Search Term – Change
Photos by Trevor Hughes
Before the #MessLife hashtag, photographers like Trevor Hughes took to the streets with their 35mm cameras to document the lives of bike messengers. Projects like this inspire me to get out more with my camera and that’s saying something. These are some of the best messenger portraits I’ve seen. Love the Fat City Cycles cap!
See the full photoset at Trevor’s Flickr!
As someone who has everything he needs in a touring bike, I’ll admit that I was a little apprehensive to spend a weekend on the new Specialized Edition AWOL Transcontinental touring bike (due out in late February). Honestly, it just didn’t seem like my kind of rig. I like cantis, the feel of a traditional drivetrain and the look of a 110mm stem.
Now, from what I had seen of the AWOL, it was the exact opposite and that bothered me. A lot. First of which was the riding position. The bars were level, or even higher than the saddle, due to the massive head tube and positive rise, 80mm stem. It looked like a MTB, not a touring or rando bike with its compact geometry.
Next up, a Gates Carbon Belt Drive and an 8 speed Alfine hub – there’s no way that gear range would be wide enough! The bike relied on TRP’s Hylex single speed hydraulic disc brakes. Up until this point, every hydro disc system I’ve ridden on drop bars has felt horrible, especially when compared to my XT and XTR setups on my mountain bikes. Even my SLX on the fatbike felt better…
My opinions aside, the bike still intrigued me and one thing I’ve been trying to work on is separating my somewhat arrogant opinions and being more open minded about product reviews.
When Erik told me that he really wanted to do a ride that was mostly dirt on the AWOL, I figured what the hell? Up to this point, the AWOL has been showed on road, not off-road. Besides, what’s the worst that could happen? Maybe some of my opinions would change and I’d have to pull my foot from mouth.
That’s exactly what happened. Check out more below!
While I love custom frames and supporting local frame builders, the honest truth is, I also really admire brands like Surly, Raleigh, Fairdale and All-City. Why? It’s obvious. They make bikes that are accessible, fun and that’s what matters most: getting people onto bikes.
Of course, with a frame retail considerably lower than a custom one, you can do some pretty special paint or powder. Blue Lug’s custom Surly builds always pique my interest. Bright, clean and a lot more character than the standard, production bike.
This Krampus and Pugsley have me thinking of stripping and painting my Pugs something! See more radness at the Blue Lug Flickr!
Still continuing the snowy tradition since 1987, Iditabike has now evolved to a fatbike race. Before fatbikes however, brave souls ventured out on rigid MTBs with touring bits to compete. Here’s a documentary covering the 1988 event.
Personally, I’m sure the fatbike is a better suited machine, but this looks fucking rad!
Before I begin this whole review, let me just say that this bike has been an absolute blast. If you have no interest in riding a fatbike, you should really try one out, they’re a lot of fun. In fact, it’s hard to convince me to ride my other bikes. No lie…
Ever since riding the Krampus back in Minneapolis, I wanted to get my hands on a full fat. Then, when Surly announced that sick limited edition Pugsley, I pulled a few fingers (backwards), sold my soul and got on the list for one.
So how’s it ride? Is it heavy? What are my thoughts? Surely, I have some critiques. Check out more below!
But it’s almost winter, so I guess it’s ok. Last week, Surly sent me one of their limited edition Pugsley fatbikes and I’ve been having a blast on it! Don’t worry, a full write-up is on the way.
Since first seeing the PR on this bike, I had to get my hands on one. Preferably, on my home turf in Austin for some comparison to my IF 29’r. I wanted to know if the extra “fat” would really make that much of a difference.
Before getting into the details, let’s talk about the concept of the bike. While it’s no Moonlander or Pugsley, the Krampus is still fatter than most 29’rs on the market. Its stance is aggressively increased by the 29 x 3˝ Knard tires, mounted 50mm Rabbit Hole rims. The general positioning of the bike looks more aggressive than Surly’s other offerings with that rear end too.
Surly isn’t really a company known for “racing bikes”, so don’t be confused. The Krampus handles singletrack, rock gardens, somewhat technical conditions like most rigids out there but the extra beef of the tires absorbs more of the jarring moments you’ll find on the above conditions.
