Bikes Of 2020: Salsa Cycles Fargo Gen I

  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!

You blog readers could have guessed this, right? I think it has made the list every year I've done this list. And you all know I love this bike and probably y'all know why too. There isn't much left to be said about it after all these years. So, if you are new here and don't understand, I apologize. Just shoot me a comment and I'll answer, but I feel like writing more about this bike is beating a dead horse now after 12 years of owning it.

I will talk about future plans as they relate to maintenance and I should mention a couple changes too. First and most obviously I have mounted these new-ish Surly Extraterrestrial 29" X 2.5" tires. I traded for these with Andy who had them to mount to a Karate Monkey he ended up selling before he got them used. I also switched up wheels and I have these Shimano hubbed, Duster rimmed wheels which were off of my old Sawyer, actually. The Extraterrestrials mounted up well to these tubeless and I expect that they shouldn't give me any troubles at all. They are on the heavy side though. 

Another change I made was to use this Salsa Regulator Ti post with a Brooks C-17 saddle. This combination is really smooth. Combined with the tires I have smoothed out the ride of this bike a great deal. I also put a Redshift Sports ShockStop stem on there for a while but I have a rigid stem back on it for the time being. I fitted the Becker Bags frame bag made for this bike and the J-Pak proto gravel top tube bag. There is also a Bar Yak system cue sheet holder deal on there for my analog route finding. 

I had threatened to upgrade the drive train but with COVID-19 shortages on cassettes and chain rings, not to mention chains, I decided to just keep running this set up into the ground for now. Eventually I hope to replace the aging Deore crank set with the original XT Hollotech triple and a Chris King bottom bracket along with a new 9 speed cassette. 

But that's pretty much it. Dreaming big, I would go with a new set of wheels here, but probably not yet. So, that covers this old girl and you can expect to see it again real soon.

Bikes Of 2020: Salsa Cycles Fargo Gen I

  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!

You blog readers could have guessed this, right? I think it has made the list every year I've done this list. And you all know I love this bike and probably y'all know why too. There isn't much left to be said about it after all these years. So, if you are new here and don't understand, I apologize. Just shoot me a comment and I'll answer, but I feel like writing more about this bike is beating a dead horse now after 12 years of owning it.

I will talk about future plans as they relate to maintenance and I should mention a couple changes too. First and most obviously I have mounted these new-ish Surly Extraterrestrial 29" X 2.5" tires. I traded for these with Andy who had them to mount to a Karate Monkey he ended up selling before he got them used. I also switched up wheels and I have these Shimano hubbed, Duster rimmed wheels which were off of my old Sawyer, actually. The Extraterrestrials mounted up well to these tubeless and I expect that they shouldn't give me any troubles at all. They are on the heavy side though. 

Another change I made was to use this Salsa Regulator Ti post with a Brooks C-17 saddle. This combination is really smooth. Combined with the tires I have smoothed out the ride of this bike a great deal. I also put a Redshift Sports ShockStop stem on there for a while but I have a rigid stem back on it for the time being. I fitted the Becker Bags frame bag made for this bike and the J-Pak proto gravel top tube bag. There is also a Bar Yak system cue sheet holder deal on there for my analog route finding. 

I had threatened to upgrade the drive train but with COVID-19 shortages on cassettes and chain rings, not to mention chains, I decided to just keep running this set up into the ground for now. Eventually I hope to replace the aging Deore crank set with the original XT Hollotech triple and a Chris King bottom bracket along with a new 9 speed cassette. 

But that's pretty much it. Dreaming big, I would go with a new set of wheels here, but probably not yet. So, that covers this old girl and you can expect to see it again real soon.

Bikes Of 2020: 2007 Pofahl Signature Custom

 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!

The Pofahl brand is not a well known one outside of Southern Minnesota, but it should be. Mike Pofahl has built many custom bikes since the 80's and also did some contract work for some parts in the past. I became aware of Mike's proficiency at joining steel tubing through my friend Ben Witt, who had come across some of Mike's work since they are both from  the same area. The connection with me started when I met Ben and told him I had been doodling up some ideas for a 29"er that I thought would be cool. Ben had a BikeCad design software set up on his computer and he offered to look at the design. After seeing what I had in mind he suggested that we get this made and have Mike Pofahl do the brazing. So, that's how this bike came together. 

