Minds change...

  So I am well underway with building the Monstercross. And... my mind has changed about a million times whilst building this bike.

   The biggest change has been that I'm going to build this bike up singlespeed. I have not had a singlespeed in a while, and I like the simplicity of the setup. I traded my XLC wheels for a set of Alex 29er rims laced to a sealed generic singlespeed hub and a generic front hub. My dude Brian gave me some 18t cogs,including a disc mount fixed cog... which I will definitely will be trying out.

 Still deciding about what handlebars to do... but dirt drops are awfully tempting.

I should have this bike together in the next week or so... just in time for fall muddy riding!

My New/Old School Bike Build

  The whole reason behind getting this new frameset is that I am tired of having multiple bikes that I can only ride on certain terrain or distances. I don't want/cannot afford to have 4 bikes to do all the types of riding that I like do. So I wanted one bike,a frankenstein's monster of a bike, that would be my Swiss Army Knife of cycling.

  I had certain qualifications that needed to be met. One, this bike had to be affordable.VERY affordable. Well under $800.00 retail. Two, this bike needed to be able to ride on and off road. I want to be able to take the same bike on a 20 mile ride on the road to get groceries, as well as do some laps at West Branch. Third, it needed to be able to be set up in different ways depending on what my needs are. I wanted to be able to put 29er tires,fenders, front and rear racks, disc or rim brake. ( I tend to get bored with set ups fast, and want to be able to change things up without much fuss.) Last, I wanted something I knew would fit me well. Even though I am a fit specialist by day, I still run into snags on a good bike fit for myself.

  So based on all of these things I decided the best choice for a frameset would be a Monstercross. Steel construction, strong, rigid, and a ton of tire clearance. JB Importer's house brand, Origin-8, makes an inexpensive frameset called the CX700. Sold. 

   When the framset arrived, everyone at the shop thought it was an awesome idea. Needless to say I am very excited to build this bike. 

      I decided that I wanted to build this bike to be almost like an 80's era mountain bike. Mostly because of versatility, but I love the look of old mountain bikes.

  So...with all that figured out... here is how the build is likely to shake out.

CX700 frame and fork

FSA Orbit headset

Origin 8 Space Bar

Velo Orange Stem

Cannondale Seat Post

Bontrager Evoke Saddle

Bontrager 29er 2 Tires

29er Wheels- Alex rims with SRAM Hubs

Falcon Friction Shifters (Oh yeah!)

Alivio 8 speed Derailleur

Alivio Front Derailleur

Shimano Chain and Cassette

Canit Brakes for now... probably Tektro Oryx

Oury Grips....

My frame has arrived!

  My new Origin 8 frame came in a few days ago. Out of the box I am extremely impressed with this frame. The brake guides are removable which is a nice touch. Heavy duty horizontal sliding dropouts... And surprisingly lightweight for an inexpensive frame set.

  I plan on building this bike up more like an old school steel mountain bike. Rigid fork, friction shifters, canti brakes... 29er wheels and tires. Should be pretty cool. I will post actual specs when I know exactly what I am going to build the bike with.

Jeez I am a terrible blogger

Well... I guess I go through phases where I want to blog all the time, and then .... not at all.


I have decided to go ahead with my monstercross bike. I ordered the Origin 8 CX 700 last night, along with some Origin 8 Space Mtb Bar as well. Im thinking 29er tires, 8 speed with FRICTION thumb shifters,and a custom paint job. Stay tuned. Ill post photos once I get the frame.

I'm back

Hello, old friend.

I have been crazy busy the last month, and have negelected my blog. Again. I feel like I forgot to feed my animals or something.

Anyhow... I have decided on building a monster cross bike. Let the games begin.

Great Ride Today

Lauren and I rode to Garrettsville to drop off our rented movies at the library.It was a perfect ride. Not too hot,not too cold. The Sun was shining, absolutely beautiful. 12 miles of great riding. Thats what bike riding is all about.

More Monster Cross

   It's been a recent dream of mine to be able to build up a true off road road bike. Something that I can put 29x 2.2 knobby tires on and ride some single track with. Disc Brakes possibly.Something rack and fenderable.
   I've been looking at a few frame choices for this bike,heres what I have in mind.
  My first choice is the Origin 8 CX 700.The price is right with this 4130 steel frame, and it comes frame and fork. I like this one best because its inexpensive, and has all the features I want.

