Project White: Introduction

Project Black- the Vassago Jabberwocky

Back in the Fall, I outlined a single speed build of a Vassago Jabberwocky I dubbed "Project Black". I tried, (in vain), to keep every component black and not spend too much doing it. Well, as you can see, a blue Chris King head set I had sitting around made its way onto this bike because the cheesy black one I had was about worthless.

Well, besides the sweet Thomson post, I didn't have to spend anything on this build, since I had everything else sitting around at hand. Once it was done, I was not all that taken with the looks of the thing. Well, as you can see, there is a lot of post sticking out, and a bunch of spacers under the stem too. Vassago, for whatever reason, builds with, what is in my opinion, too short a seat tube and head tube for the top tube lengths it specs. Since I go by top tube length, (I know- old school!), this puts me on a frame that has barely enough seat post insertion and more spacers than I like to see on my steer tube.

But looks are one thing, the way a bicycle rides is another. So I took out Project Black, (I think), on three rides which were, meh! Now before everyone goes off in a snit that likes Vassago bikes, I must say that there wasn't anything necessarily wrong with the Jabber, but there was not anything necessarily great about it for me. And as long time readers know, I have plenty of single speeds, so I can afford to be picky.

What's in the box?

So, the Vassago is on the chopping block. The parts will all be transferred over, (well mostly), to new frame. A single speed specific frame. The Jabberwocky, an 18"er, is now available to anyone that is interested. (Click the "Guitar Ted's Garage Sale" link for specifics.)

The new frame is not entirely something new to me. I used to have one of its predecessors. It is steel. It is white. It should be just as good as I remember the old one being, but we shall see.

My only question mark here is what I will use for a fork. Full rigid? I have the correct fork for that, by the way. Suspension? I have something I can put on this that should be excellent. Either way, it will be black!

Which brings up an important point. I am not going to try to get everything white on this one! No- I'll probably have plenty of black, and colored stuff here. I'll likely take a different tack with this build. I'm thinking trail bike. Sturdy, sure footed, wide tires and rims. I'm not worried about weight. If this comes out as I expect, I think it will be one of my go to bikes. A keeper, in other words.

So stay tuned as I detail out this build up and as the weather permits, I'll be back with some ride reports as well.

Project White: Introduction

Project Black- the Vassago Jabberwocky

Back in the Fall, I outlined a single speed build of a Vassago Jabberwocky I dubbed "Project Black". I tried, (in vain), to keep every component black and not spend too much doing it. Well, as you can see, a blue Chris King head set I had sitting around made its way onto this bike because the cheesy black one I had was about worthless.

Well, besides the sweet Thomson post, I didn't have to spend anything on this build, since I had everything else sitting around at hand. Once it was done, I was not all that taken with the looks of the thing. Well, as you can see, there is a lot of post sticking out, and a bunch of spacers under the stem too. Vassago, for whatever reason, builds with, what is in my opinion, too short a seat tube and head tube for the top tube lengths it specs. Since I go by top tube length, (I know- old school!), this puts me on a frame that has barely enough seat post insertion and more spacers than I like to see on my steer tube.

But looks are one thing, the way a bicycle rides is another. So I took out Project Black, (I think), on three rides which were, meh! Now before everyone goes off in a snit that likes Vassago bikes, I must say that there wasn't anything necessarily wrong with the Jabber, but there was not anything necessarily great about it for me. And as long time readers know, I have plenty of single speeds, so I can afford to be picky.

What's in the box?

So, the Vassago is on the chopping block. The parts will all be transferred over, (well mostly), to new frame. A single speed specific frame. The Jabberwocky, an 18"er, is now available to anyone that is interested. (Click the "Guitar Ted's Garage Sale" link for specifics.)

The new frame is not entirely something new to me. I used to have one of its predecessors. It is steel. It is white. It should be just as good as I remember the old one being, but we shall see.

My only question mark here is what I will use for a fork. Full rigid? I have the correct fork for that, by the way. Suspension? I have something I can put on this that should be excellent. Either way, it will be black!

Which brings up an important point. I am not going to try to get everything white on this one! No- I'll probably have plenty of black, and colored stuff here. I'll likely take a different tack with this build. I'm thinking trail bike. Sturdy, sure footed, wide tires and rims. I'm not worried about weight. If this comes out as I expect, I think it will be one of my go to bikes. A keeper, in other words.

So stay tuned as I detail out this build up and as the weather permits, I'll be back with some ride reports as well.

Project Black: Update

Yesterday was a glorious late fall day. Sunshine, little wind to speak of, and time off to get out for a ride. I decided to take the Vassago Jabberwocky out for a spin.

I dubbed this "Project Black" some time ago, and used it as a platform to (a) see what the fuss was about a Vassago and to (b) do a lightweight version of a steel single speed. I think I have succeeded in the lightweight department. Project Black ended up at 22lbs ready to ride, as you see it here. That's without any "stupid-light" stuff on it too. So yeah- I could easily take this lower. 

That weight would come out of the wheels and fork. The Black Flags are decently light, but I have stiffer, lighter wheels I could use on it. The fork is a nice early version of a CroMoto Grande, which for a steel fork is light. However; a Niner Bikes fork, for instance, weighs almost half of what this does. So I could throw some money at this and get it down to 20lbs easily enough, but I ain't going to do it. Nope.

I like it fine as is, and I may not hang on to this bike all that long. I mean- I have plenty of single speeds!

 I decided to get out into the Green Belt for a spin. I didn't have all day to drag the rig up to the Camp, and this would be a good test for the Geax Gato 2.1"ers in slicker dirt, which I knew I would find in the Green Belt and not so much at Camp. I was not disappointed either.