Of course, this was all before the Fargo Gen 1. Had I known to think the way most of us adventurers do now, I would have insisted on fork mounts for water bottles, but alas! I wasn't very smart, so I had to use a seat post mount for a third cage. I asked about slipping a cage on top of the laterals but I was told there wasn't enough room, so...... 

Yeah, so there ya go. The story behind the Pofahl. It has been a great bike, despite my crackpot design, and I have done some of my longest rides on this rig. This would also have been the bike I was falling asleep on going down hills at the last Good Life Gravel Adventure, which became Gravel Worlds the following year. So, good times have been had on this one. 

I recently switched out my old I-9 wheels to these slightly newer I-9 wheels and added the awesome Vittoria Terreno XC tires. I also stuck that shorty stem on there which ended up being something I really liked. Otherwise this bike has been pretty much the same for years. It has the distinction of using some old parts from my MTB history. There's the original Syncros 27.0mm seat post which came off my 1992 Klein Attitude. the 180mm Race Face cranks were originally on my 1996 Diamondback V-Link Pro dual suspension bike. 

I might change the stem to one slightly longer than this one is, but otherwise I think the Pofahl is looking good. It's a one-off and since it was my design, well.......I'm not going to be getting rid of it.

Bikes Of 2020: 2007 Pofahl Signature Custom

 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!

The Pofahl brand is not a well known one outside of Southern Minnesota, but it should be. Mike Pofahl has built many custom bikes since the 80's and also did some contract work for some parts in the past. I became aware of Mike's proficiency at joining steel tubing through my friend Ben Witt, who had come across some of Mike's work since they are both from  the same area. The connection with me started when I met Ben and told him I had been doodling up some ideas for a 29"er that I thought would be cool. Ben had a BikeCad design software set up on his computer and he offered to look at the design. After seeing what I had in mind he suggested that we get this made and have Mike Pofahl do the brazing. So, that's how this bike came together. 

Of course, this was all before the Fargo Gen 1. Had I known to think the way most of us adventurers do now, I would have insisted on fork mounts for water bottles, but alas! I wasn't very smart, so I had to use a seat post mount for a third cage. I asked about slipping a cage on top of the laterals but I was told there wasn't enough room, so...... 

Yeah, so there ya go. The story behind the Pofahl. It has been a great bike, despite my crackpot design, and I have done some of my longest rides on this rig. This would also have been the bike I was falling asleep on going down hills at the last Good Life Gravel Adventure, which became Gravel Worlds the following year. So, good times have been had on this one. 

I recently switched out my old I-9 wheels to these slightly newer I-9 wheels and added the awesome Vittoria Terreno XC tires. I also stuck that shorty stem on there which ended up being something I really liked. Otherwise this bike has been pretty much the same for years. It has the distinction of using some old parts from my MTB history. There's the original Syncros 27.0mm seat post which came off my 1992 Klein Attitude. the 180mm Race Face cranks were originally on my 1996 Diamondback V-Link Pro dual suspension bike. 

I might change the stem to one slightly longer than this one is, but otherwise I think the Pofahl is looking good. It's a one-off and since it was my design, well.......I'm not going to be getting rid of it.

Bikes Of 2020: The Black Mountain Cycles MCD

Here is the BMC MCD with the Spinergy wheels mounted.

 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!

Black Mountain Cycles MCD: This bike has been around now a couple of years plus and has been a big part of my riding since it has gotten here. In fact, it seems that a lot of the people that come here also are interested in this bike because my post "One Year Review: Black Mountain Cycles MCD" keeps getting hits consistently. That post I wrote in the Summer of 2019, so has anything changed since then? 

Well, not really. I did put the Redshift Sports ShockStop seat post on it, but that has since been swapped out to the original Whisky Parts Co. carbon post. I had been running when I built up the bike. I also swapped out the Spinergy wheels I had been using on the bike a lot during 2019 to the original Irwin Cycling wheels I started out with. I also got a Shimano GRX rear derailleur at the end of 2019 and installed it. This made the drive train a lot more stable and quiet. 

Besides those minor swaps and some wheels I used on the bike to get them reviewed, along with various tires, the bike is basically what it has been. It still handles well and I like the way it fits. I am considering lowering the stem and maybe lengthening it a touch, but that is just tweaking, nothing major going on here that needs 'fixing'. 

