A Somewhat Clean 2020: Retrospective

[paredown]

Originally Posted by merckx

That Peg!

I know, right?

that's the one that really tempted me when it went on the block...

Thanks Clean for taking the time to document your adventures. I think we all learn vicariously and appreciate you taking the time to describe your reactions!

Happy riding in 2020!

[retropean]

Wow, and scrolling through I thought just part one of the post was a lot! Thank you for your experimentation - and taking the time to write about it - as I know your experience adds a lot to the forum.

[d_douglas]

Yikes! I too thought you cooled your jets in 2020. I guess that is a relative term

I have yet to act, but I do appreciate that I fit on your ‘too-small” bikes -

[Clean39T]

Originally Posted by jr59

So, are you having Dave Wages build you a new one or not?

Yes, but taking my time with the process to ensure I'm certain about what I ask it to be...

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[nmrt]

Afraid to ask but I gotta know: Is there anyone on this forum who is a Size 54 "Clean39T"?

[Clean39T]

Originally Posted by d_douglas

Yikes! I too thought you cooled your jets in 2020. I guess that is a relative term

I have yet to act, but I do appreciate that I fit on your ‘too-small” bikes -

Sorry to say our brief window of overlap has closed. I think I've found my happy place, and it's around 59.5-60.5 in the TT.

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[Clean39T]

Originally Posted by merckx

That Peg!

The Peg was probably the most interesting and rewarding experiment of the year. I loved the way that bike ride and when on it and up to speed, it really felt great - it climbed really well and was super fast on the flats and rollers.

If I ever find a just-right Luigino or DiD, it'll be hard to pass up. There is a magic to these bikes for sure.

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[Clean39T]

Originally Posted by R3awak3n

always a great read ahha and I like how at the end of the year you ended up more or less with the same amount of bikes, actually maybe even less.



Happy new year!

Technically, yes. But I do have a disc light-tourer and 80s neo-retro project inbound, so I can't really claim any rebirth here. Just doing what I do.

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[madsciencenow]

Thanks for the, as always, entertaining write-up! You’ve confirmed that pissing around with a seat that works is a poor idea (speaking of my own thoughts of trying a different saddle) and that it’s hard to improve on a good steel bike if a comfortable ride and enjoying the miles are a primary goal (my interpretation of what you said plus personal riding goal).

Happy 2021 and I hope you continue to find new reasons to try new bikes as your supply of excess parts has been most helpful for completing a number of my builds.


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[Clean39T]

Originally Posted by Tickdoc

Change your name to "long stem larry"....or you could even go with something more dj oriented like "smp killa"?



Nah, what a great year and fun journey.



Thanks for sharing, clean. Your turnaround pace is legendary and I just love how you will buy the same (almost) bike not once, but twice, three times? What is the record for a single model?



All the best in 2021 to you.

I owned the same Pegoretti Mxxxxxo twice, that's the only one I've sold, bought back, then sold again. The Dogmas were all mildly different in size and/or model.

It was a fun year. I could have done without the gravel distractions. And could have put that effort into a rando bike earlier in the year, which would have been more useful to support longer rides in Covid times. That's what's driving the project to start this year - a goal of more distance riding and exploring, while being self-sufficient on the road.

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[Clean39T]

Originally Posted by reuben

Good lord, man, when do you find time to ride?

For most of the year the Covid situation limited my ride time more than anything. I work a normal amount but don't have kids and prefer futzing with bikes to watching a lot of TV. Also, with Covid, I've literally had zero social life the past year that wasn't online or a chance encounter on the bike. That, along w no work travel, frees up a lot of time. It looks like at least another six months of that is in store - I do have a goal of more riding and less wrenching though, and maybe some running or snowshoeing.

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[d_douglas]

Originally Posted by Clean39T

Sorry to say our brief window of overlap has closed. I think I've found my happy place, and it's around 59.5-60.5 in the TT.

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Ooohhh, I am hoping you’ll experiment with something on the small side again .

I would never count you out, Dan!

[572cv]

Thank you. That was a great romp through a number of wonderful bikes. What resonated for me was the tangible value of the ‘intangible’: Fit. It was also pretty interesting to hear how the saddle choice influenced that sense of fit for you.