The skinnier Gato tires are much like their bigger 2.3" siblings in that you have to run the air a bit lower to get the side knobs to work. It's a good thing I did run 'em lower too, as evidenced here by this sliding sideways mark in this curve. There was just enough side bite to keep it upright. Had the tires been pumped up a bit more, well then.......I probably would have went down here.

The Jabberwocky's longer chain stays probably helped a bit with the stability as well. Speaking of "longer", it is something the Jabberwocky is and you can tell this in tight turns. It isn't real adept at the tighter stuff, and that frame is a bit flexy when you are doing a slow speed maneuver too.

But the same flex that is a detriment there is really the Jabberwocky's best trait as well. The bike feels so smooth, and the lowered pressure in the tires made everything nice until you hit some real bumps in the trail.  Then you'd become aware again that the bike is fully rigid with no suspension to absorb that impact. In fact, the whole bike does this shudder/ringing thing when certain hits are encountered. It's kind of weird, really. I've never had any other bike resonate like a low frequency tuning fork before. Other than this, the Jabberwocky ranks right up there with the smoothest feeling steel frames I've ridden.

In terms of handling it seems to be okay. It isn't a very exciting bike to ride. Very smooth, very stable, and it seems very happy to keep both of its wheels firmly planted on terra-firma. If I had to ride a smooth-ish course for hours on end, I might choose this bike to do it on. If technical features, rough single track, or snappy handling are called for, I am going to reach for my OS Bikes Blackbuck, the Milwaukee Bicycle Company 29"er, or the old Salsa Cycles El Mariachi. If things call for a slightly more stable rig with great slow speed, technical handling and decent steel feel, I would opt for the Sawyer. All of those aforementioned rigs do front wheel lofts and snappy feeling accelerations better than the Jabberwocky does.

That's not to say that the Vassago is bad. It is more correct to say that it rides maybe like how a 70's steel Columbus SL tubed road bike rides in comparison to modern road bikes. Sure, it is smooth, but it isn't as snappy as a newer rig, and isn't as exciting to ride, maybe. If that makes any sense at all.....

Anyway, I ended up riding a loop through the old connector trail I made that runs along Ridgeway Avenue on the North side of the road. It's still all there. Funny that, since back when I made it, I couldn't hardly get anyone to help burn it in, and I gave up on it. Some folks dubbed it "Marky-Mark". (I got some help making the trail from another Mark) Kind of weird to ride a trail named after you.

So, back to the bike, eh? The Vassago is merely "okay". The "Wet Cat" geometry is about as attractive as its namesake. Stable to a fault, low-ish, long, and not conducive to getting active with your riding style like some bikes are. And that's okay. It is different. It just is not my cup of tea as far as grabbing this over other bikes I have sitting around. I'm glad I tried it. I am happy with how the build went and with the weight. I'll have to think it over for awhile and see what I want to do with this thing. I think I already have a pretty good idea what will eventually happen here!

Project Black: Update

Yesterday was a glorious late fall day. Sunshine, little wind to speak of, and time off to get out for a ride. I decided to take the Vassago Jabberwocky out for a spin.

I dubbed this "Project Black" some time ago, and used it as a platform to (a) see what the fuss was about a Vassago and to (b) do a lightweight version of a steel single speed. I think I have succeeded in the lightweight department. Project Black ended up at 22lbs ready to ride, as you see it here. That's without any "stupid-light" stuff on it too. So yeah- I could easily take this lower. 

That weight would come out of the wheels and fork. The Black Flags are decently light, but I have stiffer, lighter wheels I could use on it. The fork is a nice early version of a CroMoto Grande, which for a steel fork is light. However; a Niner Bikes fork, for instance, weighs almost half of what this does. So I could throw some money at this and get it down to 20lbs easily enough, but I ain't going to do it. Nope.

I like it fine as is, and I may not hang on to this bike all that long. I mean- I have plenty of single speeds!

 I decided to get out into the Green Belt for a spin. I didn't have all day to drag the rig up to the Camp, and this would be a good test for the Geax Gato 2.1"ers in slicker dirt, which I knew I would find in the Green Belt and not so much at Camp. I was not disappointed either.

The skinnier Gato tires are much like their bigger 2.3" siblings in that you have to run the air a bit lower to get the side knobs to work. It's a good thing I did run 'em lower too, as evidenced here by this sliding sideways mark in this curve. There was just enough side bite to keep it upright. Had the tires been pumped up a bit more, well then.......I probably would have went down here.

The Jabberwocky's longer chain stays probably helped a bit with the stability as well. Speaking of "longer", it is something the Jabberwocky is and you can tell this in tight turns. It isn't real adept at the tighter stuff, and that frame is a bit flexy when you are doing a slow speed maneuver too.

But the same flex that is a detriment there is really the Jabberwocky's best trait as well. The bike feels so smooth, and the lowered pressure in the tires made everything nice until you hit some real bumps in the trail.  Then you'd become aware again that the bike is fully rigid with no suspension to absorb that impact. In fact, the whole bike does this shudder/ringing thing when certain hits are encountered. It's kind of weird, really. I've never had any other bike resonate like a low frequency tuning fork before. Other than this, the Jabberwocky ranks right up there with the smoothest feeling steel frames I've ridden.