Basically the future for this pink MCD is to just to do basic maintenance and keep on truckin'. I'm toying with getting a new saddle on it, probably another WTB Volt or a Silverado, but this bike should remain as is for the foreseeable future.

Bikes Of 2020: The Black Mountain Cycles MCD

Here is the BMC MCD with the Spinergy wheels mounted.

 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!

Black Mountain Cycles MCD: This bike has been around now a couple of years plus and has been a big part of my riding since it has gotten here. In fact, it seems that a lot of the people that come here also are interested in this bike because my post "One Year Review: Black Mountain Cycles MCD" keeps getting hits consistently. That post I wrote in the Summer of 2019, so has anything changed since then? 

Well, not really. I did put the Redshift Sports ShockStop seat post on it, but that has since been swapped out to the original Whisky Parts Co. carbon post. I had been running when I built up the bike. I also swapped out the Spinergy wheels I had been using on the bike a lot during 2019 to the original Irwin Cycling wheels I started out with. I also got a Shimano GRX rear derailleur at the end of 2019 and installed it. This made the drive train a lot more stable and quiet. 

Besides those minor swaps and some wheels I used on the bike to get them reviewed, along with various tires, the bike is basically what it has been. It still handles well and I like the way it fits. I am considering lowering the stem and maybe lengthening it a touch, but that is just tweaking, nothing major going on here that needs 'fixing'. 

Basically the future for this pink MCD is to just to do basic maintenance and keep on truckin'. I'm toying with getting a new saddle on it, probably another WTB Volt or a Silverado, but this bike should remain as is for the foreseeable future.

Bikes Of 2020: Noble Bikes GX5

The most recent configuration of the Noble Bikes GX5.

 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!

This bike is one that I probably used the most during 2020. The Noble Bikes GX5 was a bike I reviewed for RidingGravel.com back last year and was left with me to be a test mule for wheels, tires, and other stuff I would be reviewing throughout 2020. So, you saw a LOT of this bike here on the blog over the past 12 months.

Since the bike was a review test mule it saw a lot of changes in components over the year. Seat posts, saddles, wheels, and tires were swapped back and forth, so I won't try to detail all of that here now. What did remain the same was the basic foundation- the frame and fork, of course, and the great Shimano GRX drive train and brakes. 

Let me just pause here and say that you die-hard SRAM road parts users are missing the boat. I've extensively used both groups and there is no comparison. Shimano shifting, drive train stability, and especially the brakes, are so much better than SRAM it is laughable. And when it comes to reliability and maintenance, there also is no comparison. Bicycle mechanics understand this intimately, but SRAM is a warranty/marketing company, Shimano is an R&D and reliability company. That's my take. Your mileage may vary.....

Anyway- back to the bike. This bike wouldn't be getting ridden as much if it weren't for what I voiced above concerning components, but certainly the geometry and ride quality of this bike is right up my alley as well. It is 'racy' without being a 'race bike', if that makes any sense. It is smooth, handles well, and does the light weight thing nicely. For Mid-West gravel travel I cannot think of much of anything I would change. 

I thought this bike had limited tire clearances, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that even Teravail 700c X 47 Cannonball tires fit, if only barely. That means my preferred size of 43mm-45mm would be okay in most cases on this bike. That said, if there ever were a "version 2" of this bike, a bit more generous tire clearance wouldn't be a bad thing. Secondly, I'd put bottle mounts on the fork, but only because I like that feature. Maybe others don't care. And other than that, I'm good with this bike. 

Bikes Of 2020: Noble Bikes GX5

The most recent configuration of the Noble Bikes GX5.

 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!

This bike is one that I probably used the most during 2020. The Noble Bikes GX5 was a bike I reviewed for RidingGravel.com back last year and was left with me to be a test mule for wheels, tires, and other stuff I would be reviewing throughout 2020. So, you saw a LOT of this bike here on the blog over the past 12 months.

Since the bike was a review test mule it saw a lot of changes in components over the year. Seat posts, saddles, wheels, and tires were swapped back and forth, so I won't try to detail all of that here now. What did remain the same was the basic foundation- the frame and fork, of course, and the great Shimano GRX drive train and brakes. 

