Marcootsee's self-indulgence odissey (aka this bike will be the last one)

Well, after 5+ years of lurking and vicariously living through a lot of your threads, I have decided it's about time I made one myself.

In my dozen years of riding (starting with a shitty MTB and then snowballing from there) I've bought, ridden and sold quite a high number of bikes, rigorously in the biggest size available (being 6'4" myself).

Downhill, FG, CX, rigid MTB, foldable, you name it. The only constant in my cycling life it's been the absence of a carbon frame (except a pair of chainstays, but we'll eventually get there); for the foreseeable future, this is not going to change.

Right now I'm in a moment in my life where, probably like a lot of you, I find myself owning really a lot of bikes and stuff, but riding, all in all, very little. This thread will be my journey/diary from the current situation (10+ bikes and counting) where I get to leave some things behind and try to prioritise the experiences rather than the f***ing stuff.

P.s. You'll probably see some motorcycle stuff passing from time to time, but for a number of reasons I've been quite diligent in that regard.

P.p.s. Having owned and owning now a considerable amount of bikes, I'm not really sure what's the best way to post everything. Feel free to ask questions or, if you have any suggestions, just shoot them my way.

P.p.s. English is not my first language, so I apologize in advance for some wonky phrasing or word choice.

Enough banter! Let's start with an appetizer! Here's two of my actual (and probably dearest) bikes: the biggest one and the smallest one!

1 Attachment

Strong start

@BareNecessities content

I don't recall telling you that I own a Brompton

I was undecided between which bike to post next, but this morning my partner "stole" the Brompton and tried, succesfully, to bring our pup around. We always talked about this possibility, but being our doggy already 11 years old, we didn't take action in fear of her jumping out or being too stressed.

Safe to say we were absolutely wrong <3

3 Attachments

what a good doggo

Next up is my fixed gear, which has been with me for five years now.

It's the bike i rode most of the time up until the Brompton, and got me all around northern Italy, between alleycats, commuting, road rides and so on.

The frame comes from a Tuscanian frame builder, probably welded in the 80's. Around three years ago i managed to put two bottle cage mounts inside the triangle, making it a little bit more versatile.

It barely clears 23c on the front and 25c on the back, but i guess that, for the bike that it is, it's fine. It's not my fastest nor my comfiest, but the one i'd take if i don't know where i'll be going.

5 Attachments

That pump sticker is absolute win!

Another day, another bike, another pupdate.

This is my XL Kona Dew SE that i bought last year second hand, at a too good to refuse price. I didn't need this bike, nor did i actively search for it, but it was close to home and my curiosity let me stumble into it.

Right now i think this is the best bang-for-the-bucks bike you can buy today, if you're fine with the tall headtube aesthetic and the weird (in almost any way) geometry.

My plan for this bike is to keep it as simple as it can be, since pretty everything on there is bombproof and almost maintenance free. In that regard, i'm planning to change some key components, on which i would like to hear some suggestions:

• Tyres: being the bottom bracket comically low, i often find myself striking the pedals even in the slightest lean angles. I figured out the cheapest way to improve it is swapping to shorter cranks and bigger tyres. I tried to fit some chonky 2.5 tyres, but they were rubbing on the upper chainstays. I reckon the sweet spot would be around 2.25/2.3", from the stock 1.9". Another option is try to get acquainted with the low bb and put on some Honjo fenders from the spare bin, keeping the 650bx47 tyres that are now on.

• Shifters: keeping the "simpleness" theme going on, right now the bike is set up with a pair of Shimano 9 speed shifters. Nothing wrong with them, but since it's not a competitive bike and i just happened to buy two Sachs thumb shifters for 8 euros, i wonder how would it be to put them on instead. This might sound as a downgrade for some, but the peace of mind of not having to adjust them anymore and the general vibe are something that i can't keep out of my head.

• Bars: having already replaced the nonsense stock bars (almost without upsweep and backsweep), i managed to buy a pair of Ritchey Kyiote bars. They're fine, but i would like to stay a little bit more upright and keep the same backsweep. Having a 35mm stem already, i wonder what could be better betweend a Jones H-bar or something more classic like a Nitto Bosco. The former might be more inline with the bike in general, color and usage wise, but how could i ever say no to Nitto? I might get a "fake" Jones bar to try from a friend, but until then i'm still undecided.

• Chainset: since that 48 teeth chainring is not gonna be used soon, i wonder if it would make sense to swap for a double crankset (this would be easily facilitated by the thumb shifters mentioned above). The only thing stopping me from this is "if it works, why bother?"

There we are, open to suggestions!

3 Attachments

Lovely bit of kit. I am a big proponent of balloon tyred basket bikes.
How about the Ergotec Moon Cruisers?
They come in 31.8 mm clamp as well.

