Minneapolis is a veritable playground for a healthy mix of urban and trail riding. With the River Bottoms just a short ride from downtown, as well as a plethora of other trails surrounding the city, you can easily ride from your house, to the woods and back on one gear. Part of that ideology is what’s inspired many of All-City‘s bicycles and was without a doubt the motivating force behind their newest bike, the Log Lady, a singlespeed mountain bike with 27.5 wheels and a rigid, segmented fork.
I’ve had the pleasure of riding a custom built Log Lady here in Los Angeles over the past few weeks. This is by no means a complete review, since I’ve yet to spend enough time on the Log Lady to thoroughly vet it but I will say, so far, it’s been a lot of fun. Painful fun, but fun nonetheless.
Right off the bat, the Log Lady comes as a frameset for $899, or a complete for $1,499. My build was assembled by Jeff at All-City as a special “review spec” with a few nice upgrades, including a RockShox Recon fork, SRAM XO cranks, Velocity Blunt SS wheels, Thomson post and stem with Guide brakes.
Gearing Up
While a SSMTB might be ideal in Minneapolis, it’s a bit intense in Los Angeles. Figuring out the right gearing for sustained climbing and pedaling to the trail, with all the up and down urban streets en route is relatively easy. I kept the 32t ring up front and geared down to a 22t cog in the rear, making the steep mountain climbs achievable. When I was riding the Log Lady around town, an 18t cog was perfect, as long as there weren’t any steep climbs on the route. Then, yeah, I’d walk.
This Thing is ACE
ACE is All-City’s Air-Hardened, Custom, Extruded tubing, resulting in a very light and nimble ride quality. It’s too soon to dive deeper here, and it might be a by-product of that marketing placebo but I can tell a difference in the ride quality of this tubing.
Fun to Flick
Because the geometry is pure XC with a 70.5º head tube across all sizes and a 72.5º seat tube, the Log Lady’s ride quality is zippy, responsive and fun, especially with that short rear end. I’m glad All-City spec’d the Log Lady with 27.5 wheels. It keeps the bike feeling light and flickable, while leaving room for a big, fat 2.8″ tire. While I’ve yet to build mine up with the 2.8’s, the clearances are more than enough. Swapping over to the bigger tires will be my next move for sure. Packing in a fat tire lets you enjoy jibbing off rocks or trail bumps and if you’re running it rigid, your body will thank you.
Details
Without a doubt, the singlespeed track end and disc brake integration is the Log Lady’s crowning detail. Adjustment is easy, with a 135mm spacing and a quick release, which won’t slip thanks to the integrated tensioners. The rest of the frame is pretty straight forward, typical of All-City’s no-nonsense approach to frame design. The Red, black and white paint scheme fits right within the catalog and builds up nicely with black or silver components.
Initial Reaction
Coming from an extensive hardtail and even rigid MTB background, I was stoked to see the Log Lady offered as a rigid complete but was stoked to be able to review one with a front fork. Admittedly I’m not a well versed singlespeed rider, but I’m getting the hang of it. After a few local rides and then one bigger ride in the mountains, I’m looking forward to spending more time spinning out on the Log Lady.
Honestly, for $899, the frameset is a perfect segue for riders who want to get into mountain bikes, but don’t want to break the bank. You can build up singlespeeds on the cheap and they really are the most stripped down experience of any bike. Plus, riding a rigid singlespeed lets you hone your handling skills.
I’m looking forward to spending more time on the Log Lady, particularly with a rigid fork and without a 25lb camera bag… ;-)
Head to your All-City dealer for ordering and see more information at All-City!