Surly Cross Check

So the frame is in the shop....I went by to check it out and pick some parts for it that it will need to be completed..the work is being done by Rocky at Bicycle Center Of Fort Worth...who by the way can order the frame right from his shop.

For a low cost steel frame it actually looks great...detail work is real good and the drop outs are the bomb...I have read the frame and fork are heavy..around 7 pounds...after feeling the frame..it is true..but that is one of the trade offs of building a steel frame...especially a 4130 cro-mo steel..one could always opt for a more expensive grade of steel to build a bike...but that kind of defeats the purpose of building a budget type frame up....and as this is not going to be my primary bike weight does not factor into the decision to go with this frame....

I am going to use a Sram Rival drive train I already have...I am using a Easton carbon cx fork I also already have...I do not think it will save a lot of weight but should help absorb some bumps a bit..I had to order a set of 42cm drop bars as I did not have any extras....went with a new stem and seat post as well..white in color to add a little bling to the black frame...using a Sram carbon crank..Fizik saddle and sprung for some new Kenda SB8 700x35c tires..I am hoping the weight comes in at around 22-23 pounds..which I think is respectable for a steel frame cross bike.

Once the bike is complete I will post up a ride review after a few rides to see if my plan of buying a steel frame bike and building it up was worth it...

For those of you in the Fort Worth area looking for a shop that has the old school feel of a mom and pop shop you need to go by and check out Bicycle Center Of Fort Worth...I have used a lot of shops in the DFW area and one can post cons and pros about almost anything they use these days..every time I have had a issue with a bike Rocky has always sorted it out...right..the first time..even if I did not buy the bike from him he still takes the time and pride to do the work and do it right and at the right price...If he does not have it in his shop he can order if for you...I have read where people slam shops for not having inventory on hand...I have customized bikes before and almost every shop I have used ended up having to order the stuff I want because it is not cost effective to keep high end parts sitting on shelves...it is what it is....I do not mind waiting for a part that I want...because in the end I get what I want...built the way I want..and done right...I like to support the LBS when I can and remember you are investing in more than a bike or parts...I still use mail order sometimes...but I try to strike a balance when doing that...

Old School Steel

So I have enough parts to build another bike.....except the frame...so I have been researching frames and several stand out Salsa,Soma,Gunnar, and Surly. I have been holding out in the hopes that Airborne introduces a steel frame but the itch to build is overtaking patience,

So I decided I will go with a Surly Cross Check...the ability to run 700x23-700x45 tires..the ability to set it up as a single speed..drop bar..flat bar..rack mounts..run a mountain or road crank and mountain or road hubs...and it is steel.

I had a few steel bikes in the past and one thing always stuck out in my younger mind of riding...they where all heavy. Enter the world of the weight weenie and the search for the lightest and greatest latest bling...fell for it hook line a sinker...nothing wrong with that as a dedicated racer a full zoot carbon rig is hard to beat.light..fast..responsive..eye candy heaven..same with the mountain bike world...as a friend often reminds me..."right tool for the job" to steal the words of John The Wrench.

As I have aged over the decades of riding I have found my riding style and desires have changed. I ride for fun...seldom worry about speed or distance..a lot of this I owe to my wife who recently picked up the itch to ride...being less than athletic she just loves to ride her bike...and I love to ride with her when she is on her bike...the bike in her words has opened up parts of the world around her she has never seen...she has lived her in the DFW area her entire life. Recently I introduced her to the Trinity Trail..she was like a giddy little girl riding her bike down the trail to the down town area..she saw Fort Worth from views she had never seen.

Another thing that stuck out to me about a steel frame...the ride..smooth..compliant..classic..so I will be getting this frame and building her up..another adventure at hand! 

Texas Parks And Wildlife

Now more than ever we as riders should support our Texas Parks and Wildlife...with cuts being made across the board in these economic times it is sad to see our parks receive cuts as well...the services they provide we as mountain bikers benefit from greatly...there is always a trail to ride near DFW..other than the few trails around here like Samson and Gateway and a few others the parks offers us great trails in a secure environment..the trails offer something for everyone from beginners to hard core seasoned riders..and when your done riding there are other things to do in the park as well with the family or friends....the state parks are like my second home and to see them struggle is painful..

