Damon's Sportie Townie Pass Hunter

by Igor

Damon bought this demo Sportif-style Pass Hunter, but he wasn't too keen on the drop bars. He liked the SRAM groupset, Facetted Fenders, Constructeur Rack, and gear-range, but the current cockpit was a no-go. So we modified it a bit to create this comfortable, upright sport-oriented townie to explore DC and all the trails the greater area has to offer.

While the Tourist Bars are a bit narrow by today's fashion, they are supremely comfortable and make sneaking by traffic in town bearable and downright pleasant.

The range of gears on this build are quite generous. The crankset is our 50.4 with 46/30T rings and the cassette is a SRAM 11speed 11-32. The rear dangler is a SRAM Force 22 which has a surprisingly strong spring which does a good job keeping chain tension over bumps, and the front gorilla is a SRAM Rival. Shifting is accomplished courtesy of SRAM's S-700 11sp offering.

The Rear Constructeur Rack is neatly mounted to the Rear Facetted Fender and the front has an extra stay to keep it secure when he goes on the C&O Canal. You may ask yourself, "Self...why is the rack not mounted to the fender?" Well, when we originally offered the bike for sale, the extra stay was already mounted. I didn't want to remove the stay and leave an unsightly hole in the fender, so I mounted the Randonneur Front Rack to the fork so that it could be removed or utilized without the hassle of unbolting the fender stay. It's like a fresh Beaujolais Nouveau wine. Don't take it too seriously or think about it too hard, just enjoy it for what it is.

Full-coverage, 45mm Facetted Fenders paired with a set of Front and Rear Mudflaps keep him, his drivetrain, and his riding friends clean from road grime and dirt. And a classic Fender Reflector keeps him visible - though it isn't a replacement for a blinkie or even better, dynamo lightset. We may or may not be working on a fender mounted dynamo. Tires are Fairweather Traveler in 32mm. Very low rolling resistance, lightweight, and stylish.

Finally, the perch is our Smooth Touring Saddle and Dajia 1b Seatpost. This is my favorite saddle. It's immediately comfortable from the get-go, lightweight, durable, and has nearly the same dimensions are our Model 3 Leather offering. Oh and it has bag loops! If you have your heart set on a leather saddle, get one now. We aren't getting more after they are gone.

All together, this makes for one super cool ride. It's lightweight, comfortable, and a bit performance oriented, and that's why I'm dubbing this one a Sportie Townie. Can't wait to see it around town, Damon!

Closed Over Thanksgiving

by Igor

We'll be closed on November 22rd and re-open on November 26th to give our awesome, hardworking staff time off to spend with their families and get in some long bike rides over the Thanksgiving holiday.

If you need an order shipped before we close, please place it before 3pm EST on November 21st and we'll get it out the door.

Please have a safe and happy Thanskgiving break, and we'll see you bright and early on Monday.

Happy riding!

Chip's 26" Choose-Your-Own-Adventure Polyvalent

by Igor

Chip runs this super cool alt and flat handlebar comparison site called Whatbars. So when we started talking about a new, super classy commuter/tourer/whatever-er, the Polyvalent with a nifty cockpit was the logical choice.

After going over builds a few times, we settled on a combo of classic and modern, silver and black. While I tend to go full silver or full black on my builds, I have to say this setup looks really great and rides supremely well. Enjoy!

Wolf Tooth provided a 110bcd narrow-wide, art-deco chainring that pairs quite nicely with our Single Crankset. I would be lying if I didn't take the bike off a few curbs and over the cobbled streets downtown without any dropped chains.

11-42 cassette and a SRAM Apex 11 rear derailleur is a great all-round shifting setup. The derailleur features a very powerful spring and clutch mechanism to ensure shifts are crisp and the chain has proper tension throughout the range. Especially useful when running a 1x drivetrain.

A single leather washer takes care of the rear fender mounting.

Chip opted for a Wald Basket in Silver, Transporteur Bag, and double Snapper Sacks for a water bottle and a compact camera. Or two drinks, or two compact cameras, or two lenses. So many possibilities!

Our new Curvy One Bars have been super popular and for good reason. Great width, perfect hand position, and terrific looks.

Foam Cork Blend Grips, Linear Pull Brake Levers, and SRAM Apex 11 Shifter.

Our Removable Faceplate Quill Stem keeps his cockpit secure and tidy. No shims here!

Mojave Cage for maximum thirst quenching.

External and internal routing. While his current build lacks a front derailleur, I left the non-driveside adjustor in case he wanted to change his setup down the line.

Non-polished Velocity Cliffhanger Rims laced to our Front and Rear Disc Touring Hubs makes a confident and elegant ride.

26" Smooth Fenders keep road muck and mud off his back.

TRP was sold out of Spyre Brakes, so we went with Spykes. That's their mountain variant. They still have an inboard and outboard piston and stop well.

Happy riding, Chip!

2018 Philly Bike Expo Roundup with LOTS of Photos

by Igor

In case you weren't able to make it out to this year's Philly Bike Expo, here's a large gallery of bikes that really stood out to us this year.

Hollingsworth is an offshoot of Royal H Cycles and is steeped in tradition with extremely fine custom cut lugwork.

Polished up Dia-Compe 11sp Downtube Shifters!

Swoon! 

Leather-wrapped chainstay

650b Snakeskin Fenders

On the opposite spectrum of the above, is this super-trick roadie with Sram Etap also made by Royal H. Bryan was telling me that the bike actually is black, just with a TON of glitter to give it that shine and sparkle. Neat!

You don't see Kirks often, so when you do it's a special moment. Wayne from Velo Classique and VAR Tools had this single speed all decked out with fancy gear. Yes, that's an elliptical chainring. Should it work? I suppose not, but Wayne reports it rides great!

As always, the detail work from Johnny Coast is superb.

This rando is wearing our 650b Zeppelin Fenders!

Another masterful randonneur from MAP by Mitch Pryor. This one sits between the world of contemporary and traditional with modern components, tapered headtube, front rack, steel tubing, carbon fork, and integrated lighting.

The legendary JP Weigle needs no introduction. Peter had this gorgeous, raw randonneur frame on display.

Chris Bishop is right here in Maryland and makes some absolutely stunning roadies, randonneurs, and track bikes. This road bike started out as a commuter but quickly morphed into a heckova lightweight.

I spent way too much time at Chris' booth. Here's one of his collaboration bikes with Carl of Vicious Cycles they're dubbing Item 4 (the category of gravel this bike was intended for). Tommy of Cutlass Velo built this one up featuring our Grand Cru Long Reach Brakeset. It is one rocket of a gravel bike!

Room to spare with our Grand Cru Long Reach Brakeset

Eric of Winter Bikes puts out some seriously cool and clever work. Here is a S&S coupled travel/adventure/touring/gravel/rando bike built for Ely of Ruthworks SF with his custom made bags. The bike is coated with Cerakote to create a super durable finish.

The perch is our Model 6 Saddle paired with our Long Setback Seatpost. A beautiful combo! 

Last and absolutely not least is Eric's personal travel bike. It's his interpretation of a modern demountable, complete with sleeved joints, 650b wheels (to fit within the travel case), simple components, and flat bars. It's outfitted with a generous kit of VO!

More Long Reach Caliper Brakes!

Rustines Grips and Tektro FL750 Levers

Nickel in the end.

Eric's signature custom stem with our Postino Bars

A pair of Retro Bottle Cages

Single Ring 50.4 Crankset

Quill Road Pedals, Leather Straps, Stainless Toe Clips, and a Toe Strap Button!

And a Brass Bell mounted to the stem