Jason Farnsworth, Del Val’s ceramics teacher, is more than just an artist: he’s also a business owner.
Last year, Farnsworth opened up Mammoth Cycles, his own bicycle company. The whole business stemmed from a dream Farnsworth had.
“I had this vivid dream of designing bikes, and I remember exactly what those bikes looked like,” Farnsworth said. “I woke up and wrote everything down. The rest is history.”
Originally, Farnsworth wasn’t set in stone about creating this business, as he had his doubts about the financial aspect of this project.
“Several months after the dream, my friend called me and asked if I was going to open this business up,” Farnsworth said. “It was really expensive, but that friend offered to back me up financially until we got up and running.”
Quickly after that conversation, they began the process.
“One bike takes around eight months to complete, and the whole job is incredibly tedious,” Farnsworth said.
Farnsworth and his company sell a particular type of bicycle: “gravel bikes.” These bikes have the appearance of drop-bar bikes but with much larger tires, which enable them to be ridden on all kinds of terrain.
Mammoth Cycles focuses on building Italian steel frames for these bikes.
“It’s a long process of cutting the tubes, filing the tubes, getting the fit right, checking the angles, lots of math and double checking to make sure that everything fits perfectly,” Farnsworth said.
Not only was the business inspired by something close to Farnsworth, but so was the name. A close friend of Farnsworth adored bikes, and they frequently cycled together. The friend dreamed of retiring and settling in Mammoth Lakes, California, a big skiing town. Unfortunately, he passed before he could do so.
“I chose the name, Mammoth Cycles, in honor of him,” Farnsworth said. “I know he would’ve loved what I’m doing right now.”
Located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, Farnsworth hopes to continue Mammoth Cycles for years to come.
“I would love to at least get a few more made, have other people ride them, see if they like what we’re doing and then continue to grow it if I can,” Farnsworth said. “I’m in the last, say, five to seven years of my teaching career, so I might need something to do after I retire.”