If you are new to mountain biking or a seasoned rider please take the time to visit a state park and see what they have to offer us as cyclist and if you feel inclined to do so help in anyway you can..Thanks 

Going To Build A Gravel Grinder

Well there seems to be a new discipline in the bike world...not so much new as it seems to be catching the eye of many riders..gravel grinding...basically riding bikes on gravel roads..the gnarlier the road the better..the longer the roads and ride the better...the colder and wetter the weather the better...pretty much a sub culture of dudes who like to ride and suffer...like the down hill of road biking...a couple advantages to this discipline is fewer cars to deal with...you pretty much can do it with any bike other than a traditional road bike unless you are so hard core you like changing tires and hearing rocks clunk off of you high zoot carbon road frame..actually you just can not run tires wide enough on the road bike to get a decent tire set up to accomplish riding serious gravel roads..

I got into the gravel grinding thing as kind of a fluke...I was wanting a bike that I could use for everything..road..off road...commuter...and ended up getting a cyclocross bike..other than the geometry and brake set up these bikes look pretty much like a standard road bike..I am currently running some 700x35 Schwalbe tires on mine and have ridden trails around here like Gateway..Isle Du Bois and Johnsons Branch..Gateway was fun..the other 2 trails not so much fun and  I rode them because a few dudes I know said it could not be done...blah..I did it..and paid..sore..beaten down and it took me twice as long compared to my mountain bike..

Riding the cross bike on gravel roads has worked great for 90 per cent of the roads I have done..but even a cross bike has it limits as far as how wide a tire you can fir in there..so this was my first year to try a 29er and as I have been riding the 29er this reoccurring thought keeps going through my head...like a mad doctor...I want to merge a 29er and a cross bike into one ultimate gravel grinder...I have a spare cross bike that is to big..so I am going to get a 29er hard tail frame..build it up with every part I can off of my spare cross bike...drive train..crank..handle bar..everything..get  rigid fork and slap some road disc brakes on the new frame...29er wheels...and see what I come up with...the goal is to build a bike that is still gravel grinding capable..keep the weight down some..but will be more comfortable than my cross bike..will still be trial worthy by slapping bigger 29x2.1 tires on it if I desire..think this may either look so cool or so hideous that either way it will be something out of the norm and will serve the task at hand great!

Airborne Goblin 29er

So I have had the bike for several months now and have had time to put some miles on it and draw some real world conclusions..The only things I have changed on it is upgrading the wheels to Sun Ringle Black Flag wheels and a FSA carbon handle bar and seat post..I have always tried o put carbon on hard tails to help reduce vibration from rough terrain..it does help some but I am not going to say it is one of those things that is an eye opener upgrade..but every little bit helps.

The bike overall has been a stellar performer and at the price point of roughly 1200 dollars I would be hard pressed to find another bike with the components and fork on this anywhere around that was new. I will say once up to speed this thing rolls and on flat and smooth surfaces it wants to go fast and if you got the legs you can scream on this bike..

The larger wheels means more control over rocky stuff...less fiddling with finding the exact line to plow through and more confidence inspiring over certain technical terrain..my experience so fr is leading me to think a 29er is a little more forgiving in the error of rider input..and one thing I have not suffered from yet is the inevitable front wheel stall like a 26er..you know that pint where the fron wheel hits an obstacle and just stops usually forcing you to get off the bike or really power the thing up and over the obstacle...this thing just rolls over stuff like that..

Is it light..hmmm..what is light..race light..like a full carbon with xo stuff...no..then again it would not be fair to compare this bike to a bike in that price range...is it light enough for the budget minded rider or racer who wants a good solid piece of equipment to serve them well...sure is..if I still raced I would have no problems using this bike to compete with...as racers we always change stuff anyway to meet our own personal preference..

Airborne is the only company I know of that is active on forums and talking directly to their customers and people who ride their bikes...they provide accurate and prompt answers to questions asked and seem to be into the biking culture like the riders who purchase their bikes...would I recommend them..YES..my next bike purchase will be another Airborne...they have addressed many of the issues we as normal everyday riders face..quality product...great price..and most of all customer service....try and get that from some of the big names and you will be sending and waiting for a lot of emails or a area rep to decide the fate of your bike..I know as I am currently dealing with a bif name company on an ongoing issue with a bike that I recently purchased...I hope Airborne is here to stay and if you have not decided on a 29er yet..give it a try..as a long time 29er hold out all I can say id there is some credence to the so called hype.

