suitcase only for you.

David Yang said:

What in the what?...?  I need someone to explain this bike to me and how its not going to sever your arm off when you shoulder mount it to carry.

I fail to see the problem Yanger....#whatdowntube?

All of those Giants look great. Obviously I could never ride the polka-dot one as I am gravitationally challenged. Shame the pink one has Sunweb on it, but I still like it. However the one @JohnOlsson digs is probably the most elegant bike I have seen in a long time.

And I know they ride great (I rode Roger's USA Champ TCR a few years back and it was very responsive).

But I'm over 50 now and so I am super finicky about things: like people not being able to parallel park properly and very small details on bikes.

I thought the 2016 colors of the Giant Advanced were kinda awesome, then I thought the 2017 were even more so, but here's the 2018... even moar awesome!! (this is the model most of us ride)

Also, worth mention, Michael Matthews rode these -- integrated everything -- during some tour stages:

The Giant team deal is one of the best I've ever seen.  Those bikes are at the pinnacle of technology.  They are...to quote Eloy "amaze-balls".
I almost reached for one of their cross bikes, until I realized I will rarely do a cross race.  Instead I reached back into my past and brought new life to an old frame.  Found a Slingshot cross frame in my size for $200.  To put this in perspective, Tutankhamen's pyramid, machu picchu, the titanic = all minor finds comparatively.
So I had my Michigan built steel frame shipped to New Jersey for Pantone 021 Orange paint and then forwarded to some fine people in Brooklyn who assembled it for me.  Notice the words "carbon" and "China" never entered the equation.  I foraged together some parts from my recycle bin (Chris King headset off my old Ti Bianchi circa 2000, my shockpost from 1994, Herschel's DT Swiss wheelset = u get the picture).  Redbeard filled in the blanks with parts and advice.
Today was shakedown down day and the orange crusher acquitted herself admirably.  Slingshots are not "responsive"...I believe was the word Eloy used for the Giant...they have a bit of turbo lag where inputs are stored and then SHOT BACK IN YOUR FACE !  They are "lively" and they climb like nobody's biz.  You don't slam them into turns, instead they just sort of melt into them.  They are plush providing about an inch of  suspension.  Now I also added a shockstop suspension stem up front & there is the suspension seatpost out back.  I built this bike up for the trails I will be riding (fire roads, bridle paths with lots of horse duvets & singletrack). The bike doesn't accelerate quickly...she takes her time getting up to speed...but she can hold speed like a champ.  All that suspension works.  Today I was aiming for stuff to hit in the trails.  After an hour on the dirt I got off the bike and was surprisingly fresh.  Felt like I just did a road ride.  
I buy bikes that are fun...fun to look at and ride.  I've got a Spooky Skeletor, All-City Thunderdome, Santa Cruz Superlight & Slingshot.  I love each of them...3 of them were made in the USA...I love that too.
Now the Slingshot....townie, cross , monster cross, touring, folder, winter bike, gravel...yes to all and then some.  Most importantly...it makes me happy to ride it.  You may see me at a cross race on it...maybe not on the front...but I'll be smiling....
FRONT

MID

REAR

She is smooth as butter...not a Porsche...more of a Cadillac
 My Caddy is pimped....

and Huggy Bear approved...

I thought the cable bike was a long-running joke. At least I hoped it was. I still do. But I am beginning to think Yacks actually intends to ride a CX bike with a cable frame. smh

if you thought disc brakes could slice fingers, it was before you saw yack's new old bike!

Say hello to my little friend


Bc I swear I still ride on the road sometimes…

A proper stem

twoyacks said:

A proper stem

Still working on my flexibility

Yackobee's stem is pretty pretty short too.

The Spooky has a 70....the Slingshot has a 90 only because that is the shortest I could get the suspension stem. Trying to adjust by putting on a road bar with a shorter reach on this week.  That stem ain't going anywhere...

Cuz I ain't ridding this stuff without it...

@ChristinaWoolston I met your HOT new CX bike tonight at Redbeard… just wow.

So today is new bike day! Will post pictures tonight!

Scored a good find at the NY Bike Jumble!

I was looking for something with decent tire clearance, 400mm axle to crown measurement, and 72° head tube angle, so that I could convert it into a cargo bike.

After one pass by every booth I was disappointed, as it was mostly typical vintage road bikes with 23mm tires, or pretty lame MTBs… but then I noticed this a weird steel lugged Specialized with 32mm tires. It said EXPEDITION on the downtube, which I had never heard of. Turns out it was a touring bike designed by Tim Neenan, Specialized's first frame designer – responsible also for the original Sequoia, Allez, and Stumpjumpers. The Expedition it turns out was based on a custom touring frame he built for Mike Sinyard.

It just so happened to be in my size, have a 400mm fork, and a 72° ht angle. Sold.





- downtube bottle bosses
- internal dynamo wire routing
- canti brakes
- double butted tubing
- ornate lugs

Excited to get this beaut in shape and on the road.

Good find Ben. Going to steal your thunder here.

Purchased yesterday: new bike, new shoes, new pedals. They say "nothing new on race day", but what if its all new? Fear not, @JillWhite and I found a few patches of dirt,acorns, and grass to practice on today in Prospect Park. Not only did I learn how to mount and dismount, I learned that falling on a cross bike is much slower than in a crit. We also found a bit of "single track" and Jill taught me how to take a proper photo of my bike. 

This is the first new, latest model bike I've ever owned. Very exciting.

Greg happened to be at RBB and leant his lats during my fitting. Not shown:bike photocred: @Kasia Nikhamina

Here are some pictures of the actual bike:

Yes its SRAM 1x and hydraulic brakes


I did fall once, blood and impending bruise to prove it.


Whirlybird tomorrow, and maybe an actual race report from GMSR. Which was a lifetime (or a week) ago. 

New bike ordered! 2018 TCR Advanced SL2-KOM!

 

I don't always ride carbon...but when I do...it's a GIANT

Ladies and gentlemen, 

Introducing…

The Poochmover 3000 v2



No drive sides no masters.

A Triple !!!

Mark Taylor said:

A Triple !!!

Def the weirdest part of the bike

Say hello to my newest Houston climbing machine ... who am I kidding, there are no hills here! This will be my Crit magnet. Cinelli Experience Especial with (thank you @SeanMiles) ultegra 10spd shifters / derailleur and brakes, and a 53/39 23/11 gearing ratio. I'll be mashing 40mph+ sprints in no time. Wheel upgrade in the near future. 

If you've ridden with me any time over the past year, I've probably talked your ear off about how I'm going to ride the Arizona Trail, and the mountain bike I was scheming to build up to ride it on. Well, after a whole lot of talk, I finally got around to it. Immmmmmense thanks to @Redbeard for their incredible patience and guidance on this build, and humoring my desire for shiny things. Ladies and gentlemen… I give you my new trusty steed for multi-week back-country singletrack bikepacking… 



Let's talk specs… 

• Surly Karate Monkey frame (with low-key racist logo scratched off)
• 27.5 x 2.85" Canis Onza tires
• Rohloff speedhub (no smashing derailleur on rocks) in the back
• Dynamo hub in the front, which powers front and rear lights, and USB charging port
• super shiny Velocity rims
• white industries chainring and cranks (also super shiny)
• paul QR & levers
• Fairweather Nitto bullmoose bars
• Fox 140mm fork
• shiny shiny shiny

What should I name it?

USB charging port, you'll make so many friends. [edit] Something from MadMax?

bikes nice...need this...

Sound system is not shiny enough for Ben’s bike. Must be shiny!

Time for some off roading thanks to Ilya, Kasia, and the crew