Goodbye 1X1! It Was Good To Know Ya!

Highly manipulated image of the ol' 1X1 from about 18 years ago.

The Surly 1X1, which I have had in my possession for a little more than five years, has a new home now. This is the bike that has a long history with former and current bicycle mechanics from this area. I think a brief overview is in order to bring the proper weight and gravity to this story. So, bear with me a moment as I take you through the history of this particular Surly 1X1.

The 1X1 in this story was first purchased by Vance McCaw, who now is with Trek Bicycles, in 1999 when he was an employee at a local shop here. At that time I was a car mechanic locally, but still a cyclist. I had visited this shop several times during this period and recall seeing the bike then and remarking at it because it was a 'purpose built single speed' which in 1999 was weird.

Vance eventually moved on to Trek, then selling the bike as a training tool to Jeff Kerkove, now of Ergon USA. Jeff used the bike as a Winter hack, logging thousands of miles of gravel and snow-ridden roads while commuting back and forth to work and while training for his solo 24 hour events. Of course, I met Jeff in 2002, so this bike's history was well known to me after this point.

Before Jeff left for Colorado, he sold the bike (or gave it to- not sure which) to Carl Buchanan, who had also worked at the same shop. Carl, who is still a local resident here, sold it to Adam Lorenz, who used to work at the shop and at Velocity USA for a while. Adam then gave the bike to Brian Bottke, who worked at the shop and used the bike as part of an Xtracycle set up to haul his toddler son with. When Brian left to pursue his medical career, he gave the bike to me, at the tail end of 2014, and I've had it since.

I used the bike mostly as a commuter and errand bike. I have gotten great use out of it and while I love that little rig, and the history it represents, it was a medium sized frame and a touch too small for the likes of me. Besides, as you all well know as readers here, I have a LOT of bicycles. I can afford to be picky. I had been charged by Brian to give the bike to the next mechanic in line if I ever left the shop. Well, the shop had to shut its doors, and I was forced to find other employment. Now that's the history up to the present time.

The bike as I last had it set up. This is behind Andy's Bike Shop.

Of course, now I work at Andy's Bike Shop. I was released from my promise to Brian, but I had hatched a plan. See, Andy used to work at that same shop which I had worked at. In a sort of way, it would be congruent in the chain of things to pass the 1X1 along to Andy. I mentioned the possibility to him one day and he was excited about this idea. Besides, the bike, as a medium sized 1X1, fit him perfectly. So, on Wednesday July 8th, 2020, I passed on the 1X1 to Andy.

Andy has already tweaked out the bike to his liking and has ridden it to work as his commuter. This makes me smile. This was what I was hoping would happen. One more happy owner in the chain of the 1999 Surly 1X1 and one less bike in my storage area. Win-win.

It was good to know ya, you rascal of a bike! But you've found a new, good home where you are loved.

Goodbye 1X1! It Was Good To Know Ya!

Highly manipulated image of the ol' 1X1 from about 18 years ago.

The Surly 1X1, which I have had in my possession for a little more than five years, has a new home now. This is the bike that has a long history with former and current bicycle mechanics from this area. I think a brief overview is in order to bring the proper weight and gravity to this story. So, bear with me a moment as I take you through the history of this particular Surly 1X1.

The 1X1 in this story was first purchased by Vance McCaw, who now is with Trek Bicycles, in 1999 when he was an employee at a local shop here. At that time I was a car mechanic locally, but still a cyclist. I had visited this shop several times during this period and recall seeing the bike then and remarking at it because it was a 'purpose built single speed' which in 1999 was weird.

Vance eventually moved on to Trek, then selling the bike as a training tool to Jeff Kerkove, now of Ergon USA. Jeff used the bike as a Winter hack, logging thousands of miles of gravel and snow-ridden roads while commuting back and forth to work and while training for his solo 24 hour events. Of course, I met Jeff in 2002, so this bike's history was well known to me after this point.

Before Jeff left for Colorado, he sold the bike (or gave it to- not sure which) to Carl Buchanan, who had also worked at the same shop. Carl, who is still a local resident here, sold it to Adam Lorenz, who used to work at the shop and at Velocity USA for a while. Adam then gave the bike to Brian Bottke, who worked at the shop and used the bike as part of an Xtracycle set up to haul his toddler son with. When Brian left to pursue his medical career, he gave the bike to me, at the tail end of 2014, and I've had it since.

I used the bike mostly as a commuter and errand bike. I have gotten great use out of it and while I love that little rig, and the history it represents, it was a medium sized frame and a touch too small for the likes of me. Besides, as you all well know as readers here, I have a LOT of bicycles. I can afford to be picky. I had been charged by Brian to give the bike to the next mechanic in line if I ever left the shop. Well, the shop had to shut its doors, and I was forced to find other employment. Now that's the history up to the present time.

The bike as I last had it set up. This is behind Andy's Bike Shop.

Of course, now I work at Andy's Bike Shop. I was released from my promise to Brian, but I had hatched a plan. See, Andy used to work at that same shop which I had worked at. In a sort of way, it would be congruent in the chain of things to pass the 1X1 along to Andy. I mentioned the possibility to him one day and he was excited about this idea. Besides, the bike, as a medium sized 1X1, fit him perfectly. So, on Wednesday July 8th, 2020, I passed on the 1X1 to Andy.

Andy has already tweaked out the bike to his liking and has ridden it to work as his commuter. This makes me smile. This was what I was hoping would happen. One more happy owner in the chain of the 1999 Surly 1X1 and one less bike in my storage area. Win-win.

It was good to know ya, you rascal of a bike! But you've found a new, good home where you are loved.

Kickstart My Heart

The Stormchaser is a 38 X 17T set up.

Recently I have found myself doing a lot more single speed biking, no doubt due to the Stormchaser landing here for review. I've been riding that quite a bit, of course, with a geared rig in between for good measure here and there. I also have a fitness watch, an Apple one, first gen model. A hand-me-down from Mrs. Guitar Ted. So, full disclosure: the watch may not be the greatest tracker of heart rate, or whatever metric is used to determine the fitness parameters on an Apple Watch. But it is a reference point, and I've noticed a few things about this and the Stormchaser single speed vs geared vs other single speed bikes in my stable.

I've noted that my exercise goal gets met a while after I get to Andy's Bike Shop to work with geared bike. I've noted that I nearly meet it, but usually exceed that goal if I ride the Stormchaser. One day I left a little early, so I decided to really loaf my way to work on the Stormchaser. Going slow, like really slow on a single speed geared like the Stormchaser is, doesn't work well. There is a certain speed you have to maintain, or your muscles will get so worked you will be in trouble before long. So, despite my 'slightly relaxed pace', a pace at which I felt perfectly calm, by the way, I ended up doing half again as much 'exercise', according to the Apple Watch, as I did when I was actually pushing the pace.

