Sweet Rides: Entry #1

I’ve been meaning to do this for years...... I better start right now.

Sometimes I find myself surfing the web, browsing other blogs or forums just for something to do. Often I get into places where there are some real gems in terms of non-cookie-cutter rides and I get pretty stoked. It's obvious then that I'm a bike geek through and through.

I love everything from mountain to road to cross to SS to fully geared to fixed to carbon to steel to........you get the idea. I do have a particularly soft spot for steel though but really I love it all and I especially love non-cookie-cutter bikes.

By that I mean bikes that aren't straight out of the box but instead are assembled piece by piece each part being hand selected by the owner to bring together a true work of art and a bike as individual and unique as the person riding it: a real stand-out ride.

Frames aren’t necessarily boutique either. They are sometimes the most common frame but have been stripped of most or all factory parts and a full custom selection of components are hanging (or not in the case of single speeds) from them. It’s a real thing of beauty that I know many out there like me understand. As nice as bikes are to ride; some are just as nice to look at. After all, if you don’t own them that's all we can do. Sometimes they are built up with the highest end components on the market but often they are slapped together with bits and pieces that have been lying around in the basement. It’s great stuff!

I don't want to seem like a bike snob though and I don’t want this to seem like an anti out-of-box entry. There is nothing wrong with people going into a bike shop and purchasing exactly what suits their needs. Most are quite happy with doing just that and that is totally cool too. Enjoy what you’ve got brothers and sisters! All I’m looking to do is get this ball rolling after all this time on some bikes that really stand out in a sea of two-wheeled gravy.

I figure, at least once/week I will upload at least a couple of bikes and some details (if I have any) on customs builds out there. I really need to get this blog happening at least a little so I’ll give it a shot.

There are some real cherries out there and I applaud the effort put forth by all the owners taking the time to rock some sweet rides. Keep up the candy!

Here are the first entries to the blog.

First one doesn’t really count because it’s mine. I’m putting it up because it’s a good example of what I mean. It’s a Surly Cross Check built up with spare parts I had kicking around in some boxes in the basement. After selling my Colnago Crystal road frame all I needed to buy (after the Surly frame and fork obviously) were tires, a headset and cantilever brakes. My cross bike was built! After money was exchanged, it cost me $27 to build. It’s one of my favourite bikes in my quiver. I beat it silly too. It's great. Again, it doesn’t count though ‘cause I ride this one and it’s not nearly as pretty as some others I have pics of. :-)


Next is an incredibly stellar looking Misfitpsycles single speed 29er built and owned by nspace who posts over on MTBR. Absolutely rockin’ bike. It even looks fast! I love it.


Rock Lobster CX bike. Say what you will about the color, I absolutely dig this one too. The gumwall tires really help set it off too. Very nice. It’s an old pic so I don’t know what it looks like now but if it’s sporting a Brooks saddle today this thing would be a 10+ out of ten. If you’re the owner. Nice job regardless.


Last but certainly not least, a really nice bike built by Ted Wojcik. I want to ride this one pretty bad. Very nice.


Cheers,
Hope you enjoyed what was the first entry. And please, feel free to comment and, if you think you have a bike that I would like to see you can e-mail me at skabikes at hotmail dot com.

Thanks,
Steve A.