Bicycle Therapy - Part 2

As I mentioned in the last post, one of the things I am striving toward is to have non-aluminum frames for all of the bikes I can (titanium and steel, to be precise ... not too interested in plastic frames and forks, any more).

The bike I had built up for the COG 100 race was based on my old aluminum Bikes Direct "Motobecane" 29er frame. It is a worthy frame, and it rides very nicely. But, it is aluminum, so I started looking for a replacement.

I found it in the form of a circa 2009 Redline Monocog frame and fork on the Bay of e. I ordered it up and, when it arrived, I swapped the parts over from the "Motobecane". (I put that in quotes because BD simply owns the rights to that name, and it has nothing to do with the French company from the past.)

The dimensions of the Monocog are a close match to the "Moto", and the ride is very similar, as well.

Aesthetically, it is head and shoulders above the "Moto", in my eyes. 

One of the good things about both of the frames is that, if I so desire, I can swap the tires out and transform the bike into a single-speed 29er mtb. But, for now, it remains a gravel/long distance rig.

As an aside, I am thinking of trimming down the front extensions on both of my Velo Orange Crazy Bars handlebars (I have one on both this bike and my single-speed fat bike). I don't do anything with them that requires the length, and they are unwieldy, to me, at times...

The Crazy Bar is a 666mm wide bar with a 45-degree sweep, just like the Surly Open bar. It just doesn't have the forward bend from the stem, like the Surly, which makes it easier to mount lights, and other accessories. The feel is near-identical.

Those are my two favorite bars, right now.

Anyway, back to bike building:

As I was working on the Monocog, I kept hitting my head on the Surly frame, which was hanging on the crank of another bike on the shop. I had a guy messaging me about buying the Surly, but he was kinda driving me nuts by asking me question after question, the answers to most of which are available on the Surly website if you just look.

Finally, I simply messaged him that the frame was no longer available, and removed my listing from FB marketplace. I decided that I would build the frame up with whatever random parts I had lying about, and then I might try to sell the whole bike, locally.

Little did I know the rabbit hole I was heading down, with the 1x1...

 I built the frame up with 27.5 wheels shod with a 2.8 tire in the rear and a 3 in the front (the frame would not clear a 3" tire, between the chain stays). The crank is an old XT Octalink set complete with Deore rat-trap pedals, Surly Open Bars, the Pugsley 100 fork, random seat and really cheap Chinese disc brakes and levers. Ergon grips give you something to grab onto.

The standover height problem was still there, with the 27.5 Plus tires (even on 23mm internal width rims), and the brakes were pretty poor; wooden feeling and not very powerful. (Of course, in their defense, the pads were brand-new and not broken in.)

Of course, since I was using the Pugsley fork, that meant I had the option of running the 26x4 tire on the front, as well.

I made the mistake of riding the 1x1 a few times, and any plan of selling it went by the wayside. Despite the tall standover, this has always been one of my favorite frames to ride. I decided to upgrade the brakes, and maybe do some other things to make it better suited to my use.

Aaaand ... that's when I went down the proverbial rabbit-hole.

Next post: Bicycle Therapy - Part 3    Jon In Wonderland


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