Clunker bikes, "inventing" mountain bikes and cyclocross

So, I stumbled upon this link to a website dedicated to the men who first "invented" mountain biking. I use quotations around invented because, in all of the articles I've ever read about the birth of mountain biking, there is never a mention of cyclocross.

The link above is cool and tells a great story. But again, that story always fails to remember that what they did in Marin County in the 70's was already done in Europe in the 20's.

Cyclocross was born many decades before... mountain bikes ever came along. Originally, they were a hodgepodge of hand me down road bike parts and results from the scavenging of a rider's road bike. They were creations to be muddied and ridden hard. They were frankenbikes.

Sixty years later not far from where I was born in Northern California, some guys took some cruisers with coaster brakes and modified them to be ridden in the dirt. And a "revolution" was born.

It is cool to hear about the guys that first "invented" mountain biking, guys with last names like Fisher and Bontrager and the like. Here's a direct quote:

A revolutionary moment in this history occurred three or four years ago, when Gary Fisher got the idea of putting a ten-speed dérailleur assembly on a balloon-tired bicycle. (Gary, who is acknowledged in these parts as being the first person to create such a hybrid, is a lightweight bicycle road racer, who also happens to hold the record time on the local clunker downhill race course, the Repack.) It took some fiddling, of course, European dimensions vs. American, but when it was finished, the result was a bicycle that not only would roll down the hilly dirt trails, it could also be pedaled back up them. It could be ridden over deer and cow trails, and unlike dirt motorcycles, it could easily be carried over fallen logs and gullies. And it was quiet!

Sounds like a cyclocross bike to me. A bike that can go down hills, over cow trails and can be lifted over logs? Thats a cross bike dudes! Surely 27" wheels roll down a hill just as fast as 26" ones do.

Today, if you browse over to the Fisher website, the concept of the 29'er bike is all the latest rage. Wow! All hail the mountain bikers who once again reinvented the cross bike, again.

Framebuilder Questionnaire: Hottubes

The first Framebuilder's Questionnaire is from Toby at Hottubes. Toby has made frames for some of the best American cyclocross racers out there.

1. How'd you first get interested in bicycles in general?

A: I started as a bike racer in the 80's. I moved from that to running a bike shop and from there to building and painting.

2. At what point did you begin building bikes?

A: I built my first bike in 1989. It was a lugged road bike for me.

3. What were some of the challenges you faced when you first started out building bikes for people?

A: Some of the first challenges were getting people interested in buying one of your bikes. I was fortunate since three of the first guys riding my cross bikes were Jonathan Page and Frank and Mark McCormack. JP began racing cross on one of my bikes, so over the years, I've gotten good feedback from all three about how to make them better.



4. How is your approach to build a cyclocross bike different than say
in building a mountain or road bike?

A: I build cross bikes for racers mostly, but, that said, in cross, racers come in many different shapes and sizes and abilities. You need to make a bike that fits their riding style, their body and their riding style. For road bikes, you make it fit their body mostly.



5. What's your favorite bike that you own or have owned? What made it special?

A: The first bike I ever built. It was the first bike I ever built.

6. Do you race cyclocross?

A. I don't race cross, but I run a team that does and I have been in the pits for Frankie, Mark and Jonathan at the biggest races there is.

7. In your opinion, why are custom steel cyclocross bikes still so popular?

A: Why are custom steel cross bikes so popular, because they are the only affordable custom bike option for cross and they ride as well or better than anything else out there.

8. What's your current wait time for a custom cyclocross frame?

A: Time frame for a custom bike is usually four weeks from receipt of deposit to the finish of the paint. That said, don't wait until the start of the season.



9. Is there anything else you think readers would want to know about
your approach to bikes, cycling and building frames?

A: My best advertisement is the happy, satisfied customer base. They are responsible for most of the new orders I get.

The photo attached is a bike I built for the team mechanic from CSC. He could have anything he wanted but he bought one from me.


Cheers,

Toby

Tobias Stanton
Director: Hot Tubes Development Cycling Team Inc.
75 Webster Street
Worcester, Massachusetts 01603 USA
(508) 792-9545
Shop http://www.hottubes.com
Team http://www.hottubes.org

Top photo is for the CSC mechanic, the cyclocross frame pics are taken from a poster on RBR here.

Custom Framebuilder Database

So I've amassed a list of custom cyclocross frame builders throughout the USA into the "database" located below. I've scoured the internet so that you don't have to. In the near future, I will be posting interviews with various custom frame builders asking them some of the same questions you might before throwing down a few $K on a new sweet custom ride.

If I missed your...local or favorite builder, let me know in the comments section below. If you are a custom cyclocross frame builder send me an email at plusonelap at gmail dot com and I'll add you to the list and email you a copy of the Plus One Lap Framebuilder's Questionnaire.

