The All-New "How to Order a Waltworks" Post

The old FAQ answer to "how do I get a bike from you?" was getting pretty creaky and old, so I'm rewriting from scratch.

So, you want a Waltworks...here's what to do.

First, drop me an email or call me at 303 359 9392 to introduce yourself and tell me what you're looking for. I will not accept a deposit from you (for any item I make) without this introduction, because it may be that what you want and what I can build don't match up well, or that one of us decides the other one is crazy. Better to know that before money changes hands.

Full squish? Yes, I'll do it.

Next, I'll email you a copy of my fit sheet and deposit instructions. You can pay the $500 deposit by check (preferred), credit card (call me), or paypal. You can even bring me a bag of nickels if you want. I'm not picky. If you're not in the United States paypal is generally the easiest way to go. Keep in mind that the deposit is non-refundable unless you have a serious family emergency or something along those lines (ie, I'll give you your money back if you *need* it because something horrible happened, but not if you just decided you don't want a bike anymore). Bikes are built in the order that I receive deposits.

If you're local (ie willing to come visit me in SLC) we will do fitting and design work in person and there is no need to fill out the fit sheet. Generally I will ask you to bring all of your current bikes (road, CX, mountain, whatever) so that I can get a lot of data on how you fit and what you like (or dislike). I will also want to talk extensively with you about what you want out of the bike and what parts/accessories you'll use.

The best part.

Generally, my waitlist is at least 6 months long, so there is no need to rush through filling out the fit sheet. I prefer accurate, voluminous data to hasty, sketchy gibberish! If you have questions about how to measure something or aren't sure how to answer a question on the sheet, just call or email me and I'll walk you through it.

I am sometimes *ahead* of schedule so please be ready to start with the design process sooner than the official wait time - this isn't a promise that I'll finish early but if you follow the waitlist for a while you'll notice that in general I'm 4-6 weeks faster than my wait time estimate.

Design work will happen about 2 weeks before I'm ready to actually start building your frame. Yes, I could do your design further in advance but I prefer to have the information fresh in my mind when I'm building the bike (and I build a lot of bikes so if the info isn't fresh it's easy for me to get confused). This also prevents us from doing 50 iterations of the design over the entire waiting period and allows me to focus on doing a great job for the folks ahead of you in line.

Curvy tubes, no extra charge.

As part of doing the design, I'll ask you about what parts we'll be using. You may want to purchase them from me (I sell parts, in many cases, for *below wholesale* cost as I have OEM accounts with all the major components manufacturers) or you may already have what you need. You are welcome to buy just *some* parts - there is no obligation to get a complete bike. If you are ordering parts I like to have a finalized parts list by the time I am ready to start cutting tubes on your frame - in some cases it takes a few weeks to track down  certain items and the longer you wait to figure out what you need, the higher the chance you'll be stuck waiting for parts after your frame is done and ready to ship out. Fox forks and custom wheels can take even longer so please let me know ASAP if you are looking for those items.

I'll build your frame, and take it to the powdercoater (you'll need to have picked a color out as well as choosing some decals) and order your parts. You do not owe me any further money until I have everything ready to ship unless you are ordering VERY unusual or expensive (ie Enve wheels) parts.

RAL 6018=Kawasaki Green

When everything is ready to go, you'll pay your final balance and I'll ship your frame and parts. I install a headset and bottom bracket in EVERY FRAME that leaves the shop - even if you are not buying those items from me I will ask you to ship them here so that I can install them. Why? Simple, really - those are the items that can cause serious problems with assembly if they're not installed correctly, and it also prevents me from shipping your frame and forgetting to ream, chase, and face everything. I do not ship complete bikes - if you don't have the knowledge and tools to do the final assembly yourself, I'm happy to ship your bike to a shop of your choice. If you are local and picking up the bike in person I can assemble and tune for $75.

Other random thoughts:
-I have built more 29ers than anyone else on earth, but I also love to build bikes with other wheel sizes - 20? 24? 26" 650b? 36"? I love them all, I've ridden them all, and I'm happy to talk you through what might work best for you.
-I don't just build mountain bikes. Need a sweet roadie? Town bike? Cargo bike? Cross, bmx, dirtjump, downhill, unicycle? I've done it all and I'm happy to take on most projects.
-I am happy to consult with you about parts - I've ridden and worn out or broken just about everything made and I can give you some great ideas about what to buy (and what not to).
-Yes, I want to go riding with you! Come visit UT and I'll take you on a tour of any kind of trail you want - from fast and buff to rocky hike-a-bike slogfest (we even have road rides), right out my back door. Also, we do actually have beer. Seriously.

So that's what you can expect when ordering a bike - if something isn't clear, post a comment/question and I'll update this post.