Big Head Todd’s SS Monster Crosser

Big Head Todd’s SS Monster Crosser

September 14, 2014

BHT, aka Todd, is an other limerock / gravel aficionado who resides in the current hometown of Gravel Cyclist.  Today, a feature about the machine that BHT resurrected from the dead.  Can you say, single speed sweetness?

Excerpt from BHT himself…

This is a different kind of monster cross: No titanium, no carbon, no electronics, no maintenance, no problem. While it is a mix of old and new parts, at the heart of this build is the frame I rode exclusively from 1991-2007 (bonus fun fact – I got that bike from a friend in Michigan who went to high school with John Tomac). Inspired by the competition rigs of Dr. Pain and JOM, this is a training machine for the flatland dirt roads west of Gainesville. Singlespeed on limerock is a blast!

Interbike 2014 Day 3 – More bikes & parts

Interbike 2014 Day 3 – More bikes & parts

September 13, 2014

One thousand most humble apologies for the delay in posting this entry.  I sorted out these photos at the Charlotte, NC airport early this morning, during the last of my red eye flights from Las Vegas.  I had the best intentions of posting the article as soon as I arrived home today, but a power nap, a longish bike ride, another power nap and errands, all took precedence.  Excuses over, enjoy these photos.  Now, it’s time to sleep, East Coast time.

Interbike 2014 – Shimano XTR Di2 Electronic Shifting

Interbike 2014 – Shimano XTR Di2 Electronic Shifting

September 13, 2014

During day three of Interbike 2014, I had a few moments to play with the Shimano XTR Di2 system.  The system is officially known as Shimano XTR Di2 M9050, and continues the trend of Shimano’s naming standards.  Simply put, the system is mind blowing!  The shifter buttons offer the same tactile feedback you expect with the equivalent mechanical shifter, but with zero delay from button push, to derailleur actuation.

I didn’t try out the synchro mode of the system.  Rather, I pushed the rear derailleur through it’s regular incremental steps, one click of the shifter after the other.  The derailleur shifted as fast as I could push the buttons, or at a determined speed (customizable multi-shift) if I held down a shifter button.  The front derailleur functioned flawlessly as expected.

Interbike 2014 Day 2 – Dirt & Gravel Goodies

Interbike 2014 Day 2 – Dirt & Gravel Goodies

September 12, 2014

Greetings from Interbike 2014, day two.  During today’s downtime, I photographed several bikes and parts of interest.  Enjoy!

Dr Pain’s Monster Cross Bike

Dr Pain’s Monster Cross Bike

September 10, 2014
Dr Pain like JOM, is an equipment nut.  After what Dr Pain felt were several life threatening experiences at past Ultra CX and endurance CX events, he decided he needed…
JOM’s Dirty 40 Race Bike

JOM’s Dirty 40 Race Bike

September 4, 2014

For those who don’t know me, I’m a bit of an equipment nut.  I source the parts and assemble most of my bikes myself.  Not a fan of out of the box, pre-assembled bikes.  This ensures I know what’s going into the bike, and have myself to blame when something screws up on the bike.  I also hate riding the same stuff as everybody else; it’s cool to have a unique bike.

I’ve yet to learn how to build my own wheels, because I’m lazy, but in most instances, I am using American Classic wheels, which are virtually handbuilt wheels any.  I eschew proprietary spokes and that sort of rubbish.  I choose reliable equipment, with parts I can easily replace.  I tote along spare parts (or a spare bike) to most races, so no worries there.  Onto the bike…

A Visit to American Classic – Wheelmakers Extraordinaire

A Visit to American Classic – Wheelmakers Extraordinaire

August 20, 2014

Recently, I had the opportunity to tour inside American Classic’s North American Headquarters, in Tampa, Florida.  I’ve been using the company’s wheels for many years, on several of my personal gravel, limerock and road bikes.

ACBackOffice1
Way too much fun happening here.
ACBackOffice2
Interbike Wheels.

During my brief visit, the American Classic staff were busily preparing for the upcoming Interbike trade show (visit them at booth 8091).  In the event you haven’t heard of Interbike, it’s the USA’s biggest cycling related trade show, primarily intended for those in the cycling industry.  Nowadays, the last day of the show is open to the Public.