Show me your gravelbikes....inspire me. - Page 215

Clean39T · #**3211** 07-04-2018, 11:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cachagua

I raise my glass in your general direction! Can't wait to see what you decide on.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChristianWong

This is a great move, you will not regret it. One thing I would suggest out of the custom process is to try to not get a bike that does everything. Think about what the primary use will be and get Dave to build it for that. It will still do other things just fine, but you also likely have bikes for other uses.

With my first custom (which I still love, don't get me wrong), I tried to get it to do everything (gravel riding, cross racing, light touring, fender duty). It's a great ride but certainly not a terrific race or touring bike. Luckily, my situation has me in a place where it sees fender duty half the year and fat 'cross tires the other half so it still gets a lot of use. I do sometimes find myself wishing for something a bit zippier though.

I'll be watching the process with bated breath and keeping an eye on the classifieds for what drops off in anticipation for the new one..

Quote:

Originally Posted by AngryScientist

I second the idea of not trying to design a do-it-ALL bike. Optimize for the 90% scenario.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hilltopperny

I clearly have a bunch of other bikes and they are all great, but this one could truly be the only one with a couple of sets of wheels and I’d be completely happy.

That Kirk looks like a blast and I’m sure you’ll love it!

My choice on this one is very deliberate and I'm 99% sure I know exactly what I want it to be...and that's dictated by what else is in my garage and staying there:

1) Ellis - for spirited and leisurely rides, and cruising the strip
2) Moots RSL - for fast and hard rides, training and climbing
3) Kirk Disc - gravel and cross, and looking boss
4) Kirk MRB - all day, crap-roads and packed dirt, Death Rides and double-centuries, and staring at lovingly
5) [...] 29er - rough stuff, endurance races
.
.
.
6) Ellis Singlespeed - maybe someday that pink one will get offered up again

So, I know what I want it to be. I don't need to it to be anything else. The decision will just be fit and whether I want fender braze-ons - and that will probably turn on whether I've moved to the sierras by the time this one gets started or am likely to be in the PNW for a while longer.

And since this is by far the most I'll ever have invested in a bike, or likely ever will, it'll be the "one bike" that I hope will never leave, even if all the others for some reason had to...

p nut · #**3212** 07-04-2018, 03:47 PM

Somewhere in Wyoming

mt2u77 · #**3213** 07-04-2018, 03:58 PM

Dang, there are some nice bikes in this thread. Absolutely amazing where some of the craftsmen of the industry have gone with the gravel trend.

I’m still sticking with my old school early 90s Gary Fisher Sphinx, converted to drop bar about a decade ago, and now sporting about a bajillion miles and hardly any original parts. It’s got some cool quirks to it. Oversized butted chromo (not for weenies), great geo and tire clearance, front and rear rack mounts, and of course the press fit bb and 1.25” threaded headset.

It usually lives with 42 mm touring tires and fenders (its sweet spot), but a broken fender lent me an opportunity to go big. It’s sporting knobby 29 x 2.2” upfront with plenty to spare, but alas, 29 x 2 is the practical max in the back— so much left on the table with the stay execution, but stuffing huge tires wasn’t the goal back then.

Objectively, it’s been bypassed by modern stuff, but I still love it.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

572cv · #**3214** 07-04-2018, 04:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Clean39T

My choice on this one is very deliberate and I'm 99% sure I know exactly what I want it to be...and that's dictated by what else is in my garage and staying there:

1) Ellis - for spirited and leisurely rides, and cruising the strip
2) Moots RSL - for fast and hard rides, training and climbing
3) Kirk Disc - gravel and cross, and looking boss
4) Kirk MRB - all day, crap-roads and packed dirt, Death Rides and double-centuries, and staring at lovingly
5) [...] 29er - rough stuff, endurance races
.
.
.
6) Ellis Singlespeed - maybe someday that pink one will get offered up again

So, I know what I want it to be. I don't need to it to be anything else. The decision will just be fit and whether I want fender braze-ons - and that will probably turn on whether I've moved to the sierras by the time this one gets started or am likely to be in the PNW for a while longer.

And since this is by far the most I'll ever have invested in a bike, or likely ever will, it'll be the "one bike" that I hope will never leave, even if all the others for some reason had to...

I am going to suggest, from very, very recent experience, that you are going to enjoy the process of working with DK on your bike. He will ask you a number of questions about what you want, about how you ride, and your size. It's an interactive process with a craftsman who knows his material and how it reacts. You might end up with a little different bike than you expected! But, that can be a good thing. You'll understand why it turned out the way it did. And you'll pretty soon get to this point (excitement is now palpable) :

happycampyer · #**3215** 07-04-2018, 04:38 PM

Did an A/B ride the other day with christian. Super hot day, but still a lot of fun. The Firefly is just so ridiculously smooth.

GOTHBROOKS · #**3216** 07-04-2018, 05:41 PM

that dropbar fisher is sick.

kgbianchi · #**3217** 07-04-2018, 05:46 PM

Pic upload failure!

Gphin · #**3218** 07-04-2018, 05:48 PM

Hey Happy looks like those roads are tailor made for the firefly! That area looks so familiar, Croton perhaps? Where were you guys riding? Cheers..

SlowPokePete · #**3219** 07-04-2018, 06:26 PM

First ride today.

July 4, 2018 Lynskey GR260 by SlowPoke Pete, on Flickr

July 4, 2018 Lynskey GR260 by SlowPoke Pete, on Flickr

SPP

Clean39T · #**3220** 07-04-2018, 06:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 572cv

I am going to suggest, from very, very recent experience, that you are going to enjoy the process of working with DK on your bike. He will ask you a number of questions about what you want, about how you ride, and your size. It's an interactive process with a craftsman who knows his material and how it reacts. You might end up with a little different bike than you expected! But, that can be a good thing. You'll understand why it turned out the way it did. And you'll pretty soon get to this point (excitement is now palpable) :

Can't wait till mines at that stage...

Is yours a Onesto, or what are you doing for paint? MRB? Excited for you

572cv · #**3221** 07-04-2018, 07:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Clean39T

Can't wait till mines at that stage...

Is yours a Onesto, or what are you doing for paint? MRB? Excited for you

This one is fundamentally a JKspecial. The fillet braze approach is spectacular, but if one is going with a painted frame, and one's dimensions can fit the parameters of a lugged frame, then DK gets to use his cutting edge light tubing. So, I did. My paint will replicate the Belgian green of my 1957 2cv, with grey metallic pinsriping and such, maybe, and maybe something else, i don't know yet. The bike will handle decent size tires up to about 32-33 easy, but much bigger was going to begin to compromise the geometry, and where it is going to live, that is not necessary. What I was trying to say in my post was that there turn out to be a lot of decision points, compromises or not, which come into play. You'll see. I'm tremendously interested in the degree of optimization, including the fork rake, which the steel approach can offer. As with you, can't wait.