Let me just pause here and say that you die-hard SRAM road parts users are missing the boat. I've extensively used both groups and there is no comparison. Shimano shifting, drive train stability, and especially the brakes, are so much better than SRAM it is laughable. And when it comes to reliability and maintenance, there also is no comparison. Bicycle mechanics understand this intimately, but SRAM is a warranty/marketing company, Shimano is an R&D and reliability company. That's my take. Your mileage may vary.....

Anyway- back to the bike. This bike wouldn't be getting ridden as much if it weren't for what I voiced above concerning components, but certainly the geometry and ride quality of this bike is right up my alley as well. It is 'racy' without being a 'race bike', if that makes any sense. It is smooth, handles well, and does the light weight thing nicely. For Mid-West gravel travel I cannot think of much of anything I would change. 

I thought this bike had limited tire clearances, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that even Teravail 700c X 47 Cannonball tires fit, if only barely. That means my preferred size of 43mm-45mm would be okay in most cases on this bike. That said, if there ever were a "version 2" of this bike, a bit more generous tire clearance wouldn't be a bad thing. Secondly, I'd put bottle mounts on the fork, but only because I like that feature. Maybe others don't care. And other than that, I'm good with this bike. 

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.

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.

Bikes Of 2020: OS Bikes Blackbuck

OS Bikes Blackbuck

 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!

Again, what we have here is a long-time resident of the G-Ted stable of bikes. No, I probably will not ever get rid of it either. Maybe you have never seen anything quite like this? I can understand. The first run of the OS Bikes Blackbuck was only 500 frames. There was a second run which I think was even less. So, a brief telling of the story might be in order.

Mark Slate, of WTB, a Mountain Bike Hall of Fame member, decided back in about 2006 to have a run of frames he designed made in Taiwan. He formed a company to set up sales through called "Of Spirit Bikes" (OS Bikes) and dubbed the only model he ever had produced the "Blackbuck". It is a steel, single speed specific, (kind of), frame with a split eccentric bottom bracket type for tensioning of the chain. The bike could be bought with Mark Slate's radical design for a steel fork or as a complete single speed with a first generation Rock Shox Reba. 29"er wheels, natch! 

You know, I can't even remember exactly how I ended up getting in contact with OS Bikes, but I imagine it was all e-mail. I vaguely remember Mark Slate reaching out to me asking if I wanted to purchase one. I think that's how it went..... Anyway. The point is that I got the frame/fork deal. I tried the fork, (I won't get all into the nitty-gritty on that- long story!) and it didn't sit well with me, but a Bontrager Switchblade fork sure did, and that's what it ended up with, although I have a suspension fork I can run on it when the need arises. 

Well, Changes.... I did a wholesale change on wheels, tires, seat post, handle bar, stem, pedals on this bike recently. I laced up some old White Industries ENO hubs that my friend in SoCal, Grannygear gave me, and I put on some Kenda Honeybadger tires on the Salsa Gordo rims. Tubes here, because I don't ride this bike a lot anymore. I really like where this bike is now and it does single track around here like a champ. I see no big changes in its future. Just more riding, hopefully!

Bikes Of 2020: OS Bikes Blackbuck

OS Bikes Blackbuck

 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!

Again, what we have here is a long-time resident of the G-Ted stable of bikes. No, I probably will not ever get rid of it either. Maybe you have never seen anything quite like this? I can understand. The first run of the OS Bikes Blackbuck was only 500 frames. There was a second run which I think was even less. So, a brief telling of the story might be in order.

Mark Slate, of WTB, a Mountain Bike Hall of Fame member, decided back in about 2006 to have a run of frames he designed made in Taiwan. He formed a company to set up sales through called "Of Spirit Bikes" (OS Bikes) and dubbed the only model he ever had produced the "Blackbuck". It is a steel, single speed specific, (kind of), frame with a split eccentric bottom bracket type for tensioning of the chain. The bike could be bought with Mark Slate's radical design for a steel fork or as a complete single speed with a first generation Rock Shox Reba. 29"er wheels, natch! 

You know, I can't even remember exactly how I ended up getting in contact with OS Bikes, but I imagine it was all e-mail. I vaguely remember Mark Slate reaching out to me asking if I wanted to purchase one. I think that's how it went..... Anyway. The point is that I got the frame/fork deal. I tried the fork, (I won't get all into the nitty-gritty on that- long story!) and it didn't sit well with me, but a Bontrager Switchblade fork sure did, and that's what it ended up with, although I have a suspension fork I can run on it when the need arises. 