Weird. At least to me, it is. The one consistent thing I've noted is that I always do more 'work'- again, using the watch as a reference- on a single speed going to work than on any geared bike no matter how fast I try to go. Using my 'spinny' geared Surly 1X1 does it, and so does my single speed Black Mountain Cycles bike, and it just doesn't seem to matter.

the Orange Crush #49 is geared 44 X 18

 By the way, crank length doesn't seem to matter. The Stormchaser and the Surly are using 175mm arms, with the wheel diameters being fairly close. The Surly has what you may as well call 26+, and the Stormchaser is 700 X 42mm, and yes, that's ever so slightly larger, but they are remarkably close. The Orange Crush #49 has 180mm cranks and 700 X 40mm tires. It doesn't seem to matter what I ride, they all kickstart my heart, seemingly. Except for one outlier....

I rode the Surly on a casual, urban alley/pavement cruise the other day. I had a heckuva time getting my 'exercise' goal fulfilled. Did the exact same route the next day on the Black Mountain Cycles rig and I did almost twice as much 'work', according to the watch. Now I will say that the BMC is geared harder than the Surly, for sure. This actually made more sense to me than the results I got going to Andy's and back. Or maybe my heart rate should have been higher on the 'spinny' 1X1? Hmm...

Now, I do not have a heart rate monitor, no power meters, none of that stuff around here. So, I have no answers to help those questions that might be answered by using such devices. Maybe I should get something...... But then again, I'd probably just ride and think that stuff is too much bother. Like I do when I think about using the GPS computer I have. I cannot be arsed to wait for it to contact satellites and get itself going. Heck I could be five blocks down from the house before it decides it has detected movement, "do you want to record this ride?". Gah! Just let me ride fer cryin' out loud!

Anyway........

Not that any of this matters at all to any of you readers. I just am curious and am watching these things as the data gets compiled on the watch and seeing that single speeds are kicking my heart rate up more than a geared bike. I think that is my takeaway here. Your mileage may vary.

Kickstart My Heart

The Stormchaser is a 38 X 17T set up.

Recently I have found myself doing a lot more single speed biking, no doubt due to the Stormchaser landing here for review. I've been riding that quite a bit, of course, with a geared rig in between for good measure here and there. I also have a fitness watch, an Apple one, first gen model. A hand-me-down from Mrs. Guitar Ted. So, full disclosure: the watch may not be the greatest tracker of heart rate, or whatever metric is used to determine the fitness parameters on an Apple Watch. But it is a reference point, and I've noticed a few things about this and the Stormchaser single speed vs geared vs other single speed bikes in my stable.

I've noted that my exercise goal gets met a while after I get to Andy's Bike Shop to work with geared bike. I've noted that I nearly meet it, but usually exceed that goal if I ride the Stormchaser. One day I left a little early, so I decided to really loaf my way to work on the Stormchaser. Going slow, like really slow on a single speed geared like the Stormchaser is, doesn't work well. There is a certain speed you have to maintain, or your muscles will get so worked you will be in trouble before long. So, despite my 'slightly relaxed pace', a pace at which I felt perfectly calm, by the way, I ended up doing half again as much 'exercise', according to the Apple Watch, as I did when I was actually pushing the pace.

Weird. At least to me, it is. The one consistent thing I've noted is that I always do more 'work'- again, using the watch as a reference- on a single speed going to work than on any geared bike no matter how fast I try to go. Using my 'spinny' geared Surly 1X1 does it, and so does my single speed Black Mountain Cycles bike, and it just doesn't seem to matter.

the Orange Crush #49 is geared 44 X 18

 By the way, crank length doesn't seem to matter. The Stormchaser and the Surly are using 175mm arms, with the wheel diameters being fairly close. The Surly has what you may as well call 26+, and the Stormchaser is 700 X 42mm, and yes, that's ever so slightly larger, but they are remarkably close. The Orange Crush #49 has 180mm cranks and 700 X 40mm tires. It doesn't seem to matter what I ride, they all kickstart my heart, seemingly. Except for one outlier....

I rode the Surly on a casual, urban alley/pavement cruise the other day. I had a heckuva time getting my 'exercise' goal fulfilled. Did the exact same route the next day on the Black Mountain Cycles rig and I did almost twice as much 'work', according to the watch. Now I will say that the BMC is geared harder than the Surly, for sure. This actually made more sense to me than the results I got going to Andy's and back. Or maybe my heart rate should have been higher on the 'spinny' 1X1? Hmm...

Now, I do not have a heart rate monitor, no power meters, none of that stuff around here. So, I have no answers to help those questions that might be answered by using such devices. Maybe I should get something...... But then again, I'd probably just ride and think that stuff is too much bother. Like I do when I think about using the GPS computer I have. I cannot be arsed to wait for it to contact satellites and get itself going. Heck I could be five blocks down from the house before it decides it has detected movement, "do you want to record this ride?". Gah! Just let me ride fer cryin' out loud!

Anyway........

Not that any of this matters at all to any of you readers. I just am curious and am watching these things as the data gets compiled on the watch and seeing that single speeds are kicking my heart rate up more than a geared bike. I think that is my takeaway here. Your mileage may vary.

New Commute

The Surly 1X1 with the fat tires. Sort of a "fat bike-lite" thing.

So, I am getting stuck in at my new job at Andy's Bike shop now since the weather has turned. The recent change in conditions has affected my commute route a bit. So, since I've started there I have utilized several ways to get to downtown Cedar Falls from the midst of Waterloo.

For a while there I had to detour all the way around into downtown Waterloo to avoid some deep snow. Obviously that has melted, but between now and then ice patches were a big issue. Even up until last Friday this was something that forced me to use the fat bike just to have a better grip level and stay upright.

But now it isn't ice, it is mud. I have about two spots in about ten miles that need a fat bike. They are pretty soupy, soft areas. But the rest of the dirt and grass parts, and there is a lot, I could handle it with a wide MTB tire. A tire like an Extraterrestrial is even better. Less knobs on there, but BIG volume. I run about 20 psi or so, and that works with the Velocity Cliffhanger rims, (tubeless- natch), really well on the muddy parts.

The commute is pretty good. Longer by a factor of 2 than the old one, but more bicycle riding is always good. I can get there in about 40 minutes comfortably. On a single speed. So, that's good and I didn't have to adjust too much to the extra commute time. I like it because it strays from the busy roads, mostly, but I do have a couple places where I have to really be careful. However; I have more dirt, back streets, and shortcuts than ever. I like that. Plus I now have options for longer "dirt home from work" rides or to even get in a bit of gravel travel.

Work is kicking into gear now and I'll be doing this commute more often than I have been soon. My "vacation" looks to be over. It's been fun, relaxing, and a recharge that I definitely needed, but it is time to get back to work now. There's this pesky thing called "money" that needs to be taken care of........

