My Bikes

Photo Taken March 2010

This page will be a place to show off my modest bunch of bicycles.

Despite one’s appearance, a person who’s been looking for something their whole life, may one day turn out to be much more; in the world of cycling is where that can happen.

The bicycles below are the current ones I hold in my quiver and are listed chronologically.

Dawes Lightning Sport

• Frame – CrMo
• Fork – 1″ Threaded CrMo
• Bottle Cages – Bontrager 5mm Hollow Aluminum Tubing
• Headset – 1″ Threaded
• Stem – ITM Stem 110mm, 74*
• Handlebar – Kalloy Aluminum
• Brake Levers – Cane Creek SCR5c
• Shifters – Suntour Stem Shifters 7-spd
• Bar Tape – Two Layers Foam/Cork Tape
• Cables/Housing – Bontrager
• Brakes – Rebranded Tektro R320
• Wheels – Alex R500 700c, Sealed Hubs
• Skewers – Classic Skewers
• Tires – Michelin, Bontrager 700 x 28c
• Bottom Bracket – Shimano UN-26
• Cranks – Shimano Forged Aluminum 39/52T
• Front Derailleur – Shimano FD-050
• Chain – SRAM PC-1070
• Saddle – Bontrager Inform Race
• Seatpost – Kalloy Aluminum
• Seatpost Clamp – Generic
• Pedals – Shimano PD-A520
• Cassette Shimano 7-spd
• Rear derailleur – Shimano RD-050
• Rear Rack – Blackburn MTN-2

This bike Started my journey into cycling; it was the first, if you could call this serious, serious road bike. Many things have been changed, removed or modified since it’s original out-of-the-box condition, but it is still holding up well. I tend to use this bike for around town riding, grocery getting, camping, and taking it places where my typical road bike should not go. With the addition of my cyclocross bike, this may end up getting less usage than before the new steed arriving.

Dawes made a terribly cheap bike that has to my amazement, held up very well, even while learning how to upkeep something like it. Unfortunately, the frame has started to rust on the inside, and there have been occasions where the stem or seatpost have seized up due to the rust (I am unable to raise the stem at all). This bike is comfortable with the steel frame (dead feeling?) and 28c tires, which allow me to go nearly anywhere that will not bend or taco the wheels. It is now my rain bike.

*Update* Due to lack of use, and my friends showing interest in this bike, I have sold it.

Farewell~

Hasa Full Carbon Road Bike

• Frame – Toray T-700 Carbon Fiber 12k
• Fork – 1 1/8″ Threadless Carbon Fiber fork and Steer Tube
• Bottle Cages – 2x Specialized Rib Cage Road (Spray Painted Black)
• Headset – Integrated Headset, Hiddenset
• Stem – Ritchey WCS 4-Axis, 90mm
• Handlebar – Ritchey WCS Classic, 42mm
• Brake Levers/Shifters – SRAM Rival ’09
• Bar Tape – Bontrager Gel Tape (Reusable)
• Cables/Housing – Bontrager
• Brakes – SRAM Rival ’09
• Wheels – Flit Letica
• Skewers – KCNC Ti Skewers
• Tires – Vittoria Open Corsa EVO, Bontrager Race 700 x 23c
• Bottom Bracket – Truvativ GXP 68mm
  
• Cranks – SRAM S550 Compact Crankset 50/34
• Front Derailleur – SRAM Rival ’09
• Chain – KMC X10-SL
• Saddle – Nashbar Glide
• Seatpost – Ritchey WCS Carbon One-Bolt 31.6mm
• Seatpost Clamp – Campagnolo Clamp for Carbon Frames
• Pedals – Ritchey WCS
• Cassette SRAM OG-1070
• Rear derailleur – SRAM Rival ’09

This bike was the first bike I ever built from the frame, up. It has been a work in progress, changing out handlebars, wheels, and cranks until I have found perfection. It hovers at the UCI 6.9 kg (aka 15.25 lbs), and rides like a dream. The component selection is all to make this bike look as ninja as possible, while still sticking to a high standard. Ritchey products are not the lightest or best, but they sure are reliable, and are competitively priced.

