We’re kicking off the New Year with a tried and true staple of our Readers’ Rides segment, a single speed! Read on below as Marty talks about how career struggles led him to build up a 2017 All-City Cycles Nature Boy single-speed.
Coming off of a challenging start to the month of May (more industry layoffs) last year, I wanted something with two wheels to engage my mind, hands, and legs again. I thought back to the places I’ve worked and the brands and bikes I’ve had the most fun assembling, riding and owning. It’s not hard to recall most, but for those that know me well, I keep a dedicated Google Sheets list of them all, numbering in the 50s at this time.
I honed in quickly on an All-City. While the brand is no longer active in new products (sad to say), it’s a brand with a strong history, products, and followers. I’ve owned a number of their models in the past and thought it would be a perfect summer project for myself. Here’s a smattering of the frame details that make an All-City an All-City.
I began my quest by combing the resale offerings in the Chicago area, where I was living at the time. I was looking for some of that sweet, sweet steel and likely in single speed form. I was very close to Chicago’s lakefront bike path (and endless city streets) and thought a SS would be more than enough. As luck would have it, I found a Nature Boy in my size not more than 15 miles away. Thank you seller in Itacsa, IL.
With the bike acquired, my brain began churning on what would need replacement or repair and also where I could add some new dashes of technology or style. Unlike a previous Nature Boy that I loved riding in Minnesota, this one now had disc brakes, so some of the tech was included. But, its previous owner seemed to have ridden it hard and put it away wet, literally. There was rust forming in odd places, especially since this was an ED-coated frame. As a final flourish, it already had a major upgrade in the form of a Whisky all carbon fork – score!
I decided to enlist the help of Eric, an industry friend, now a shop manager at Art Doyle’s Spoke & Pedals. Art’s is a long-time, beloved, small town bike shop in Hudson, WI, not far outside the Twin Cities. And since I wasn’t in the industry at this time, I needed a wise-as-an-owl source for info and parts-buying ability.
After full disassembly and more parts daydreaming, I’d put a list of parts together. The venerable steed would get lots of new parts love, including: Shimano square taper BB, Cane Creek headset bearings, fat 36mm WTB road tires, light TPU tubes, single speed spacer kit, Wolftooth SS cog, Shadow Conspiracy platforms, KMC chain, Velocity cages, zero-offset seat post, QR skewers & bartape. And the color Black is definitely a mainstay in my builds.
I cannot not express how much of a needed distraction this entire process had already been and assembling it was the icing on the cake. For me, assembly is one of the best things about having this bike addiction. I was very pleased with the result from an aesthetic point-of-view and it met expectations on the road as well. Much like I remembered my rides on the older NB I’d owned, this iteration seemed to love smooth miles of pavement or gravel along the lakefront.
Of course, like many of us – what’s the next project!?
Build Spec:
- Frame: All-City A.C.E. Air-Hardened, Custom Extruded steel
- Fork: Whisky No. 7 Full Carbon, 47mm trail
- Headset: Cane Creek 5 Series
- Cranks: FSA Vero, 42t, 120mm BCD
- Bar: OE spec, AL6061, 31.8mm, 80mm reach, 125mm drop
- Stem: OE spec, 3D forged, 4-bolt stem, 31.8mm
- Brakes: Promax 300, mechanical disc, TRP, 160mm
- Chain: KMC Z1eHX Narrow – Single Speed 3/32″, 112 Links, Gunmetal
- Levers: Tektro RL340
- Cog: WolfTooth SS HG-spline Cog, 20t, 3/32″ + DMR SS Spacer Kit
- Seatpost: Kalloy Uno 358 2-Bolt, 27.2 x 350mm, Black
- Saddle: Specialized Power ARC Pro, Hollow Ti rails, 155mm
- Tires: WTB Exposure, 700 x 36mm, TCS Tubeless, Folding, Dual DNA, SG2
About the Rider / Mechanic:
Marty Kator is a 30-year cycling industry veteran, starting in service & sales at bicycle retailers and then moving to larger companies like Trek, SRAM & QBP. He’s filled roles in many different departments, including: customer service, dealer service marketing, account management, purchasing & demand planning. He’s also proud of being the 2016 Wright County Fair (MN) Pie-Eating champion (never lost a round). You can find him on LinkedIn or Instagram @mkator.
We’d like to thank all of you who submitted Readers Rides builds to be shared here at The Radavist. The response has been incredible and we have so many to share over the next few months. Feel free to submit your bike, listing details, components, and other information. You can also include a portrait of yourself with your bike and your Instagram account! Please, shoot landscape-orientation photos, not portrait. Thanks!