New Commute

The Surly 1X1 with the fat tires. Sort of a "fat bike-lite" thing.

So, I am getting stuck in at my new job at Andy's Bike shop now since the weather has turned. The recent change in conditions has affected my commute route a bit. So, since I've started there I have utilized several ways to get to downtown Cedar Falls from the midst of Waterloo.

For a while there I had to detour all the way around into downtown Waterloo to avoid some deep snow. Obviously that has melted, but between now and then ice patches were a big issue. Even up until last Friday this was something that forced me to use the fat bike just to have a better grip level and stay upright.

But now it isn't ice, it is mud. I have about two spots in about ten miles that need a fat bike. They are pretty soupy, soft areas. But the rest of the dirt and grass parts, and there is a lot, I could handle it with a wide MTB tire. A tire like an Extraterrestrial is even better. Less knobs on there, but BIG volume. I run about 20 psi or so, and that works with the Velocity Cliffhanger rims, (tubeless- natch), really well on the muddy parts.

The commute is pretty good. Longer by a factor of 2 than the old one, but more bicycle riding is always good. I can get there in about 40 minutes comfortably. On a single speed. So, that's good and I didn't have to adjust too much to the extra commute time. I like it because it strays from the busy roads, mostly, but I do have a couple places where I have to really be careful. However; I have more dirt, back streets, and shortcuts than ever. I like that. Plus I now have options for longer "dirt home from work" rides or to even get in a bit of gravel travel.

Work is kicking into gear now and I'll be doing this commute more often than I have been soon. My "vacation" looks to be over. It's been fun, relaxing, and a recharge that I definitely needed, but it is time to get back to work now. There's this pesky thing called "money" that needs to be taken care of........

Single Speed Mind- Part 2

The Sawyer is ready to roll.

So, like I said in the last post about single speeds here, I have a lot of single speed bikes. I wasn't done fixing up those devices just yet, and to be honest, I'm still not done yet. Got a few more to get to yet.

Well, one of the bikes I did get around to was the Sawyer. You've seen it here before if you've been around reading this blog a long time. The Sawyer is an odd bike. It probably wasn't ever meant to be a Trek branded bike, but the 2010 absorption of Fisher by Trek going into the 2011 season kind of put things off kilter with this bike. So, following is my interpretation of the events which made the Sawyer one of the failures of the shuttering of the Fisher brand.

It is a fact that only a small handful of people had previous knowledge about the early Summer announcement that Fisher Bikes was going to be no more. Obviously, all the 2011 product was well into production. Marketing was being developed for the coming year, and all of that was scuttled after Trek announced the change. One of those marketing ideas was centered around the Sawyer. A retro styled 29"er. A bike that was all about embodying all that Gary Fisher was best known for.

Think about the geared 2X10 drive train. Fisher was often credited for slapping gears on a 30's era Schwinn cruiser frame so he could ride to the top of the Repack course instead of pushing, or hitching a ride on a stake truck. The Sawyer was a nod to that. Also, Fisher was preeminent in pushing 29" mountain bikes into production. This occurred in 2001, exactly ten years previous to the introduction of the Sawyer. The Sawyer featured G2 geometry, a Fisher Bikes innovation, which radically changed how 29"er bikes were designed going forward. This bike was to be a celebration of Gary Fisher's MTB contributions, but with the absorption of Fisher into Trek, all the marketing plans had to be scrapped.

The frame is very detailed and had to be a nightmare for Trek to get it produced. The twin top tube starts at the head tube and then flares out to become the seat stays. Maybe a nod to Breezer's first bikes? The support tubes from the top tubes to the seat tube had to be "just so", and there are a lot of other details to this frame which make it a really interesting production bike. The drive side drop out is split, so I run the bike single speed with a Gates Carbon Drive Center Track belt. The frame can accept really fat tires. I've seen examples stuffed with 29" X 3.0 and 27.5" X 3.0 tires. Mine has 27.5" X 2.8"ers on there. Anyway, enough about that. It's a special bike that failed due to a larger plan Trek had and, of course, after a two year run it was over.

Don't forget your special tools.....

I also got to working on another stalwart of the G-Ted bike stable, the 1999 Surly 1X1. Again, you've seen this before if you've been reading here awhile. It's the "mechanic's bike" of Europa Cycle & Ski. I'm the seventh of the line to have had possession of it.

I've had these Surly Extraterrestrials on the bike tubeless since I built up the wheels for it. That's been.......what? Late 2015? Yeah.... Three solid years. I never have had the tires off to inspect things. So, late last Fall, the rear tire up and goes flat. I figured that it probably was high time I took off the tire and see what was up inside of there.

Fortunately I did not find any balls of rubbery stuff, or any other untoward things, so I did a bit of tidying up and remounted the tires with new sealant. Then I switched back to freewheel from fixed, and the next order of business is a new chain, chain wheel, and perhaps a crank to accommodate a different bolt pattern. So, after that I should be okay to roll another three years!

That'll be two more single speeds gone through. I have to get to my Pofahl, my Blackbuck, and the fixie Raleigh in the garage. Then I think I'll be done, but I was looking at building some new wheels for the Blackbuck with some hubs I was gifted, and so......you never know.

Single Speed Mind- Part 2

The Sawyer is ready to roll.

So, like I said in the last post about single speeds here, I have a lot of single speed bikes. I wasn't done fixing up those devices just yet, and to be honest, I'm still not done yet. Got a few more to get to yet.

Well, one of the bikes I did get around to was the Sawyer. You've seen it here before if you've been around reading this blog a long time. The Sawyer is an odd bike. It probably wasn't ever meant to be a Trek branded bike, but the 2010 absorption of Fisher by Trek going into the 2011 season kind of put things off kilter with this bike. So, following is my interpretation of the events which made the Sawyer one of the failures of the shuttering of the Fisher brand.

It is a fact that only a small handful of people had previous knowledge about the early Summer announcement that Fisher Bikes was going to be no more. Obviously, all the 2011 product was well into production. Marketing was being developed for the coming year, and all of that was scuttled after Trek announced the change. One of those marketing ideas was centered around the Sawyer. A retro styled 29"er. A bike that was all about embodying all that Gary Fisher was best known for.

Think about the geared 2X10 drive train. Fisher was often credited for slapping gears on a 30's era Schwinn cruiser frame so he could ride to the top of the Repack course instead of pushing, or hitching a ride on a stake truck. The Sawyer was a nod to that. Also, Fisher was preeminent in pushing 29" mountain bikes into production. This occurred in 2001, exactly ten years previous to the introduction of the Sawyer. The Sawyer featured G2 geometry, a Fisher Bikes innovation, which radically changed how 29"er bikes were designed going forward. This bike was to be a celebration of Gary Fisher's MTB contributions, but with the absorption of Fisher into Trek, all the marketing plans had to be scrapped.

