Author Topic: New Bike!  (Read 1159 times)

mtnbkr

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New Bike!
« on: October 22, 2007, 09:12:49 AM »
Well, maybe not an entirely new bike, but I ordered a green Surly 1x1 frame last night.  UniversalCycles has a 15% off coupon and free shipping, so I got it for $350 shipped.  I'm going to use the compatible parts from my Klein, rebuild the Klein with the spare stuff I have around and won't need for this bike (It's a singlespeed, most of my spares are for geared bikes), and sell the Klein on Craigslist.  If I can get $200 for the Klein, I'll be happy.  I've spent 10 years on the Klein, it's time to replace it with something that better fits the type of riding I do these days.  Besides, aluminum has a fatigue life and riding a lightweight aluminum frame for 10 years is pushing my luck.  I won't have this problem with the steel Surly frame, another reason for choosing it.

Chris

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Re: New Bike!
« Reply #1 on: October 22, 2007, 09:28:46 AM »
Ah, singlespeeds are for the lazy
 grin
JD

 The price of a lottery ticket seems to be the maximum most folks are willing to risk toward the dream of becoming a one-percenter. “Robert Hollis”

mtnbkr

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Re: New Bike!
« Reply #2 on: October 22, 2007, 09:42:07 AM »
And those who can ride offroad without the assistance of technology. Tongue

I was clearing stuff Saturday that folks with suspension and gears were having problems with.  Me and another guy on a rigid SS 29er sprinted to the top of this really nasty hill (50yds or rocks, roots, ruts, and small mammals) only to turn around and see the rest of the crew not even halfway up.

Chris

K Frame

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Re: New Bike!
« Reply #3 on: October 22, 2007, 09:55:05 AM »
I thought you were getting the Surly Dukes of Hazzard/It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown bike...
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mtnbkr

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Re: New Bike!
« Reply #4 on: October 22, 2007, 10:05:16 AM »
I found a good picture of the green version and it grew on me.  The picture on Surly's website isn't the greatest, but I found several pics of owners' bikes and it's a rather nice color.  Besides, the $100ish savings helps a lot. Smiley  As far as I know, that's the only difference.  If I decide I really want that color, it'll be easy to repaint.  Surly isn't uptight about repainting their frames like other manufacturers.

Chris

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Re: New Bike!
« Reply #5 on: October 22, 2007, 11:20:34 AM »
I swear you change your mind more than a woman...

I bet that bike is painted 5 times by this time next year...  laugh
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mtnbkr

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Re: New Bike!
« Reply #6 on: October 31, 2007, 03:44:12 AM »
Got the frame, built the bike, and took it on a ride last night.  I like it...a lot.  The green is also much nicer in person than online.  It's darker than the pics on Surly's site would indicate.  Construction quality of the frame is quite good.  Not as good as a high end custom, but excellent for a $440 MSRP frame/fork.  I didn't have the bike computer hooked up, but I felt like I was taking the trails a bit faster.  I was leading one of the rides last night and was asked to slow the pace a few times.  Later, after the ride, one of the guys in my group said he felt like he got a good workout because his legs were a bit tired.

There were a  couple negatives.  First, this bike doesn't climb quite as well as the old one.  That's not surprising considering the old frame was built for max power transfer to the rear wheel.  You paid for that though in the form of a rougher riding bike.  I felt less beat up after the ride, which makes up for the slight lack of climbing prowess.  Second, the drop at the bottom bracket greater, putting the pedals closer to the ground.  I run 180mm cranks, so I got a lot more pedal strikes than I normally get.  However, being lower to the ground also means my center of gravity was lower, so I was able to carve turns more aggressively.  The lower BB didn't cause any problems with log crossings though.

Even though the bike's geometry was a bit more "relaxed" than my previous bike, I felt faster overall.  I think the ability to take turns harder and the shock absorbing nature of the steel frame let me move faster through sections that normally would slow my down, more than offsetting the reduced speed in other areas.

Chris

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Re: New Bike!
« Reply #7 on: October 31, 2007, 06:23:53 AM »
 grin
Sounds like a nice setup.
I'm still not sold on the singlespeed/fixie fad.
What time do you go out on tuesdays?  I'll see if I can get it on my calendar for a few rides.
JD

 The price of a lottery ticket seems to be the maximum most folks are willing to risk toward the dream of becoming a one-percenter. “Robert Hollis”

mtnbkr

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Re: New Bike!
« Reply #8 on: October 31, 2007, 06:41:13 AM »
The official ride starts at 6:45pm, but I try to get there by 5:30 to put in a few miles before the main ride.  We break up into the following groups: Casual, Casual +, Moderate, and Fast.

Casual and Cas+ average about 7-9mph, a "no drop" policy, and frequent stops.  Cas+ ups the ante by having fewer stops. That ride you did with me at Quantico was about a Cas+ pace.

Moderate is faster with fewer stops than Cas+, but still "no drop".

Fast is race pace or nearly so and the goal is for the ride leader to drop as many as possible.

Those are the official designations, but depending on who shows up, trail conditions, etc things can shift up or down.  I've been on many Cas+ rides that mimic Moderate and sometimes the Moderate rides run slow. 

We're out there Tuesday and Thursday at 6:45pm.

As for the SS/Fixie fad thing, I came to it because I wanted a simpler bike.  No pivots, no shocks, nothing to maintain or have fail on you while riding.  It also forces me to ride faster since I can't drop to a granny gear and spin my way up a hill.  I either have to walk or climb it in a 32x17 gear.  That sounds like a negative, but I'm now clearing hills and obstacles I had trouble with in the past.  My average speeds on known trails went up about 1mph.  As for the Fixie thing, It's just a bit of simplification of the SS concept.  I get a better workout and it works my skills a bit more since I have to negotiate obstacles while pedalling. 

Chris