El Martillo aka “The Hammer”, by Ventana Mountain Bikes USA
A little Ventana history, courtesy of their website:
“Since the early 1970’s, Sherwood Gibson, one of Ventana’s two original founders has been assembling a wealth of bicycle specific product knowledge. Gibson began in 1974 as a BMX competitor in Northern California. He added to his seat-of-the-pants education with three years of high school metal shop, four years metals study in junior college with certification in welding and machining, and a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. Gibson’s bicycle manufacturing interests first took form in BMX component and side hack designs that he built in his dad’s garage during the week and raced on the weekends. In 1985 he built his first mountain bike frame of steel. And by competing in the infancy of mountain bike racing, including the infamous Whisky Town Downhill, Gibson gained critical feedback about the integrity of his concepts.”
Ventana Mountain Bikes USA was formed in late 1988 as a joint venture between Gibson and Steve Blalock of Monterey, California. Gibson and Blalock remained partners until 1991 when Gibson became sole owner. The two shared a common interest in mountain bikes and their construction. Ventana is named for the rugged coastal wilderness in Big Sur near Blalock’s home.” Read more about the company’s history HERE.
Read more about the Ventana El Martillo CX HERE.
Guy Fazzio’s Ventana El Martillo Cross Bike
Frame: Ventana El Martillo CX Aluminum Disc with butted and ovalized proprietary tubing. Candy Raspberry powdercoat. 135mm rear spacing with Ventana low mount disc dropouts.
Fork: Carbon disc brake (eBay special), 1 1/8″ to 1 1/2″ steerer… Enve on the way 🙂
Headset: Chris King 1 1/8″ to 1 1/2″.
Seatpost: Zipp Service Course SL.
Saddle: Specialized Toupe.
Wheelset: Gravel wheels, Mavic Aksium Disc. Race wheels (not pictured), Boyd 44mm Carbon Tubulars with Grifo 33mm tires (tyres).
Tyres: Panaracer Gravel King 30mm.
Handlebars: Zipp Service Course SL.
Stem: Zipp Service Course SL.
Shifters: Campagnolo Centaur Carbon 10 speed.
Derailleurs: Shimano CX top pull front, Campagnolo Centaur Carbon rear.
Crankset: SRAM Force, Stronglight 50/38 chainrings.
Bottom Bracket: Chris King external cup.
Pedals: Crank Brothers Eggbeater Candy.
Cassette: Campagnolo 12-29 10 speed.
Brakes: Avid BB7 Mechanical, 160mm front rotor, 140mm rear rotor, TRP disconnect compression-less housings.
Bottle Cages: King Iris.
Apologies for any errors or omissions in the bike’s specifications.
Photos – Click a thumbnail image to see full size (hosted by Flickr).
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