Friday WTF: S Cool Unicycle

   Check out this adjustable unicycle:

   Shop Cool. Shop S Cool. 

Give me a break, it's been a long week. 

Friday WTF: Road Shifter Hacks

   While putting together a post on road group differences, I came across some really wacky configurations - and here they are! Unconventional road shifting set ups...

Mtn shifter on a Space Saver

Grip shift on the stem

Grip shift on the... somewhere

   Whatever keeps your gears turning!

Now That is a Cool Cargo Bike

I don't know who Kenney Stantorp is, but this bike was on his Facebook page with no other information.

Mystery bike

   Google reverse image search returned no results either! It treated it like some kind of scooter.

   It looks like a whole lot of custom work for an imitation Bullitt. I'd like to know if it's a hacked up Bullitt welded to some other frame parts, or a complete custom job.

   I do like how the steering linkage goes above the headset. This way the head shock works without any steering problems. On a normal fork, you could attach the steering rod to the fork upper, which moves with the frame, like this:

Linkage connection

 The mystery bike has to go above the headset since it's a headshock. Well designed! Full suspension cargo bikes aren't entirely unheard of, here are a couple examples:

Fully custom

   Even one that started out as a Bullitt:

Modified Bullitt

   What a time to be alive.

Fat Bike: First Impressions

   Merry Christmas to Me:

Marshal Mesa

Spring Brook

   Got a new (used) Salsa fat bike over the break. I had been looking at a few options for a fat bike, and this one came up on Craigslist and I jumped on it. After a few rides, here are my take aways from the wonderful world of biking in the snow:

• It was much louder than I expected. The crunchy snow and big tires meant I couldn't hear much going on around me.
• It didn't float over crusty snow like I expected, marketing be damned. I haven't tried it in powder yet.
• It was really fun to rail corners. The large, aggressive tires provide a lot of traction
• The front tire tracks funny, especially if you let it wander. It took deliberate effort to get it back on the trail.
• I ended up stopping kind of a lot to change layering and keep my body temp regular. Mostly removing a second pair of gloves and skull cap. 
• It was pretty cold, so I was using snow boots and flat pedals. 

   I have been riding my cx bike in the winter a lot, so had a pretty good handle on what to wear. Notables include: Thin gloves under mittens; Thin skull cap under snowboarding helmet; Gators over winter boots. I'm really excited to try it out after a fresh snow! 

   Natalie also got a new set of wheels - and it's been a long time coming. She'd test ridden a couple bikes with various components, but none felt as good as this one. This is a Specialized Crux Expert. It has 11 speed and HY/RD disc brakes. This bike is really sweet. Light, stiff, just a perfect ride!

Natalie's new whip

   Now we need some snow to melt so she can get out and ride it!