After years
of trial and error and different urban environments,
for riding the streets, this configuration has
emerged as best.
I advocate front suspension as explained elsewhere
on the site, and this Rock Shox SID is light
and tunable.
I also like the 26” wheels for compactness
and lighter weight.
This set is dope. With that super wide lightened
rear rim, fast cornering is solid and predictable.
The narrower front tire on the reasonable wide
Lite rim with radial spokes keeps it all stuck
to the line.
That tight road racing Dura Ace cassette keeps
my cadence where I want it and the wide front
triple gives me a big range for all sorts of
environments. The Dura Ace chain and grip shifters
are amazingly precise and dependable.
BMX pedals allow me to wear any shoes for any
event at my destination. Because when I ride
the streets, I am not out for a joyride, I am
going somewhere.
Rim brakes are the way to go for the street.
Disc brakes are sexy, but I can’t be carrying
that much extra weight around, the additional
cable for them is too much already. These Avid
Black Ops brakes I run are space age.
The fizik saddle is a bit of an indulgence
but sure does its job well and is rather light,
right where I want to keep weight down.
And those handlebars rock. Yes I know they
look fucked up, but they are so useful. In the
primary position, as I push on the pedals, I
pull on the bars. They make a helluva lot more
power than other bars. Lots of control, excellent
visibility, and I can carry cargo, even a big
box. To offset the poor aerodynamics of the
main position, I wrapped the flat center of
the bars, neatly tucking the cables underneath,
for handholds in a dropped position (I can also
carry a passenger there). In the down position,
aerodynamics improve significantly, allowing
a much higher top speed or easing of a headwind.
My head and shoulders are lower and out of the
wind, but even more aero is the narrow arm posture.
While the bars look silly, the design has been
proven by 100 years of use.
In these photos the bike is covered with accessories
and reflectors. Sorry. But a taillight is necessary.
Water is needed; strangely enough, no one steals
the bottle. A headlight is useful. And a clip
for detachable fenders is handy.
The “locking” skewers are excellent
theft deterrent. I modified one, using it to
secure the valuable and stealable fork. I mounted
the lock for the lowest center of gravity. It
is easy to use the mini U-lock and the whole
system in quite secure, even here in New York
City.
This bike is fully useful and totally utilitarian.
High performance is utility for me. However,
this thing completely lacks style. Form follows
function, eh.