I’ve been riding the absolute shit out of my IF 29’r, which is also rigid, on 2.25″ tires and I could tell a difference the extra beef made. It’s still a rigid bike, so you’ll be taking different lines than if you were on a full susp but don’t downplay the fun you can have. Or the workout…
The weight of this thing, stock, is not light. Surly doesn’t list the weight and if I recall correctly, a large weighed in close to 30 pounds. Eeeesh. But, as I said, it’s a rare bird and that weight can be drastically reduced by converting it to tubeless (it can be done with Gorilla tape), swapping the saddle, seatpost and bar / stem. If you’re smart, you can easily bring it down 5 lbs or so.
Not that a weight weenie will buy one of these bikes. After a quick spin at Lebanon in Minneapolis, both Kyle and I were feeling the weight. The bike descended amazingly, cornered and floated around turns and actually hopped up and over obstacles quite easily. On berms it was a beast and most rock gardens were mere appetizers. But the second you started climbing. Oh boy… you felt it.
So what? It’s a fun bike, that tends to get a bit heavy when you’re sticking it to a lot of short, punchy climbs but that’s not where the Krampus reigns supreme. We had a blast tearing through the River Bottoms in Minneapolis. It wheelies very easily, zips through sand, mud and whatever else you can toss at it. I didn’t even notice the weight of the bike, until I got it up to speed. It’s like a bush bowling ball.
Would I buy one? Sure thing! But if I did, I feel like my IF would be obsolete. I don’t really need another rigid 29’r right now… right? N+1?
My advice would be, if you’ve never ridden a MTB and want something for your local trails, I dare you to try out a Krampus. You might just be happy with it. Check out all the tech info you want to know at Surly.
Check out more photos and thoughts in the Gallery and decide for yourself.
Father Tu gets his hands on some of the most insane bikes to photograph. Including this vintage Cinelli Laser. Yep, this is no re-issue. This is one of the originals. See more at Father Tu’s Flickr.
I’m one lucky guy. Since Tracko has “sworn off” posting anything but track bikes, I get all the radness that rolls through the doors at Golden Saddle Cyclery. The first of which, being the crème de la crème of the Fat Chance MTB line, the 10 year anniversary Fat.
This is no ordinary Fat Chance. The 10th anniversary frames came with a titanium, etched plate (this one’s 113 out of 200), a BOI Yo Eddy Fork and complete True Temper OX tubing. Most of which came outfitted with a full Campagnolo Record OR gruppo and were highly sought after at the $1450 MSRP (frameset). The weight? Around 23 pounds. Not too shabby and that paint job…
Those who want to read up more on the 10th Anniversary frame can check out this article from the MTB forums.
Kyle did this one justice with tons of detailed photos and he even tracked down some Campagnolo OR brake levers to replace the Avid models currently on the bike. See for yourself in the Gallery!
This is Tomii number 12 if I’m not mistaken and in the short time Nao has been building, I have to say that I’ve thoroughly enjoyed watching him progress. This latest customer project is best described as a “fat road bike”. Bigger tires, disc and Dura Ace downtube shifters. Pretty interesting component choices, wouldn’t you say? Check out more at the Tomii Flickr.
There was nothing pleasant about today, aside for the company. The things I saw on the road will forever change the way I view the world and globalization. Without going too much into the politics of it all, I’ll just say that I’m glad to have gotten the first leg of our ride out of the way. On paper, the route looks easy. 100k door to door, and about 90 meters of climbing.
These numbers are almost laughable, compared to other rides we’ve all completed, but those weren’t in an AQI of 350+ and through a toxic wasteland. To give you some perspective, Los Angeles has the highest AQI in the United States and today, it’s at 70. I’ve never experienced anything like this before.
The morning began early, as we checked out of our hotel and headed to Factory 5 to ready our bikes. At 10:30am, we put on masks (literally) and rode alongside a highway out of town. You’d think the air would be worse in the center city, but it was the opposite. Soon, it was like we were riding into a fog, rolling into San Francisco but there were no mountains, no iconic bridges or architecture, just smoke stacks and automotive factories.
Your face began to burn, eyes water and all you wanted to do was take off your mask to get some “fresh air”. Upon doing so, the smell of burnt plastic almost made you gag. It was literally hell and I can’t fathom the reality that people live in it everyday. The striking dichotomies were everywhere: a brand new VW dealership, next to a vacant lot with a pond, that was completely red with bacteria, or the canals and waterways turned black from factory waste next to a parking lot filled with brand new Buicks.