 The Karate Monkey is next. I know I know... its a mtb.But with a pair of dirt drops on it, the monkey would work beautifully.

Other choices... if I could get my hands on one of the Steel Fisher -Trek  Cyclocross frames... Maybe a Soma.


We will see what happens here. I need to do a little more research.

Monster Cross

I think my monster cross bike dreams come true.

Radial Laced Wheels Suck

I recently commuted to the Kent Stake Bike Club Workshop series.
http://www.facebook.com/?ref=logo#!/event.php?eid=190133854362645

If you go to Kent State, and like anything to do with bikes... go. Learn something, meet like-minded people.

But, anyway...The ride in was not too bad, a little windy. I got into Ravenna, about to turn on to the Bike and Hike Trail, and I heard RATTLING. I stopped,and inspected the front end of my bike. MY WHEEL WAS WOBBLING! I checked the spokes, I had 4 spokes loose. I barely made it to the event.

This is not the first time this has happened with these wheels. Everytime I ride them outside the spokes loosen. It has to be the radial lacing. I am not a fan of this, but its what came on the bike. I think anything less than 28 spokes is ridiculous for everyday riding, so I may get something like a Bontrager Classics wheelset.

Word to the wise. Dont run Radial Laced Wheels.

http://www.facebook.com/?ref=logo#!/album.php?aid=336270&id=198875903295

Trek made a Taco Cart out of their Cargo Bike the Transport. I love this ide love this bike.

Trek has been doing amazing things with bikes and for bikes recently. What a great company.

BG fit

I recently BG fit two customers. I have to say, I am really impressed with the process of the fit,and the customers could not be happier. It gets easier to do everytime I do a fit, and it makes me think about bike fit in ways I never have.

What a beautiful day! Get out and ride your bike!

New Hampshire day 1.

First full day in New Hampshire. Very beautiful state. Got to see Katherine,which was very nice. Went to L.L. Bean,mosied around, and went to The Common Man for dinner. Where they make the best Pot Roast ever. EVER.

20 pounds... where did it go? And other thoughts

 I weighed myself this morning and was astounded. Since starting to eat more healthy and exercising regularly at the beginning of the year, I have progressively lost about 2 pounds a week. Not much, but just how I want my diet to work. Although, last week at Specailized, and Running around America's largest airports, I lost 8 pounds.  I'm pretty excited, I hope to be down to 180 pounds by my mother's birthday in July. A goal I think is well within my reach.

 OTHER NEWS-

Going on vacation with Lauren again for her Spring Break. We are going to New Hampshire to visit her mom and sister for a few days, then down to her grandparents in Connecticut. I lvoe going out there to visit. Their home is beautiful. Then I get to go to Boston for the first time. What a week!

My tax return is coming on March 4th! YAY!!!! I can get my car fixed! And start a savings account! YAY!! I love getting my hard earned money back.

Charlie Sheen and Moammar Gadhafi are pretty much the same person anymore. Both of them are giving the craziest interviews I have ever heard.

Did anyone else see the video of the VW Golf plowing through that Critical Mass ride in Brazil? What a complete and utter disregard for human life. Yet the police do not think the man intended on killing anyone...Why else would you literally plow full speed through a crowd of peaceful cyclists?

Anyway... I hope everyone has a great day today!

Amazing

It truly was an amazing week at Specialized. BG FIT is amazing. If you have not been BG FIT, you truly are missing out on the best bike fit there is. I can say that with confidence. SBCU instructors Scott,Donny and Aaron are fantastic. Any question I had they made me think critically so that I could answer the question for myself. I really appreciate that, because in Eddy's I will not have one of them over my shoulder to help me. All I will have is what I learned from them, which was a LOT.

The week went fast, and I already miss it. I have even considered applying for jobs at Specialized because what they have going on  there is phenominal. Never have I seen that many people so passionate about what they do.

I climbed up the tallest hill/mountain? (not sure) I have ever climbed on a bike. It was so steep,and so long. Towards the end I was counting out the pedal strokes to the tops. My Lungs burned,my Heart was leaping out of my chest. I gave it every last bit of energy I had to give. It was totally worth it. The view at the top was breath taking. Thank you Scott Holtz for riding next to me. Encouraging me the entire time. I probably would have not made it if it was not for you.

Thank you to everyone at SBCU for making me a better Bike Fitter and better cyclist.

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