Saturday Mornings are the Best

Taking the Pacer out to the beach for some fresh air and waves is not a bad way of spending the earlier part of the weekend.

Who Said Surly Doesn't Make Pretty Bikes?

The limited edition Surly Pugsley. Now available. 

I saw the photos and actual tires at Frostbike last year, and have since been waiting to see the real thing. 

I think NCC has some.

More here.

Surly Straggler

For some reason, I think one of the coolest new bikes I've seen debuting at Saddle Drive this year is the Surly Straggler. I really can't explain why, because its basically just a Cross Check with disc brakes and  the Long Haul Trucker's dropouts, but I think it's awesome. Maybe I just love the glittery purple paint job, maybe it's those killer new Surly Knard tires in 700x41c (I hope they'll fit on my Nature Boy), maybe it's just the fact that it has STI levers instead of bar-end shifters... but for some reason it looks like a completely different bike and I really like it. I'm also glad they followed All-City's lead and added the rust-resistant E.D. coating to the interior of the tubing on all their new bikes.

More info about the Straggler and the other 2014 additions to the Surly lineup here.

Weekend Cruisin' / Handlebar Talk

For those of you living outside of the midwest, here is proof that spring weather has actually begun to show here in northern Illinois. Last Sunday was around 60°F, and we went out to Busse Woods and cruised around in the sun. It felt good.

Many more photos and some words about my new handlebars after the jump. Click below.

Winter Recap: Essential Items

It seems as though winter has finally come to a close, and while this may not be of any benefit to anyone right now, I wanted to reflect on a few cold-weather items that earned a lot of my appreciation while on the bike this past winter. This, of course, is not all that I wore, but rather a few of the pieces that I couldn't do without.

The Great Frostbike Photo-dump

Yet another Frostbike came and went. As usual, it was a blast and I had a ton of fun hangin out with good friends, meeting nice new people, and drooling over some amazing products. I took a ton of photos and I'm too tired from uploading/sorting/editing everything to write much of a description, but they're pretty self-explanatory. A big thanks to QBP for putting on an awesome show and taking great care of everyone who attended. I'm always blown away by their hospitality and thoughtfulness. Also a big thanks to Handsome Cycles and One-On-One Bike Studio for putting on a killer party at the Cutter's Ball, and to Sram for providing the many kegs of beer. I might dedicate a separate post just for Cutter's Ball photos, but we'll see if I find the motivation...

Anyways, enjoy a bunch of photos of cool bike stuff below...

Winter Woodland Exploration After Dark.

Actual winter has finally arrived here in northern Illinois. On wednesday night, we gathered up a nice group of dudes and rode bikes in the snow. We dove into the woods and explored some trails. Ross was on his brand new Krampus, Derek on his Singular Peregrine 29er, Jake on a KHS Solo One 26er, Peter rode his Surly Necromancer, and I took my GT Peace-9er. All bikes (except for the Necro) were single-speed. All bikes were steel. 

Staying warm is key when you're out in the wilderness, and we were ahead of the game with a mystic bottle of swedish warming elixir.

The trails out in the woods are a bit sketchy, but they're there. There was a lot of ducking through tunnels of foliage and holding onto tree trunks while maneuvering through the madness.

We found ourselves at a dead end. Jake decided to take almost all of the air out of his tires.

We reached the river, and I thought it might be fun to attempt crossing it, via a downed branch. I fell victim to thin ice, but proceeded anyways.

Crossing turned out to be a bad idea, but the makeshift bridge proved to be a nice venue for a break from the ride.

After leaving the woods, we continued to explore some of the stranger areas of town. Jake attempted to climb anything that crossed his path. Find him in the photo above.

It was a fun night of exploration, cycling in the snow, and hangin' out drinkin' wine. In my opinion, this is what cycling in the winter is all about. Just try to get on the bike and keep riding. Have more fun in order to offset the unfavorable weather. Stay local and discover nearby things you've never seen. Don't count the miles. Fatbikes are badass, but a regular mountain bike will usually do just fine. No matter what kind of bike you have, just try to keep riding it.

Building Ross's Krampus

By now, Ross has finished the Krampus and is probably out there reeking havoc, but I still wanted to post a few photos documenting the building process. This bike turned out badass! Titec H-bars, handbuilt wheels, and one gear. I'll have to eventually snap a photo of the finished product, but until then, here are a few detail shots:

Un-boxing Ross's Krampus

Our boy Ross made a good decision and ordered himself a Krampus frameset from Surly as soon as he could. He's been anxiously awaiting it's arrival, and apparently so has everyone else around here. Sometimes I felt bad seeing him bombarded with questions concerning it's existence, but then I remembered it will all pay off once the thing's built up and the kidnapping/pillaging may begin.

