After living the vast majority of my life on the Alberta prairies, I am now a resident of Beautiful British Columbia.
So far, it's been pretty good - apart from the riding. I was certainly spoiled for singletrack living in Edmonton. No urban area in the world has trails like Edmonton.
And there are trails out here in the South Okanagan for sure, but they're very different. There's just WAY more climbing than I'm used to. Plus we have these nasty like "puncture vines" down here. I got five flats on the first two rides I took.
Because of that, I've been on the road mostly.
So far, it's been pretty good - apart from the riding. I was certainly spoiled for singletrack living in Edmonton. No urban area in the world has trails like Edmonton.
And there are trails out here in the South Okanagan for sure, but they're very different. There's just WAY more climbing than I'm used to. Plus we have these nasty like "puncture vines" down here. I got five flats on the first two rides I took.
Because of that, I've been on the road mostly.
I've owned three "road" bikes in my life; a Rocky Mountain RC ST, A Rocky Solo CX, and the Vitus 979 above. I didn't hang on to any of them for very long. I really did like the Vitus, and I was proud of that build - that bike looks good - but that bike was not built for me.
These had a reputation for being noodle-y, even with the legendary Sean Kelly racing on one for years with no issues that I know of. I'm quite certain I outweigh Kelly by Nairo Quintana though, so it just wasn't a good idea.
I really did like the feel of that bike, possibly because it was flexing under my weight, or possibly because I liked that moustache bar. I've never been comfortable in the drop portion of a drop bar on a road bike, which defeats the purpose of it to some degree.
I still have that moustache bar, so I'm set to build another road bike. And i would also like to build a gravel bike.
I make fun of the gravel bike genre because I can't quite figure how it's not just a rigid 29er MTB with drop bars and skinnier tires. But, if that's the bike you want, then it's a lot easier to get that from the shop then convert your 29er MTB. There are lots of converted rail lines and gravel back roads to ride out here, so it's slowly starting to look like a good idea to me.
The question then, is what in my fleet could become a road bike, and what could become a gravel bike?
These had a reputation for being noodle-y, even with the legendary Sean Kelly racing on one for years with no issues that I know of. I'm quite certain I outweigh Kelly by Nairo Quintana though, so it just wasn't a good idea.
I really did like the feel of that bike, possibly because it was flexing under my weight, or possibly because I liked that moustache bar. I've never been comfortable in the drop portion of a drop bar on a road bike, which defeats the purpose of it to some degree.
I still have that moustache bar, so I'm set to build another road bike. And i would also like to build a gravel bike.
I make fun of the gravel bike genre because I can't quite figure how it's not just a rigid 29er MTB with drop bars and skinnier tires. But, if that's the bike you want, then it's a lot easier to get that from the shop then convert your 29er MTB. There are lots of converted rail lines and gravel back roads to ride out here, so it's slowly starting to look like a good idea to me.
The question then, is what in my fleet could become a road bike, and what could become a gravel bike?
Firstly, I have this Rocky Mountain Metro from 2007. I love that it mimics a late 90's mountain bike, and I've built it with parts of that time. Kinda. The thumbshifters are late 80's really, but otherwise, it's pretty 1997. With the 700c wheels, this is virutally a road bike for me already. I can put the moustache bars on it and call it a day.
However... I could also put some tanwall gravel tires on it, and I'd have a modern style gravel bike that looks exactly like a 1997 mountain bike. I haven't seen anyone else do this, and I like this idea so much that I wish I hadn't said anything.
However... I could also put some tanwall gravel tires on it, and I'd have a modern style gravel bike that looks exactly like a 1997 mountain bike. I haven't seen anyone else do this, and I like this idea so much that I wish I hadn't said anything.
This is my 1995 Breezer Storm. It's pretty much a gravel bike already. There's maybe 1.5" of travel out of that fork on a good day, the tires are not aggressive and roll smoothly, even if they are fatter than most gravel tires. I'd just put the Mary bars from the Metro on here and I'm done.
Or..... I could put the moustache bars on this bike, get some skinny 26" slicks, and make my own Bridgestone XO-1.
Or..... I could put the moustache bars on this bike, get some skinny 26" slicks, and make my own Bridgestone XO-1.
The XO-1 was the ultimate Bridgestone. Product Manager Grant Peterson was famous for speccing bikes in a very different way from other companies. Generally, if your company made a really good frame, it only took one call to Shimano for an XT group, and you had yourself a great bike.
For Bridgestone's top of the line MB-Zip though, Peterson got parts from Mavic, Ritchey, Dia-Compe, and SunTour. I can only imagine how difficult it must have been to coordinate this operation. He ended up with a bike almost as light as a Ritchey P-23, at a fraction of the cost though.
I don't know how Peterson was able to green-light the XO-1. It had MTB-style 26" wheels, but a road-like frame with center-pull brakes and slick tires. It had moustache bars, which are..... whatever they are. It was a kind of hybrid, but with way better parts than other hybrids.
It was a predecessor to the modern gravel bike.
Sort of.
The Rocky is really the best choice for a gravel bike, and the best choice for a road bike. The Breezer will be a bit of a compromise no matter what I do with it. But, I'm pretty sure that no matter what I do, I'll be the only kid on the block with both bikes, and that's what I like.
For Bridgestone's top of the line MB-Zip though, Peterson got parts from Mavic, Ritchey, Dia-Compe, and SunTour. I can only imagine how difficult it must have been to coordinate this operation. He ended up with a bike almost as light as a Ritchey P-23, at a fraction of the cost though.
I don't know how Peterson was able to green-light the XO-1. It had MTB-style 26" wheels, but a road-like frame with center-pull brakes and slick tires. It had moustache bars, which are..... whatever they are. It was a kind of hybrid, but with way better parts than other hybrids.
It was a predecessor to the modern gravel bike.
Sort of.
The Rocky is really the best choice for a gravel bike, and the best choice for a road bike. The Breezer will be a bit of a compromise no matter what I do with it. But, I'm pretty sure that no matter what I do, I'll be the only kid on the block with both bikes, and that's what I like.
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