My two best rides are custom, made by seer-like builders, who asked good questions and got it right, Kent Eriksen and Dave Kirk. In retrospect, the fit made each one able to include “just right” with “ beautiful bike”. I’m looking forward to both this year, especially the Kirk, which lives in France, and where I hope to be able to spend some time eventually. I missed it in 2020.

[hollowgram5]

Granted, I tend to get a larger peek behind that curtain throughout the year, but its fun to read your introspection as the new year starts fresh.

I appreciate our "offline" conversations and the value you bring to the forum.

Looking forward to what the upcoming projects bring for your perspective, and hope we can eventually get some rides in both there in Bend and here in San Diego.

[msl819]

Originally Posted by Clean39T

@rallizes put me up to it - the annual tradition of posting all of the bike builds and experiments from the prior year and making a completely pointless forecast of what's to come in the next..

Previous years: 2017, 2018, 2019

Rolling into 2020 my partner and I were gearing up to list our townhouse for sale with plans to make a move back into the city or over to the other side of the mountains - so my first moves in the bike stable were to clear things out and prepare for the downsizing that comes with a one-bedroom apartment in sky, the (we thought) temporary spot we were parking in while selling our place and buying the next..

That meant the Firefly #419 was moved along, as was the Rock Lobster Monster Gravel'r, and the Scott 29er that I was expecting at the end of the year showed up in bad shape (and went back) - which left me with the Kirk MRB and Ellis Rando.



So, we made the move, and then against my better judgement given the size of our place, I got tempted into buying a Dogma F10 Disk 59.5 on closeout (ridden once and returned due to some shipping damage and inaccuracies in the listing).



When that one went back I had a false start on a F8 X-Light 59.5 that showed up from the UK looking like it was run over by a truck.. So, that was a bust.



Right around there too I became convinced the Ellis wasn't going to fit me right and decided to post it up for sale - which led to meeting and getting to know Mr. Lavi, a highlight of the year for sure (cheers my friend )

At that point I was just down to my Kirk.

And then Covid started happening right after we closed on selling our townhouse. And upside down everything went - as far as searching for places to buy, coming and going from the apartment, etc.

That also meant more time to sit around surfing for bikes.

And that brought a Cannondale SuperSix Evo HM Team Disc in 63cm that was a blast to ride but didn't gel for me - didn't love the wheels and the proprietary stuff was irksome - so I sold it on to a 6'6" guy up in Seattle who was just graduating from med school and ready to get on his first real road bike - it was a lot of fun being able to pass the deal I got forward to him and hook him up with some other stuff to get out on the road (my hoard of size 50 shoes came in handy..).



Around the same time plus/minus I got fascinated with gravel stuff again and tried out an Orbea Terra - first an XL, then an L - and didn't feel great on either, so both moved on pretty quickly. Also moved along was a Ridley Fenix SL, picked up cheap and passed along cheap to another local Paceline'r after a couple rides.

From there the irrationality picked up again in earnest. I found a Dogma F10 59.5 with a nice build at the same time a Colnago C64 56S showed itself - for a minute I thought I'd keep both but balked at the investment and sold the Colnago before even building it up. The Dogma however was built up and started a multiple Pinarello adventure..

The F10 59.5:



Then the K8-S 59.5:



And the F8 57.5:



The F8 was so much fun to ride, despite definitely being on the smaller side of what works for me..or maybe because of that, that I became convinced the 59.5s were too big and let them go to some Paceline friends (one in Portland, one further south). Of course not long after that I realized the 57.5 was in fact a compromise - tons of toe overlap made city riding tough. So, I found it a home with another Paceline friend in CA.

Before really taking in that fitment situation though, I decided to grab and build up a diminutive Mxxxxxo. It was a blast to build, and gawk at, and ride, again suffering the massive toe overlap issues though (did I mention my size 49 feet and mid-foot cleat position?), so it too found a new home:



A Gaulzetti MAX with similar fit issues came and went around that time as well, another great bike, just not quite right for mw:



Which brings us up to around July, and the end of Part I.... to be cont'd.

I, for one, am glad the Gaulzetti wasn’t a keeper!