The BLB Hitchhiker is an all-steel, all-rounder, and Tim built his up as a flat bar basket bike. Let’s check out a beautifully-documented Readers’ Rides below!
I spent a lot of time on bikes throughout my childhood and youth, on the way to school, in the afternoons with friends and later at parties at night. Back then, it hardly seemed to matter which bike I rode, whether it was a children’s bike, a hardtail or a so-called trekking bike. In fact, I had the most fun on my mum’s old ladies‘ bike, which I rode everywhere, to the skate park during the day and to friends’ houses at night.
At some point later, I realised that I wanted to build a bike myself, just the way I wanted it. A single bike for everything, for daily use, for touring, for fitness, for fun. I don’t like to think in (bike) categories, they limit and can hinder creativity and ideas. But that also makes the process more difficult, because you are forced to make all the decisions yourself and you don’t have any predetermined rules to fall back on, apart from technical ones of course.
After a really long period of research, the BLB Hitchhiker frameset seemed perfect. And the army/sand paint job felt like summer and the Mediterranean (a colour combination that I recently found on every corner in the south of France). So I started my build with 700c tires, 3×10 groupset, dynamo, lights, rear rack and a child’s bike seat (today the kids are too big for that).
What was supposed to be a winter project was finished in the evenings of two weeks. But something wasn’t quite right. And so I spent a long time trying out different components, always looking for the perfect build, both in aesthetic and practical terms. I kept finding new interesting components and things that I could ‘improve’. I learnt a lot about bike technology, manufacturers and trends and different bike philosophies, but I was never really satisfied. I guess many of you know what I mean.
I got to the point of dissatisfaction and realised or remembered at some point: it’s not about the bike at all, it’s about riding.
I remove all the parts that were not relevant for moving around, except my beloved Cateye bell, and accepted that the project was probably a process and might never be finished. I stopped over-researching and focused on details like optimising the cable routing. I rode the stripped down bike until I was sure that I really needed this or that. Since then it’s been easier for me and I dare say it’s pretty optimal for me at the moment.
I currently ride 27.5 wheels, which are a lot more fun when I’m cycling through town every day, taking the kids to the lake or on weekend tours. What I no longer want miss (I’ve tried) is the Wald basket. It’s simply indispensable in everyday life if I want to do some spontaneous shopping after work or need to pick something up quickly. For overnight stays with my kids, I mount lowriders or a rear rack and that’s it. Maybe a dynamo and mudguards again in winter, but only when I really feel I need them.
Build Spec:
- Frame: BLB Hitchhiker, 57cm, Columbus Cromor Tre Tubi
- Headset: BLB/TANGE
- Tires: Continental Double Fighter III 27,5 x 2,0
- Stem: Procraft
- Handlebar: Canyon H14
- Grips: Ergon GP1
- Brake Lever: Shimano Deore BL-T610
- Brakes: TRP Spyke
- Saddle: Brooks C17 Carved
- Seatpost: BLB Track
- Crankset: Veloci Cycle ROLLCii 40T
- Rear Derailleur: Shimano Deore M5100 1×11
- Cassette: CSMS8 11-46
- Front Rack: Studio Brisant Rack (modified struts)
- Basket: Wald 137
- Bell: Cateye PB-800 Limit Bell
- Bottle Cage: King Cage Iris
- Seat Bag: Blackburn Grid MTB
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!