The frame is very detailed and had to be a nightmare for Trek to get it produced. The twin top tube starts at the head tube and then flares out to become the seat stays. Maybe a nod to Breezer's first bikes? The support tubes from the top tubes to the seat tube had to be "just so", and there are a lot of other details to this frame which make it a really interesting production bike. The drive side drop out is split, so I run the bike single speed with a Gates Carbon Drive Center Track belt. The frame can accept really fat tires. I've seen examples stuffed with 29" X 3.0 and 27.5" X 3.0 tires. Mine has 27.5" X 2.8"ers on there. Anyway, enough about that. It's a special bike that failed due to a larger plan Trek had and, of course, after a two year run it was over.

Don't forget your special tools.....

I also got to working on another stalwart of the G-Ted bike stable, the 1999 Surly 1X1. Again, you've seen this before if you've been reading here awhile. It's the "mechanic's bike" of Europa Cycle & Ski. I'm the seventh of the line to have had possession of it.

I've had these Surly Extraterrestrials on the bike tubeless since I built up the wheels for it. That's been.......what? Late 2015? Yeah.... Three solid years. I never have had the tires off to inspect things. So, late last Fall, the rear tire up and goes flat. I figured that it probably was high time I took off the tire and see what was up inside of there.

Fortunately I did not find any balls of rubbery stuff, or any other untoward things, so I did a bit of tidying up and remounted the tires with new sealant. Then I switched back to freewheel from fixed, and the next order of business is a new chain, chain wheel, and perhaps a crank to accommodate a different bolt pattern. So, after that I should be okay to roll another three years!

That'll be two more single speeds gone through. I have to get to my Pofahl, my Blackbuck, and the fixie Raleigh in the garage. Then I think I'll be done, but I was looking at building some new wheels for the Blackbuck with some hubs I was gifted, and so......you never know.

Bikes Of 2018: Surly 1 X 1

The 1999 Surly 1x1 as seen in March

The Surly 1X1 wasn't featured in too many "adventures" that I had on bicycles in 2018, but I did ride it a lot. This year every ride was in fixed gear mode too. Because of this I was able to raise my game in terms of skill and comfort with being on a fixie like this.

That doesn't mean I learned any new tricks, I cannot skid, and I don't ride backward or anything like that. Let's be real here! I am not talking about anything spectacular. I just did a lot of back pressure pedaling instead of using the brakes and my curb hopping skill level went up a few notches.

The small-ish gearing made me spin like a mad man, and that was beneficial to how I rode my other bikes. The back pressure pedaling is also pretty amazing. You can really work your hips and legs in your muscles you don't normally use for cycling doing that. But I wasn't bombing the down hills, like I can when coasting, because I never take my feet off the pedals on this bike.

A few changes happened to the ol' 1X1 this year. I switched pedals to the Fixaytion Mesa MP Subzero pedals. A MUCH better pedaling platform than I had been using. I also swapped out saddles, going through an Ergon and finally landing on a good old brooks B-17 Special. I often used a saddle bag and later, a top tube bag, on the 1X1. I'll likely keep those items rolling on the bike.

Future changes in store are that I need to replace the worn bits on the drive train, a new bottom bracket is needed, and I need to clean out the old sealant in the tires and re-up with new stuff. But other than those wear items and regular maintenance, I expect the Surly to keep on truckin' right into 2019.

Bikes Of 2018: Surly 1 X 1

The 1999 Surly 1x1 as seen in March

The Surly 1X1 wasn't featured in too many "adventures" that I had on bicycles in 2018, but I did ride it a lot. This year every ride was in fixed gear mode too. Because of this I was able to raise my game in terms of skill and comfort with being on a fixie like this.

That doesn't mean I learned any new tricks, I cannot skid, and I don't ride backward or anything like that. Let's be real here! I am not talking about anything spectacular. I just did a lot of back pressure pedaling instead of using the brakes and my curb hopping skill level went up a few notches.

The small-ish gearing made me spin like a mad man, and that was beneficial to how I rode my other bikes. The back pressure pedaling is also pretty amazing. You can really work your hips and legs in your muscles you don't normally use for cycling doing that. But I wasn't bombing the down hills, like I can when coasting, because I never take my feet off the pedals on this bike.

A few changes happened to the ol' 1X1 this year. I switched pedals to the Fixaytion Mesa MP Subzero pedals. A MUCH better pedaling platform than I had been using. I also swapped out saddles, going through an Ergon and finally landing on a good old brooks B-17 Special. I often used a saddle bag and later, a top tube bag, on the 1X1. I'll likely keep those items rolling on the bike.

Future changes in store are that I need to replace the worn bits on the drive train, a new bottom bracket is needed, and I need to clean out the old sealant in the tires and re-up with new stuff. But other than those wear items and regular maintenance, I expect the Surly to keep on truckin' right into 2019.

Ergon ST Core Saddle Review

The several layers of the Ergon ST Core Prime saddle

Bicycle saddles are one of the contact points for a rider and arguably the most important one. If you get on a bad-for-you saddle, then you won't be riding long, or at the very least, you will be in pain. Who wants to be in pain? (WAIT! Don't answer that! I don't want to know!)

Anyway, pain in the butt, (literally) saddles are no fun. I think we can all agree on that point. So, saddle technology has been something that has been changing a lot over the last 30 years. The segment has seen a ton of changes and it has made certain company's names and broken others. Ergon is one company that kind of hangs its hat on the the saddles it makes, and their newest one is unusual, but no less an Ergon than the others in the line.

Ergon USA made an offer to me and many other "social media influencers" to try out this new saddle. Now I wasn't paid or anything for this, and in fact, they told me I didn't have to say anything if I didn't want to. But I am, and here is what I'm going to say for now....... But first- The specs from the Ergon site:

• CroMo rails,  7x7
• Core made of Closed Cell Particle Foam (E-TPU)
• MicroFiber cover
• Padding made of Orthopedic Comfort Foam
• Gender specific shapes and relief channels
• Available in 2 sizes
• Gender specific designs
• S/M fit sit-bone width of 9-12 cm
• M/L fits sit-bone width of 12-16 cm

I requested a M/L which fell in my range for fit. Once it arrived I noted the white "E-TPU" core and the nice MicroFiber cover. The saddle appears to be heavy, but in the hand it is remarkably light. I did not weigh it, so I will have to do that at some point.

Besides the cut out which isn't really a "cut out", more of a relief channel, the saddle has a flat profile when viewed from the side. I will say up front that flat profile saddles have not been my favorites in years past. I generally find that a slight "bucket shape" or "sagged center" saddle type is more my jam. Saddles like WTB's, for instance. My favorite being the discontinued SST and the Pure series saddles. I generally run those "nose up" a bit and that tends to keep me from pedaling off the nose of a saddle.

So, now that you have a background in what I prefer, you can gauge the rest of this based upon my personal peccadilloes. Obviously everyone has unique physiology, so I wanted to make some statement of where I am coming from in that regard.