The carbon bike’s geometry is fit perfectly to me. After a long MTB ride, or a five-mile run, I feel like I can crawl up on the saddle and pedal on it like it was molded specifically to me… like a glove. It does not handle perfectly downhill at high speeds, and this has made me reluctant over time to go faster than 40-45mph on the bike. I have said the light weight feel of the bike is the culprit, but I think it is more of how much of my body is place where on the frame and just use the weight as a crutch.

Climbing on this bike is equivalent to running a marathon on roller blades; it just makes things seem effortless. I am sure this bike, not only due to the weight, but also the fit has allowed me to gain watts, or not need to use as many on strenuous parts of a ride. I couldn’t really ask for a better bike with my standing socio-economic status as of 2009.

2009 Gary Fisher Cobia

• Frame – Platinum Series 6066 butted & hydroformed aluminum, cold-forged dropouts, G2 29″ Geometry
• Fork – Fox F80RL 29, 80mm travel, custom G2 Geometry 51mm offset crown, air spring, external rebound & lockout
• Bottle Cages – 1x Bontrager Race Lite Cage, White
• Headset – Cane Creek 1-1/8″ threadless, semi-integrated, semi-cartridge bearings
• Stem – Selcof 80mm 10 degree
• Handlebar – Selcof Flat Bar 580mm 3 degree bend
• Brake Levers – Avid FR-5 Brake Levers
• Shifters – SRAM X5 Trigger Front/Rear
• Bar Grips – All City BMX Star Grips
• Cables/Housing – Clarks Pre-Lubricated Cables / White Housing
• Brakes – Avid BB7 Mechanical Disc Brakes – 180 Front / 160 Rear
• Wheels – Shimano M475 hubs, Bontrager Ranger disc 29″ rims, 32h
• Skewers – Random Skewers
• Tires – Bontrager XDX 29×2.1 Front / Intense System 29’er 29×2.25 Rear
• Bottom Bracket – Shimano Octalink (Generic)
• Cranks – Shimano FC-M442-8-S, 44s/32s/22s, Octalink
• Front Derailleur – SRAM X9 FD
• Chain – Wipperman x9 Stainless
• Saddle – Bontrager Race MTN – White
• Seatpost – Control Tech One – 400mm x 27.2mm
• Seatpost Clamp – Generic Bontrager
• Pedals – Shimano PD-M520 White
• Cassette SRAM PG950 11-34T
• Rear Derailleur – SRAM x5 Long Cage

The Gary Fisher Cobia is a wonderfully complicated and sweet bike. The pricepoint of int in 2009 was just a hair over $1000, and came with parts that were fairly matched to that price. Subsequently, I have upgraded the entire cockpit, the brakeset, and front fork. These changes were mostly for aesthetics or on a whim, but I believe they were for the best. My bike now has a near complete Silver and White aesthetic to it, all the way down the the pedals and stem. The Avid BB7 upgrade from the BB5’s were influenced by a deal from a friend on a brand new set, and the front fork was an offer that I could not resist; well… that and it was white.

I’m 167cm tall, and this is a 15.5″ frame. I chose this size, due to the fact that everything I read was that a smaller wheelbase was better for a 29″ bike. I was right; I still have issues on sharp switchbacks or turns, and SUDDEN changes in elevation; whether it be up or down. These issues are things that over the year of ownership, I have learned to find little ways to make up for the size of the bike, and it’s geometry. Rarely ever does it slow me down enough to where I think about it.

What does bother me about this bike is the chainsuck. I have read and heard from other 29″ GF hardtail owners that they get unavoidable chainsuck issues just like me. Heck, I even clean my entire drivetrain after every single ride, and I still have issues. Whether it be from middle ring to granny ring, or vice-versa, I get the chain stuck between the chainstay and the middle chainring…. maybe…. one out of every seven times. It has eaten into the driveside chainstay, and I’m sure as hell that Trek will say it is just human error. When they design a bike with less than 4mm of clearance from the chainstay to chainring, something is wrong. I know they needed lots of clearance very close to the crankset due to the larger wheel, and the opportunity and availability to use a big tire, but this is ridiculous. Seriously.

This bike has been a great beginner’s foray into mountain biking. It can handle just about anything you throw at it, except drops. If you have the nerves, you can keep up with your 26″ dual suspension friends, or even the 29″ DS’ers; that is if you have the legs…  The Cobia has taken me places that I have never expected to go on any kind of bike, and I like that.

Final Words? GO TUBELESS.