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.