BIKE BUILDER DILLEN MAURER LOSES FOOT IN MYSTERIOUS CIRCUMSTANCES

Dillen Maurer of Baphomet Bicycles had had his foot cut off a couple of inches above the ankle, which on any day of the week is horrific news.

To be honest I’d never heard of Maurer nor his brand until today, but from reading some of the stuff on his site, I find myself liking him already. Heck, he donates half the cost of every frame to causes he likes…

On Sunday though, Maurer reported on that he’d been ‘hit by an ATV’ while riding his bike close to his home in Toas, New Mexico. He was airlifted to hospital, and then some strangeness entered the tale – if it wasn’t already strange enough. The original 911 call was apparently wrong and no ATV had been involved – but a chainsaw had.

Cycling Weekly contacted Jenn Maruer, Dillen;s wife, and she had this to say:

“What we know is that around 10:30 in the morning, Dillen was out on a bike ride, which is a very normal Dillen thing to do. But the only thing he remembers from the ride that morning is that he was on his way home and then distinctly remembers a feeling of getting hit and spun around.

“Multiple witnesses said they saw ATVs out riding as we live near the National Park trails and it was a holiday weekend. He was also wearing riding clothes and clipless shoes when he was transferred to the hospital — these details are consistent with his story.”

There was however a blood trail that began just a few hundred meters from his house and his bike was found inside. Local police talked about self-harm, but Jenn Maurer was quick to discount that.

“But self-harm is wildly inconsistent with his character. His whole life is being active. The night before this all happened we were talking about how excited we were for ski season and we also have a bikepacking event coming up.”

Maurer has a history of head injuries and his memory is said to be spotty at the best of times.

“Unless he gets his memory back, I fear we’ll never know what actually happened.” 

I just wish the guy good luck on his recovery, he even offered to give each of the paramedics that helped him a free bike when he got out of the hospital. Sounds like a good man. Here’s his bio from his site:

‘I’ve been all over the cycling world for as long as I can remember – literally. I retired from racing after struggling to heal from a pretty hard hit to the head, I then jumped all-in on the mechanic side of things & worked in bicycle shops in the US & Ireland. I eventually became the lead wheelsmith at a massive company. But, I decided the cookie-cutter assembly line didn’t suit me and moved on to work for a small steel framebuilder as their custom wheelsmith. There, I learned the ins and outs of framebuilding & the art of true custom bicycles!

I believe bikes are empowering – but they’re also luxury items. Our lives are better with bikes, and I want to spread that love! That’s why I donate 50% of profits to organizations trying their damndest to make this world a better place.

Baphomet Bicycles is my attempt at justifying building toys in an unjust world – giving back while spreading joy. As the first solar-powered custom framebuilder, I’d like to inspire the cycling world to give a damn about social & environmental justice.’