Well, Changes.... I did a wholesale change on wheels, tires, seat post, handle bar, stem, pedals on this bike recently. I laced up some old White Industries ENO hubs that my friend in SoCal, Grannygear gave me, and I put on some Kenda Honeybadger tires on the Salsa Gordo rims. Tubes here, because I don't ride this bike a lot anymore. I really like where this bike is now and it does single track around here like a champ. I see no big changes in its future. Just more riding, hopefully!

Bikes Of 2020: Raleigh Tamland Two

 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!

 This was a bike I fully expected not to be using in 2020 at any point. However; as long time readers know, I have really liked this bike in the past, so seeing it 'unretired' later in 2020 probably was no surprise. I also am actually pretty happy to have gotten it back out of mothballs. See, the thing is that I have this thing about having unused bicycles that really bugs me. 

I kept seeing the old Tamland sitting there, eventually losing all the air out of the tires, and just looking forlorn. Such a waste! Someone told me once something to the effect of, "Cars were meant to be driven, not sat in a garage. The worst thing you can do to a car is to park it and not drive it." I'm pretty sure that was my old boss at the car repair shop that dropped that wisdom on me. I knew that it also applied to almost anything Man has laid his hands to and has created. It wasn't meant to be idolized. It was meant to be used up. 

So, with that wisdom burning a hole inside my head every time I saw the Tamland, it didn't take much for me to reverse my decision concerning the Tamland. And as I have said, it was a good reversal. This bike is also just too good a riding and handling bike to have it not be getting used up. And I plan on doing just that. 

So, besides a philosophical reasoning, a need to get a pair of tires reviewed was also part of why this bike was brought out of mothballs. Those tires are probably going to live out their life on this bike as they are perfectly suited to the Tamland. (They are Vee Tire Rocketman 44mm tires, by the way) Otherwise things have stayed the same on this bike. 

In the future I may have to replace the drive train, the cables and housings, and occasionally re-wrap the bars, but I don't see myself making any further major changes to this bike. It's good the way it is, and it couldn't be made much better. I had thought about reverting back to the stock steel unicrown fork, but this Fyxation carbon fork rides as well as that fork at a lot less weight, and it has bottle mounts on the fork. The lack of water carrying capacity on this bike was one of its few shortcomings. (If you know the back story on this bike, you might blame me for that!)

Bikes Of 2020: Raleigh Tamland Two

 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!

 This was a bike I fully expected not to be using in 2020 at any point. However; as long time readers know, I have really liked this bike in the past, so seeing it 'unretired' later in 2020 probably was no surprise. I also am actually pretty happy to have gotten it back out of mothballs. See, the thing is that I have this thing about having unused bicycles that really bugs me. 

I kept seeing the old Tamland sitting there, eventually losing all the air out of the tires, and just looking forlorn. Such a waste! Someone told me once something to the effect of, "Cars were meant to be driven, not sat in a garage. The worst thing you can do to a car is to park it and not drive it." I'm pretty sure that was my old boss at the car repair shop that dropped that wisdom on me. I knew that it also applied to almost anything Man has laid his hands to and has created. It wasn't meant to be idolized. It was meant to be used up. 

So, with that wisdom burning a hole inside my head every time I saw the Tamland, it didn't take much for me to reverse my decision concerning the Tamland. And as I have said, it was a good reversal. This bike is also just too good a riding and handling bike to have it not be getting used up. And I plan on doing just that. 

So, besides a philosophical reasoning, a need to get a pair of tires reviewed was also part of why this bike was brought out of mothballs. Those tires are probably going to live out their life on this bike as they are perfectly suited to the Tamland. (They are Vee Tire Rocketman 44mm tires, by the way) Otherwise things have stayed the same on this bike. 

In the future I may have to replace the drive train, the cables and housings, and occasionally re-wrap the bars, but I don't see myself making any further major changes to this bike. It's good the way it is, and it couldn't be made much better. I had thought about reverting back to the stock steel unicrown fork, but this Fyxation carbon fork rides as well as that fork at a lot less weight, and it has bottle mounts on the fork. The lack of water carrying capacity on this bike was one of its few shortcomings. (If you know the back story on this bike, you might blame me for that!)

