Papa’s got a brand new bag

This is my old blog. My current writing is here: codahale.com

In this corner, in the black and white frame, weighing in at (whatever) pounds, the one, the only…

The Bastard

That’s right, world, I got a new bike. Now you get to hear about it.

After coming to the realization that my Trek 400 was too small, and that my putting a huge stem on it so as to make it fit gave it the handling characteristics of a mongoose on PCP (read: Gir, from Invader Zim), I decided that since I’m spending an hour a day on the bike, I should probably kick it up a notch. So I did my research and decided that I needed a custom frame from Rivendell Bicycle Works. Then I realized that I don’t have any money and would need to do this on the cheap. Damn.

There’re only a few choices in frames for the down-and-out fixie fan which don’t involve Craig’s List, dumpsters, or friends: Surly, Soma, and IRO. Of this modestly priced triumverate, I went with Surly, since I’d heard good things about their frames. I got a Surly Crosscheck (62cm), which is their cyclocross frame. Now wait a minute, you’re saying; you don’t ride cyclocross! True, true… and yet… where cyclocross requires you to hoof it over cement obstacles and brave throngs of screaming Belgian onlookers, I have to hoof it up BART stairs and brave throngs of screaming motorist onlookers, so it’s actually a nice mesh. (Okay, that’s stretching it. Honestly, it’s got a nice geometry, horizontal dropouts, mountings for fenders, racks, shifters, grown-up brakes, etc., and it works with a wide variety of parts.)

Things about the new bike which make me stupidly happy:

It fits me. I didn’t realize what a crap fit the old one was until riding this. My old bike, due to the huge-ass stem, would transfer whatever weight I had just shifted on my handlebars directly into lateral movement of the handlebars. Thanks to the magic of countersteer, this often resulted in my wobbling like a BSE-stricken cow being thrown from a train. Not pretty. This one, though, glides through things like a serene… thing. I can move around the bike a lot more without having to constantly compensate.
The pedals kick ass. I upgraded to a pair of Time ATACs, since I had been previously rocking a pair of Shimano SPDs which were the first model available for mountain bikes. They’d served me well, but faced with the likes of the Times, they’re crap. The Times have a generous amount of float and hold your feet like a mother holds her child (provided she’s made of two seriously strong metal springs and U-shaped hooks).
The brakes. I started off as a mountain biker, and when someone talked about road brakes as having lots of power, I’d always get a case of the giggles. Experience has played this out. Road brakes are fine when you don’t expect them to do much, but try to stop all 230 pounds of Frightened Cyclist in anything less than a city block, and you’re in trouble. (Or, in my case, flying over the hood of a red import.) V-brakes, while complicated beasts, are stronger than hell, and stop me just fine.
The drivetrain is bigger. Instead of running a 40×15, I’m now running a 48×18. It’s exactly the same ratio, but more teeth engage, and the result is a smoother transfer of power. Pedaling feels wonderfully direct, and there’s no noticable chatter at high RPMs.
It’s brand new. What, like I’m gonna talk about how mediocre my new bike is? Check back in 6 months.

I seriously can’t wait until tomorrow morning’s commute. (Well, it’s supposed to be raining, but I’m still enthused.)

This entry was posted on Sunday, January 29th, 2006 at 10:32pm and is filed under Bicycles. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

29th Jan 2006 10:32pm Bicycles

9 Responses to “Papa’s got a brand new bag”

Simon Says:
April 27th, 2006 at 8:16pm
Hi
I am thinking about getting a cross check for commuting. Do you still love it?

thanks,
-Simon
Coda Says:
April 27th, 2006 at 10:41pm
I absolutely adore it. It’s got mountings for pretty much everything, it can take the biggest damn tires you can find, plus fenders, and it has a wonderful, stable feel on the road. I spend about 75-90 miles a week on it, and I still think it’s an awesome bike. Double thumbs up.
Nick Says:
May 15th, 2006 at 1:22pm
I recently built up a fixie from a KHS frame (A huge, albeit saddening upgrade from my lovely Nishiki 10 speed. It was just time to move on.), and I’m also running the Time ATACS. At first I wasn’t sure about going clipless, but as soon as I got my feet into those babies, I had no regrets. Plus, the whole Shimano 105s or Ultegra vintage pedals are being beat into submission by all the new hipster riders (I’m not complaining about ridings new found popularity though, I like the influx of kids with fixies and single speeds, I just think they need to put some helmets on.)

I just use a single road brake up front though, and I find that between skidding and breaking and veering, I can get out of the way of most anything. I also wear a helmet, which is something anybody riding a bike, especially a track bike in the city should have on. If you don’t, you’re a genuine idiot and probably deserve to crash.

I built the bike, and generally ride it in the mean Chicago streets, but I’m back in Berkeley for the summer and its being shipped back as I type this. It will be interesting to ride it here where I don’t have to worry about so many cars and pedestrians (who I almost hit about 100 times more than vehicles)
Nick Says:
May 15th, 2006 at 1:26pm
By the way, what crankset is that you have on there? The Sugino RDs?
Coda Says:
May 15th, 2006 at 3:12pm
Yeah, Suginos.

I went clipless because I’m actually a mountain bike rider marooned in the Bay Area, and I’ve been riding clipless for more than a decade. Platform pedals feel like I might as well be pedalling with my hands, and toe clips seem a bit… optimistic, say, about traffic conditions.

I totally agree with you about the vanity fixies–I’d like to see more brakes, more helmets, and more actual riding. I live right by campus, and I see kids walking their $2000 track bikes around, or teedling down the street at 5mph. I’m hoping Berkeley drivers don’t start to reflexively categorize all bicyclists as congenital douchebags in need of a good running over.

