My Bikes

Several of you have asked about my bikes. I'm one of those guys that has way more bikes than what's necessary, or even practical. In doing a loose count on my fingers and toes, I think that I have 14 built and running bikes, and five or so frames that are in various states. I have basically kept every bike that I've ridden as an adult, so now some of them fall into the "vintage" category.

The vintage bikes include two steel WTB Phoenix built in 1998 by Steve Potts (Assembled by Timmy, a great guy that is no longer with us); a Ti Bon Tempe, also built by Steve; two Olmos from the late 1980's, one of which was ridden in the Giro; and a circa 1975 Eisentraut Limited, which, given its vintage, could have been welded up by the likes of Joe Breeze, who trained with Eisentraut. I can't remember all of the great builders that learned from Albert, but it was quite a prominent list of people. I'll ask a few of the elder statesmen in the CA frame-building community and get some clarification. I'll also take a more detailed inventory of my bikes when I'm at my storage area.

So here's what I'm currently riding:

Colnago Cristallo:

I've had this bike for two years. The first year I barely rode it and if you read my story you'll understand why. I got the bike from Pegasus Bicycle Works. The owners are personal friends that took great care in measuring me and then assembling a fabulous bike. They actually had the measurements so precise that on the day that I picked up the bike it was perfect. I didn't even change the saddle height or position. That's truly amazing! Anyway, thanks to them for doing such a great job!

Ox Brand Bikes, Ti Mountain Cruiser:

The Ox Brand Bikes is another story all together. It's actually the result of a partnership between Mark Slate and myself. Maybe I'll tell the story sometime. The bike is perfect for my needs for mountain biking in Marin. It has a short wheelbase which makes it nice for me to maneuver in tight trail conditions. It's also light and fast, and at 44, I like that combination. ;-)

Mikkelsen Custom:

I asked Bernie Mikkelsen to build this frame for me in 2000. I went over to his shop and I used his cool and yet very funky sizing bike. I had been riding my WTB Phoenix regularly at that point so I'm sure that I went for what felt "normal." I initially used the bike as a commuter rig with cyclocross tires. I was living and working in SF at the time, so it was perfect. I went with one of the first generation Rohloff Speedhubs, a 14 speed, internally geared hub. Rohloff makes the transfer cases for Porsche. It was perfect for commuting since it needed little or no maintenance. After moving to Mill Valley in 2001, I put about 6,000 miles on it while commuting back and forth to SF. As of today it's my grocery getter/errands bike. It has the original chain from 2000, the original oil in the case, etc. It's been a great bike! Thanks Bernie.