The set up of the ST Core saddle was straight forward. I had no issues getting the saddle in the clamp of my Salsa Shaft seat post and then getting my old Carousel Designs seat pack on there as well. There is nothing non-standard underneath this saddle that would prevent you from using most any accessory meant for under the saddle mounting. With the initial saddle set up being dead level, I tried it for a few rides, but as I anticipated, I needed to "nose it up" to keep myself from feeling like I was going to slide off the front of this saddle and also to hopefully be more comfortable. As I say- personal peccadilloes. Once the saddle was tilted up a hair all was in a happy place for me, so I continued the testing.

The saddle was mounted to my fixed gear Surly 1X1 and used for daily commuting

The bike I used this on to begin with was the Surly 1X1 commuter rig which I have currently set up in the fixed gear mode. The theory being here that with fixed gear, you pedal every inch of the way, so a shorter commute could reflect as much pedaling one might do in a longer ride. Anyway, I figured that this bike would be a good test mule because of the amount of pedaling I do when I ride it and pedaling can amplify issues with saddles. Plus, this saddle is touted as something that will move with the rider. What better way to find this out?

So, now after a solid month with this saddle pedaling over grassy fields, bike paths, broken up pavement, and "normal" city streets, I can say that, yes, there is something going on here.

My initial reaction was that I had forgotten to pump up my tires the day I first had this saddle on the bike. But I was mistaken, because it was the give of the saddle that was to blame. The rocking motion one makes while pedaling has no resistance since the saddle moves with the rider. When expected resistance isn't there, I almost always blame a low tire, because generally speaking, that's what is causing that sensation. However; my tires were pumped up, and then I knew the saddle was actually working as advertised. After the initial "nose up" adjustment, I have had no discomfort or numbness issues with this saddle either.

After a month of solid use, the Ergon ST Core looks "good" yet.

My first impressions of the saddle's core material was that it looked a little like a cheap gas station coffee cup, or cottage cheese. I like cottage cheese, so I am going with that. Anyway, I was very skeptical of the material's performance claims and even more so of how it would hold up. Obviously I feel like it works for riding, and it does smooth out road chatter and takes the edge off big bumps, but how did it hold up so far? Well, pretty well, actually.

Obviously there is some bonding agent that holds things together, so I was looking for signs of separation, or any degrading of the E-TPU material, maybe a little discoloration after being exposed to the elements. However; so far, I have noted nothing of the sort. I will continue to monitor this as I keep riding the saddle throughout the Spring.

Plans are to move this saddle over to another rig. Obviously, this is a shape that is meant for a more upright position, so one of my gravel bikes would be the wrong place to try it out. However; I am wanting to do another Fat Bike Century soon, and this saddle is a perfect fit for that activity since I have the proper position on a fat bike for this saddle.

The Ergon ST Core isn't an inexpensive saddle, despite it's "replacement saddle" looks. This is touted as a serious cyclist's saddle on par with touring saddles meant for longer rides. So, the Fat Bike Century idea fits this bill. Look for that to happen probably after Trans Iowa. Until then I'll continue on with the fixed gear Surly and see how it goes. Stay tuned for more soon.......Part Two HERE

Note: Ergon USA  sent over the Ergon ST Core saddle at no charge for testing and I was not paid nor bribed for this review.

Ergon ST Core Saddle Review

The several layers of the Ergon ST Core Prime saddle

Bicycle saddles are one of the contact points for a rider and arguably the most important one. If you get on a bad-for-you saddle, then you won't be riding long, or at the very least, you will be in pain. Who wants to be in pain? (WAIT! Don't answer that! I don't want to know!)

Anyway, pain in the butt, (literally) saddles are no fun. I think we can all agree on that point. So, saddle technology has been something that has been changing a lot over the last 30 years. The segment has seen a ton of changes and it has made certain company's names and broken others. Ergon is one company that kind of hangs its hat on the the saddles it makes, and their newest one is unusual, but no less an Ergon than the others in the line.

Ergon USA made an offer to me and many other "social media influencers" to try out this new saddle. Now I wasn't paid or anything for this, and in fact, they told me I didn't have to say anything if I didn't want to. But I am, and here is what I'm going to say for now....... But first- The specs from the Ergon site:

• CroMo rails,  7x7
• Core made of Closed Cell Particle Foam (E-TPU)
• MicroFiber cover
• Padding made of Orthopedic Comfort Foam
• Gender specific shapes and relief channels
• Available in 2 sizes
• Gender specific designs
• S/M fit sit-bone width of 9-12 cm
• M/L fits sit-bone width of 12-16 cm

I requested a M/L which fell in my range for fit. Once it arrived I noted the white "E-TPU" core and the nice MicroFiber cover. The saddle appears to be heavy, but in the hand it is remarkably light. I did not weigh it, so I will have to do that at some point.

Besides the cut out which isn't really a "cut out", more of a relief channel, the saddle has a flat profile when viewed from the side. I will say up front that flat profile saddles have not been my favorites in years past. I generally find that a slight "bucket shape" or "sagged center" saddle type is more my jam. Saddles like WTB's, for instance. My favorite being the discontinued SST and the Pure series saddles. I generally run those "nose up" a bit and that tends to keep me from pedaling off the nose of a saddle.

So, now that you have a background in what I prefer, you can gauge the rest of this based upon my personal peccadilloes. Obviously everyone has unique physiology, so I wanted to make some statement of where I am coming from in that regard.

The set up of the ST Core saddle was straight forward. I had no issues getting the saddle in the clamp of my Salsa Shaft seat post and then getting my old Carousel Designs seat pack on there as well. There is nothing non-standard underneath this saddle that would prevent you from using most any accessory meant for under the saddle mounting. With the initial saddle set up being dead level, I tried it for a few rides, but as I anticipated, I needed to "nose it up" to keep myself from feeling like I was going to slide off the front of this saddle and also to hopefully be more comfortable. As I say- personal peccadilloes. Once the saddle was tilted up a hair all was in a happy place for me, so I continued the testing.

The saddle was mounted to my fixed gear Surly 1X1 and used for daily commuting

The bike I used this on to begin with was the Surly 1X1 commuter rig which I have currently set up in the fixed gear mode. The theory being here that with fixed gear, you pedal every inch of the way, so a shorter commute could reflect as much pedaling one might do in a longer ride. Anyway, I figured that this bike would be a good test mule because of the amount of pedaling I do when I ride it and pedaling can amplify issues with saddles. Plus, this saddle is touted as something that will move with the rider. What better way to find this out?

So, now after a solid month with this saddle pedaling over grassy fields, bike paths, broken up pavement, and "normal" city streets, I can say that, yes, there is something going on here.

