unless I can let it out of the bag.
Why keep secrets? There's no point. The world will eventually know everything, and bad things can happen based on assumptions in the mean time.
Admiral Ackbar, Sponsor Liaison and Equipment Acquisitions Director, thought he knew where this whole secret project thing was going (Mike Piazza and I didn't bother to let him in on the secret) so he went ahead and started gathering parts anyways based on his baseless assumptions.
He assumed the most radical thing we might do would be to swap from pink and purple parts to Disco Orange.
Knowing that there would be much excitement about the Cane Creek 110 being offered in new and exciting colors Admiral Ackbar thought that logically we would have Disco Orange Industry Nine wheels on the way. Silly Admiral Ackbar, it was just a trap. The headset is very nice and your efforts are, as always, appreciated. Now I just need a single speed cross bike to put this on.
No my friends, this is more than just a fashion decision, and I'm not getting a single speed cross bike so I can start a new career path grinding gravel. This is more of a lifestyle change. I've decided to pull the trigger and the wheels of change are in motion. Soon I will be getting a...
Yes, it's true. A squishy shifty bike is on its way to my house in Charlotte, NC. By "on its way" I mean the industry standard "on its way". The last I knew my order was "on the floor" which means little to me, but that could just mean that someone literally dropped my order on the floor, and no one has bothered to pick it up.
If you've been reading along for awhile you know I've had the desire to do something different for quite some time now. I've realized that after seven years of riding a single speed bike pretty much all the time I've been missing certain little things that can make mountain biking funner like climbing up steep technical climbs while actually ON MY BIKE. I also miss giving it a little extra gas on the downhills with the click of a button, and I miss all the clanking and banging that comes with riding a geared bike. I feel the need, the need for speed.
In order to prepare for the arrival of my Tallboy I've been boning up on my need for speed knowledge base with my jumpsuit wearing friends. We are awesome to the power of ⁿ.
Some of you might be asking yourselves "In a world of so many full suspension 29'ers, why a Tallboy?"
Here's why.
Imagine that money is no object. It's not hard for me, because aside from the few 20's I have in my binder clip money isn't really an object at all. It's just a bunch of bleeps and bloops on the bank's computers that can be wiped out with the touch of a button. Anyways, if money is truly not an object what would I want from a new frame?
Stiffness. Riding my One 9 has spoiled me. The scandium frame matched with the crabon frok has showed me what a stiff combo can feel like. Lateral stiffness makes for a predictable ride, and the handling of my current bike is off the charts awesome. Yes, this only makes me wonder just what the new Air 9 Carbon would ride like, but alas wonder is all I can do right now... well that and read what George thinks about his (bastard).
Lightweight. I want to do bad things with my new bike. It has wheels and I have testicles, so obviously I want to get on it ASAP and go fast all the time. I will race this bike sometimes when the mood strikes me in that funny way. I don't know when or where, but I will put it to good use. Not that I'll make Jeff Schalk nervous or anything, but it will be neat to go to places I've raced at in the last seven years only on a single speed and see what it's like to pedal where I've never pedaled before.
Capability. This is a hard one since I listed "lightweight" before it. I want to be able to run a 120mm fjork on my lightweight frame. That really made the frame choice quite easy since most other lightweight contenders are best balanced with a 80-100mm fjork. The Tallboy can take a 100-120 fjork, so I'd say we're in business. What business? The business of running over British children.
State of the art. VPP has been around for awhile, but it has been tweaked to pull off a 4" travel 29'er frame with 17.5" chainstays. Those of you with an attention span might remember I won the Hellride back in 2007, and I got the chance to ride a Nomad for a short while. While I liked the way the suspension worked once I got it set for my weight, I had already been converted to big wheels, and there was no turning back. VPP and big wheels? Awesome. Carbon fiber... sauce for the goose Mr Savik. That quote has nothing to do with what I'm talking about, but having another carbon bike in the house makes me feel all futuristic and Spock'esque.
What are we talking about? A bike with grease ports on the main pivot, carbon upper link, tapered head tube, carbon front and rear triangle... and did I mention just over five pounds for a frame that fits a guy like me (handsome)? I will do some shit with this bike, serious shit. Maybe not Seb Kemp serious shit, but Dicky serious shit.
I want to ride in Pisgah like I did back in the day when I had a death bike. I want to loft my bike off a water bar without really knowing what's on the other side. I want to aim for obtrusive objects in the trail and hurt them. I want to run over British children in the woods. This bike will enable me to do all these things and more.
I will muse more on this special project tomorrow. More behind the scenes crap, more about the thoughts that went into my decision, more about my long term love affair with Santa Cruz bikes, and more about how I learned to stop worrying and love "the bomb".
I know what you're thinking. Team Dicky getting a bike with squishy shifty bits... a sure sign of the Apocalypse. I assure you, until Obama sprouts four heads and has the spots of a leopard you're still safe. It's prophesied.
For more reading about my next next dream bike for making great bike race go on over to singletrack.com and read all about the Bummer Life of Dejay Birtch on the road with his Air 9 Carbon. It will make you want to punch him in his strangely bearded face and then hug him and then punch him again.
21 comments:
Any minute now the kick will be felt and I will wake up from this dream...
Now I don't feel so bad about my recent gears addition. Thanks.
Most excellent. Time to huck teh gnar proCore.
arent you going to need a larger bottom headset cup?
The headset was a red herring or an orange herring or whatever. It serves no purpose at this time other than being orange. Cane Creek will be addressing my Tallboy headset needs soon enough with the appropriate pieces of aluminum and steel.
I recently made a similar move to an Epic 29er. Coming from a rigid SS...wah. You'll enjoy the change in most ways. The transition is a little weird though...sitting to pedal vs. standing to pedal. Overall, though...riding should hurt and be fun at the same time. Good choice!
Also Drew,
Get off the internet and start working on my rear wheel .
We have your black mask and throwing stars ready for you. Just let usa know when/where you want them delivered.
Seriously-sweet ride.
Don't ever go full shifty.
Forget the front der and use 1x9.
You have a problem that goes well beyond bikes. FYI.
Pfft. Forget stage races next year. Megavalanche is where it's at!
I just fell out of my chair.
Did you consider any other options like the Turner Sultan or Pivot 429...alot of good things said about that DW link...
Seriously though very nice bike..
the whore gets fried.
Looked at Pivot and Turner.
Did not make the cut.
Rich- I'm using the MRP 1x and love it. Works. Consider it.
Next time, you're going first down that thar hill.
Mb
wv: belyfy
Not making that up. An extra strong version of beefy- what your new ride will be.
And to think I sent you Smarties, a homemade bikini and maple syrup . . .
you're dead to me
. . . can I have your SS stuff?
Pussy
Sincerly
BKB
I'm not a pussy.
I just smell that way.
Wait... the BKB?
Hasn't our fearless leader done a little switch hitting now and then?
Maybe when I ride my shifty/squishy I'll do it in Speedos to keep my man card.
OBR,
My SS stuff is getting put in a box and is heading to the MTB Hall of Fame. They haven't asked for it yet, but I'm just being proactive.
Do the folks at Dirt Rag know about this? Oh crap, I think you have been hanging about that Maurice dood and he talked you into this, didn't he?
What would Gunnar say??
W= gloobati, the glue they use to make your new frame.
Hot bike. Good choice! But you have an orange CC110 that's just sitting around your house doing nothing? Its been like my holy grail of bike parts!
Perhaps you need to begin a quest for your holy grail.
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