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.