In terms of handling it seems to be okay. It isn't a very exciting bike to ride. Very smooth, very stable, and it seems very happy to keep both of its wheels firmly planted on terra-firma. If I had to ride a smooth-ish course for hours on end, I might choose this bike to do it on. If technical features, rough single track, or snappy handling are called for, I am going to reach for my OS Bikes Blackbuck, the Milwaukee Bicycle Company 29"er, or the old Salsa Cycles El Mariachi. If things call for a slightly more stable rig with great slow speed, technical handling and decent steel feel, I would opt for the Sawyer. All of those aforementioned rigs do front wheel lofts and snappy feeling accelerations better than the Jabberwocky does.

That's not to say that the Vassago is bad. It is more correct to say that it rides maybe like how a 70's steel Columbus SL tubed road bike rides in comparison to modern road bikes. Sure, it is smooth, but it isn't as snappy as a newer rig, and isn't as exciting to ride, maybe. If that makes any sense at all.....

Anyway, I ended up riding a loop through the old connector trail I made that runs along Ridgeway Avenue on the North side of the road. It's still all there. Funny that, since back when I made it, I couldn't hardly get anyone to help burn it in, and I gave up on it. Some folks dubbed it "Marky-Mark". (I got some help making the trail from another Mark) Kind of weird to ride a trail named after you.

So, back to the bike, eh? The Vassago is merely "okay". The "Wet Cat" geometry is about as attractive as its namesake. Stable to a fault, low-ish, long, and not conducive to getting active with your riding style like some bikes are. And that's okay. It is different. It just is not my cup of tea as far as grabbing this over other bikes I have sitting around. I'm glad I tried it. I am happy with how the build went and with the weight. I'll have to think it over for awhile and see what I want to do with this thing. I think I already have a pretty good idea what will eventually happen here!

Friday News And Views

And the answer is.....

Canti Or Disc? 

This week I posted up on the question of whether "gravel bikes" should or should not have disc brakes. You can catch that post here if you missed it the first time. 

That post has garnered a lot of hits here on the site, so I figured a bit of follow up was in order here. The first result was seen in the comments section for that post where it seems that the majority voted for "no disc brakes" on their gravel bikes.

The other thing to note here is that this may or may not be a reflection of what cyclo cross bikes should have. However; here is something to chew on regarding both cyclo cross and gravel road going rigs. Until someone, (and my guess is that "someone" will end up being SRAM first), comes up with a reasonable hydraulically actuated brake in a drop bar specific brake/shift lever similar to what is in use now, the disc brake thing on drop bar bikes will be mostly a sideshow. This does not include "converter boxes", which are a kludge and add extra weight and costs. No- the lever will necessarily have to be self contained, or it will be a no-go.

And there are other details to mull over here as well. rotor size, rear spacing, (which looks to be going to 135OD), weight, and other details that would need to get sorted before the disc brake thing for these bikes would make more sense.You know- it reminds me of the disc vs canti mountain bike days of the late 90's/early 00's. Except this is with skinnier tires, which by the way, is something else that will affect the outcome greatly here as well.

This year's model.

Project Black was the other big draw this week. The post where I listed the spec and all of the images were heavily checked out here. Curious that.

I mean, I post a lot of bike's images here, and a few of them I'll post full spec on, but the Vassago Jabberwocky has brought more attention than any of the previous rigs save maybe the Fargo, my BMC Orange Crush, and the OS Bikes Blackbuck.

I can see why the mentioned trio of bikes gets interest. The Fargo- because it is a drop bar mountain bike/adventure rig. The Blackbuck because of the swoopy stays and rarity. The BMC Orange Crush- again for the rarity and the "monster-cross" and gravel bike possibilities perhaps. But the Vassago?

Someone help me out here and tell me what it is that is so fascinating about this steel hard tail. I am flattered that it draws so many hits, but frankly, I don't get it. Not that there is anything inherently wrong with the Jabberwocky, but I don't see anything inherently unique about it either, besides the marketing hype behind the "Wet Cat" geometry, which is not that big a deal, really.

Ride Free.

Pro Road Cycling is in a mess right now. Most of you are aware of what has been going on. Without delving into the details, I wanted to point up something I thought was kind of a stroke of genius, (and is close to my heart), with regard to maybe getting this situation righted.

Greg Lemond wrote a missive on his Facebook page yesterday which was quickly circulated around the Internet. You can read it, and the back ground of the issues here.

Leaving much of that behind, what I want to focus on is what Mr. Lemond wrote near to the end of his rant. I quote him here:

"If people really want to clean the sport of cycling up all you have to do is put your money where your mouth is.
Don't buy a USA Cycling license. Give up racing for a year, just long enough to put the UCI and USA cycling out of business. We can then start from scratch and let the real lovers in cycling direct where and how the sport of cycling will go."

First off, I wouldn't say that you should "give up racing for a year", because you don't have to. I do agree with the rest of this, which I think is brilliant if riders would do this en masse. Do I think this will happen? No. But it should. 

And if it does, there are a ton of "underground" events waiting for the racers. And hey- why not start up your own racing leagues. They did it in Wisconsin with a mountain bike series that flourished for years. So....it can be done. It should be done. 

The UCI is tainted, if not downright corrupt and they- in my humble opinion- had to know what the heck was going on with regard to doping in the peloton. I like what Team Sky is doing- rooting out all past and present dopers. (They sacked Bobby Julich just the other day.) The UCI should do something similar with regard to those who turned their heads to look the other way, or were complicit in some way with what went on in road cycling. Clean house. Do it now. Lance Armstrong isn't the problem. He's just the highest profile rider involved. Caught up in something that the UCI was responsible to stop, to prevent, and to police more vigilantly. They failed. They should accept responsibility and do the right thing.

That's my take. Nuff said.... 

