This great little video, produced in the UK, is used to test a driver's ability to detect surprise objects - particularly bicyclists. Do The Test. It's pretty cool - and I have NOT met anyone yet who passed it the first time through. Thanks, Cathy, for the video.
Here's a closer shot of the bike. See the post below for my report on this awesome bike.
Well, it's done - the newest Urban Prodigy!!!
This is my own personal ride. To start off, it’s a 29er. The frame is the ORBEA's carbon Alma
“Are you ready to join the 29er revolution? Now is the time to take a look at a new generation of 29er – Orbea’s carbon Alma
Bottom Line from me:
It weighs in at 3.4lbs necked. I’ve taken it on two awesome rides and can’t wait to put more miles on this beast. Before I go on, I’ll give you my build out. Here are the specs…
Frame: Orbea - Alma 29er 18” carbon
Fork: One On Carbon
Crank: Bontrager Race X Carbon
Cassette: Shimano CS-M760 XT
Shifters: Shimano XTR M970
Front Derailleur: Shimano XTR M971
Rear Derailleur: Shimano XTR M971
Chain: Shimano XTR CN7701
Headset Kane Creek Intergraded
Pedals Bontrager King Earl Platform
Saddle: Cloud 9
Seat Post: Ordea Carbon
Handle Bar Bontrager XXX Carbon Riser
Stem: Bontager XXX Carbon
Grips: Ergon
Brakes: Shimano XTR M975 Juicy
Blake Levers: Shimano XTR
Spacers: Bontrager Carbon
Tires: Schwalbe Marathon Supreme 29x2.0
Wheels: Mavic A317s
Hubs: Shimano XT M765.
I know, I know! How could this not be a great ride? It’s as cool to ride as it is to look at… it’s the best. At least the best I’ve ever had. At a little over 24lbs built out, its pretty light for an urban ride.
It's very stiff, but with all the carbon it takes bumps relatively easy. It’s faster and the handling is quicker then the Motobecane, but I have to say, even though I love those Marathon Supremes, the cornering seems a bit more stable with Schwalbe’s Big Apples on the Motobecane.
It climbs like a cat and descends just as quick. This is the first time I’ve ever used juicy brakes and I’m very glad to have them. Going fast on tight curves and head-high steep hills, sometimes you’re just not quite sure what’s ahead of you. Stopping with ease is a blessing.
That’s it for now… I’ll give you an update after I get a few miles on it.
I hope to be able to show you some pics this week or next on the first three Urban Prodigys we’re building out to sell.
Keep checking out my blog to find out how to get your hands on your own Urban Prodigy dream bike.
Time to Hit the Trail
Mitch
I’ve been telling you about my Clark Kent. The newest attraction to my CK are the Marathon Supreme tires.
Here is the company slug on the tires…
Marathon
These are one tough set of tires and a little pricey - somewhere between $55 -$65 a tire, but I think they are well worth it. Bottom line: the rubber that goes into this tire is the same compound that was used on the balloons that deployed on the Mars probe for landing. I’m getting a set of these for my newest 29er build out.
That’s right, I’m building another 29er for my own use. I know several guys who are interested in my Motobecane.
Now there is nothing wrong with my Motobecane… I love the bike and it is the first I’ve ever built out completely. So why do another?
I just got a great deal on a ORBEA Alma
I’ll also be sharing with you news about the first Urban Prodigy being built to sell. Yes, we should have three Urban Prodigies within the next month. Oddly enough, the first is a 26 - not a 29er. This bike will be built around the Maxxis Hookworm Tire; that only comes in a 26”. I’ll post about the tires later, too.
WAY COOL!!!!
Time to hit the trail -
Mitch
In my last post, I told you I would give more details on my Clark Kent F-14.
It’s my protégé for the Urban Prodigy.
