A Somewhat Clean 2020: Retrospective

[BobbyJones]

I'm curious...why do you go through so many bikes?

Is there a specific reason in your head or you just like futzing around?

[d_douglas]

I realize that in spite of my love for most things modern, my tastes in bikes are pretty old fashioned - all the steel bikes look great and the carbon ones look goofy. I am 100% sure they’re rocketships to ride but alas, I can’t get over their looks.

[dftjunkie]

I am on my third bike ever and honestly I am really impressed about how you can tell your bikes apart in terms of fit/ride quality. I never seem to be able to articulate that and honestly find it very hard to form an impression when test riding bikes. Kudos for your motivation to go through so many to find the ones that suit you the best


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[lavi]

Originally Posted by Clean39T

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.

This is similar to my lasting impressions from my (past) Pegs. They are great bikes. Then, you get them up to speed and they become amazing bikes. Pegs aren't for JRA...not that I didn't have plenty of those miles too. Race pace is where a Peg shines, atmo.

[booglebug]

Glad you passed on the Firefly !

[robt57]

Originally Posted by BobbyJones

I'm curious...why do you go through so many bikes?

That's easy, because he can..


He saves me a lot of money watching most days, some days not so much...

[Stj]

I love these year end summaries and really appreciate that you take the time to do them.

[Clean39T]

Originally Posted by booglebug

Glad you passed on the Firefly !

Glad you are enjoying it!

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[Kirk007]

What I admire most about Dan’s process is his decisiveness. I would need a jumbo sized storage locker if so many grail bikes came through my door.


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[Clean39T]

Originally Posted by BobbyJones

I'm curious...why do you go through so many bikes?



Is there a specific reason in your head or you just like futzing around?

Mostly I like futzing around. Early on though (2017-18) it was more about filling in blank spaces in experiencing different materials and components and geometries. Now it's just scratching itches that remain, or new ones, and enjoying the process of building a proper and aesthetically pleasing bike.

Part of it too is that I read a lot about different bikes and bike bits, and get curious about trying different things. I also get distracted and lead into thinking I need a certain style of bike....gravel mostly...which has not in general resulted in anything productive or lasting.

The only genre I haven't dabbled much in is the distance/rando and retro realms, which is a broad tent, and that's what has my interest piqued right now.

I don't see a need to continue experimenting with pure road bikes at this point - the Sachs does what I want and adding another pure road bike would just be to fulfill desires (Kirk Onesto JKS and DiNucci) based on their craftsmanship, or to have something for banging about when traveling, when that's a thing again. And with all of those I'd just be staying in a narrow window around the fit and purpose of the Sachs.

Anyway, if you take away the false starts, I only put real time on the Kirk MRB and the Seven this year, so I kinda feel like I had two bikes and the rest were just some form of a rental....with the payment being the time and money I spent buying/building/selling, which wasn't significant for any of them. I definitely spent more "new" money on bike clothes and gels than bikes this past year - everything else was mostly just recycling funds that have been dedicated to the bike column and refreshed when selling stuff after buying other stuff.

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[RWL2222]

That's a lot of bike change in one year. So I would guess that with the primary bike sorted out now, you will get comfortable with that setup in all kinds of situations over the course of a year and start descending with ease. Is this right?

Originally Posted by Clean39T

Mostly I like futzing around. Early on though (2017-18) it was more about filling in blank spaces in experiencing different materials and components and geometries. Now it's just scratching itches that remain, or new ones, and enjoying the process of building a proper and aesthetically pleasing bike.

Part of it too is that I read a lot about different bikes and bike bits, and get curious about trying different things. I also get distracted and lead into thinking I need a certain style of bike....gravel mostly...which has not in general resulted in anything productive or lasting.

The only genre I haven't dabbled much in is the distance/rando and retro realms, which is a broad tent, and that's what has my interest piqued right now.

