Catching Up - CX, Working Bikes & Updates

Finally put on the headlamp, took a shovel and pick, and started digging into the morass of confusion which are the "Updates & Revisions" to previous gallery submissions.  At some point a year ago, I figured out something clever, then promptly forgot about it until a few months back.  By then, things had gotten relatively confused and out of synch, so I've had to chip away the grunge and refind them.  Which has occurred.  So, here's the first batch:

Singlespeed Gallery Revisions:
John Busteed's Rivendell Quickbeam
Jim Mather's Rivendell Quickbeam
Gary Passmore's Trek 420
Joe Huddelston's Nishiki Sport
Bert's Bianchi

Current Classics Gallery Revisions:
Mark Rosenberg's Rivendell Road
Stu Wemhoener's Raleigh Resurrectio
Stu Wemhoener's Burley Tandem
George Dickerson's Motobecane
Robert Hill's Richard Sachs #16

So, if you sent in a Revision to a previous Gallery Submission, hang in there!  I've got them queued up and am starting to move through them.  (And if you are thinking of sending in a Revision or Update, please take a second to reference the Gallery Number of the original submission - that helps me find it more quickly.)

In the past week, there were also updates to the Working Bicycle Gallery and the CX Bicycle Gallery. 

Working Bicycle - Daniel Dahlquist's Robin Hood

Now, I'll admit that I've kinda got twin top tubes on the brain - with the evolution of Grant Petersen's Rivendell Sam Hillborne, Hunquapillar and Bombadil models all acquiring additional and entirely non-trendy tubing.  When they've appeared on various bicycle designs, whether taller framesets or more load-bearing-oriented models, I've tried to consider what the tube does, how it does it, and how it will be viewed in another 5 years or so.

Needless to say, Grant is not the first frame designer who has taken this approach.  This laid-back Robin Hood brings a stylish sweep to the genre of Working Bicycles.  Robin Hood was a brand originally acquired by Raleigh back in 1906, and was part of their bicycle manufacturing empire.

Here, Daniel has added a stylish front Porteur-style platform rack and simple but functional VO chaincase.  The additional racks allow him to use this as a camping bicycle, and it looks like it's ready to roll out into the woods.

Additions to the Working Bicycle Gallery:
#130 - Daniel Dahlquist's Robin Hood
#131 - J. Tackett's Trek Loaded Fuel 80
#132 - Lee Chae's Kogswell P/R
#133 - Robert Clark's Brompton

CX - Kevin Mulcahy's Bruce Gordon Rock-n-Road

Bruce Gordon has been steadily designing and building bikes for over a quarter century.  He has always crafted framesets which were more than happy to roll offroad, or carry whatever you asked of them.  Whether passing out pocket protectors with the phrase "Bruce Gordon Cycles - Where the Touring Nerd is King!" or engaging in the Interbike pranksterism which was SOPWAMTOS, he was making quality bikes when most people didn't care or notice, and every current builder owes him an acknowledgment of thanks.

Ooops - how did I end up on this soapbox...

Anyway, this Rock-n-Road has all the aspects of what I like in a CX bike - a stripped down robustness, the clearances which can only be found in a steel frame and an understated finish.  Plus, there's a chicken on the stem. Can't beat that!

Updates to the Cyclocross Bicycle Gallery:
#64 - Esteban Diaz's Trek 700 Conversion
#65 - Kevin Mulcahy's Bruce Gordon Rock-n-Road

Seven Singlespeeds

Kind of a crazy start to a week that is now almost over. Between the San Francisco Giants winning the world series on Monday, those wacky elections on Tuesday and the resultant political hangover and celebratory national pastime parade in the city, I guess it was easy to forget I'd posted some updates to the Singlespeed Gallery Monday morning. I mean, here it is all Thursday and everything...

The updates also include an "oopsey!" on my part - sometime in the delay of receiving Jeffrey Brodersen's email with information about his 1974 Raleigh singlespeed project and actually getting it posted to the Gallery, his description got separated from his images, and I'm left with no way to contact him to ask for his text again. So, Jeffrey, if you are reading this, zap me an email with the specifics and I'll get it updated. Cool ride, by the way.

Also, a special mention for John Spurny's Fuji, which includes a great image of two happy dogs:

There's been a dearth of dog-buddy pix in submissions recently, and they are always appreciated when included.

This set of seven new bikes really had a nice assortment of projects and rides, with a number of countries represented.  It seems like all of them had a compelling reason for appreciation, but I said I'd only pick one each update... So,

Ian Roop's Saronni

There's really something about clean hardware and a fresh powdercoat... 

There's a simplicity about this build which is fairly deceptive, but captures a great deal of the allure of this type of bicycle. A bike with a single gear setup, whether fixed or coastable, has stripped away the confusion of extra cables and wiring, the complexity of on-the-fly gear choice and now reminds us of that easy and direct act of getting on and going.