Ahearne Cycles, Portland OR
Badger Custom Cycles, Lawrence, Kansas
Curt Goodrich, Minneapolis, MN
Curtlo Winthrop, WA
De Salvo Ashland, OR
Echelon Cycleworks Rhode Island
Hottubes Worcester, MA
Hunter Watsonville, CA
Independent Fabrication Somerville, MA
Ira Ryan, Portland OR
Kish SLO, CA
Landshark Medford OR
Luna cycles Nederland, CO
Marcroft Cycles, Salem OR
Peacock Groove unknown
Pereira cycles Portland, OR
Primus Mootry Longmont, CO
Richard Sachs Chester, CT
Rocklobster Santa Cruz, CA
SadiLah Handmade Framesets, San Diego, CA
SoulCraft Petaluma, CA
Steelman Redwood City, CA
Steve Rex Sacramento, CA
Strong Bozeman, MT
Sycip Santa Rosa, CA
TerraFerma Cycles unknown
True North Cycles, Ontario Canada
Tsunehiro Cycles, Portland OR
Tom Teesdale West Branch, IA
Vanilla Portland, OR
Vertigo Cycles Portland OR
Vulture no longer makes frames
Waltworks Boulder, CO
Zanconato Worcester, MA

63xc.com dead at age 5

While not exactly cyclocross related, the website 63xc.com was an offroad fixed gear cycling site. With articles written by those in the know, it was always an interesting read.

Sorry to hear it will no longer be contributed to...RIP 63xc

New writers coming to Plus One Lap

I'm very excited to announce that a few friends of mine will soon be contributing to Plus One Lap with articles, stories and reviews.

Stay tuned for more details and fresh new content from multiple writers.

How many wheels do you have?

Well, for the last year or so, I've been a wheel collector, well, collector sounds more refined, maybe more of a wheel hoarder.

The idea to have multiple wheels for multiple bikes for multiple... courses is a pretty cool thing. With the advent of Ebay, you can pick up a lot of these wheels for pretty cheap. Sticking to wheels that are serviceable (read: Mavic rims on Shimano or Campy hubs) is advised. The Mavic GL280's and 330's are fairly light wheels with the reputation of not being extra durable. Other tubular rims such as the Reflex have been proven to be light enough and durable enough to hold up to the rigors of cross.

So this is the break down (they're all 700c):

Pair Sun M19AII tubular's mounted onto Hershey Naked Front and an American Classic rear (cassette)---this is one of my favorite wheelsets. Its super light, strong and have never been the reason why I'm not a superstar.

Pair Mavic Reflex (clincher) with Dura Ace hubs and blue alloy nipples. Got these off of Ebay a couple years ago for $70. They are cassette as well.

Pair Mavic CXP 21 clinchers with Ultegra hubs. This was my first cyclocross wheelset. The hub needs some servicing. CXP series seem to be good cross wheels as they have the V profile which seems to work in the mud and durable.

Pair Campagnolo Victory Crono tubular wheels on I think some Campy hubs. These are a SS race set of wheels for me. Which have some Tufo Elites mounted on them.

Pair Fir Quasar tubulars on Dura Ace hubs. The rear hub is a screw on freewheel type, which is fine for a SS wheelset. I bought these as a backup SS cross wheelset, I think this is one pair I will be selling. No tires mounted currently.

Pair Mavic Monthlery Route tubular on Campy hubs, No tires mounted.

One Mavic Open Pro front with Ultegra hub

One Mavic MA2 rear with Dura Ace hub, cassette. The MA2 is another bulletproof rim. I had this built up in college after I was hit by a car and the rear OPen pro rim was toast. On a budget, I had the LBS build this u pfor me using the existing hub.

One Zipp 404 front clincher. Will probably sell this also as I'm not planning on doing any du's or tri's in the near future. For Sale Here

One Mavic Reflex clincher with a Dura Ace hub. Rim needs to be replaced after a failed attempt at bunnyhopping a cement barrier.

I have 16 wheels! I knew I had a lot laying around. How many wheels have you guys got taking up space? Let us know in the comments section.

More Cyclocross Pros Crashing

I just love this stuff, this video is even better than the one I posted a few days ago. Its great to see the world's best looking clumsy in the mud. I can totally relate.

Dual Gallery Bike #17 and #26: Gary's Sycip

Gary from California put together a pretty cool handmade Sycip cross bike that is light enough to also make it into the Lightweight Gallery as well. Aluminum custom cross, black ano, cool.







Here is my custom Sycip born this past March 2007 by Jeremy in their Santa Rosa Facilities. It has the following build. It weights 16.5 lbs as shown. Please include it in both galleries, thanks.