First of all... The Clark Kent (or CK) went out of business in 1994, so the frame is a 1993-1994. My CK is 17.5. The frame is light but solidly built, being stiff in all the right places. It’s a very easy ride which handles my 5’11” 200 plus nicely. It climbs like a dream with a zippy descent. It’s not your ordinary titanium frame; these were hand built. The CK has an oversized downtube and s bend seat and chainstays. It has reinforcing gussets at all the important weld junctions by Ivo Vinkralek... one of the most respected welders in the industry.
As I said in an earlier post, my CK is set up for urban riding but I can switch out the fork, wheels (they are set up with a rear cassette, disc brakes and Bontrager Big Earls), and remove the carbon spacers and have it ready for some true Mountain Riding in about 10 minutes.
Here are the specs for my urban riding set up. The Ti frame and carbon fiber components make it a very stiff ride, but it still absorbs shock like crazy.
FRAME: 17.5” CLARK-KENT TITANIUM F-14
FORK: One on Ridged Carbon
BAR: Bontrager XXX Carbon Riser
SHIFTERS: SHIMANO XT M740SL 8SP
FRONT DERAILLEUR: SHIMANO XT M751
REAR DERAILLEUR: SHIMANO XTR M951
BRAKES: AVID MECHANICAL DISC -BBDB
BRAKE LEVERS: AVID ULTIMATE Ti
ROTORS: AVID WAVY DISC
STEM: Bontrager XXX Carbon
HEADSET: CHRIS KING 1 1/8 NOTHREADSET
SEATPOST: 26.8 Easton
SADDLE: Bontrager King Earl
BOTTOM BRACKET: FSA PLATINUM PRO
CRANKS: FSA CARBON PRO ATB TEAM ISSUE 175MM
RINGS: FSA 44/32/22
CASSETTE: SHIMANO XTR
FRONT WHEEL: MAVIC CROSSLAND BLK
REAR WHEEL: MAVIC CROSSLAND BLK
TIRES: Marathon
SKEWERS: SHIMANO XT/ MAVIC
CHAIN: SACHS PC-91 8SP
DISC CONVERTER: BRAKE THERAPY
COMPUTER: Cateye micro wireless
GRIPS: Ergon with horns
The Ergon Grips are awesome and very comfortable. I also have a set without horns on my Motobecane. If you have a wrist or hand injury these are a must.
More on the CK in my next post.
Happy Riding – Mitch
Today, I thought I'd address another question I am frequently asked, "Do you limit yourself to gravel trails on the 29er?"
The answer is, "No." But I don't off-road with this bike. My 29er is a great bike for in-town riding, for paved trails (and some that aren't so paved) and for pothole riddled county roads. Though street bikes are great for speed, they have a hard time beating 29ers when it comes to pure manueverability around traffic, people, dogs, potholes, curb jumping and such.
I haven't done much off-road riding, but the one fireroad I traversed last year had ruts, sand and small rocks. My 29er handles that type of riding with ease; anything tougher though, and I take my Clark Kent.
I've had a few questions about my preference for bike components, and I thought they'd make good post fodder, so here goes. Why do I prefer a rigid for over a shock fork? There are several reasons I like carbon forks better.
1. Weight. Carbon really cuts down on the overall weight of the bike (5+ pounds)
2. Stopping. On a crowded street or trail under the best conditions you can find yourself faced with a quick stop in a very limited amount of space. Wet conditions amplify this problem (which is also the reason for disc brakes.) A rigid fork will not come as near throwing you over the handle bars in an emergency stop scenario. You'll probably go sailin' with a shock fork.
3. Starting. I find it's much easier to make quick starts with a rigid fork than a shock fork, unless you have a very stiff shock or can shut if off.
After several lengthy conversations with Craig, I started looking for a higher end hard tail. I bought a vintage Clark Kent titanium Mt. Bike. It had great frame and nice components to start the build-out with. I will do a future post on this bike. It’s a great ride and it still gets lots of use.
I bought and sold a Trek 5200 - an awesome bike but, as I said earlier, I’m not a Road Biker. I also bought and still own a Flyte XLS-3 Cyclo-Cross. This is another awesome ride. It’s kind of a road bike on steroids made for rough – tough off road racing, which makes it a great trail bike. I’ll do a future post on this bike, too.
