RI NEMBA

Well, we need some content and I have some free time during an otherwise insanely busy week at work. I going to ramble about my new 29er and try to convince some people to try one out.

So I’ve had a new toy since late Novemeber, a singlespeed 29er to be exact. I picked up a Surly Karate Monkey during a work related trip to VA and NC thanks to Jeff Archer at First Flight bikes in Statesville, NC. Some of you might have heard of Jeff and his collection of vintage bikes by reading Dirt Rag’s “Specialty Files”. Jeff’s collection is simply amazing. If you are a bike dork and like old bikes of every stripe be sure to check out his shop if ever you are in Charlotte, NC. He’s also commissioning a new run of Mountain Goats with Jeff Lindsay’s approval. Pretty cool stuff. He’s located about an hour north of the city of Charlotte. Check out his site @ firstflightbikes.com

While south of the Mason Dixon line I traded in one of two Schwinn Project Undergrounds I owned towards the Surly. This was, in many ways, a leap of faith. Not only was I giving up a very rare bike, but I was jumping headfirst into the 29er movement with no test rides under my belt. I ride my ‘cross bike in the woods a bunch, but I still wasn’t sure what to expect. I had no clue if this was a big mistake on my part, I mean what if it just sucked? Well, it didn’t. It pretty much rocked from the first ride at Lincoln Woods. I’ve only ridden in the woods 15 times since November 20th (damn snow). Of those rides 12 were on the Surly, that traslates to roughly 20 - 24 hours of riding on the new bike. (The last two days were on a 26″ SS due to a flat tire I’ve been too busy to patch on the KM. I did one geared snow ride as well - gears are my friends too, I swear).

I’m used to riding rigid on my 26″ wheeled bikes and figured it would be no big deal on the KM. I was half right. It’s actually more than that - it’s better. The wheel size actually lets me go faster while riding rigid over technical terrain. One thing other 29er riders have noted is the speed. It’s fast, really it is. Trust me because I’m not that fast, and this bike will make you faster. Once those wheels get rolling it’s a blast. Apply some gas at the bottom of a hill and it’ll get you up and over faster than usual. The only caveat is that it takes a little more ooomph to get going again if you stall mid climb. But then pain is relative (a close relative to most riders really), and it’s never easy to stop/start on a technical climb so this really isn’t an issue. It would probably be negligable in geared mode. The overall ride quality is great, there are no toe overlap issues in the woods (unlike on my ‘cross bike) and it handles tight singletrack with ease. The ride is simply intuitive. From the first log pile I crossed I knew I made the right choice and that my aforementioned leap was based on good faith.

Let’s get back to that “leap of faith” thing. ( This begins a bit of a rant, consider yourself forewarned). Why was it such a leap of faith and why didn’t I have any test rides under my belt? The answer is pretty simple - because very few shops stock 29ers (let alone SS parts). I worked in shops and I understand the paper thin industry margin, so please don’t think I expect shops A- Z to stock every part under the sun. But…. when the owners of an otherwise strong local shop have no clue what my Surly is (how long have these been out there ?? ) that’s kind of an issue.

SS and 29ers are niche within a niche, but would it kill anyone to focus on this market a little? If the sales of mtbs have generally been flat anyway why not invest some time into selling something “new”. If enough people can try them they may sell. This is, if anything, a gear driven sport. Most dedicated riders are in it for the long hual, and they look for something different every now and again to add some spark back into their riding. The shops that get out there with the product will most likely sell it, especially with some creative marketing. Get some shop folks riding 29ers, get them out to group rides and events (like ours) and there could be some serious interest. Rumor has it Redline’s 29er SS will retail for around $500 in ‘06. Redline is probably going to be at the forefront of a larger 29er movement (like they were with ‘cross) just due to affordability. If I owned a shop I’d order one, or two, to loan to interested employees and write it off as a marketing expense. I’d just make sure they rode them, a lot. I’d probably be a popular boss, huh?

Somewhat Perintent Information:

My Large (20″) Surly is geared 34×18 and notable parts include a very wide Ritchey Rizer bar, Ritchey WCS stem, Avid BB7 discs, generic post, SDG bel air and a Race Face Evolve X type Crank and BB. The fork is the stock rigid KM fork and the tires are 2.1 WTB motoraptors on Salsa Delgados laced to Surly “New” Disc hubs. A Spot “Rocket” tensioner and M540s round it out. I like long walks on the beach, Robot Chicken, Fishbone, Newport Storm beer and prefer Ska music, - but I’ll drink whatever you’re pouring and dance to that crap you listen to anyway. Just don’t give me no lines and keep your hands to yourself.

Thanks for reading, now get back to work or go ride your bike.

Brendan

comments? feel free to post ‘em.

This entry was posted on Thursday, December 29th, 2005 at 12:42 pm and is filed under Extra. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.