Best bicycle model name

johndark — Tue, 20 May 2008 14:27:58 +0000

Gin & Trombones, by Van Dessel

Urbane Cyclist Urbanite

johndark — Tue, 20 May 2008 02:51:11 +0000

Reasonably priced tourer. Seems to be worth a spot on the list.

Rides

johndark — Sat, 17 May 2008 00:20:18 +0000

So my bike should be ready in about a week or so. I’ve already been thinking about possible rides I might want to do:

May: Pedal Pittsburgh – Too late
June: Tour de Cure
August: Mingo Mon Valley Century (the 30 mile loop)
September-October: VO Bike Tour – Great Allegheny Passage, Venture Outdoors

I’m also designing a regular ride that I can do right out of my front door. It will probably be an easy back roads loop to Evans City. I wish I had a safer route to get to North Park.

Western Pennsylvania Wheelmen has weekly rides in Cranberry on Thursdays. I’ll check them out soon.

Short list

johndark — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 22:47:10 +0000

Final finalists

1. Soma Double Cross
2. Salsa Casseroll Triple [2008]
3. Surly Cross-Check [2006]
4. Masi Speciale CX [2008]
5. Surly Long-Haul Trucker
6. Kogswell Model P (used, ebay)
7. Bianchi Volpe [2008]
8. Jamis Aurora [2008]
9. Steelwool Tweed [2008]
10. Pake C’Mute (frameset)

5/15/08
And the winner… Salsa Casseroll Triple [2008] 57 cm

100 Bicycles Around $1,000 or Less (a buyer’s guide) v2.6

johndark — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 13:52:16 +0000

I put this together in response to the frequent requests on our message board for bike-buying advice. It’s still very much a work-in-progress. If you have any suggested additions, leave them in the comments and I will incorporate them in periodic updates.

Obviously I have not ridden all of these. The inclusion on this list (and the ranking) is a distillation of reviews, spec comparison and countless threads on bicycle community message boards like bikeforums and mtbr.com.

edit: Updated 6/02/08

A. Swiss Army Bikes

1. Surly Cross-check ($930)
2. Soma Double Cross (~$475 frameset)
3. Salsa Casseroll (~$540 frameset)
4. Kogswell Model P (used only)
5. Masi Speciale CX ($979)
6. Pake C’Mute (~$370 frameset)
7. Bianchi Volpe (’07: $899; ’08: $999)
8. Steelwool Tweed ($1450 CDN)
9. Planet X Kaffenback
10. Kona Jake (’07 $799; ’08 $849)

B. Touring

1. Surly Long-Haul Trucker ($985)
2. Jamis Aurora ($850)
3. Cannondale T800 ($999 MSRP $1,299)
4. Trek 520 ($1099; MSRP $1239)
5. Novara Randonee ($949)
6. Raleigh Sojourn ($1099)
7. Kogswell P/R ($540 ffhs+)
8. Fuji Touring (’07 $829; ’08 $950)
9. Urbane Cyclist Urbanite ($1150 CDN)
10. Rocky Mountain Sherpa 10
Hon Men.:Windsor Tourist ($599)

C. Street/Commuter

1. Raleigh Detour Deluxe ($710)
2. Motobecane Café Noir ($699)
3. Marin Muirwoods (’07 $419; ’08 $455)
4. Jamis Coda Sport (’08 $600)
5. Bianchi Valle (’08 $899)
6. Kona Dew Deluxe (’07 $599; ’08 $649)
7. Novara Safari ($849)
8. Specialized Globe City 6 ($910)
9. Swobo Dixon ($899)
10. Trek 7.5 FX ($789)
Hon Men.: Ibex Corrida LT Disc ($599)
Scott Sub 10 ($899)
GT Legato 4.0 ($549)

D. Fixed/Track

1. Bianchi Pista ($579) – 48×16
2. Fuji Track (’07 $449; ’08 $510) 48×15
3. Raleigh Rush Hour ($599) 48×16/15
4. LeMond Fillmore ($749) – 44×18
5. Jamis Sputnik ($725) – 46×16
6. KHS Flite 100 (’07 $599; ’08 $549) – 48×16
7. IRO Mark V ($569) – 46×14-18
8. Giant Bowery (’07 $500; ’08 $575) – 48×18/18
9. Specialized Tricross Singlecross (’08 $800)
10. Mercier Kilo TT (’08 $349)
Hon Men.: Schwinn Madison (’07 $529; ’08 $569) – 48×18/18

E. Singlespeed Practical

1. IRO Rob Roy ($599)
2. Redline 9-2-5 (’07 $490) – 42×16/15
3. Raleigh One Way 2008 ($710)
4. On One Pompino Pro (£499)
5. Surly Steamroller ($630) – 48×17
6. Masi Speciale Commuter ($700)
7. Kona Paddy Wagon ($649) – 42×16/16
8. Steelwool Sweet City SS ($750) – 44×16
9. Van Dessel Country Bob ($899)
10. Swobo Del Norte ($679)

Framesets
Soma Rush ($435)
EAI Bareknuckle ($584)
Soma Delancey ($660)