The reason I’m not riding the Flyte as this time? I broke my left wrist and can’t ride a drop down handlebar for about a year. I still wanted a bike I could get some miles in during the limited daylight hours of winter, which lead me to a 29er. But what 29er and by who?
For those new to the term: A 29er is basically a Mt. Bike frame set up to have 29” wheels, not 26” which is standard on most Mt. Bikes. Another bit of info: A 29” wheel is the essentially the 700c wheel that is on most Road Bikes.
There are a lot of great stock 29ers out there, but they come with a hefty price tag. It became clear to me that to get what I wanted, I was going to have to build it. My criteria was: speed, comfort, cost, and a certain amount of eye candy… yep I wanted it to look HOT!!!
After some searching I found the Motobecane FANTOM 29 frame. I knew this was the frame I wanted to use to build my very first Urban Prodigy.
This brings me back to Tom’s email last week; the bike Tom asked about is my new custom Motobecane 29er or what I call the “Urban Prodigy” (something wonderful or marvelous; a wonder).
Here are the specs.
Frame : MOTO29X Aluminum with TrailTuned PowerStay Design, DualProfile Downtube with reinforced Gusset, replaceable rear derailleur hanger.
Fork : One on Ridged Carbon 29er
Crankset : Bontrager Race X Lite Carbon
Bottom Bracket : TruVativ Giga X-pipe
Pedals : Bontrager King Earl
Front Derailleur : Shimano XTR
Rear Derailleur : Shimano XT long cage
Shifters : Shimano XT Rapid Fire 27 speed dbl trigger shift
Cassette/Freewheel : Shram 950 9-speed 11-34
Wheels : Bontrager Race Light
Tires : Schwablbe Big Apple
Brakes : Avid BB5 BallBearing Mechanical Disc front and rear, 185mm rotor
Brake Levers : Trytro RS360 A
Headset : Chis King 1 1/8 inch
Handlebar : Bontrager XXX Carbon Riser
Stem : Bontrager XXX Carbon 120mm
Saddle : Bontrager King Earl
Post : Bontrager XXX Carbon 27.2mm
I have around $700.00 in this bike. I was very careful about what I spent. Some parts were used, mostly coming off new bikes that had replacement parts put on.
If you could buy this bike it would probably run in the market of $1500 - $2000.
EXCITING NEWS!!!! Craig and I are going to build a line of “Urban Prodigy” Bikes. We are going to try our hardest to keep the cost under a grand. If you might be interested in one of these LMK. My email link is in the sidebar.
In my last post I started telling you about my criteria for selecting a bike. I knew I wanted one that was sound; a well-built bike will outlast anything bought at a discount store. I also had to take into consideration where I live. Southwest Missouri is smack dab in the middle of the Ozarks - lots of hills, curves, bad roads, and retired folks pulling travel trailers who, previous to retirement, never drove anything bigger than a Buick. It's not the most conducive environment for safe riding. But we do have miles of trails - both paved and gravel. Did I mention that I'm now 50 years young and in better shape than I've been in 15, maybe 20 years? But I still don't do the extreme Mountain Biking, nor am I a Road Bike enthusiast.
So after weeks of study, I chose my first bike - a Trek 7200 hybrid. This is a great bike for a beginner or weekend rider; it's comfortable, easy to ride and forgiving. What I mean by forgiving is that if your turn, lean or braking is not right on the button, you will probably survive. :)
After about six months of riding, I knew I was quickly outgrowing the hybrid. So, I turned to my local bike shop - where I bought the Trek - and discussed this with Craig, the Bike Master Mechanic and owner of Downhill Bikes. Craig owns 2 carbon frame Treks - a 5200 road bike and a mountain bike that he had urbanized to commute between home and his bike shop. This was the inspiration for the prototype of the Urban Prodigy. '
What's that? Stay tuned...
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