I'm a product of a love for cycling.  Although I'm fairly new to riding road bicycles, I've been on 2 wheels my whole life.  Cycling was an escape for me, it gave me limitless exploration of the world around me.  In a day of planes, trains and automobiles distances are covered in hours, not days, not months.  The exploration desire is human nature, we've pushed boarders, crossed oceans, and even pierced the atmosphere.  Some are satisfied with others progress, their exploration desire is suppressed by keystrokes and the display of digital imagery.  Some explore through panes of glass behind the wheel of a car, or seated comfortably in a train.  While these types of exploration are good for some, cyclists would say it's not enough.

Riding a bicycle is total immersion, you can feel the air, you can smell the smells, hear your surroundings, see sights unobstructed, and can taste the sweat as you use your own strength to reach to top of the hill in front of you.  I'm more alert and more aware.  I can ride a route on a bicycle once and remember it perfectly.  In a car, it's a different story.  If you really want to know your city, your state, your country, or your world - it must be experienced on a bicycle.

So, why all this deep roots "why I love cycling?" Opportunities come and go, and the ones we choose affect the path we take through this life.  In January, I was offered a job of a life time.  In one hand I had built up FARR Frameworks (something I love dearly) to the point where I could almost support myself.  In the other hand, there was an opportunity to see the world, work with a great company and further expand my career skills.

This choice weighed heavily on me, and the choice was not clear.  Either option would require something to be left on hold for a while.  Ultimately in the end, choosing the job overseas was the right decision.  In March, I packed up my tools & everything I had built in just 6 short months and put them in a storage unit.  When I closed the door, it felt as if a piece of me was left behind it, there it will stay for at least the next 3 years.  I moved 6500 miles away to Taichung, Taiwan for an expat position with Nike, Inc. as a Machine Design Engineer.  I love the work I am doing over here, and the work-life balance that's in Nike's DNA has rejuvenated my mind and soul.  

I cannot curb framebuilding or bicycles that easily though, and the part of me shut in that storage unit back home has become a caged animal.  Luckily, Taichung happens to be a hub for bicycle manufacture.  I've been working hard to network, and find the right people to talk to so that I can continue to spend time behind the torch or the hood.  My hopes is that these next 3 years will allow me to continue to learn, build my brand, and develop skills and products that are in a caliber of their own.  

Please continue to check back here often, as their may be exciting things happening in the future! 

On a side note, here is Jeff's frame built up.  One of the last I was able to finish before moving abroad.  I'd like to thank Ingleheart for doing the final frame prep for Jeff, and Neil Cernitz for the amazing paint job. 

Never stop creating, never stop progressing - Todd FARR (Made in Taiwan Temporarily, by an American)