My initial reaction was that I had forgotten to pump up my tires the day I first had this saddle on the bike. But I was mistaken, because it was the give of the saddle that was to blame. The rocking motion one makes while pedaling has no resistance since the saddle moves with the rider. When expected resistance isn't there, I almost always blame a low tire, because generally speaking, that's what is causing that sensation. However; my tires were pumped up, and then I knew the saddle was actually working as advertised. After the initial "nose up" adjustment, I have had no discomfort or numbness issues with this saddle either.

After a month of solid use, the Ergon ST Core looks "good" yet.

My first impressions of the saddle's core material was that it looked a little like a cheap gas station coffee cup, or cottage cheese. I like cottage cheese, so I am going with that. Anyway, I was very skeptical of the material's performance claims and even more so of how it would hold up. Obviously I feel like it works for riding, and it does smooth out road chatter and takes the edge off big bumps, but how did it hold up so far? Well, pretty well, actually.

Obviously there is some bonding agent that holds things together, so I was looking for signs of separation, or any degrading of the E-TPU material, maybe a little discoloration after being exposed to the elements. However; so far, I have noted nothing of the sort. I will continue to monitor this as I keep riding the saddle throughout the Spring.

Plans are to move this saddle over to another rig. Obviously, this is a shape that is meant for a more upright position, so one of my gravel bikes would be the wrong place to try it out. However; I am wanting to do another Fat Bike Century soon, and this saddle is a perfect fit for that activity since I have the proper position on a fat bike for this saddle.

The Ergon ST Core isn't an inexpensive saddle, despite it's "replacement saddle" looks. This is touted as a serious cyclist's saddle on par with touring saddles meant for longer rides. So, the Fat Bike Century idea fits this bill. Look for that to happen probably after Trans Iowa. Until then I'll continue on with the fixed gear Surly and see how it goes. Stay tuned for more soon.......Part Two HERE

Note: Ergon USA  sent over the Ergon ST Core saddle at no charge for testing and I was not paid nor bribed for this review.

Fyxation Subzero Pedal Reviewed

Flat pedals are making a comeback these days. You may have noticed that many mountain bikers and fat bikers are turning to flat pedals again. Not only that, but so are commuters and even some gravel road riders. Bikepackers often use flats if they do rides in areas that require lots of walking. So, if you think all "serious cycling" is done with clipless pedals, well, you'd be very wrong in that assumption.

Long time readers also know that flat pedals figure into my own riding pretty heavily. I'm a big fan of Fyxation's Mesa MP pedals. I've been using them on many of my bikes, but my longest running set is on my Titanium Mukluk which has seen at least four Winters of use now with those pedals on that bike, plus a 100 mile ride on gravel a couple years ago. They show their age, for sure, but they aren't dead yet either!

Well, a month ago or so Fyxation told me about a new version of the Mesa pedal, the limited edition Mesa Subzero, which is based off of the Mesa MP, with the impact grade nylon pedal body and stainless steel pins for grip. The Mesa Subzero also features those things, but they have new graphics and colored pins and spindles. MSRP is $69.95. See the spec list here:

• High impact nylon body built to take abuse
• Smooth running sealed bearing and DU bushing
• Electroplated cro-moly spindle
• Electroplated stainless steel replaceable pins for added grip with shoes or boots
• Nylon body doesn't suck heat out of your feet like alloy pedals do
• Installs with 15mm open end wrench or 8mm hex wrench
• Pin Spec - M3x0.5 x 7.5mm
• Spindle Thread: 9/16
• Height: 14mm
• Width: 105mm
• Weight: 351g/pair
• Color: Black/Black, Gray/Black, Black/Blue, Black/Orange

So, obviously these went on my Blackborow DS. Fat biking can put a pedal into some pretty difficult situations. Considering I occasionally commuted on the bike as well, that makes the situation potentially worse. The salty, chemical stew mixed into the "car-slush" can be pretty corrosive.

But in reality, I think the next bike I stuck these on is even more of a test. My current commuter now that Winter has lost its grip on things here is the Surly 1X1 single speed. It isn't just a single speed, it is fixed gear single speed. Kind of makes sense and things can have been said to have come full circle here. A Fyxation pedal on a fixed gear commuter? Perfect.

I think this bike is tougher on pedals because there is no coasting, for one thing, and with my relatively stupid-low gear, I spin like a mad man. I think I'm running a 34T up front with a 19T in the rear. Yeah......low gear! But for sloshing through melting snow and ice, pushing through mud, and riding up and down some short steeps, it works well for me. The pedals have a nice, wide platform and the pins grip well, so despite the fact that I have no foot retention, my feet stay put even at high cadences. Of course, the low gear and big platform work great when grinding through a mud slough or a three inch fresh snowfall.

The fixed gear Surly saw all of that and a good curb smash to boot with no degradation in performance at all to the pedals. I did scratch up the pins a bit, but cosmetically the pedals still look great over all. If I could offer one bit of criticism it would be that the pedals middle section stands just a bit proud over the rest of the flat section, or it is even with the edges, which can result in the occasional, slight foot slip. I've never slipped off this pedal completely, mind you, but I think if the pedal was a bit "concave" in profile it would give a more secure grip on whatever footwear you use. I've been wearing some Keen hikers, so not really very "flat pedal friendly", but I gotta keep my feet warm and dry!

That said, I can't think of a much better bang for the buck than this pedal in terms of the looks, function, and long term performance. If these Subzero pedals last as long as my original Mesa MP's, and there is no reason to believe they won't, then the Subzero pedals are a great take on that classic design.

Fyxation Mesa MP Desert Series Image courtesy of Fyxation.

And Now For Something New:

Ironically, as I was typing up this review news was sent out declaring a new color series for the Mesa MP pedals. This is this products 6th anniversary of being on the market and Fyxation decided to celebrate with a Desert Series consisting of muted green, orange, and "sand" colored pedals. These are Mesa MP's that you may be familiar with, just in some new colors. These pedals are also available in black, blue, red, orange, green, and purple. MSRP is $59.99 for a pair. Check out the story on these from Fyxation here.

So, there ya go. The shop where I work sells a lot of these and there is a good reason why. You really cannot find much of anything as good or better for less cash. I'm convinced these pedals are long lasting, tough, and durable. They are fairly thin, so if you like that idea, they are some of the only options at this price point. If you ride in Winter, the nylon body material does not act as a heat sink and your feet stay warmer. I've heard from customers that have come back to the shop that say the same thing I feel is true about the cold weather performance. Of course, for the rest of the year they work well also.

Next up I am going to stick these on a gravel bike and try out riding on gravel with them for a while. I'll report back on how that goes, but if it is anything like my Fat Bike Century ride which was all on gravel, then it won't be anything other than a good report. We'll see.

NOTE: Fyxation sent over the Mesa Subzero pedals at no charge for test/review. I was not paid, nor bribed for this review and I strive to give my honest thoughts and opinions throughout.