3GR: Yep! It is getting colder. Yep! It is darker in the AM. Big deal. 3GR is still going to happen, so if you want to ride, show up at Gateway Park, 8:30am, and we'll ride the route. Thanks to all you who gave it a shot and I hope more of you will try it out. We're having fun- you could be too. 

And that's a wrap. Ride a bicycle this weekend. Take care! 

Friday News And Views

And the answer is.....

Canti Or Disc? 

This week I posted up on the question of whether "gravel bikes" should or should not have disc brakes. You can catch that post here if you missed it the first time. 

That post has garnered a lot of hits here on the site, so I figured a bit of follow up was in order here. The first result was seen in the comments section for that post where it seems that the majority voted for "no disc brakes" on their gravel bikes.

The other thing to note here is that this may or may not be a reflection of what cyclo cross bikes should have. However; here is something to chew on regarding both cyclo cross and gravel road going rigs. Until someone, (and my guess is that "someone" will end up being SRAM first), comes up with a reasonable hydraulically actuated brake in a drop bar specific brake/shift lever similar to what is in use now, the disc brake thing on drop bar bikes will be mostly a sideshow. This does not include "converter boxes", which are a kludge and add extra weight and costs. No- the lever will necessarily have to be self contained, or it will be a no-go.

And there are other details to mull over here as well. rotor size, rear spacing, (which looks to be going to 135OD), weight, and other details that would need to get sorted before the disc brake thing for these bikes would make more sense.You know- it reminds me of the disc vs canti mountain bike days of the late 90's/early 00's. Except this is with skinnier tires, which by the way, is something else that will affect the outcome greatly here as well.

This year's model.

Project Black was the other big draw this week. The post where I listed the spec and all of the images were heavily checked out here. Curious that.

I mean, I post a lot of bike's images here, and a few of them I'll post full spec on, but the Vassago Jabberwocky has brought more attention than any of the previous rigs save maybe the Fargo, my BMC Orange Crush, and the OS Bikes Blackbuck.

I can see why the mentioned trio of bikes gets interest. The Fargo- because it is a drop bar mountain bike/adventure rig. The Blackbuck because of the swoopy stays and rarity. The BMC Orange Crush- again for the rarity and the "monster-cross" and gravel bike possibilities perhaps. But the Vassago?

Someone help me out here and tell me what it is that is so fascinating about this steel hard tail. I am flattered that it draws so many hits, but frankly, I don't get it. Not that there is anything inherently wrong with the Jabberwocky, but I don't see anything inherently unique about it either, besides the marketing hype behind the "Wet Cat" geometry, which is not that big a deal, really.

Ride Free.

Pro Road Cycling is in a mess right now. Most of you are aware of what has been going on. Without delving into the details, I wanted to point up something I thought was kind of a stroke of genius, (and is close to my heart), with regard to maybe getting this situation righted.

Greg Lemond wrote a missive on his Facebook page yesterday which was quickly circulated around the Internet. You can read it, and the back ground of the issues here.

Leaving much of that behind, what I want to focus on is what Mr. Lemond wrote near to the end of his rant. I quote him here:

"If people really want to clean the sport of cycling up all you have to do is put your money where your mouth is.
Don't buy a USA Cycling license. Give up racing for a year, just long enough to put the UCI and USA cycling out of business. We can then start from scratch and let the real lovers in cycling direct where and how the sport of cycling will go."

First off, I wouldn't say that you should "give up racing for a year", because you don't have to. I do agree with the rest of this, which I think is brilliant if riders would do this en masse. Do I think this will happen? No. But it should. 

And if it does, there are a ton of "underground" events waiting for the racers. And hey- why not start up your own racing leagues. They did it in Wisconsin with a mountain bike series that flourished for years. So....it can be done. It should be done. 

The UCI is tainted, if not downright corrupt and they- in my humble opinion- had to know what the heck was going on with regard to doping in the peloton. I like what Team Sky is doing- rooting out all past and present dopers. (They sacked Bobby Julich just the other day.) The UCI should do something similar with regard to those who turned their heads to look the other way, or were complicit in some way with what went on in road cycling. Clean house. Do it now. Lance Armstrong isn't the problem. He's just the highest profile rider involved. Caught up in something that the UCI was responsible to stop, to prevent, and to police more vigilantly. They failed. They should accept responsibility and do the right thing.

That's my take. Nuff said.... 

3GR: Yep! It is getting colder. Yep! It is darker in the AM. Big deal. 3GR is still going to happen, so if you want to ride, show up at Gateway Park, 8:30am, and we'll ride the route. Thanks to all you who gave it a shot and I hope more of you will try it out. We're having fun- you could be too. 

And that's a wrap. Ride a bicycle this weekend. Take care! 

The Nitty-Gritty Wham-Bam

Project Black: In The Wild

Or: Dancing With Project Black

Wednesday. The day off from the shop job.  Usually I go out and at least grab a quick test ride on whatever it is I am doing for TNI.com. This time I was doing that, but it also was the maiden voyage off road for the Project Black Vassago. You can check out the particulars on that rig here.

I decided to go out to The Camp yesterday. I figured the landscape would be right for the Geax Gato tires I was sporting on the bicycle. With several days of moisture around here, I figured the dirt would be softened up quite a bit, and I was right about that part. Even the deer tracks were post-holed and skid marks from their running, stopping, and changing directions were everywhere in evidence.

The thing I hadn't considered was that almost all the leaves that used to be on trees were now all over the trails. This made for a surface that was like grease underneath a layer of slippery sheaves of paper that would slide and shift if you pushed your luck too far. Treacherous to be sure, but even more so when one considers the rocks and roots that lay hidden underneath the multicolored blanket of foliage.

Like a mung covered tooth in blackened gums.

