new spooky frames? 3,000$ frame now apparently made by a motorcycle machine shop, their social media is pretty dead and the website is just slick ad copy. Pretty curious if they're any good given the price tag and new builder

[oldturd]

So, what can people tell me about the Mulholland? Does anyone have one that can report on ride and fun factors?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Seeing the ROVR ad in the classifieds reminded me of this thread. ...


I have a FTW welded Mulholland when Spooky was first revived. It's lively, responsive, stable.. all the marketing buzz words ring true. The near horizontal TT helps with its good looks too.

What really stands out for me is that when I'm sprinting, it just wants to keep moving forward. :hello:

Anyhow, it's one bike in my stable that always has my attention one way or another.

anyone (know anyone who's) purchase(d) the new spooky frames? 3,000$ frame now apparently made by a motorcycle machine shop, their social media is pretty dead and the website is just slick ad copy. Pretty curious if they're any good given the price tag and new builder

Also curious about this. They were pretty active then completely disappeared.

[Alexi]

https://lfgss.microco.sm/api/v1/files/81246ac4b753064e0c0fc497d3808b6b78fa830e.jpeg

My Spooky Supertouch has worn many guises, trackpacing/tracklocross interpretation.

[mickey.d]

https://lfgss.microco.sm/api/v1/files/81246ac4b753064e0c0fc497d3808b6b78fa830e.jpeg

My Spooky Supertouch has worn many guises, trackpacing/tracklocross interpretation.

“magic gear” is 38/15 if you are looking to run SS or fixed with perfect chain tension on those old supertouches. If only i had the legs for that gear…

[Alexi]

It’s got an eccentric phill BB. Something settled during the first 50 miles, BB may have tightened? Chain stretched? I’m just going for track slack? Not sure, but it’s fixed now.

[Alexi]

https://i.imgur.com/OasH21U.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/4pTDPUQ.jpg

[ridethecliche]

That looks so good!

[aaronffs]

fun looking build there; always been afraid to stick a frame pump in the back like that though, no issues?

[prototoast]

fun looking build there; always been afraid to stick a frame pump in the back like that though, no issues?

I'm personally of the view that if you can fit a pump back there, that means your chainstays are too long, but some people like that.

[Nickt]

Anyone deal with them them lately? Sent an email and a message on instagram inquiring about a used frame, both went unreplied.

[oldturd]

Random but they popped up on my FB feed updating their address to Castle Rock, CO and something coming mid 2023..

[wrayzor]

they responded to my recent rebuild article yesterday with love and approval.
https://www.sugarcayne.com/2023/06/1999-spooky-suspect-device-24-bmx-cruiser/