Fyxation Subzero Pedal Reviewed

Flat pedals are making a comeback these days. You may have noticed that many mountain bikers and fat bikers are turning to flat pedals again. Not only that, but so are commuters and even some gravel road riders. Bikepackers often use flats if they do rides in areas that require lots of walking. So, if you think all "serious cycling" is done with clipless pedals, well, you'd be very wrong in that assumption.

Long time readers also know that flat pedals figure into my own riding pretty heavily. I'm a big fan of Fyxation's Mesa MP pedals. I've been using them on many of my bikes, but my longest running set is on my Titanium Mukluk which has seen at least four Winters of use now with those pedals on that bike, plus a 100 mile ride on gravel a couple years ago. They show their age, for sure, but they aren't dead yet either!

Well, a month ago or so Fyxation told me about a new version of the Mesa pedal, the limited edition Mesa Subzero, which is based off of the Mesa MP, with the impact grade nylon pedal body and stainless steel pins for grip. The Mesa Subzero also features those things, but they have new graphics and colored pins and spindles. MSRP is $69.95. See the spec list here:

• High impact nylon body built to take abuse
• Smooth running sealed bearing and DU bushing
• Electroplated cro-moly spindle
• Electroplated stainless steel replaceable pins for added grip with shoes or boots
• Nylon body doesn't suck heat out of your feet like alloy pedals do
• Installs with 15mm open end wrench or 8mm hex wrench
• Pin Spec - M3x0.5 x 7.5mm
• Spindle Thread: 9/16
• Height: 14mm
• Width: 105mm
• Weight: 351g/pair
• Color: Black/Black, Gray/Black, Black/Blue, Black/Orange

So, obviously these went on my Blackborow DS. Fat biking can put a pedal into some pretty difficult situations. Considering I occasionally commuted on the bike as well, that makes the situation potentially worse. The salty, chemical stew mixed into the "car-slush" can be pretty corrosive.

But in reality, I think the next bike I stuck these on is even more of a test. My current commuter now that Winter has lost its grip on things here is the Surly 1X1 single speed. It isn't just a single speed, it is fixed gear single speed. Kind of makes sense and things can have been said to have come full circle here. A Fyxation pedal on a fixed gear commuter? Perfect.

I think this bike is tougher on pedals because there is no coasting, for one thing, and with my relatively stupid-low gear, I spin like a mad man. I think I'm running a 34T up front with a 19T in the rear. Yeah......low gear! But for sloshing through melting snow and ice, pushing through mud, and riding up and down some short steeps, it works well for me. The pedals have a nice, wide platform and the pins grip well, so despite the fact that I have no foot retention, my feet stay put even at high cadences. Of course, the low gear and big platform work great when grinding through a mud slough or a three inch fresh snowfall.

The fixed gear Surly saw all of that and a good curb smash to boot with no degradation in performance at all to the pedals. I did scratch up the pins a bit, but cosmetically the pedals still look great over all. If I could offer one bit of criticism it would be that the pedals middle section stands just a bit proud over the rest of the flat section, or it is even with the edges, which can result in the occasional, slight foot slip. I've never slipped off this pedal completely, mind you, but I think if the pedal was a bit "concave" in profile it would give a more secure grip on whatever footwear you use. I've been wearing some Keen hikers, so not really very "flat pedal friendly", but I gotta keep my feet warm and dry!

That said, I can't think of a much better bang for the buck than this pedal in terms of the looks, function, and long term performance. If these Subzero pedals last as long as my original Mesa MP's, and there is no reason to believe they won't, then the Subzero pedals are a great take on that classic design.

Fyxation Mesa MP Desert Series Image courtesy of Fyxation.

And Now For Something New:

Ironically, as I was typing up this review news was sent out declaring a new color series for the Mesa MP pedals. This is this products 6th anniversary of being on the market and Fyxation decided to celebrate with a Desert Series consisting of muted green, orange, and "sand" colored pedals. These are Mesa MP's that you may be familiar with, just in some new colors. These pedals are also available in black, blue, red, orange, green, and purple. MSRP is $59.99 for a pair. Check out the story on these from Fyxation here.

So, there ya go. The shop where I work sells a lot of these and there is a good reason why. You really cannot find much of anything as good or better for less cash. I'm convinced these pedals are long lasting, tough, and durable. They are fairly thin, so if you like that idea, they are some of the only options at this price point. If you ride in Winter, the nylon body material does not act as a heat sink and your feet stay warmer. I've heard from customers that have come back to the shop that say the same thing I feel is true about the cold weather performance. Of course, for the rest of the year they work well also.

Next up I am going to stick these on a gravel bike and try out riding on gravel with them for a while. I'll report back on how that goes, but if it is anything like my Fat Bike Century ride which was all on gravel, then it won't be anything other than a good report. We'll see.

NOTE: Fyxation sent over the Mesa Subzero pedals at no charge for test/review. I was not paid, nor bribed for this review and I strive to give my honest thoughts and opinions throughout.

Just Stop It Already!

Uggh!  Here we go again..... Winter.

Two days of glorious weather, albeit super windy, and then the hammer fell. Winter sucker punched us with a last ditch effort Monday. I get it...... Early Spring and Late Winter overlap quite a bit in this area, as I am sure that they do elsewhere. Often here it is a wild swing, and Tuesday was no different in that regard.

I awoke to a coating of snow after a day when it rained so hard it was like Spring was washing away the detritus of the Winter. Only Winter wasn't done with us yet.

The choice was for the fixed gear 1X1 Surly. I figured that I would ride it instead of a fat bike in defiance of the return of Wintry weather. Plus, although it may seem strange, fixed gear bikes seem to handle adverse traction situations really well. I can brake using slight back pressure on the pedals and the tires don't break free. It's weird,. unless you've ridden fixed gear, then you are probably shaking your head right now in agreement. I cannot properly describe the difference between one gear that coasts and one gear that doesn't, but besides the obvious, there are a lot of things dissimilar about the two. 

For one thing, and maybe this is just me, but riding fixed up a climb is easier. I actually like it better than with a freewheel. Now I should say that I mean slippery, muddy, slopes, and just climbing in general. It's uncanny the things I can get away with on the very same bike riding fixed that I cannot do at all when the free wheel is engaged. I know that may seem really hard to believe, but I can attest to the differences. Just yesterday I made it up the muddy slope I was really thinking I wouldn't make it up. It is not the tire, that is for sure! Those Extraterrestrials don't handle slippery stuff well at all. But fixed the rear tire feels like it has big knobbies on it when I climb up slippery stuff.

First tracks.....

Further on into the ride I was plowing over, through, and around all sorts of ice and snow which didn't phase the bike at all. I likely wouldn't have done as well without the fixed gear, but I also admit this snow was better from a traction standpoint than maybe it could have been. That said, it was slippery out there and I was actually more worried about the cars around me than I was about slpping out on the 1X1.