Project Black had one round trip on it to work and back to ferret out any niggling issues it may have. I tweaked the seat angle, checked all the bolts, and aligned the brake calipers, but it was pretty much spot on. With that I figured the only thing holding me back would be the unknown of the tires and the brakes needing bedding in.

Oh yeah, and that rear cog? It was ridiculously low geared for a commute, so I looked at it finally. A 22T!! What the....!! I didn't know I'd ever used a 22T before, but there it was, big as life. Oh well....

I was at the Camp and I was going to ride that Vassago no matter. It was a strange riding bike. On one hand, it is nice and smooth, even without considering the long seat post, because it felt great out of the saddle also. The Salsa fork is perfectly matched to this frame. The steering being not heavy, or quirky in any way. So, on top of it, the Vassago seems like a very nice frame.

But underneath it all, the "Wet Cat" geometry is sort of......well, it is boring, actually. The bike is so stable and refined feeling that nothing seems to upset you while you are riding it. Nothing stands out. Cornering is neutral to the point of being ho-hum. Climbing traction is great to the point that you shouldn't ever have to worry about it, (from the bike's standpoint. Now your legs are another matter.) Slow speed technical handling is so easy it is crazy. Only the tires let me down yesterday.

Untangling myself after the carnage.

Literally- they let me down right in the little technical rock garden after climbing out of the Lower section of trails. The slippery rocks beneath the leaves got me, and wham-bam! There I was sitting on my arse, legs tangled in the frame.

As I sat there assessing my situation, I noticed a small troupe of deer had come up from behind the hillock to my backside. They hadn't even noticed me, but suddenly they did and everyone, including myself, froze. I watched as the deer tried to ascertain my intentions, while I made some unusual sounds to confuse them for my entertainment. The deer responded by being confused as to what I was, and how to react to me. They eventually, cautiously, tip-toed away, giving pause to look back to see if I was moving every so often. Then they were gone. I love being entertained by deer. But now it was time to ride on.

Hmm.....let's see. A couple of small puncture wounds on the right knee, but nothing to fret over. I stood up and re-mounted the Jabberwocky. Its stable ride begged me to take right off again with no concern for what had just happened. Like a dance partner that knows the steps and you just follow their lead, the Vassago was a very easy to trust steed. Back in the day, there were cars called "business coupes". The Jabberwocky is like a business coupe. It works efficiently, with no drama, but it is "plain jane" while doing so. Almost boring, like a stripped down, workman-like business coupe of the early 50's. But you know it will get the job done every time.

Leaves obscuring the trail.

That low gear actually worked out to my advantage as well. It kept me from speeding too quickly and missing the clues as to where the trail actually was at. The trails were almost obliterated by those downed leaves and I had to keep a sharp eye out for where they were pressed down by other cyclists to reveal where the path lay.

Climbing was so easy, I stayed seated the entire ride, with the exception of coasting. The Jabberwocky just hooked up and went on up, no matter the pitch.

The Geax tires were pitching dirt around me like an old time manure spreader. It was humorous to see clods of dirt fly up and then disappear as I rode along. The gritty dirt was sticking to my shins, and the area near the end of the loop was drier, tackier, and more fun.

So the end of the ride was a bit more fun without the sketchy off camber and unseen roots and rocks knocking the bike off-line. By the time I looped back to the truck again, I had decided the Jabberwocky- although not very exciting- was going to stick around for awhile.

The Nitty-Gritty Wham-Bam

Project Black: In The Wild

Or: Dancing With Project Black

Wednesday. The day off from the shop job.  Usually I go out and at least grab a quick test ride on whatever it is I am doing for TNI.com. This time I was doing that, but it also was the maiden voyage off road for the Project Black Vassago. You can check out the particulars on that rig here.

I decided to go out to The Camp yesterday. I figured the landscape would be right for the Geax Gato tires I was sporting on the bicycle. With several days of moisture around here, I figured the dirt would be softened up quite a bit, and I was right about that part. Even the deer tracks were post-holed and skid marks from their running, stopping, and changing directions were everywhere in evidence.

The thing I hadn't considered was that almost all the leaves that used to be on trees were now all over the trails. This made for a surface that was like grease underneath a layer of slippery sheaves of paper that would slide and shift if you pushed your luck too far. Treacherous to be sure, but even more so when one considers the rocks and roots that lay hidden underneath the multicolored blanket of foliage.

Like a mung covered tooth in blackened gums.

Project Black had one round trip on it to work and back to ferret out any niggling issues it may have. I tweaked the seat angle, checked all the bolts, and aligned the brake calipers, but it was pretty much spot on. With that I figured the only thing holding me back would be the unknown of the tires and the brakes needing bedding in.

Oh yeah, and that rear cog? It was ridiculously low geared for a commute, so I looked at it finally. A 22T!! What the....!! I didn't know I'd ever used a 22T before, but there it was, big as life. Oh well....

I was at the Camp and I was going to ride that Vassago no matter. It was a strange riding bike. On one hand, it is nice and smooth, even without considering the long seat post, because it felt great out of the saddle also. The Salsa fork is perfectly matched to this frame. The steering being not heavy, or quirky in any way. So, on top of it, the Vassago seems like a very nice frame.

But underneath it all, the "Wet Cat" geometry is sort of......well, it is boring, actually. The bike is so stable and refined feeling that nothing seems to upset you while you are riding it. Nothing stands out. Cornering is neutral to the point of being ho-hum. Climbing traction is great to the point that you shouldn't ever have to worry about it, (from the bike's standpoint. Now your legs are another matter.) Slow speed technical handling is so easy it is crazy. Only the tires let me down yesterday.