The high flange hubs are gorgeous, the newly updated powder coat  smooth and creamy, but below it all lies the promise of the bicycle - easy and simple freedom.


New Additions to the Singlespeed Bicycle Gallery


#310 - Jeffrey Brodersen's '74 Raleigh
#311 - Balu Ramananda's Dahon Jetstream
#312 - George's Big Red Singlespeed
#313 - John Spurny's Fuji Grand SE
#314 - Ian Roop's Saronni
#315 - Paul Popescu's Prophette
#316 - Dean Watkinson's Schwinn Voyager 11.8

Also  Updates to the following Singlespeed Gallery entries:

#106 - Bert's Bianchi
#301 - Joe Huddleston's Nishiki

*A quick word about "Updates" - these have been languishing significantly, and honestly, they are a little cantankerous in terms of the workflow.  I'm making a concerted effort to include a couple with each update now, so if you sent in new images of your existing entry, hang in there!  Also, if you are sending in an update - please reference the Gallery # of your original in the email - that will save me a bit of time and make it more likely to see the updated version more quickly.

Shaking Off The Dust - Beth's "Stompy v2.0"

It seems appropriate to reinvigorate the updates with bicycles that share a simple design and construction.  Until we decide to take the big step back to the Draisine, the singlespeed is still about as simple as you can go.  And as anyone who tries it may (well...sometimes begrudgingly) admit, simple is often times good.

I know that a single drive sprocket keeps calling me back - even when I might curse its inflexibility as the pitch of the climbs increase.  Tonight I scooted out after a day too long rooted in front of the  computer, and as the solid, windless heat lay upon the earth, the fixed drivetrain of my ride made no sound.  A tangent onto some narrow trails supplied the perfect challenge to momentum and balance. Single geared bikes rock.

And speaking of rocking, long time contributor to the Galleries, Beth H. has gotten a good chomp from the singlespeed bug.  Her first rig of recent years was a singleated mtb which somewhere along the line I seem to have dubbed "Stompy".  After shaking that down on the Portland short track and cyclocross scene, she has ended up with a more purpose built model, a Redline Monocog with snazzy bits of pink for accent.  Cool bike!

In addition to wrenching at CityBikes up in Portland, she keeps an interesting blog - bikelovejones 

Updates to the Singlespeed Bicycle Gallery

#306 - idotel's Raleigh Grand Prix
#307 - Gina's "Milk Runner" Nishiki Custom Sport Mixte
#308 - B. Saul's Motobecane Touring
#309 - Beth Hamon's "Stompy 2.0" Redline Monocog

The Imprecision of Identification

Back in 2005 when starting the whole Current Classics Gallery, it struck me that three genres of bicycle were underrepresented - "Current" Classics, Cyclocross and Singlespeed bicycles. (Working Bikes came along a little later.)  I figured that Singlespeeds would end up being mountain bikes for the most part and that Classics would be "road" bikes.
Certainly, the definitions have changed since then - there is little in the way of topography and surface that I wouldn't take my "road" bike onto, and more people have begun to appreciate what a simple and appropriate drivetrain can do for their enjoyment of cycling.  Nothing like getting on a bike and just pedaling to remind you of the ease and freedom of that first solo bike ride.

Ritchey Mountain Bikes occupy a certain special place for me.  It is (again) one of those bicycles I've always wanted but never owned.  (Though my Gary Fisher Montare did state that it was "Designed by Tom Ritchey").  But, back when mountain bikes were oddities, I remember crossing paths with my friend Eric.  He was zipping through town on his new Ritchey and the coolness of that bicycle cannot be overstated. Anything from the early days through the P-19's still catch my breath.

Jeromy Hewitt's Ritchey Outback

 Singlespeed Gallery #302

The Outback comes from the initial period of mountain bike design when looooong wheelbases were favored, as the design blueprint grew from the Schwinn Excelsiors and similar models which hurtled down trails in Fairfax, CA (see SeeKay's site for more info on that period).  There's something about these long frames which make them ride exceedingly smoothly and hold their lines in the sketchiest of terrain.

That also makes them one of the more stable and comfortable bikes to ride on road.  It's one of the reasons mtb's caught on so widely in places where there were no mountains.  They were - wait for it - comfortable and fun.  Like bikes are supposed to be.

And so, what we end up with here is a Classic, converted to a Singlespeed, so that it can be used in a Work Bike role...  blurring the lines between each with style.

Updates to the Singlespeed Bicycle Gallery

#301 - Joe Huddleston's Nishiki Royal
#302 - Jeromy Hewitt's Ritchey Outback
#303 - Ted Burnell's Nishiki Prestige
#304 - Michael Gibian's Zebra
#305 - Dan Artley's Surly Steamroller