I don't see a need to continue experimenting with pure road bikes at this point - the Sachs does what I want and adding another pure road bike would just be to fulfill desires (Kirk Onesto JKS and DiNucci) based on their craftsmanship, or to have something for banging about when traveling, when that's a thing again. And with all of those I'd just be staying in a narrow window around the fit and purpose of the Sachs.

Anyway, if you take away the false starts, I only put real time on the Kirk MRB and the Seven this year, so I kinda feel like I had two bikes and the rest were just some form of a rental....with the payment being the time and money I spent buying/building/selling, which wasn't significant for any of them. I definitely spent more "new" money on bike clothes and gels than bikes this past year - everything else was mostly just recycling funds that have been dedicated to the bike column and refreshed when selling stuff after buying other stuff.

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[Clean39T]

Originally Posted by Kirk007

What I admire most about Dan’s process is his decisiveness. I would need a jumbo sized storage locker if so many grail bikes came through my door.


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Well, the decisiveness is borne of necessity following serial miscues and wishful thinking - some unintentional, others quite predictable. There have been very few A vs. B decisions where both were good fits, not at the same time anyway. So it's hard to claim that I have some mastery of discernment that lets me make tough decisions. I mean, it's pretty easy to let something go when you are at least 60/40 on it not being right if you can avoid getting stuck in the sunk-cost trap. I'd rather take the hit than continue to invest time or mental energy in something that isn't right for me when it may be perfect for someone else - better to let them enjoy it and let me move on. And if down the road it turns out the "wrong" decision was made, so be it. Regret isn't worth indulging here. End of the day, it's just bikes (or wheels or groups) - there are always more. The experience and friendships are worth more than the objects anyway..

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[pdonk]

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 -

Same here, plus the dollar and a wife who asks how many bikes do you really need, you can only ride one at a time.

I have benefited from Dan's love of bikes, he graciously lent me a speedvagen when I was in Portland to get fit for mine. Seems like it left his possession soon after.

If I lived in the states and could fo ss Dan does. One in one out. I think I would, maybe not with the frequency but it would be fun.

[texbike]

It's interesting to see what you ended up with at the end of 2020 - something that is more traditional compared to the other bikes that moved through your ownership in the last year. Especially compared to the Pinarellos!

Given that they are essentially state-of-the-art, I'd be interested to hear your thoughts about the Pinarellos and how you came to choose an old-fashioned, steel, rim-brake bike over those. At this point, my newest carbon bike is 10 years old. Other than disc brakes and electronic shifting, I'm wondering if there's anything that I'm missing out on with the newer carbon options like the Pinarellos.

Texbike

[Clean39T]

Originally Posted by texbike

It's interesting to see what you ended up with at the end of 2020 - something that is more traditional compared to the other bikes that moved through your ownership in the last year. Especially compared to the Pinarellos!

Given that they are essentially state-of-the-art, I'd be interested to hear your thoughts about the Pinarellos and how you came to choose an old-fashioned, steel, rim-brake bike over those. At this point, my newest carbon bike is 10 years old. Other than disc brakes and electronic shifting, I'm wondering if there's anything that I'm missing out on with the newer carbon options like the Pinarellos.

Texbike

The Pinarellos were awesome and the 59.5 F8 fits decently close to the Sachs, just a bit smaller. It's mostly a numbers game - I don't have room or sufficient extra cash to have a high-end niche race bike hanging out that won't get ridden that much here given the rougher roads and my affinity for taking the Sachs when I want to do that style of riding. If I had more space and extra funds, I'd keep the F8 - it is the best full-out pro-tour race bike I've ridden, especially for twisty and smooth roads. The only other bugaboo is it really can't take an SMP - I have to angle it down a bit more than I'd like because of the rail angle and clamping mechanism on the Pinarello seatpost.

As for rim-brakes and mechanical groups - they just work. I don't have a use case for disc brakes that supersedes the value to me of a supple hand-built steel fork. And the tactile nature of Campy mechanical and the simplicity of it just can't be beat for the type of riding I do. There are use cases for both, certainly - just not for me, for my pure road-riding road bike.