Custom Sycip 7005 Easton Frame
Reynolds Cyclocross Fork
Chris King Headset
Dura ace 7800
-Shifters
-Rear Derailluer
-Cranks with FSA 46/38 rings
-Bottom Bracket
-Cassette 12/25
-Chain Ultegra 6600
-Front Derailluer with Problem Solvers Band Clamp

Mavic Ksyrium SL3 Tubulars with Tufo Elite Tires
Ritchey WCS Alloy Bars and Stem
Ritchey WCS Carbon Seatpost
Fizik Handlebar tape
WTB Stealth Seat
Easton Seatpost Clamp
Crankbrothers Triple Ti Eggbeater Pedals
Jagwire Cables and Housing
Empella Frog Leg Brakes

If you have a lightweight (sub 18 lb) cyclocross bike or a handmade cross bike, email it to me at plusonelap at gmail dot com

Colnago Cyclocross

Previously I was reporting on building up a Colnago road bike into a cyclocross bike. As the season rapidly approaches, I've started working... on it again. As mentioned the other day, I've purchased some decals for this thing. Also, I just dropped off the frame at a local powdercoater. I think powdercoating is the perfect solution to the rigors of cyclocross.

Powdercoating is strong, durable, wont chip easily, plenty of colors to choose from, and its fairly cheap too. My local powdercoater is doing my frame and fork for only $100. I've chosen DuPont Sky White. And will leave all of the chrome sections exposed for the obvious reason----Chrome = cool. They said it would take 1-2 weeks.

The only downside to powdercoating on a frame like this, is that the lug cutouts of the clover and the "colnago" will not be as sharp as in a typical paint finish. I am willing to deal with this, as I value the toughness of the powdercoat and HATE paint chips on an otherwise nice bike.

I reported last time, that the frame spacing changed after the dimpling of the stays. I respaced them without issue to 130mm before I took it into the Powdercoater.

The only part I need now is a set of Dura Ace Cranks like these:


To match the DA headset that I've got for the bike, as well as the general 80's theme. I'm excited that within the next month, I'll be able to take this creation out for a spin.

Pros Crashing

What am I working on?

Hint: I just bought this:

My stuff on Ebay

Thought Id give a shout out to a few of my things currently on Ebay:

All sold thanks for looking!

FSA Cranks

Pearl I. MTB shoes

Shimano Cassette

Michelin Pro 2 Race tires

My letter to the Board

This is my letter to you, the readers of +1lap, whom are my board of directors:

So I took a blog-break, and I think I'm back. And with that comes new ideas and hopes for this little blog that started out as nothing more than a place for me to report on how poorly I did on last week's cyclocross race. Hopefully, the site is a little more than it was then. The readership is still pretty high (despite my non-presence) so that is inspiring to see.

A few things to mention, you will see to the right of the screen something that looks like Ebay links. Thats because they are Ebay links. There's no tricks here. There's no pop-ups, no spam, no crap. It is a service that allows me to choose an Ebay search criteria, in this case "cyclocross" and then a few cyclocross related Ebay auctions pop up in the sidebar of +1lap. Its totally legit. The catch? Well, the catch is that if you click on the Ebay link and end up winning the auction, then +1lap makes a few cents. Anything to pay the domain hosting bill and domain forwarding bill is cool with me.

Also, I still have quite a few +1lap tshirts available, from 2006. I am looking at creating a new shirt for '07, and the '06 shirts wont be printed again, I got about 20 left or so. So get them if you want them, before they're gone. If you have any new and cool ideas for a cyclocross shirt, let me know and we can make it happen.

Lastly, I'd like the +1lap galleries to grow to be a resource for cyclocross fanatics to look at what some people have done in building up cool rigs. So send me photos and a parts list of your cross bike if it is under 18 pounds or handmade (or both)! New galleries may be appearing here shortly as well.

Thanks for reading!

Custom Cross #16: Ken's Ti Indy Fab

The second Indepedent Fabrications bike to hit the +1lap customs gallery is Ken's titanium lightweight rig.

Sweet blog/site, nicely done. Here is one for the gallery, 2005 Custom Ti
Independent Fabrication Single Speed 'Cross bike, 16.45lbs.

IF Frame w/ custom Lime green/ white flames w/ Ti pannels
Reynolds Ouzo Pro Cross Fork
Phil Woods Hubs on Reynolds Stratus carbon tubulars
Dugast Rhino 34 tires
White Industries Cranks 44t/ White freewheel 18t
Crank Brothers 4Ti Eggbeaters
Reynolds Ouzo Pro carbon bar
Campy Record levers w/ Paul Canti Brakes
Fizik Airone saddle
Thomson X2 stem & Masterpiece seatpost
Chris King headset
Phil Wood Ti BB
SRP Crankbolts

If you have a sub 18lb or custom built cyclocross bike, email it to me at plusonelap at gmail dot com

Pinarello Cross bike for sale

A friend is selling his Pinarello cross bike in size 60cm on ebay. Check it out.
Pinarello Cyclocross Bike