Bikes Of 2020: The Ti Muk 2

 

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!

The Ti Muk 2 has been my newest addition to the fat bike fleet and has been the fat bike I have used more often than the others. Of course, the story behind my even having the privilege of riding it cannot be denied. This is another instance where a group of people banded together under the influence of my brother, MG, and put together a sum of money that nearly attained to the asking price of the bike. I covered the minimal shortfall, and thus this bike is mine. (To all you that helped, once again, Thank You!)

This bike was used a lot for commuting duties earlier in the year, but I also have used it in the Green Belt and on the rare gravel ride I do on a fat bike. The Rohloff 14 speed internally geared hub is awesome. the external drive train is basically single speed, so pretty much maintenance free. The Rohloff does require a yearly oil change, (which I recently just did), and that is all you really have to do to keep these hubs going. Using a Rohloff is an education in a different style of shifting, (you have to either momentarily stop pedaling or get the hang of how much you can let off the pedal pressure), but otherwise I find the range I have there perfectly fine for this application. 

The frame is titanium, of course, and with the Ti Regulator seat post, the ride is really pretty smooth. The Jones Carbon Loop Bar does a similar trick up front. That makes this bike a lot of fun to ride for longer periods of time. The final bit I have really been blown away by with this bike is the Whiskey Carbon fat bike rims. Tubeless Cake Eaters on these rims are so good. The wheels roll like nothing else I have ridden in the fat bike category. Oh! And it has a Schmidt SON generator, let's not forget that, so I have always-on lights front and back whenever I ride this. Safety First!

So, after a slew of minor mods I made with this bike, I have it pretty much where I want it. I do not foresee any more mods and this bike will see a lot of use through the Winter.

Bikes Of 2020: The Ti Muk 2

 

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!

The Ti Muk 2 has been my newest addition to the fat bike fleet and has been the fat bike I have used more often than the others. Of course, the story behind my even having the privilege of riding it cannot be denied. This is another instance where a group of people banded together under the influence of my brother, MG, and put together a sum of money that nearly attained to the asking price of the bike. I covered the minimal shortfall, and thus this bike is mine. (To all you that helped, once again, Thank You!)

This bike was used a lot for commuting duties earlier in the year, but I also have used it in the Green Belt and on the rare gravel ride I do on a fat bike. The Rohloff 14 speed internally geared hub is awesome. the external drive train is basically single speed, so pretty much maintenance free. The Rohloff does require a yearly oil change, (which I recently just did), and that is all you really have to do to keep these hubs going. Using a Rohloff is an education in a different style of shifting, (you have to either momentarily stop pedaling or get the hang of how much you can let off the pedal pressure), but otherwise I find the range I have there perfectly fine for this application. 

The frame is titanium, of course, and with the Ti Regulator seat post, the ride is really pretty smooth. The Jones Carbon Loop Bar does a similar trick up front. That makes this bike a lot of fun to ride for longer periods of time. The final bit I have really been blown away by with this bike is the Whiskey Carbon fat bike rims. Tubeless Cake Eaters on these rims are so good. The wheels roll like nothing else I have ridden in the fat bike category. Oh! And it has a Schmidt SON generator, let's not forget that, so I have always-on lights front and back whenever I ride this. Safety First!

So, after a slew of minor mods I made with this bike, I have it pretty much where I want it. I do not foresee any more mods and this bike will see a lot of use through the Winter.

Bikes Of 2020: 2003 Karate Monkey

 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!

This bike has been around about the longest of anything I have here in the stable. Hmm.......I have owned bikes previous to the Karate Monkey. Pretty sure they are gone. With the outside exception of my original touring bike which is in the Lab as a rolling chassis.  And that bike hasn't been ridden in decades. Maybe I should get that up and running again......anyway....

The Karate Monkey was announced at the 2002 Interbike show about the time I got back into the bicycle business again. I had just left my job as a car mechanic and was working as a bicycle mechanic once again. This meant that I could finally pursue my dream of a few years running to own an actual 29" wheeled mountain bike. Of course, I'd been hanging on every word on the internet concerning them and after many hours of careful consideration, I knew this thing was for me. I sold a perfectly good 1996 highly customized Bontrager Race 26"er from the Santa Cruz shop to buy this new fangled wagon wheeled rig. Well, actually, I had to build the entire thing from scratch. Karate Monkey's were frame/forks to start with. 