60 miles felt like 120. My lungs burn and my face is windburnt. I don’t think I’ve ever felt so hungover from a ride. There’s no gallery, since I shot all film today, but will leave you with the photo above to just say that I’m glad to be indoors for once. For more frequent updates, keep an eye on Mission Workshop’s (@MissionWorkshop) and my Instagram (@JohnProlly) during the day.
It’s almost spring, well, sorta. Look at it this way. You’re a month closer to warm weather and sunshine than you were this time last month. What I’m trying to say is, the season of touring bikes, fat road and campeurs is almost upon us. The latest from Tomii smells of spring and summer good times. Check out more at the Tomii Flickr.
“Hit ‘Em In The Mouth”, a documentary exploring the culture of Seattle Bike Polo, the birthplace of the current polo craze, will enjoy a World Premiere, June 30, 2pm in NYC at Anthology Film Archives. We need your help to get as many people in the NYC area to come see our film.
The movie centers around the dominant figures of the scene, including the father of hardcourt bike polo Matt Messenger, the world champions Team Smile, and the up-and-coming players of the city. Their stories intertwine as we follow the drama through the National Championships and a battle with the city of Seattle for a permanent space to play.
I don’t think it gets much fatter than this. Hell, that looks like it’d fit on a dirtbike. I’ll save you from counting the spokes. It’s a Phil Wood 64-hole disk hub for a new project the team’s working on.
Aaron from 44RN just sent me a link to Ant Bike Mike’s Flickr, with a gallery from the old Fat City Cycles in Somerville. This building is where Fringe now stands in Olive Sq. There’s a lotta history there. For more photos, head to Ant’s Flickr.
Photo by Matt Lingo
Matt Lingo’s got a sick gallery up on Recfail from his Interbike trip and you’ve gotta check it out. Matt, I love this photo! Congo’s getting ripped if he can pick up my fat ass!
Here we go again, another week, another Mac Spikes Chris Chance bike. This time it’s a 1987 Fat Chance tandem. I asked when he’s gonna stop and he replied “Not sure to be honest”. Sounds like a good problem to have!
Previously:
Beautiful Bicycle: Mac Spikes’ Chris Chance Custom Road
Beautiful Bicycle: MacSpikes’ 1982 Chris Chance Singlespeed
Beautiful Bicycle: MacSpikes’ 1985 Fat Chance Kicker
Beautiful Bicycle: Mac Spikes’ Pink Chris Chance
Beautiful Bicycle: Mac Spikes’ Chris Chance Pista
As promised, I’ll be rolling out some Reader’s 4th of July stories today and tomorrow. Here’s the first in the set, Mr. JD and His Hot Tubes:
“This is a photo of my Hot Tubes Track bike that, until recently, was under the care of my good friend Andrew in SF. I thought, initially, that there wasn’t too much of a connection to the 4th of July to it other than the totally obvious fact that it is painted in a red, white and blue (with stars!) fashion. But, as I thought more and more about it a few other themes came to mind. One of those was “freedom,” a word that permeated the BBQ that I attended yesterday, so I guess that worked too. But that wasn’t it either.
I was thinking about how I wanted a new bike. It happens all the time. Especially this time of year. Then, at the same time I started to lament the days where we passed around bicycles. Remember when that was the way to do it? How you got your first “good” bikes? The ones where Mark passes on the Lemond that almost got a cross threaded bottom bracket because I didn’t realize it was Italian. Or that beloved Pinarello that The Godfather passed along to Peter that became a Frankenbike Messenger whip. The Igleheart that had a few homes. A Fat Chance with new dropouts. Even the well used Raleigh cross bike that thoroughly made its way through the “scene” that is Boston Cyclocross. What a slut.
Then, there it was — the Stars and Stripes Track Bike that might have won a National Title or two — that definitely was bought out of the back of a van late at night. What happened to the sluttyness of these bikes? When did they stop getting passed around and were instead traded up for something new, thereby ending their reign of shared experience? The shared experience that not only carried with it a connotation or two (“you better race the shit out of that bike, it deserves to be ridden that way”) but also a sense of history and place that, in my humble opinion (or ATMO if you prefer) only comes from the actual change of hands that goes with these bikes.
So, thanks goes out to you John Prolly for keeping it real, sure, but also for asking that we push the boundaries a bit more in all aspects.
Plus, it is just great to have this little slut back between my legs, so I’m excited about that too.
Thanks, and Happy Birthday America!
JD “
Happy birthday America indeed! I’ll give you guys another day to submit your photos and stories. Initially I said a paragraph but as the above entry proves, sometimes you need a little more to describe your day!
