Tour De Trinity Trail

Almost there...a few more parts and done...there will be no yellow...in person the bike blows the image away...can not wait to get her out there on some trails and put some miles on it...I think it will serve me well on the Trinity..being steel perhaps one the hard core racers from a group of riders out there in there red/white/blue race kits will feel it when they hit me head on like they almost have the last three weekends on the section that starts in Benbrook...you know the section that says 15 miles an hour..the section where there are people walking..slower riders obeying the rules..the twisty sections that when you carry speed and cut corners you end up almost hitting the people coming from the opposite direction..we racer types refer to this type of riding as a pace line...to be efficient and carry speed...I usually do not point things out like this as it is what it is...but when you have new people riding bikes and they look up and see a freight train going well over 20mph heading at you on your side of the trail said new riders tend to over react as they are not sure what they should do...but today was the real exception as I was heading out...said freight train with red/blue/white jerseys where heading towards me behind a couple who was walking....I knew we would meet where the couple was walking but had no idea the said freight train would go to pass the couple instead of slowing down to allow me to continue as I had the right of way on my side of the trail...head straight at me almost hitting the couple and forcing me off the paved trail onto the dirt on my road bike...said group seems to be out there all the time and apparently have no regard for other walkers/riders rights or safety..we experienced riders know how to read and handle these situations but lesser experienced riders have no clue and it causes confusion and puts their safety in jeopardy as well as others around them..

When I raced road bikes we trained on the road...where there where no people walking their dogs or out for a leisure ride with their family...maybe the times have changed...maybe not...I raced the road.and met some of the most elitist egotistical people I have been around....but there are people like that in everything..I just go exposed to the other side of the sport that I personally thought sucked...

I can see why people walking have a disdain for people on bikes...the action of a few reflect on all of us as riders...there are more cool people out there than negative people...but one little group is a stand out..I thought it was just me..but after my ride I was in the parking lot with about 10-15 other riders where this conversation came up....seems all most all of them had or has had a similar experience with the group of red/blue/white jerseys with the black asphalt road on the back of the jersey....  

Surly Cross Check

So the build hit a few snags...which I kind of expected from looking the Surly frame specs and the bike I was sabotaging for parts...had to order a new head set and front derailleur..also a new hanger for the front brakes...but other than that The Rock has pretty much got it built...just waiting on a few parts to come in...so the maiden ride will have to wait...so far with frame..labor and parts I ordered I am in for around 7-8 hundred dollars..but not bad considering it is built just like I want..

Surly Cross Check Frame
Sram Rival Shifters
Sram Rival Front Derailleur
Sram Rear Derailleur
Sram Rival 11-28 Cassette
Sram Chain
Hope Ceramic Bottom Bracket
Sram Force Carbon Crank
Easton EC70cx Carbon Fork
Fizik Saddle
FSA Headset
FSA 42cm Drop Bars
Origin 8 Stem
Origin 8 Seat Post
Tektro something or another canit brakes
Fulcrum XC7 Cross Wheels-I will be replacing with Easton Wheels later on.
Kenda Small Block 8 700x35 tires

Some stuff I have never tried is Origin 8 stuff..Rocky carries it at his shop and the price seems good and the look of the product seems pretty cool...especially the white stuff...figured I would give it a try..I mean it is an aluminum stem and seat post...pretty sure it is on par with other aluminum stuff...who knows..think people get hung up on name brand stuff to the point of paying more than some stuff is really worth.. that is for another debate later on down the road..my guessing is this thing is going to weigh close to 25 pounds which is respectful for a 4130 steel frame and at this price point..I am sure there are ways to lighten it up...but I really do not want to get into shaving grams by the dollar...keep in mind most all of this stuff is coming off of a bike I currently have...so for the specs and the money I have into it...pretty solid bike at a great price...

Now for the intended use..Surly makes some pretty versatile bikes and though they have frames designated as cross..touring..and such they all seem to have the ability to pretty much build them up however you want to within reason of intended use...mine will be primarily a gravel grinder..Trinity Troller .. Light Trail Rig..my current cross bike only allows for 38c tires..at least with the Surly I can slap some 42c on there for the more gravely gravel grinders..plus I am not to keen on rocks smacking a carbon frame...again another debate for later on...

There is a certain amount of intrigue and fun in having a bike built frame up the way you want it from jump street...reality you do spend more money doing it this way..I imagine if I did not already have most of these parts this build would easily go into the 2000 dollar range and maybe a little more..a person can buy a heck of a cross bike for 2gs...but it is just like the bike it is sitting beside on the floor...every now and then you have to build your own...one of a kind(sort of)..a true custom it is not..but the next best thing....are there better steel frames out there...oh yeah...Salsa..Gunnar...Milwaukee Bikes..just to name a few..in line with Surly..there is Soma and All City..so there are plenty of choices out there to research an plan a build..but in the end I feel like a little kid waiting for Santa to deliver that present I have wanted all year...

My blog is not based on some great knowledge of cycling..though I have been riding seriously for almost 30 years...throw in a few races here and there..owned a ton of bikes...work on them when I can or want...but you learn stuff when you have a passion for something...I have always noticed new people to the sport can get intimated easily by people they perceive as  better or smarter than they are...and there are some out there that make sure you know they are better and smarter than you are...but for the most part the cycling community is filled with a bunch of great guys and gals...I write this stuff for fun and sharing and maybe one person will read it and think....cool..I would like to try that...as always the important thing is to ride...be safe...have fun...and help the sport grow...

  

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.