Countdown to Cross Season

I don't know if it was the mucky, rain-filled stage of the Giro the other day, but all of a sudden, I'm thinking about CX season.  Realizing that my running shoes are a bit crackly and threadbare.  Thinking that if I run smooth tires on the trails this summer, I can probably get another season out of my Mud2 tires. Looking forward to hanging out with the hooligans from Team Paul at cross races here and about.

In other words, "Hi, I'm Jim, and I'm powerless over cyclocross..."

(It's considered polite to say, "Hi Jim!" at this point.)

Now, a good addiction always has enablers, and - while some may argue that the Cyclofiend Galleries are exactly that (or possibly a Gateway Drug) - the lust-worthy submissions from other mudders serve just that purpose.

Jim Mather's Rivendell Legolas

Cyclocross Gallery #63

Certainly, the sharp-eyed among you may be crying "Foul!" as Jim is running smooth tires on this bicycle. But, to that criticism, I would suggest a closer look - there's a decent rim of mud at the sidewall.  And, as I've stated a few times recently, tire placement and weight distribution handles about 87 - 93% of the issues you face on unpaved surfaces. I expect this bicycle will continue to see a fair amount of dirt.

The Legolas is a rare bird, indeed. I'd be surprised if there are 50 of them. They were delivered by Rivendell back in fall of 2006, and have been made by Mark Nobilette and possibly Waterford.  A couple have cropped up on Rivendell's "Frame Specials" page, but luckily for my finances, those have been 62's.   This may have been one of those, as I do recall the stunning copper finish - a memorable color choice for such a fine bike.  (A deep red seems to be the most common, but I've also seen images of blue versions.)

Jim has set it up nicely - a good combination of new and used parts - and the bike looks ready  to rumble. Hopefully, I'll even get a chance to see this bike in person someday.


Additions to the Cyclocross Gallery - 
#61 - J.D. Kimple's Mongoose Croix Comp
#62 - Rick's Motobecane Cross
#63 - Jim Mather's Rivendell Legolas

Cyclocross Gallery: Paul Germain's Bontrager Cross

To be quite honest, the Cyclocross Gallery really doesn't get a whole lotta love. Which is humorous to me, as way back in dialup days, the whole Cyclofiend.com website, really came into being around things cyclocrossy (cyclocross-ish? cyclocross-esque?... anyway...).

It does point out that however large the cult/tribe/band grows, no matter how many cheering viking-throng photos filter out of Portland, SF or Seattle, it's still a subset of bicycling at large, and an off-seasony, oddish one at that.

Which is fine. Wouldn't have it any other way.

But, it does tend to impact the number of images which folks supply of dedicated CX bikes. Plus there's probably less opportunity, as most cross bikes live short, brutish lives, aging many years in each season, if actually raced.

That does make the cross bike images a bit more special, and when you get a chance to enjoy something as unique as Paul Germain's fillet-brazed Bontrager Cross bike, it is indeed a treat.

Cyclofiend Cross Bike Gallery #57

As Paul points out in the description, a fillet-brazed Bontrager is reasonably rare. (And you know that the Bontrager Cross models are not all that common.) I've never seen one with the nickel treatment on the stays and fork, and the addition of the Steve Potts stem just ties this bike off very nicely.

Three more additions over in the Cross Bike Gallery as well:


Paul Germain's Bontrager Fillet-Brazed Cross
Daniel Cuellar's Scattante XRC Cross
Michael Gibian's Haro Mary XC
Andrew VonSeggen's Salsa A La Carte


- Enjoy!