Bikes Of 2020: The Standard Rando v2

The Standard Rando v2 with 650B wheels and tires.

 It's THAT time of year again when I have my year-end reviews. This series will cover my bikes I used during 2020, any changes made, and why I still like each one- or don't! Thanks for reading!

During late 2019 I decided it was time to retire the Raleigh Tamland Two I'd been riding for six years. (Obviously, that didn't work out too well!), and a replacement to take up the duties of testing stuff for RidingGravel.com was being contemplated. This eventually led to the discovery of a new update to the Twin Six Standard Rando and eventually, that's what I ended up getting.

In a twist of plans, I ended up with a single speed here. I had originally thought about going with a 1X SRAM group, but my distaste for SRAM road shifters led me to just do a single speed and considering how difficult parts were to get during 2020, that was probably the for the best. So, single speed it was. 

I did make one change to the "Gravel Bus", as I came to call this rig, going from a drop bar to a mustache bar. The carbon Winston Bar from Whisky Parts Company has been a really nice addition to the bike. Now if I had gone geared I'd likely not stick with the Winston Bars, but obviously that hasn't happened. Yet.....you never know!

The Winston Bar works better for single speed, in my opinion, because of the way the extensions work. This set up allows me to drive through the pedals on grinding climbs and that all starts with the hips and core of your body, of course, but leveraging the handle bars is also a big component of this. 

The Standard Rando v2 with Whisky Parts Co. Winston Bar mustache bars and 700c wheels.

The Standard Rando v2 can handle 650B wheels or 700c wheels and my preference is the 700c set up. That said, I may be swapping out to the 650B set up at times for winter riding in softer conditions or during early Spring for the same reasons. And obviously, if I get any 650B tires to test for RidingGravel.com, those would go on here as well. 

So, this has been a welcomed addition to the stable. I like the way it rides a lot and I look forward to many adventures on the Gravel Bus in 2021 and beyond.