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The first-place prize for Sim Works’ Social Reform Benefit Raffle is this Doppo ATB tourer, built by Shin in Japan, and decked out with a selection of Sim Works, Chris King, and Paul parts. Let’s check it out in detail in order to ramp up support of this great cause…
Matt bought this classic Fisher MTB frame for $50 with the hopes of having a good ’round towner. Like all bikes, it’s going through various iterations over the years, with what you’re seeing now being the most current and arguably the best. I guess it depends how the parts bin and jewelry box are lookin’ ya know?
It had been years since I’ve ridden singlespeed and to be honest, I was pretty reluctant to do so here in Santa Fe. We’ve been in town for about two months now and it’s taken a while to get used to the elevation. Our house is at 6,800′ and the local trails start around 7,000′, shooting up to 12,000′. It’s a lot to take in but for the more flowy cross-country trails, I felt like I could get away with one gear and I knew just the bike for it!
My Retrotec is one of those “forever” machines. I could never sell it as it feels like it’s a part of this website. Plus, the maker – Mr. Curtis Inglis – is just such a stand up guy. When you ride a Retrotec, you put a smile on Curtis’ face and if you’ve ever met the guy, you know that’s well worth it!
Back in the summer of 2011, Dario took off on a solo tour, from his home town to Rome and back. This tour totaled over 2072.7km and changed the way he looked at the world. Tours and long rides on a bike are like that. Those long hours pedaling can really bring out the creative juices. The endorphins, the sights, sounds, smells, and the people you meet on the road broaden your perspective. You’ll often hear of these experiences as being life-altering and for good reason.
While in Rome, Dario met the team at Associazione Ex-Lavanderia, a bicycle frame building school and when he returned home, be began welding. Many hours were spent perfecting the art and over the past few years, Dario has had many teachers to aid his torch. Mattia (Legor), Dario Pegoretti, Gianni Gilardi and Preda, Stucchi and Perego have all passed down their knowledge to Dario.
When the time was ready, he launched Bice Bicycles where Dario builds road, all-road, gravel, touring, and mountain bikes. I was set up with a review of his most interesting offering, the Wandrian, through Biciclista, the US distributor for Bice Bicycles and Ingrid Components.
After Shimano licensed Chris King the design for Micro Spline earlier this year, the brand has ramped up production for these new drivers, with pre-orders beginning on January 15th for release on January 31st.
The King Micro Spline driveshell uses a new bearing and axle design making them their lightest ever ISO hubs. Micro Spline conversion kits will fit all ISO B Boost and ISO DH Superboost rear hubs. Available with either made-in-house stainless steel or ceramic bearings.
CONFIGURATIONS:
ISO B
148x12mm
24h, 28h, 32h
Stainless Steel or Ceramic bearings
ISO DH Superboost
157x12mm
28h, 32h
Stainless Steel or Ceramic bearings
Conversion Kits
Stainless Steel or Ceramic Bearings
148x12mm or 157x12mm
For those waiting on its release, Chris King has stocked the first run of its small batch bourbon components. This includes hubs, headsets, and bottom brackets. All in stock now and ready to ship. Head to Chris King now for ordering!
Speedvagen’s first Ready Made bicycle model was the OG1, a true to form classic road bike, made by hand in Portland, Oregon. These stock-sizing models offered the same details Speedvagen is known for in a stock configuration with a faster delivery time. Then came the OG Classic, a vintage-inspired all day road bike. Soon came the Disc OG and the Chris King OG.
For 2020, Speedvagen is tapping into Chris King’s Bourbon for a limited run – only 8 available – of Speedvagen Disc OG fully decked out with Chris King Bourbon. These bikes are available in three paint colors: Mustard, Oxblood, or Sage and in 4 stock sizes. They’re also being fitted with a t47 bottom bracket. A new design implementation they’ll be using from here forward. See more details on these bikes below.
Like the limited edition, violet and bourbon Brooks Saddles, these Spurcycle Bells will sell out fast, so jump on it now if you want one. In stock right now at Chris King!
This bike is the direct result of many experiences, beginning with my 44 Bikes touring bike and culminating with the Moots Baxter I spent a great deal of time on last year both fully-loaded and set up in what I could call expedition mode. After a lot of back and forth, I realized that I like 29+ bikes for bikepacking and yeah, titanium is really nice for desert riding. These mental musings came to the full realization after spending some time talking with Adam from Sklar Bikes this summer in Bozeman.
Cervelo‘s flagship gravel bike, the Áspero, just got a new build kit option with smaller wheels and higher volume tires. I got to check out this limited edition build kit while I was in Portland and I must say, the details on it are impressive. Read on for a more in-depth look.
Path Less Pedaled pointed their video camera to the bikes of the Chris King Open house and interviewed each of the 18 builders about the bikes they brought this year. I love what Russ and Laura do, so don’t miss this one!
If you’re hoping to get your hands on a headset, hubs, or bottom bracket in the new Chris King Colors, then check out these limited edition Brooks Cambium saddles that were anodized by Chris King to be a perfect match. In stock now at Chris King for $130.
A month after the autumnal equinox I found myself on a 15-hour drive up the backbone of California to attend the 2019 Chris King Open House. After last year’s event, I wondered if the event would be as splendid as the year prior. I must admit, I was surprised.
This year’s Chris King Open House chose 18 builders from all over the world to display their new colors for 2020: Bourbon and Violet. Thanks to ENVE, Santa Cruz Reserve, SRAM, Brooks, and Spurcycle. these bikes were built out appropriately for such a showcase. Below is a gallery of half the bunch, in alphabetical order for your enjoyment, with each builder’s description of the bikes. Make sure you comment on your favorite because there is some gold in these galleries!
This year’s Chris King Open House chose 18 builders from all over the world to display their new colors for 2020: Bourbon and Violet. Thanks to ENVE, Santa Cruz Reserve, SRAM, Brooks, and Spurcycle. these bikes were built out appropriately for such a showcase. Below is a gallery of half the bunch, in alphabetical order for your enjoyment, with each builder’s description of the bikes. Make sure you comment on your favorite because there is some gold in these galleries!
At this year’s Chris King Open House, the brand’s new limited edition colors have been announced, Bourbon and Violet. While Violet is available now, Bourbon will be a three-time, small-batch release with the first batch available for ordering on December 2nd. Bourbon will be a first-come, first served release, so contact your local Chris King dealer for ordering. Two more batches will be available in 2020, so stay tuned.
Coming from last year’s all-male panel at the Industry Summit, Chris King has swung the pendulum and filled out an all-female panel at this year’s Open House. Check out the live feed here and be sure to skip the hour-long lunch break in the middle. ;-)
Kudos to all these brands!
Last year’s Chris King Open House was a great time and this year, to coincide with their two new colors for 2020, the factory will be open to the public once again, and once again, a number of beautiful custom bikes will be on display from a whole roster of talented builders. We’ll be covering each bike in detail, as well as the weekend’s events, so please, come out and enjoy the hangs with food, beer, and Beautiful Bicycles. Head to the event’s Facebook Page to sign up so they know how many to expect and we’ll see ya there!