First Real Ride On A 29er

Today I loaded up the rig and headed to one of our local trails...Gateway Park..I chose this trail for several reasons...one it is close to the homestead...two the most technical part of the trail is unloading the bike when you get there..my thinking was I could put the bike through its paces without worrying about rock gardens and such..kinda of break the new off of here...I must say the Geax tires that I sat up tubeless Saturday where still aired up today and had not lost any air overnight..that is a first with any tire that I have set up tubeless...usually takes a few days for everything to seal up and finally hold air.....

I went ou there today and did several laps with the new Goblin...there are several things I noted and several things that seemed to contradict what I have read..

-The larger wheel smoothed out the ride on the trail
-The Goblin though some say it is heavy rides like a bike a lot lighter
-If you want to go fast the Goblin will go fast..just put the power down on it and she scoots
-The bike is stiff but still delivers a comfortable ride
-The gearing is spot on..I never had to use the small chain ring up front...so good in fact I am considering running this bike as a 1x10 setup
-What i was expecting was slow turning in the twisty stuff as I have read..never happened...I was still able to carve through the stuff and hold speed...maybe it is from years of ripping around on a 26er and hucking the bike when I can or from riding by cross bike on single track..not sure but I never noticed the 29 inch wheel getting in the way of carving through stuff on the bike
-29 inch wheels roll...and roll..and if you carry momentum through stuff the wheels just roll over things...
-The Reba fork performed great as well as the X7 stuff on the bike...I though the saddle may be a bit cheese factor but it seemed solid and was rather comfortable..
-The Avid brakes worked great as well
-The Goblin seems like a solid rig and though some may consider it a little hefty it seems built for the long haul..which I find good...after going through to carbon frames I am beginning to rethink carbon and lightweight for mountain bikes...at least for me..if I was racing hard core no doubt I would be choosing the lightest stuff my wallet would allow me to purchase..

Overall so far I am pleases with the Goblin and it was a total blast to ride today...after hearing the hype about 29ers I can see many things where a 29er is a great choice..but one thing that really stood out to me was when you let off the gas and just wanted to cruise around it seemed so much easier to keep the momentum going forward than on my 26 inch wheels and also seemed a lot more comfortable...I am not going to be one of those dudes who starts doing back flips and proclaim that the 29er is the thing to have....I will never give up my 26ers because there is a lot of things they do well and they do it great..but having a 29er in the stable is for sure going to add some fun factor and allow me to enjoy the same trails I do on my 26ers....just in a different way..

As far as the Airborne Goblin goes..for the money..it is a excellent value..a quality bike..good specs..excellent ride..I had several people check it out today and they all seemed impressed with the bike and the looks of it...I have had a lot of bikes..good and bad...if you are one those that are stuck on big brand name and are brand loyal then this bike may not be your cup of coffee..but if you are a riders who wants the best bang for the dollar...wants a quality product that performs great and wants to be just a little different...then the Goblin will fit your needs perfect!     

So the bike is built..put some Sun Ringle Black Flag wheels on it so I can run tubeless..a short ride on the bike has lead me to one conclusion so far...if you want to go fast this thing will do it..it accelerates promptly once the power is out to the cranks and carries that rolling action...a trip to the shop only required some minor tweaking of the usual stuff..the Geax tires set up with a Stans Kit with zero issues and sealed right up...

The bike itself(29er) does feel a lot different than the 26er..you feel tall on the bike like you are sitting on it and not down in it like a lot of 26ers...not big deal really...kind of reminds me of riding my cyclocross  bike with flat bars and wider tires..I imagine with a few rides on a 29er most would adjust with no issues..and if a 29er is your first mountain bike there would be nothing to compare it to as far as pros vs cons...

The bike is stiff and provides a comfortable ride at least so far...have not got into the rough stuff yet..the Geax tires provide a nice blend of traction and low rolling resistance..the Sram X7 stuff works great and the Reba fork as well...the Reba is one of Rock Shoxs better forks in my opinion..this is the second Reba I have owned and the first worked flawlessly...once I get her out on a proper trail I will post up some better reviews...