F. Road “Sport”

1. Giant OCR 2 ($900)
2. Bianchi Brava ($799)
3. Fuji Newest 2.0 ($650)
4. Motobecane Vent Noir ($799)
5. Jamis Satellite ($785)
6. Raleigh Sport ($499)
7. Marin Venezia ($845)
8. Schwinn Fastback Sport (’07 $679; ’08 $699)
9. Trek Pilot 1.2 ($769)
10. Soma Smoothie ES ($299 frameset)

G. Road Race

1. Specialized Allez (’08 $800)
2. Trek 1500 ($1149)
3. LeMond Etape (’07 $689; ’08 $769)
4. Rocky Mountain ’06 Solo 10 ($799)
5. Felt ’06 F90 ($699)
6. Jamis Ventura Comp ($700)
7. K2 ’06 MOD 4.0 ($999; MSRP $1599)
8. Ibex Aprisa 5600 ($999)
9. Scott Speedster S60 (’07 $679; ’08 $729)
10. Scattante R-560 ($999)

H. Cyclocross Race

1. Redline Conquest ($999)
2. LeMond ’06 Poprad (~$990)
3. Ibex X-Ray Race ($799)
4. Bianchi ’07 Axis ($895)
5. K2 Enemy ($929)
6. Fuji Cross Comp (’07 $1049; ’08 $1200)
7. Scott Cyclocross Comp ($1049)
8. Motobecane Fantom Cross ($799)
9. Schwinn Fastback CX ($1299)
10. Jamis Nova Pro ($1100)
Hon men: Norco CCX2 (’07 $899; ’08 $969)

I. Hardtail MTB

1. Raleigh ’07 Mojave 8.0 ($599)
2. Kona Cinder Cone (’07 $699; ’08 $799)
3. Gary Fisher Tassajara (’07 $729; ’08 $899)
4. Motobecane 600HT ($399)
5. KHS Alite 2000 (’07 $819; ’08 $929)
6. Rocky Mountain Trailhead ($889)
7. Giant Yukon (’07 $470; ’08 $550)
8. Marin Eldridge Grade (’07 $859; ’08 $875)
9. Specialized Rockhopper ($590)
10. Cannondale F4 (’07 $879)

J. Niche MTB

1. Redline Monocog Flight ($899) – 32×16
2. Bianchi M.U.S.S. ($849) – 32×16
3. Raleigh XXIX (’07 $749) – 32×20
4. Kona Unit ($899) – 34×17
5. Gary Fisher Cobia (’07 $989; $1039)
6. Jamis Exile ($1025) – 33×21
7. Voodoo Wanga ($689)
8. GT Peace ($599) – 32×16
9. Voodoo Dambala 29 ($760)
10.

Dos Niner

Soma Build

johndark — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 13:49:45 +0000

This is the bike I decided to build up. I expect the total cost will be around $1600. I’ll get the vast majority of the parts from either Speedgoat or the Soma Store. First buy: Frame, fork & headset; Next batch: crankset & bottom bracket; third batch: stem, bar, brakes; Fourth batch: drivetrain; Final batch: wheelset, saddle, seatpost.

The wheelset is going to make it a beast.

Update 5/3/08: I adjusted a bit to bring the price down. Speedgoat says they can build it. I’m going to place the custom order next week.

Frame: Soma Fabrications Double Cross, 58 cm, British racing green
Fork: Soma cro-moly lugged crown w/ eyelets and braze-ons
F. Derailleur (Bottom-pull, clamp): Shimano Tiagra FD4500 XT triple or IRD Alpina
R. Derailleur: Shimano Tiagra RD4500 GS 105 9sp. GS (medium cage)
Cassette: IRD 9-speed Elite Road cassette [12-28]
Crankset: Sugino Swiss Cross Compact Crankset 48-34 XD 500T Special Edition 48-36-24 triple
Bottom Bracket (English, 68mm): IRD QB-75 JIS square taper 113 x 68mm
Shifters: Shimano SL-BS 77 9 sp. bar-end downtube w/friction mode
Chain: Shimano HG 53 CN 7701 Dura-Ace 9sp.
Levers: Cane Creek SCR-5 Soma Aero Road Levers (silver)
Brakes: Cane Creek SCX-5 cantilevers (silver) IRD Cafam
Bar: Nitto Randonneur 45cm On-One Midge bar, 112 mm drop; clamp size 25.4 mm
Pedals: MKS Sylvan tour w/ Soma Clips + straps, size: L
Headset: Cane Creek S-8 1&1/8″ Chris King NoThreadset 1-1/8″ (silver)
Stem: Soma 3D Forged MTB 100 mm x 25.4 mm, +/- 7 (silver)
Bar Tape: Salsa Gel Cork tape Soma thick & zesty cork tape (black)
Seatpost: Soma Kalloy, 250 mm x 27.2 mm, (silver)
Saddle: Brooks B-17 (black)
Wheelset
Rims: Salsa Delgado Cross 36h (silver) Sun Ringlé ME14A 36h rims, 19.6mm depth ($96) or Velocity Deep V
Hubs: Shimano Tiagra 105 hubs
Spokes: Wheelsmith DB14 spokes *
Tires: Panaracer Pasela Tourguard Schwalbe Marathon Supreme 700 x 35c *
Fenders: Velo Orange Fluted 49mm