I won't bore y'all with the entire history of this bike of mine. I will only say that this bike spent many years in mothballs, mostly due to a stuck UN55 cartridge bottom bracket. I finally freed that unit from the rusty grip of corrosion quite some time ago now and got the bike up and running again. Karate Monkeys, at least the early ones, were one of those 'jack-of-all-trades' 29"ers, as many early ones were. You could go geared, single speed, disc brakes, or cantilever brakes. I set it up single speed and disc to begin with and have only switched it out to rim brakes recently. 

I had a goofy Velo Orange stem on this bike for a bit and I have determined it just sat me up too high, so I removed it. That happened early this Summer, and since then this bike has been a great rig to bomb around on when I need a quick spin. Future plans are to build a new set of wheels for it using some Surly Jim Brown hubs I have and return the bike to a disc brake set up since those hubs are disc compatible. These will be bolted on and then I may be looking for a few bags to deck this out with, new tires, and I think it may return as a bike I use more often. 

This bike holds the distinction of being the bike I rode the furthest in one sitting going an estimated 160+ miles in a day. I don't have an exact mileage since it was a kind of an afterthought to record the mileage on the spot the day I did that. That would have been the very first Guitar Ted Death Ride Invitational. It's the first 'gravel bike' I ever used for that purpose. So, this bike has been kind of special to me ever since.

Bikes Of 2020: 2003 Karate Monkey

 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!

This bike has been around about the longest of anything I have here in the stable. Hmm.......I have owned bikes previous to the Karate Monkey. Pretty sure they are gone. With the outside exception of my original touring bike which is in the Lab as a rolling chassis.  And that bike hasn't been ridden in decades. Maybe I should get that up and running again......anyway....

The Karate Monkey was announced at the 2002 Interbike show about the time I got back into the bicycle business again. I had just left my job as a car mechanic and was working as a bicycle mechanic once again. This meant that I could finally pursue my dream of a few years running to own an actual 29" wheeled mountain bike. Of course, I'd been hanging on every word on the internet concerning them and after many hours of careful consideration, I knew this thing was for me. I sold a perfectly good 1996 highly customized Bontrager Race 26"er from the Santa Cruz shop to buy this new fangled wagon wheeled rig. Well, actually, I had to build the entire thing from scratch. Karate Monkey's were frame/forks to start with. 

I won't bore y'all with the entire history of this bike of mine. I will only say that this bike spent many years in mothballs, mostly due to a stuck UN55 cartridge bottom bracket. I finally freed that unit from the rusty grip of corrosion quite some time ago now and got the bike up and running again. Karate Monkeys, at least the early ones, were one of those 'jack-of-all-trades' 29"ers, as many early ones were. You could go geared, single speed, disc brakes, or cantilever brakes. I set it up single speed and disc to begin with and have only switched it out to rim brakes recently. 

I had a goofy Velo Orange stem on this bike for a bit and I have determined it just sat me up too high, so I removed it. That happened early this Summer, and since then this bike has been a great rig to bomb around on when I need a quick spin. Future plans are to build a new set of wheels for it using some Surly Jim Brown hubs I have and return the bike to a disc brake set up since those hubs are disc compatible. These will be bolted on and then I may be looking for a few bags to deck this out with, new tires, and I think it may return as a bike I use more often. 

This bike holds the distinction of being the bike I rode the furthest in one sitting going an estimated 160+ miles in a day. I don't have an exact mileage since it was a kind of an afterthought to record the mileage on the spot the day I did that. That would have been the very first Guitar Ted Death Ride Invitational. It's the first 'gravel bike' I ever used for that purpose. So, this bike has been kind of special to me ever since.

Bike Of 2020: 2005 On One Inbred

The Inbred as it appeared in June of this year.

 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!

This bike has quite a history with me and I haven't really ridden it much in many years, and in fact, it didn't belong to me for a long time. This bike is one I sold a long time ago to a former co-worker of mine. At that time, we were working together, and Craig got the bike and rode it on one of the old Guitar Ted Death Ride Invitationals back in the day. Then Craig gave it to his brother, it spent a long time in Kansas, and one day, it showed up again on my bench at work. Craig gave the husk of the bike back to me! 

