Monthly Archives: May 2024

This is functionally stupid. Can’t fit much and stuff might fall out into your frame, looks annoying to get shit back in there and to take shit out too. Surely that cover will be the first thing to break (or be the first thing you lose).

Surly Grappler is legit a MTB with drop bars (and it has a seatpost dropper too).

Canyon Grizl Trail features a dropper seatpost and front suspension! Really considered this but ultimately it doesn’t come in my size and as much as I love black/white/grey things the colour just wasn’t working out for me (and I figure since I’m in a position to buy new I may as well choose a colour I like!).

When looking at a modern road bike I started to let go of wanting a race bike despite loving the aggressive looks, stance, acceleration, lightness and how tight everything is because of the bike geometry. Much like motorbikes where I’m much more comfortable upright on a bobber/cafe style bike than the ‘lying down’ feeling you get on a road bike I just feel so much more at home in a more upright position (it’s so much more playful!) so I started looking at endurance bikes. Basically road bikes with a more relaxed geometry designer for more comfort over longer rides.

I almost pulled the trigger on a Canyon Endurance, but man Canyon have made some really questionable design decisions I couldn’t see past. That storage cutout on the top tube is functionally retarded (no doubt about it stuff would end up rattling in there or worse yet fall out and get lost in your frame somewhere!) and it looks tacky AF. Like the back battery lid of a TV remote control! It makes me feel that bikes these days aren’t meant to last. I have little doubt that in 20+ years from now all of these bikes will be sold with a big hole on the top tube as previous owners lost their little covers.

I like Surly bikes, but have never loved the look of them (we used to sell them at MC Cyclery). I think geo wise this bike would be super fun but that HUGE headtube will just forever look ugly to me (IMHO small bikes look way better than XXL bikes!) and at $3K with low spec parts I think I’d rather build my own Frankenstein.

This picture speaks to me. It may scream hipster to most, but personally it reminds me of 90’s mountain biking, specifically John Tomac, my hero as a young mountain biker.

Drop bars, a rear tension disc wheel, this is my dream bike. Always was, still is! American rider John Tomac was my 90’s MTB superstar. Different. Rebellious AF. He inspired me to try strange things to my bikes.

I made this post back in 2019. Interesting looking back as every bike I posted is a gravel bike.

A few years back I was visiting Nanami and her boyfriend at the time was crazy obsessed with road riding. He had a top spec Canyon aero thing, but also bought a matching (all stealth black) gravel bike. I remember laughing at it at the time. Why would you take a carbon road bike out on a trail? Even the smoothest trails I ride (Loftus Oval) has technical sections and lots of loose rock fire trails. That carbon frame would surely get damaged on the loose rock stuff and I think one stack on any technical section would be game over (and hey if you’re not stacking you’re not trying!).

Mountain Bikes are my thing, but I’ve always loved the weird and wonderful vs. pure efficiency. I’ve secretly wanted to put drop bars onto a mountain bike for ages. I think more and more these gravel bikes are becoming 90’s mountain bikes. Gravel bikes now come with disc brakes, dropper seatposts (my fave mod on my old Giant Reign) and front suspension (some now even have rear suspension!). I find it both hilarious in a “I told you so” kinda way, but ultimately I think more choice, more bikes, and getting road cyclists to get out of traffic and out riding in nature is ultimately a good thing.

You know what you’re into when you log in to YouTube. The algorithm is spitting out nothing but bike content on my front page and lots of it has been gravel bike related. I’ve really enjoyed spending countless hours researching gravel bikes over the past few weeks.

I’ve build up a titanium hardtail mountain bike before and I really struggled with it out on the trails, but it was full rigid, and I was comparing it to my dual suspended Giant Reign. I thought it felt way too sketchy out there, but I was riding with some pretty aggressive riders at the time, and in retrospect, trying to keep up with them on their suspended bikes with my hardtail was a mistake.

For the past week I’ve been excited about the idea of solo riding a retro 90’s mountain bike with a mix of modern components (front suspension, dropper seatpost and disc brakes) and drop bars out on the trails. I tracked down the bike in the image up the top. It’s a Velo Orange from the US and there’s one in my size in the country. There’s also the Surly Grappler, which is quite literally a mountain bike with drop bars. I researched the fuck out of these 2 options but in the end I think I’d rather pick up an old 90’s mountain bike off eBay Marketplace, strip it down, paint the frame and build up something on my own.

When I moved in to my new apartment I let go of so much stuff. I needed to at the time but now I’m kicking myself that I got rid of all my bike tools and spare parts (I don’t even own a set of tyre levers anymore!). There’s something really nice about supporting local business and paying the guys at the LBS to help me get my old 80’s road bike back on the road, but I personally get so much more pleasure from doing it myself.

So much time on my hands, and this obsessive compulsive side of me is out in full force once more. I’m excited about bikes again, and I laugh at how undecided I am from one day to another.

When I was planning to get back on the bike again to do social/fitness laps around Centennial Park with Nick I was so undecided between buying a “that’ll do bike” vs a dream road bike. When I showed Nick a $6K carbon aero bike I was looking at he laughed at me and suggested that’s not what I need in order to do easy laps around the park! He’s right, but want vs. need is a thing (funny enough I did have a giggle at some guys doing easy laps around Centennial Park with their full aero bikes).

I’ve gone and done something though. I’ve bought a proper trainer, and despite spending hours on eBay and Facebook Market place I’ve gone and bought a new bike. Not a new modern road bike. Not a mountain bike with drop bars, but a new gravel bike. The wildest part is, it’s not black!

It’s coming from the other side of the world so it’s going to be a while before it gets here, but I’m excited. I figure my old 80’s road bike can go on the trainer. This new gravel bike will be my fitness/social bike and my old faithful Giant Reign is begging me to take it out on the trails again (that 90’s John Tomac inspired MTB resto mod with drop bars can wait!).

Coffee shop had these cool cutouts in the concrete steps to hold your bike.

Nick’s carbon Oppy with Shimano 105 (the groupset of the people!).

Finally back on the bike and my ass… my ass fucking hurts.

I turned everything upside down but failed to find some bike shorts and I also left my water bottle at home, but damn it felt good to be back on the bike. Only did 2 laps (8kms) but hey it’s a start and Nick and I plan to ride once a week. Psyched!

Sadly the hoods on my brake levers have perished.

Luckily I found a NOS set of Dia-Compe’s on eBay which should fit (I stupidly threw out the bike stand and stuff in the move so I’ll have to get the bike shop to do this for me).

Thank fuck for cycling shoes that don’t look like cycling shoes!

Love them.

Fingerless gloves with my name on them!

I went down to 99 Bikes in Alexandria to try on some helmets. Walked in wanting a Giro, but this MET just felt so much more comfortable. Still looks like a mushroom on my head though. As good as helmets look in photos, they always look like mushrooms on your head!

My Paino.

Old (amazingly it was recently painted by Peter Fleming at Star Enamelers, same guy who painted my Paino!).

New.

This bike raced in the 2019 edition of L’Eroica, an amazing annual vintage bicycle ride that starts in the lovely village of Gaiole in Chianti in Italy (PS: also painted by Peter Fleming at Star Enamelers!).

I picked up my Paino today from Europa Cycles. New cables and air in the tyres. I’m (almost) ready to ride!

Also managed to take a few snaps in the shop. Some things don’t change (and I’m so happy about it!). Steel is real and I love your old stuff better than your new stuff!