Untangling myself after the carnage.

Literally- they let me down right in the little technical rock garden after climbing out of the Lower section of trails. The slippery rocks beneath the leaves got me, and wham-bam! There I was sitting on my arse, legs tangled in the frame.

As I sat there assessing my situation, I noticed a small troupe of deer had come up from behind the hillock to my backside. They hadn't even noticed me, but suddenly they did and everyone, including myself, froze. I watched as the deer tried to ascertain my intentions, while I made some unusual sounds to confuse them for my entertainment. The deer responded by being confused as to what I was, and how to react to me. They eventually, cautiously, tip-toed away, giving pause to look back to see if I was moving every so often. Then they were gone. I love being entertained by deer. But now it was time to ride on.

Hmm.....let's see. A couple of small puncture wounds on the right knee, but nothing to fret over. I stood up and re-mounted the Jabberwocky. Its stable ride begged me to take right off again with no concern for what had just happened. Like a dance partner that knows the steps and you just follow their lead, the Vassago was a very easy to trust steed. Back in the day, there were cars called "business coupes". The Jabberwocky is like a business coupe. It works efficiently, with no drama, but it is "plain jane" while doing so. Almost boring, like a stripped down, workman-like business coupe of the early 50's. But you know it will get the job done every time.

Leaves obscuring the trail.

That low gear actually worked out to my advantage as well. It kept me from speeding too quickly and missing the clues as to where the trail actually was at. The trails were almost obliterated by those downed leaves and I had to keep a sharp eye out for where they were pressed down by other cyclists to reveal where the path lay.

Climbing was so easy, I stayed seated the entire ride, with the exception of coasting. The Jabberwocky just hooked up and went on up, no matter the pitch.

The Geax tires were pitching dirt around me like an old time manure spreader. It was humorous to see clods of dirt fly up and then disappear as I rode along. The gritty dirt was sticking to my shins, and the area near the end of the loop was drier, tackier, and more fun.

So the end of the ride was a bit more fun without the sketchy off camber and unseen roots and rocks knocking the bike off-line. By the time I looped back to the truck again, I had decided the Jabberwocky- although not very exciting- was going to stick around for awhile.

Project Black (And Blue!) Completed

Project Black:

Well, this ended up becoming a failure. I had to use a blue Chris King head set. Bah! 

Oh well, at least it is finished, and I have test ridden it around the house a couple of times. I think it should stay together! At least it felt like it should. The thing is, single speeds are almost too easy to set up, so I sometimes don't pay as much attention to detail on my own bikes when I build them up. Fortunately, I did happen to check all the bolts before I rode it! I'll just leave it at that. And the brakes actually work, which is a whole chapter unto itself. I won't get into that here.

So, without further adieu, here is the build list, which is listed in no particular order. Let's see here...

• Vassago Jabberwocky 18" steel frame
• Salsa Cycles CroMoto Grande fork- (first gen edition)
• Sun Ringle' Black Flag wheel set 
• Geax Gato 2.1" folding bead tires set up tubeless w/MG's Special Sauce
• Thomson Elite 400mm seat post
• Bontrager Race X Lite stem
• TruVativ Noir carbon riser bar
• No-Name lock on grips
• Avid Juicy Ultimate brakes 160mm frt/140mm rear rotors
• TruVativ Stylo Team 180mm crankset w/32T/bash set up. GXP BB
• Surly Cog (Ginormous size. I think it's a 20T, but who's counting?)
• Sachs chain. (Yes- an old 90's era Sachs chain!)
• Bontrager RL saddle- titanium rails
• Shimano clipless pedals. (Lower end ones)

Did I miss anything? I don't think so. Well, that should cover it. It all adds up to 22lbs, ready to ride. I could knock this build down a bit further in weight without too much trouble too. I'm sure many of you can see where.

Impressions: 

I've only ever tooled down the road briefly on a Vassago once before which belonged to Captain Bob, (ironically enough, as that's who I got this one from), so I didn't have a very good idea of what to expect here. Once I got some components bolted to the frame, however, it quickly became apparent that this was a light frame. The build was going to end up being light, and it did go that way.

The "Wet Cat" geometry thing is definitely odd. Well- I should say it isn't so much the numbers, but the way it was laid out here which is weird compared to some bikes. For instance, the seat tube is a bit short for the top tube's effective length. In that way it really reminds me of the first Raleigh XXIX. (Thus the 400mm Thomson post, which this short seat tube made necessary.)  Secondly, that "shortness" carries over to the shorter head tube on this frame. The top tube/down tube junction here looks like it is from a small sized bike, like a 16"er or even smaller. Odd layout, to be sure.

Otherwise what you have here is a lower bottom bracket, a (for its time), slacker head angle, (although now it is right in the ball park with everyone elses stuff), and a bit long-ish chain stay length. Nothing too unusual there, but when it came out, it definitely was oddball geometry.

Although the bike is complete, here are a few things I may be swapping out in the future.

The Fork: The front fork has 44mm of offset. With the slack-ish head angle, it may be too slow for my tastes. I can put on a 47mm offset fork, and that is an On One Carbon Superlight fork. So it would get the weight down even further as well. Plus, that fork is black, (but not all black), so it would fit the theme here.

Head Set Spacers/Stem/Handle Bar: I have to figure out where I want the bars to end up  here. It's close, but things might change. The best bet is that a wider and a bit more compliant handle bar like the Whammy Bar may end up on here.

Gearing: Obviously, I have a low gear on here. Somewhere I have an 18T Misfit Psycles aluminum cog, or perhaps I'll get something new and similar to that. But maybe I won't. Depends if I decide I really like the bike or not. For now it is rideable, so I will live with that gear for now.