So, I eventually built it back up with drop bars and used it earlier this year as a way to test some big MTB tires for gravel in a review for RidingGravel.com. It was 'okay' as a drop bar bike, but there was something that just didn't quite feel right to me about that set up. Not enough to make me get around to switching parts and experimenting on it though. I just kept riding it for the review and then I figured I'd get around to swapping out parts this Winter.

However; another item which came in, the Archer Components D1x electronic shifting system, came up for review. I needed a flat bar bike to test it with and that was the impetus I needed to swap the Inbred back out to flat bar controls. At first, I put the Whisky Parts Co. Millhouse Bar on it but that was a ridiculous set up. So, I swapped bars with the Snow Dog, which had a pre-production carbon bar that Brant Richards, then of Ragley Bikes, gave to me. 

You cannot really see the handle bars here, but trust me- they are not drop bars!

So now I have these weird, bent bars on it that resemble the old On One Fleegle Bars in a way, and flat bar controls, of course, with a flatter stem than before. the result is that the On One Inbred now rides like it is supposed to ride. It's definitely not a drop bar rig! 

So, in the future I am not sure how I will handle this bike. Originally it was my single speed bike and it handles Mid-West single track superbly well. It also makes a great flat bar gravel bike as I found out when I rode this bike in the first Dirty Kanza in 2006. This is from an era where 29"ers had to be a jack of all trades to make sure they sold at all. So, this Inbred supported cantilever brakes with these funky, bolt on brake bosses, (which I still have), a sliding rear drop out that is so diminutive it almost isn't there, and cable routes for a fully geared set up. The only thing these early 29"ers didn't have was a ton of braze-ons. That craze didn't start to happen until the Fargo came around. 

I suppose I will make this another single speed, eventually. I mean, why not? It would be kind of a tribute build to mimic my 2006 DK bike set up, although some things I had then could not be recreated on this bike today. Anyway...... It's fun to have this back and up and running again.

Bike Of 2020: 2005 On One Inbred

The Inbred as it appeared in June of this year.

 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!

This bike has quite a history with me and I haven't really ridden it much in many years, and in fact, it didn't belong to me for a long time. This bike is one I sold a long time ago to a former co-worker of mine. At that time, we were working together, and Craig got the bike and rode it on one of the old Guitar Ted Death Ride Invitationals back in the day. Then Craig gave it to his brother, it spent a long time in Kansas, and one day, it showed up again on my bench at work. Craig gave the husk of the bike back to me! 

So, I eventually built it back up with drop bars and used it earlier this year as a way to test some big MTB tires for gravel in a review for RidingGravel.com. It was 'okay' as a drop bar bike, but there was something that just didn't quite feel right to me about that set up. Not enough to make me get around to switching parts and experimenting on it though. I just kept riding it for the review and then I figured I'd get around to swapping out parts this Winter.

However; another item which came in, the Archer Components D1x electronic shifting system, came up for review. I needed a flat bar bike to test it with and that was the impetus I needed to swap the Inbred back out to flat bar controls. At first, I put the Whisky Parts Co. Millhouse Bar on it but that was a ridiculous set up. So, I swapped bars with the Snow Dog, which had a pre-production carbon bar that Brant Richards, then of Ragley Bikes, gave to me. 

You cannot really see the handle bars here, but trust me- they are not drop bars!

So now I have these weird, bent bars on it that resemble the old On One Fleegle Bars in a way, and flat bar controls, of course, with a flatter stem than before. the result is that the On One Inbred now rides like it is supposed to ride. It's definitely not a drop bar rig! 

So, in the future I am not sure how I will handle this bike. Originally it was my single speed bike and it handles Mid-West single track superbly well. It also makes a great flat bar gravel bike as I found out when I rode this bike in the first Dirty Kanza in 2006. This is from an era where 29"ers had to be a jack of all trades to make sure they sold at all. So, this Inbred supported cantilever brakes with these funky, bolt on brake bosses, (which I still have), a sliding rear drop out that is so diminutive it almost isn't there, and cable routes for a fully geared set up. The only thing these early 29"ers didn't have was a ton of braze-ons. That craze didn't start to happen until the Fargo came around. 

I suppose I will make this another single speed, eventually. I mean, why not? It would be kind of a tribute build to mimic my 2006 DK bike set up, although some things I had then could not be recreated on this bike today. Anyway...... It's fun to have this back and up and running again.