mack_turtle

There's a lot more to it than gearing for sure. My mtb is usually singlespeed 32/20 with 29x2.4 or so tires. Gravel bike is noticably lighter with 650x47 tires and 38/17. I can absolutely smoke my mtb time on any non-technical climb (1826 south of Slaughter Creek Trail is a good example) on the gravel bike, even though the gearing is a lot higher.

I have the First Place Singlespeed hammer on my mantle. I was the only singlespeeder!

I rode the Texas Chainring Massacre on a Soma Juice one year and wrote about it here: https://sidewallthorn.blogspot.com/2016/12/the-versatile-soma-juice-steel-hardtail.html Sorry, the photos died. I'll try to fix that.

a lot of people do this with their older mtbs. definitely a fun idea for a bike that won't see technical terrain. three things to consider though: why drop bar? gravel bikes don't have to have a drop bar, and the obsession with drop bars is almost a fetish for some people. drop bars are great for aerodynamic gains and having a variety of hand positions for long rides. I don't think they help with climbing, and the aero gains probably don't mean much unless you're racing. a flat bar with bar ends or some kind of interesting alt-bar could be just as good. SQlabs "inner bar ends" are an interesting choice as well. if you go to a drop bar, you'll need to futz around with brakes and shifters quite a bit for it to work. pull ratios on mtn and road shifters and dreailers don't always play nice. you can make it work, but it might be a hassle. fit on a mountain bike is designed with a flat bar in mind, so the top tube is quite long. when you put a drop bar on that bike, the reach to the hoods and drop to the hooks is significantly longer. you'll need a shorter stem to make the fit feel reasonable, unless you're one of those gumby freaks who can fold at the waist and hold that position while pedaling for hours. The Surly Corner bar is one of the few options that will at least let you use your old controls and get a drop bar-like position.

Gearilla in the Mist

I was wondering why you were so concerned about theft. are you taking the bike to a theft-prone place? Are you going to leave it outside every night with a shoestring for a lock? common sense measures like using a good lock when you need it, and keeping the bike indoors and out of sight should keep any bike as safe as is practical. anyone who is really determined to steal a bike will find a way, but they're far more likely to go after the easiest target, even if it's a crappy bike. What are you brining?

two bikes is all you need. three if one is some sort of one-trick pony like a trials bike. there, I said it.

I confirmed today that Yellow Bike will recycle tires. They have some sort of deal with a local tire recycler. Makes sense: accept and recycle tires from a local non-profit and write it off on taxes. Win-win-win. In other news, I might have just volunteered to teach a wheel-building class at YBP.

It looks like I'm covered for a good modern bike to borrow. Thank you for all the suggestions!

I don't think I'll be able cobble together enough parts to build something from the frame up, but let me know what you find out about the size.

I am getting a new frame, but ETA is two months out. I'm going to spend quality time with my gravel bike in the meantime, but riding a retro 26" bike for a while might also help me pass the time. 17-18" frame, rim brakes, skinny tires?

I didn't weigh the bike until after two rides. Something felt off, like the bike was a lot more reluctant to leave the ground than anything in experience. I took it apart for now in case I can sell it. The objective weight just confirmed that I'm not enjoying this bike for subjective reasons. Too bad, because this will be a rad bike for someone who needs something burly. It's weird and mental, but so am I. I'm spending some quality time with the gravel bike in the meanwhile. Trails are in great shape but I spent over four hours exploring from behind a drop bar and I feel satisfied.

If they're not useful on a bicycle any more, it might be really difficult. I worked in a bike co-op for a while and getting rid of our mountain of tires was very difficult. Please ask Yellow Bike what they do with worn-out tires. They might just landfill them.

I think this is what people leave out when they say "bike weight doesn't matter." just pedaling the bike up a hill is one thing, but wrangling extra pounds up and over endless Barton Creek rock ledges takes its toll after a few hours. I love that terrain, too.

I have a rigid fork option. it's still quite heavy, and without the benefit of not beating me up so much. Industry Nine rear wheel, 28 spokes all around, nothing else on the bike is particularly heavy. that stiff, heavy frame, however, makes a difference. I honestly don't know where else to make this bike more tolerable.

I don't know what that means, but none of the parts on this bike are particularly heavy. the 7 pound, 3 ounce frame, however, is quite a bit heavier than anything I've ever owned, and I had a ROS9 at one point.

I was certainly under-fueled yesterday for a BCGB beatdown. I need to get stronger, but damn. Everything hurts. Someone told me that the bike-to-rider weight ratio is off, and it could be more fun to fix that by gaining 90 pounds instead of losing a few pounds on the bike. give me the carbs! In the meanwhile, I'm going to swap the 19t cog in the back for a 20t so I can spin it up a little easier.

Over 31 pounds for a bike with one gear for a 165-pound rider. I had a good time riding it today, but it wears me out. I'm reconsidering my current attempt to lose weight.

More of a feeler post than anything else, but it's here: https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/1412970172783697/?mibextid=dXMIcH

That would probably be a downgrade from the Karate Monkey I just sold. None of my parts would fit on it.

There's a good chance that all this bike needs is a rider with a different attitude. I doubt anyone is going to buy it from me, but I put it up just in case. It's seriously over-built for me though. I'm 165 pounds and dropping another 5-10 pounds in the next few weeks. I'm sure that someone with an extra 100 pounds on me would find this bike to be just right.

30 pounds is light for a FS bike with a huge gear range. This is a bare-bones XC hardtail with one gear. I had a similar feeling from the Niner ROS9 that I ride for a few weeks. It was a tank!

I put the frame up for sale just in case it gets any interest. I could get lucky but I need to learn to be content with what I have. It's very unlikely that I'll sell it and have any cash leftover to buy something different, so that's probably a bad idea.

I've spent my budget on bike crap for the year already. Just bought a new fork, seatpost, and frame. Stuff is expensive. Sorry to keep whining about one thing or another.

This is fair. Truth be told, when I pulled it out of the box and discovered that it weighs nearly seven pounds, I started building a case against this bike subconsciously. When I ride it, I can't get that amount of dead weight out of my head. There's a possibility that it lacks that "steel is real" feel, but I don't have enough of a frame of reference to judge that. It works and it's not stopping me, but life is short. I'll give it a few more rides. The catch is that trying something different yet again is predicated on selling this frame, because the sale of one big item is what frees up the budget for the next.