And if you find yourself missing the Chi-town traffic, head over to SF for the weirdest the West Coast has to offer. Nothing like arguing with a cabbie at 25mph on Market while trying to avoid those goddamn rails… ;-)
Al. Says:
November 6th, 2006 at 7:48pm
Cool, another nerd with a Cross-Check. I didn’t even recognise it in the picture. Opposite end of the spectrum, I love it! Hey, it’s 6 months later, mediocre now or still crazy about it?

Here’s my Cross-Check. It’s built up as a touring bike and has gears and stuff.
dlafrance Says:
June 21st, 2007 at 3:06am
I WOULD SAY …… LOSE THE BACK FENDER AND ALL WILL BE RIGHT WITH THE WORLD [ I MEAN AFTER ALL, IT IS ONE OF THOSE CHEESY REMOVABLE ONES ... SO remove it/]
Gregory Says:
September 25th, 2007 at 8:51pm
What is a cross-check? I found your site via a Google search for info about doing HTTP Basic Authentication, then followed the “Bicycle” topic. I like your bike. I thought it was a fixed-gear, but I noticed the brakes. I assume you’ve got a free wheel? Just curious.

I live on the Peninsula, where I commute to work on a 1970’s Gitane that I recently converted to single speed. I can’t see the appeal of fixed gears for serious commuting. I’ve had too many close calls with cars. Brakes are good for your health.
Coda Says:
September 25th, 2007 at 8:55pm
Gregory: There’s nothing about a fixed gear bike which makes it allergic to brakes. I ran my Surly (pictured above) as a fixie while commuting for a year, and you’re damn straight I had both brakes on. Folks who cruise around on city streets without brakes are uninformed and overestimating their abilities.

Simon Says:
April 27th, 2006 at 8:16pm

Hi
I am thinking about getting a cross check for commuting. Do you still love it?

thanks,
-Simon

Coda Says:
April 27th, 2006 at 10:41pm

I absolutely adore it. It’s got mountings for pretty much everything, it can take the biggest damn tires you can find, plus fenders, and it has a wonderful, stable feel on the road. I spend about 75-90 miles a week on it, and I still think it’s an awesome bike. Double thumbs up.

Nick Says:
May 15th, 2006 at 1:22pm

I recently built up a fixie from a KHS frame (A huge, albeit saddening upgrade from my lovely Nishiki 10 speed. It was just time to move on.), and I’m also running the Time ATACS. At first I wasn’t sure about going clipless, but as soon as I got my feet into those babies, I had no regrets. Plus, the whole Shimano 105s or Ultegra vintage pedals are being beat into submission by all the new hipster riders (I’m not complaining about ridings new found popularity though, I like the influx of kids with fixies and single speeds, I just think they need to put some helmets on.)

I just use a single road brake up front though, and I find that between skidding and breaking and veering, I can get out of the way of most anything. I also wear a helmet, which is something anybody riding a bike, especially a track bike in the city should have on. If you don’t, you’re a genuine idiot and probably deserve to crash.

I built the bike, and generally ride it in the mean Chicago streets, but I’m back in Berkeley for the summer and its being shipped back as I type this. It will be interesting to ride it here where I don’t have to worry about so many cars and pedestrians (who I almost hit about 100 times more than vehicles)

Nick Says:
May 15th, 2006 at 1:26pm

By the way, what crankset is that you have on there? The Sugino RDs?

Coda Says:
May 15th, 2006 at 3:12pm

Yeah, Suginos.

I went clipless because I’m actually a mountain bike rider marooned in the Bay Area, and I’ve been riding clipless for more than a decade. Platform pedals feel like I might as well be pedalling with my hands, and toe clips seem a bit… optimistic, say, about traffic conditions.

I totally agree with you about the vanity fixies–I’d like to see more brakes, more helmets, and more actual riding. I live right by campus, and I see kids walking their $2000 track bikes around, or teedling down the street at 5mph. I’m hoping Berkeley drivers don’t start to reflexively categorize all bicyclists as congenital douchebags in need of a good running over.

And if you find yourself missing the Chi-town traffic, head over to SF for the weirdest the West Coast has to offer. Nothing like arguing with a cabbie at 25mph on Market while trying to avoid those goddamn rails… ;-)

Al. Says:
November 6th, 2006 at 7:48pm

Cool, another nerd with a Cross-Check. I didn’t even recognise it in the picture. Opposite end of the spectrum, I love it! Hey, it’s 6 months later, mediocre now or still crazy about it?

Here’s my Cross-Check. It’s built up as a touring bike and has gears and stuff.

dlafrance Says:
June 21st, 2007 at 3:06am

I WOULD SAY …… LOSE THE BACK FENDER AND ALL WILL BE RIGHT WITH THE WORLD [ I MEAN AFTER ALL, IT IS ONE OF THOSE CHEESY REMOVABLE ONES ... SO remove it/]

Gregory Says:
September 25th, 2007 at 8:51pm

What is a cross-check? I found your site via a Google search for info about doing HTTP Basic Authentication, then followed the “Bicycle” topic. I like your bike. I thought it was a fixed-gear, but I noticed the brakes. I assume you’ve got a free wheel? Just curious.

I live on the Peninsula, where I commute to work on a 1970’s Gitane that I recently converted to single speed. I can’t see the appeal of fixed gears for serious commuting. I’ve had too many close calls with cars. Brakes are good for your health.

Coda Says:
September 25th, 2007 at 8:55pm

Gregory: There’s nothing about a fixed gear bike which makes it allergic to brakes. I ran my Surly (pictured above) as a fixie while commuting for a year, and you’re damn straight I had both brakes on. Folks who cruise around on city streets without brakes are uninformed and overestimating their abilities.

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