What a nice thread for a grey morning :)

That's the vibe i'm after! I always (wrongly) considered Ergotec a brand to "be content of", but they really do have something for everyone's needs! I'll probably order a pair of these in the coming weeks.

Cross posting from the Brompton thread, i started to collect a couple upgrades for the little bike.

Next up on the list are some Continental Contact Urban tyres, new black hinge clamps and probably a chainset swap (i've acquired some second hand 7701's for cheap some time ago).

Right now i'm torn between some bigger pedals (MKS ezy's probably) and some metal hardware (frame patches, pedal holder and hinge clamps) from Eerder.

I would like, in the long run, to get this bike built up with as little plastic bits as possible and some nice parts, made by people who really love what they do and work hard to bring something new/original/innovative to the market (like JK and Eerder, for example).

In the end it's just gonna be a steel H2L, nothing too drool-worthy or stupidly expensive, but i would love it to become the cumulative effort of my cycling experience and a bike where every component is somewhat of a "labour of love".

A not-so-recent photo for the thread, from my trip to Berlin last year.

1 Attachment

Yeah, I've shunned Ergotec in the past as well, but it's really hard to fault their lineup and pricing.

General update on the Kona Dew:

Tyres: after an unsuccesful try to fit som 2.5 rubber, i have downsized to a 2.25, but the lateral clearances are too tight. In the end i'm gonna put some 47c's i already have and fit the aforementioned honjo guards.

Shifters: the cheap-as-chips Sachs thumb shifter works! I've tried to put a 12 speed chain and cassette with an Apex 1 shifter, but in the biggest cog the mech cage scrapes against the spokes. I have an old wheelset with narrower flanges that should solve this very problem.

Bars: i listened to @MisterMikkel advice and i bought a pair of Ergotec bars. Can't wait to try them, probably with a longer stem.

Chainset: being the 12 speed cheap conversion succesful, now i can simply unbolt the rest of the groupset and keep it together. I'll just put a Rival crankset that i bought recently for cheap with a 36t ring. This bike is not gonna break any speed record, might as well have some properly short gears.

Photos for context down below. I'll unfortunately have to wait up until the beginning of may to complete this plan, since my next weeks will be filled to say the least (yes, I'm actually going to ride bikes).

4 Attachments

Also 👀👀👀

(another month or so for this one)

1 Attachment

Your jockey wheel's about to fall off

1 Attachment

Excellent thread

Yeah, I've noticed the moment I've uploaded the pic! Thanks

I'm liking how this is unfolding!

I'll put in this thread a couple of friend's bikes, that i consider mildly interesting and worth sharing.

Went riding a couple days ago with some of them, who find themselves at the opposite end of the spectrum in regard to "bike philosophy".

The first guy, fairly new to this sport, with his second bike ever (a handmade columbus frame welded from a local framebuilder) and a 100% no-nonsense build. Hope wheels, almost full GRX810 and ritchey stuff all around.

The second guy, a long-time messenger, who rides an old knackered Ridley CX frame. Trekking suspension fork, Son Dynamo setup, 2x10 Sram mixed groupset and too many stickers to count. He bought 4 different pairs of anodized mini v-brakes, splitting them all with a friend and ending up with every single one in a different color.

To each their own, I really like both styles

2 Attachments

After a seasonal checkup, i've fitted some new tires and the Dura Ace 7701 crankset.

Although the tyres are not much lighter than the previous Marathons (25g less each), they are quite nicer to ride and look at; the crankset, on the other hand, it's a night and day difference (as much as a crankset can be): lighter, stiffer, slimmer and overall better finished. The BB cups, also, are another big improvement compared to the cheap plastics stock ones.

Next up on the list a black extended seatpost and new pedals (probably Mks Allways).

1 Attachment

After my last couple posts, i had quite a change of plan regarding the bikes you've already seen.
I'll put the kona back up as stock, albeit with some spare hydraulic brakes (i'm gonna need those mechanicals elsewhere). The spank wheels and the Honjo fenders are gonna end up on my "forever" bike, the Fairlight Secan you'll see below.

By the end of next week i'll hopefully swap the last parts on the Brompton and collect the big juicy box i teased here a month or so ago.

In the meantime, various iterations of the Secan.

5 Attachments

These are both sick

Channeling my inner 2017's @JacqueLucque, i've bought a Carradice Camper Longflap and put it on my FG.

Already after a single day of commute, i feel this bag will go anywhere with me, shifting from a bike to another. My only gripe with it is a little bit of bounce on rougher roads, but i guess it's normal considering the leverage on the rail clamps.

I'll probably add some extra struts where's possibile, but i can't wait to load it properly and don't bother with 10 small bags all around the bike.

1 Attachment