Pedals: I really need to try those XT Trail pedals. Mmmm......

Okay, that's it for now. I'll be back after some riding to update on this Project bike. 

Project Black (And Blue!) Completed

Project Black:

Well, this ended up becoming a failure. I had to use a blue Chris King head set. Bah! 

Oh well, at least it is finished, and I have test ridden it around the house a couple of times. I think it should stay together! At least it felt like it should. The thing is, single speeds are almost too easy to set up, so I sometimes don't pay as much attention to detail on my own bikes when I build them up. Fortunately, I did happen to check all the bolts before I rode it! I'll just leave it at that. And the brakes actually work, which is a whole chapter unto itself. I won't get into that here.

So, without further adieu, here is the build list, which is listed in no particular order. Let's see here...

• Vassago Jabberwocky 18" steel frame
• Salsa Cycles CroMoto Grande fork- (first gen edition)
• Sun Ringle' Black Flag wheel set 
• Geax Gato 2.1" folding bead tires set up tubeless w/MG's Special Sauce
• Thomson Elite 400mm seat post
• Bontrager Race X Lite stem
• TruVativ Noir carbon riser bar
• No-Name lock on grips
• Avid Juicy Ultimate brakes 160mm frt/140mm rear rotors
• TruVativ Stylo Team 180mm crankset w/32T/bash set up. GXP BB
• Surly Cog (Ginormous size. I think it's a 20T, but who's counting?)
• Sachs chain. (Yes- an old 90's era Sachs chain!)
• Bontrager RL saddle- titanium rails
• Shimano clipless pedals. (Lower end ones)

Did I miss anything? I don't think so. Well, that should cover it. It all adds up to 22lbs, ready to ride. I could knock this build down a bit further in weight without too much trouble too. I'm sure many of you can see where.

Impressions: 

I've only ever tooled down the road briefly on a Vassago once before which belonged to Captain Bob, (ironically enough, as that's who I got this one from), so I didn't have a very good idea of what to expect here. Once I got some components bolted to the frame, however, it quickly became apparent that this was a light frame. The build was going to end up being light, and it did go that way.

The "Wet Cat" geometry thing is definitely odd. Well- I should say it isn't so much the numbers, but the way it was laid out here which is weird compared to some bikes. For instance, the seat tube is a bit short for the top tube's effective length. In that way it really reminds me of the first Raleigh XXIX. (Thus the 400mm Thomson post, which this short seat tube made necessary.)  Secondly, that "shortness" carries over to the shorter head tube on this frame. The top tube/down tube junction here looks like it is from a small sized bike, like a 16"er or even smaller. Odd layout, to be sure.

Otherwise what you have here is a lower bottom bracket, a (for its time), slacker head angle, (although now it is right in the ball park with everyone elses stuff), and a bit long-ish chain stay length. Nothing too unusual there, but when it came out, it definitely was oddball geometry.

Although the bike is complete, here are a few things I may be swapping out in the future.

The Fork: The front fork has 44mm of offset. With the slack-ish head angle, it may be too slow for my tastes. I can put on a 47mm offset fork, and that is an On One Carbon Superlight fork. So it would get the weight down even further as well. Plus, that fork is black, (but not all black), so it would fit the theme here.

Head Set Spacers/Stem/Handle Bar: I have to figure out where I want the bars to end up  here. It's close, but things might change. The best bet is that a wider and a bit more compliant handle bar like the Whammy Bar may end up on here.

Gearing: Obviously, I have a low gear on here. Somewhere I have an 18T Misfit Psycles aluminum cog, or perhaps I'll get something new and similar to that. But maybe I won't. Depends if I decide I really like the bike or not. For now it is rideable, so I will live with that gear for now.

Pedals: I really need to try those XT Trail pedals. Mmmm......

Okay, that's it for now. I'll be back after some riding to update on this Project bike. 

Friday News And Views

Project Black

Update On Project Black:

I have some new parts on the way for this. They are critical parts for the build. One of them is a Thomson Elite post at 400mm in length. The Vassago has a short seat tube with quite an extension above the junction with the top tube, so I want to make sure I have a proper amount of post into the frame.

The other thing is a set of brakes, but the Avid Juicy Ultimates will get me by for now. I already have yanked the Geax AKA TNT tires and replaced them with some Geax Gato 2.1"s. Those are a folding bead tire and save me over a 100gms a piece. I set those up tubeless on the Black Flag rims, which are a Stan's licensed design. The tires popped on beautifully. Should be grippy as heck even though they look mighty skinny!

The crank set is about to be yanked from its current place holder and transferred over. Then with a chain I should be good to get this out and about. Maybe this weekend, if I can find some time.

Whammy!

Wide Track:

I've been considering some things in regards to handle bars lately. I have been riding one of my several single speed bikes with a bar that is wide. I like the leverage for climbing, but it's more than that. As long as I can get through the trees, I think the wider bars are the way to go for me.

I used to have an On One 29"er with a Niner Bikes Flat Top 9 bar that was something like half a football field long. Well......not really, but it was pretty dang wide, and that bike holds some fond memories for me as far as how it felt up front with those bars.

While bars like the Salsa Cycles Whammy Bar, (pictured), might seem stupid-long at 780mm, I think I'm going to order one up in the coming week or so. (Besides- I play guitar and how could I not have a handle bar with that name!) I may be mating that with a shorty stem, and seeing how that turns out. More later....

New T.I.V9 Sponsor!