Many more photos below:

Krampusnacht Gravel Ride

We got a small group together and went out and rode some gravel last night. Pictured above, from left to right, myself with an excellent pair of GORE Windstopper gloves and a flask of schnapps in celebration of Krampusnacht, Jakey La Kruz, underdressed and freezing, but looking really hot in his new retro Descente jersey found on E-bay, and Ross sporting his fantastic new Vulpine jacket, which are now available at our shop.

Saturday Night Road Ride

Went out on a solo ride Saturday night with the Surly Pacer. It was oddly warm and I was apparently overdressed. Sweat was everywhere. I've been riding alone pretty often lately, but hopefully I'll get some more group rides in soon. Riding alone can be boring, but it's better than not riding at all.

Surly Pacer Cockpit Overhaul

 I was never completely satisfied with the stock cockpit on the Surly Pacer complete bike that I bought about 3 or 4 years ago. It came with some Salsa Short & Shallow bars that were immediately swapped out for my soon-to-be favorite Nitto Noodle bar. The stem always seemed a bit long for me, perhaps the frame is a size too big, but a slightly shorter stem (also from Nitto) solved that problem. My last issue was the levers. The Tiagra STI shifters just always felt really weird to me. The hoods were just really long, and the shape just never felt right in my hands. The shifter cables that ran out from the hinge of the lever always seemed to cast annoying shadows from my headlight and continuously snagged on things. To be honest, I don't even like the idea of STI shifters on a steel bike - the integrated shift levers just look too modern on a more traditional-looking bike. I rarely shift while riding in my area anyways, and so I didn't benefit from their convenience. I wanted something more simple and classic, and so I opted for some bar-end shifters and my current favorite pair of brake levers: the TRP RRL SR Retro Levers (why so many damn letters?)



I've been using these levers on my Nature Boy for about a year now, and I love them. They offer a really nice ergonomic feel, a spring loaded quick release button in case things get muddy, and the vintage-inspired gum rubber hoods and machined out holes are a great compliment to the aesthetic of a steel road bike. The levers just look cool as hell, and feel good in your hands. A benefit of the bar-end shifters that I've discovered is that they are actually much easier to operate than STI's in the winter while riding with big gloves. I might need to play around with the positioning of the levers a bit more, but I think I've finally found the perfect setup.



Since building the Nature Boy, I've forgotten how much I love my Surly Pacer. It's my "hill-climbing bike" - My only bike with gears. Riding in this area, gears are completely unnecessary in my opinion (unless you want to ride really fast), but any time I get out of northern Illinois, they are a luxury that I really appreciate. Surly did a great job with this bike, yet I feel like it's one of their most overlooked frames. Don't forget: They make more than just fatbikes!

The Redder the Better

Began the process of unboxing and assembling the new "fire engine red" Pugsleys at NCC the other day.



The process was fueled by lattes.



The new color looks awesome. Definitely the reddest red I have ever seen.



The silver thumb shifters look great too.

By the way, did anyone get what this post title is a reference to?

Turbo Tuesday

Went out into the cold last Tuesday with da boyz and rode about 35 miles. A majority of the ride was on local gravel roads, with some pavement. Again, I wore a pair of GORE gloves equipped with Windstopper and enjoyed warm hands for the duration of the ride. (Glove review probably coming soon (but I'm keeping it brief)).

Jakey La Kruz rode his trusty Casseroll and Derek was rolling on his new Singular Perigrine single speed. Note that he is riding the gravel shoulder of the road in anticipation of TRANS IOWA:



Bryce recently had his Brooks saddle stolen from his bike while on campus, and in protest, did not replace it with another saddle, but rather flew the La Omar flag from the seat tube while standing on the pedals or SITTING ON HIS TOP TUBE for all 35 miles. He also supplied us with some top notch whiskeys. I was truly impressed with his bravery and tolerance for discomfort.



Marcus rode his vintage Puch Odyssey, which is set up as a fixed gear. He also lost his only winter hat and still refuses to buy himself a real "jacket".



My trusty Surly Pacer, sporting a new cockpit setup, and a weary La Kruze in the background post-ride:



Good rides have been happening consistently every week now. It feels good. The temperatures are dropping here, but it's been easy to stay warm outdoors. A lot of basic articles of clothing can function as winter cycling gear, as long as you layer up properly. You don't need to look like a pro, but don't forget the wool! Wear whatever you've got and just keep riding.