So, thanks to the low pressure that sat over Iowa like a vortex of doom, we had snow falling almost all day. I wasn't very impressed. Thankfully it was warmer and a lot of the snow melted on contact later on into the day. Now we just have to sit a day or two until things warm back up again and we can progress onward with this Spring season that should be happening now.

Good thing I have a few bikes with fenders!

Just Stop It Already!

Uggh!  Here we go again..... Winter.

Two days of glorious weather, albeit super windy, and then the hammer fell. Winter sucker punched us with a last ditch effort Monday. I get it...... Early Spring and Late Winter overlap quite a bit in this area, as I am sure that they do elsewhere. Often here it is a wild swing, and Tuesday was no different in that regard.

I awoke to a coating of snow after a day when it rained so hard it was like Spring was washing away the detritus of the Winter. Only Winter wasn't done with us yet.

The choice was for the fixed gear 1X1 Surly. I figured that I would ride it instead of a fat bike in defiance of the return of Wintry weather. Plus, although it may seem strange, fixed gear bikes seem to handle adverse traction situations really well. I can brake using slight back pressure on the pedals and the tires don't break free. It's weird,. unless you've ridden fixed gear, then you are probably shaking your head right now in agreement. I cannot properly describe the difference between one gear that coasts and one gear that doesn't, but besides the obvious, there are a lot of things dissimilar about the two. 

For one thing, and maybe this is just me, but riding fixed up a climb is easier. I actually like it better than with a freewheel. Now I should say that I mean slippery, muddy, slopes, and just climbing in general. It's uncanny the things I can get away with on the very same bike riding fixed that I cannot do at all when the free wheel is engaged. I know that may seem really hard to believe, but I can attest to the differences. Just yesterday I made it up the muddy slope I was really thinking I wouldn't make it up. It is not the tire, that is for sure! Those Extraterrestrials don't handle slippery stuff well at all. But fixed the rear tire feels like it has big knobbies on it when I climb up slippery stuff.

First tracks.....

Further on into the ride I was plowing over, through, and around all sorts of ice and snow which didn't phase the bike at all. I likely wouldn't have done as well without the fixed gear, but I also admit this snow was better from a traction standpoint than maybe it could have been. That said, it was slippery out there and I was actually more worried about the cars around me than I was about slpping out on the 1X1.

So, thanks to the low pressure that sat over Iowa like a vortex of doom, we had snow falling almost all day. I wasn't very impressed. Thankfully it was warmer and a lot of the snow melted on contact later on into the day. Now we just have to sit a day or two until things warm back up again and we can progress onward with this Spring season that should be happening now.

Good thing I have a few bikes with fenders!

Minus Ten Review- 9

My very first fixed gear attempt/bike.

Ten years ago on the blog I was talking most of the week about this fixed gear thing. I had gotten a Tomi Cog, the cog that attaches to a six bolt rotor interface, and I was riding my '03 Karate Monkey through another Winter. I think this was the last time I ever had a flat bar on it as well.

I ran it this way until Spring broke then I am pretty sure I went back to drop bars and a free wheel set up until maybe in '09 when it got parked and I pretty much quit riding the bike until I got it repaired last year, but that is another story........

Riding fixed was absolutely alien to me. I had never done it up to that point in 2008. I wasn't very proficient at it either, but going slow and learning the ropes was probably the best way for me to pick up on the nuances of the ways of the fixie. I remember being pretty clunky, but amazed by the traction I was able to get on ice.

I eventually set up a Raleigh Grand Prix fixed and used it for errands and what not for several years, which taught me even more about riding fixed. I started to become a lot more confident and comfortable riding that way. Then I kind of let that go for a couple of years. This year I started back up, only now I am using my 1X1 commuter rig with the 2.5" Extraterrestrial tires set up tubeless. Now it feels even more natural to ride over curbs and stuff than it ever has before.

It all started with this old Karate Monkey set up in '08.

Minus Ten Review- 9

My very first fixed gear attempt/bike.

Ten years ago on the blog I was talking most of the week about this fixed gear thing. I had gotten a Tomi Cog, the cog that attaches to a six bolt rotor interface, and I was riding my '03 Karate Monkey through another Winter. I think this was the last time I ever had a flat bar on it as well.

I ran it this way until Spring broke then I am pretty sure I went back to drop bars and a free wheel set up until maybe in '09 when it got parked and I pretty much quit riding the bike until I got it repaired last year, but that is another story........

Riding fixed was absolutely alien to me. I had never done it up to that point in 2008. I wasn't very proficient at it either, but going slow and learning the ropes was probably the best way for me to pick up on the nuances of the ways of the fixie. I remember being pretty clunky, but amazed by the traction I was able to get on ice.

I eventually set up a Raleigh Grand Prix fixed and used it for errands and what not for several years, which taught me even more about riding fixed. I started to become a lot more confident and comfortable riding that way. Then I kind of let that go for a couple of years. This year I started back up, only now I am using my 1X1 commuter rig with the 2.5" Extraterrestrial tires set up tubeless. Now it feels even more natural to ride over curbs and stuff than it ever has before.

It all started with this old Karate Monkey set up in '08.

I Fixed It Again

I had a "super" walk with my daughter on Sunday

It had been quite awhile since I had regularly ridden a fixed gear bicycle. For many years there I rode one several times a week in nicer weather for short jaunts. Usually to go pick up my kids at the elementary school or sometimes to run errands downtown. That was generally done on my "rat rod" fixie Raleigh Grand Prix. A bike that was from the 70's which I had converted in the most inexpensive way possible into a fixed gear bike.

I also can switch to fixed gear on my Surly 1X1 simply by flipping the wheel around. I had run it fixed briefly after getting it set up in its current configuration, but I haven't run it fixed since. For some strange reason, it had been on my mind to switch it over to fixed again.

I rode it to work on Friday and unbeknownst to me it started to snow a bit before I left. Nothing big, just a skiff in the end, but perfect timing to switch it over to fixed gear. I expected that I would be extremely rusty at riding fixed gear. It probably didn't help that I had on my heavy Keen hikers and was going to be riding those crappy aluminum flats I have with no pins or real grip to them whatsoever. I guess it is considered bad form to ride fixed without straps, but......what do I know. I just ride.

Well, I must say, I actually surprised myself by only having one "hiccup" where I forgot momentarily and had a slight kickback. I actually cleaned all the curb hops well and the rest went just great. Timing curb hops? Not gonna happen when I ride! I just went with wherever I was in the pedal stroke, and that seemed to work, although it is a disjointed feeling when your jerk on the bars isn't timed with a push down with the right foot.

I got home and that was all that mattered in the end. I think I will leave it fixed for a while, at least. I may try to sit my Karate Monkey up fixed too so I can do some country riding that way. I think it will be a good diversion and help with the early season training.