Back For More: 

Looks like Trans Iowa V9 has a returning sponsor in Gu Energy. It's always great to see companies like Gu Energy stepping up to sponsor grassroots racing events like Trans Iowa and other events like it. I think this makes three years in a row for Gu Energy to be a sponsor of T.I.

I get why companies want to sponsor marquee athletes, but it sort of warms my heart just a bit to see the guys out of the limelight, doing the events that are not well known, get some support. Thanks to Gu Energy and all the other Trans Iowa V9 sponsors. I appreciate each and every one of you.

Speaking of Trans Iowa, I have every intention of getting out there and doing some recon as soon as I can, (and as soon as the family is all healthy again), so stay tuned for a recon post. It'll happen soon. Also, there are less than three weeks to go before Registration starts. Always a fun time!

Fat Bike Fun:

At the risk of you folks saying "Aha! That's an offset wheel build!" I will let you all know that I know the rider personally and that he is a smooth, skilled rider. So, enjoy the video, and maybe get inspired to roll some rocks of your own.

I am constantly amazed by what can be done on a fat bike, (or for that matter, by the guys doing this stuff on road bikes as well), which maybe speaks more to the skills of riders than it does about whatever bike they happen to be riding that day.

Gravel Travel:

I'm feeling like I need to get out on the gravel again. Last week the 3GR was cancelled due to the inclement weather, but this weekend it is looking like it shouldn't be an issue to do that ride. But I think I may need more than that.

If I can get ambitious, I am going to try to get out before the sun comes up and fit in some extra miles Saturday morning. If it works as planned, I would then meet up and ride with whomever shows at the regular meeting spot for the 3GR at 8:30am.  Hopefully I can tack on about an extra 20 to the regular amount that I ride.

Gotta get on that early, because the rest of the day is spoken for, and Sunday may be a wash with my schedule filled up all morning and into the afternoon already. We'll see. I just am itching to get more miles in. Can't say why for sure.  Can't really put my finger on it, but I am.

Well, I hope you all get to riding a bicycle this weekend! Have a good one!

Friday News And Views

Project Black

Update On Project Black:

I have some new parts on the way for this. They are critical parts for the build. One of them is a Thomson Elite post at 400mm in length. The Vassago has a short seat tube with quite an extension above the junction with the top tube, so I want to make sure I have a proper amount of post into the frame.

The other thing is a set of brakes, but the Avid Juicy Ultimates will get me by for now. I already have yanked the Geax AKA TNT tires and replaced them with some Geax Gato 2.1"s. Those are a folding bead tire and save me over a 100gms a piece. I set those up tubeless on the Black Flag rims, which are a Stan's licensed design. The tires popped on beautifully. Should be grippy as heck even though they look mighty skinny!

The crank set is about to be yanked from its current place holder and transferred over. Then with a chain I should be good to get this out and about. Maybe this weekend, if I can find some time.

Whammy!

Wide Track:

I've been considering some things in regards to handle bars lately. I have been riding one of my several single speed bikes with a bar that is wide. I like the leverage for climbing, but it's more than that. As long as I can get through the trees, I think the wider bars are the way to go for me.

I used to have an On One 29"er with a Niner Bikes Flat Top 9 bar that was something like half a football field long. Well......not really, but it was pretty dang wide, and that bike holds some fond memories for me as far as how it felt up front with those bars.

While bars like the Salsa Cycles Whammy Bar, (pictured), might seem stupid-long at 780mm, I think I'm going to order one up in the coming week or so. (Besides- I play guitar and how could I not have a handle bar with that name!) I may be mating that with a shorty stem, and seeing how that turns out. More later....

New T.I.V9 Sponsor!

Back For More: 

Looks like Trans Iowa V9 has a returning sponsor in Gu Energy. It's always great to see companies like Gu Energy stepping up to sponsor grassroots racing events like Trans Iowa and other events like it. I think this makes three years in a row for Gu Energy to be a sponsor of T.I.

I get why companies want to sponsor marquee athletes, but it sort of warms my heart just a bit to see the guys out of the limelight, doing the events that are not well known, get some support. Thanks to Gu Energy and all the other Trans Iowa V9 sponsors. I appreciate each and every one of you.

Speaking of Trans Iowa, I have every intention of getting out there and doing some recon as soon as I can, (and as soon as the family is all healthy again), so stay tuned for a recon post. It'll happen soon. Also, there are less than three weeks to go before Registration starts. Always a fun time!

Fat Bike Fun:

At the risk of you folks saying "Aha! That's an offset wheel build!" I will let you all know that I know the rider personally and that he is a smooth, skilled rider. So, enjoy the video, and maybe get inspired to roll some rocks of your own.

I am constantly amazed by what can be done on a fat bike, (or for that matter, by the guys doing this stuff on road bikes as well), which maybe speaks more to the skills of riders than it does about whatever bike they happen to be riding that day.

Gravel Travel:

I'm feeling like I need to get out on the gravel again. Last week the 3GR was cancelled due to the inclement weather, but this weekend it is looking like it shouldn't be an issue to do that ride. But I think I may need more than that.

If I can get ambitious, I am going to try to get out before the sun comes up and fit in some extra miles Saturday morning. If it works as planned, I would then meet up and ride with whomever shows at the regular meeting spot for the 3GR at 8:30am.  Hopefully I can tack on about an extra 20 to the regular amount that I ride.

Gotta get on that early, because the rest of the day is spoken for, and Sunday may be a wash with my schedule filled up all morning and into the afternoon already. We'll see. I just am itching to get more miles in. Can't say why for sure.  Can't really put my finger on it, but I am.

Well, I hope you all get to riding a bicycle this weekend! Have a good one!