Show us your bicycle.

[BigEasy]

2013 Specialized TriCross Sport Compact. Only have about 50 shitty road miles on it been too busy to get it on the trails yet.Fun bike

[Gummee!]

That's very

ummm

errrr

Bright! Yeah. Bright. That's it! THAT'S the ticket! Bright



Looks like you're fixin to have some fun.

M

[Chisenhallw]

Originally Posted by BigEasy

2013 Specialized TriCross Sport Compact. Only have about 50 shitty road miles on it been too busy to get it on the trails yet.Fun bike

I'll be interested in your review - I'm eyeballing one of those.

[gatling]

Originally Posted by BigEasy

2013 Specialized TriCross Sport Compact. Only have about 50 shitty road miles on it been too busy to get it on the trails yet.Fun bike

Awesome looking bike. I want one.

[Andrew]

Black Brooks saddle, very nice.

[damo2010]

[Rajin Cajun]

Beautiful shot Damo! Sure wish we had some areas to ride like that here.

[DirtMerchant]

Originally Posted by Chisenhallw

I'll be interested in your review - I'm eyeballing one of those.

Me too, bring on the review..

[Ridge]

As I already have the Single Speed category covered with my Soma Juice, and I somehow got talked into racing the NUE series with some of my teammates, I decided to build a geared MTB for all-day stints in the saddle.

You might remember I purchased the Cannondale Flash Lefty a few months ago for this very same reason. Well, after pushing its limits on some local trails, I was left a bit perplexed and wanting more than it could deliver. I loved the action and lockout of the Lefty fork system but I absolutely detested the way the frame handled as it felt very "dead" when putting power down to the tires. The steering input was fast.. almost twitchy, but the frame offered nothing in feedback to the rider. With every input of body english, the frame answered with plodding follow-through. It handled the trails with adequate efficiency but just left me wanting more.

Perhaps transitioning directly from my steel-framed Soma had spoiled me to what a mountain bike should feel like under the pedal. It moves and guides me as I push it through the paces. If I ask too much, she would buck and push back just enough for me to alter my line, or back off the power a bit. Sliding out the rear, or pushing the front was always predictable and consistent through any configuration of trail features. The Cannondale had none of this. I expected so much more from the Flash since my CAAD9 is, without a doubt, my favorite bike in the stable to ride and race on the road. The CAAD offers all of the handling, feedback and responsiveness that Cannondale's are renowned for.

Back to the build... I quickly flipped the Flash for the price I originally paid and, subsequently, poured that money into a bike I had been wanting to build for some time. I would approach this build with my new-found appreciation of the Lefty system and merge the undeniable feel of a steel frame with the superior efficiency of the Lefty front suspension. Since I will be spending hours and hours in the saddle of this bike, I focused on comfort over razor sharp precision in handling. The Vassago line of mountain bikes is unique in the way they address handling geometry. Where a pure racer might term it as a bit lazy or relaxed; Vassago define it as their "Wet Cat" Geometry. Take that for what you will, but when I think of a wet cat; images of teeth, fur and claws flying in any direction away from the water source immediately materialize.

Vassago puts it much more eloquently:

The ORIGINAL WetCat Geometry as designed by the Vassago founder. Since back in the day (2005) Vassago hard tails have offered a distinctively different ride. This is a result of a perfectly balanced relationship of tube diameters/butting and frame geometry designed specifically around 29" wheels. Here are the basic specs when considering the right size frame for you. But the tubing and butting specifics that give our frames that "Vassago" feel are closely guarded by ninjas hidden deep in the underground lair of our warehouse. So don't ask.

I learned of this bike company through a close friend and valued teammate in adventure races. He pilots one of their Jabberwocky single speed frames and I immediately fell in love with it the first time I had a chance to ride it. I bought my Soma Juice with input from another trusted friend's advice about the same time though, so the Vassago was placed on the back burner until now.

My goal was to build everything around the frame to be as light and mechanically reliable as possible. Rather than opting for the absolute latest or featherweight lightest in shifting and braking technologies, I chose reliable upper-end components with race-proven track records.

Vassago BanderSnatch frame in 18"
Cannondale Lefty DLR with instant mechanical lockout and all internals serviced/upgraded to the most recent generation.
Stan's Arch rims built on a Lefty front hub and Shimano XTR centerlock rear hub.
Shimano XTR-M985 hydraulic brakes
SRAM X0 rear shifter
SRAM X0 rear derailleur
11-36 SRAM cassette
E*Thirteen XCX cranks mated with a Rennen 33T chain ring.
Crank Brothers Iodine seat post, Iodine handlebars, Iodine stem and eggbeater pedals.
Salsa Liplock seatpost clamp
Fizik Gobi saddle
Ergon GX1 grips

As seen here she comes in at 23.8 lbs.


Just for comparison, the Flash Lefty was the same weight in a full Aluminum frame. Some of that could have been mitigated with wheels, tires, tubeless conversion, but it would have remained a dead and unrewarding ride...


The cockpit:


The brake lines still need trimming and I need some more tweaking of the rear derailleur, but she's nearly there:

[fullmonte]

Originally Posted by Ridge

As I already have the Single Speed category covered with my Soma Juice, and I somehow got talked into racing the NUE series with some of my teammates, I decided to build a geared MTB for all-day stints in the saddle.


As seen here she comes in at 23.8 lbs.

Good to see you posting this Ridge, it's been awhile. Are you still going to ride the Cohutta 100 in 6 weeks? PM me if you want to pre ride the single track sections on the TN side.

[Ridge]

Originally Posted by fullmonte

Good to see you posting this Ridge, it's been awhile. Are you still going to ride the Cohutta 100 in 6 weeks? PM me if you want to pre ride the single track sections on the TN side.

Yep, still registered for Cohutta. I'd love to pre-ride... just gotta find a weekend to fit it in. Maybe, just maybe I can get over that way on 3/29. Otherwise, every weekend in April is booked with road and crit racing. I might just have to burn a vacation day to get up there sometime in the middle of a week.

[Ricardo Kuhn]

Originally Posted by Ridge

The cockpit:

I bet your brake efficiency and hand/arm comfort will improve dramatically if you rotate your brake levers downwards like this since your muscles and articulations will be a lot more relax, also moving them inwards place you strongest fingers at the end of the levers..

[moodfart]

Originally Posted by Chisenhallw

I'll be interested in your review - I'm eyeballing one of those.

X2 this is now on my radar

[slackmeyer]

Ridge-
How well does the chain stay on the chainring with no derailleur or guide? I tried stripping off my top and bottom chainrings and running a homebrew 1 x 9, but I had to put the derailleur back on when the chain was falling off way too much (yes I shortened the chain).

[Ridge]

Originally Posted by Ricardo Kuhn

I bet your brake efficiency and hand/arm comfort will improve dramatically if you rotate your brake levers downwards like this since your muscles and articulations will be a lot more relax, also moving them inwards place you strongest fingers at the end of the levers..

Thanks for the input. The lever placement in the pics is not their final position. Since I still need to remove them at least once more to shorten the lines, the levers are just there for the pic.

Originally Posted by slackmeyer

Ridge-
How well does the chain stay on the chainring with no derailleur or guide? I tried stripping off my top and bottom chainrings and running a homebrew 1 x 9, but I had to put the derailleur back on when the chain was falling off way too much (yes I shortened the chain).

That is one reason I chose to run a Rennen chain ring over a standard ring. With the Rennen (and a few others) the teeth are longer than a standard chain ring to prevent dropping. I've been using them on my SS for years with no problems. I'll know for sure when I do some shakedown rides if I need to add a chain guide, but I believe I'm covered. Good eye though.