The Pro Concept XXL

   As I've mentioned before, I have a rich, boring history racing BMX. The last bike I raced was a Pro Concept XXL. When I raced this bike, it was cutting edge - 1 1/8" headset, threaded BB, long, stiff steel frame. Now all this stuff is standard, but 10 years ago, the bike was pretty neat.

Circa 2006

   I've looked for more information on Pro Concept, but the company went under shortly after I got mine, back in '06 the internet wasn't what it is today, so there wasn't a lot of documentation on this bike. Turns out my bike was the last of the dyeing (dieing? diiing?) breed. Up until then, Pro Concept focused on aluminum frames and were just starting to make steel frames. And then they made no frames.
   I found some info on a forum post from 2009 indicating the company only made a handful of the steel bikes - in mini and xxl - and sold them all on eBay. This tallies with my story as it was one of my first eBay purchases.
   While searching for info on my bike, I came across an interesting bike on BMXmuseum. BMX bikes with gears aren't unheard of, but definitely rare.

Pro Concept XXL - Overkill

   This bike is a love letter to everything we thought was cutting edge in the early 2000's. Shimano DX pedals, big 'ol machined chainwheel, long seatpost. 

Supercross Strongarm "bent" cranks

   It's hard to tell, but it looks like it is set up as a 3 speed. That makes sense, as you only have need for a small range of gears. Also note the disc brake AND brake booster for V brakes that aren't there.

Shimano Saint rear derailleur

   The triple clamp forks must have been stiffer than a double shot of Wild Turkey. These Bomber (and the Hanebrink counterpart) are top tier, adding unnecessary rigidity to an already short and stiff fork. Add it all up and you've got a bike that is pretty much my wet dream in 1998. 

Parting shot

Full build kit:
PRO CONCEPT XXXL frame
BOMBSHELL F4 PHANTOM  forks
SUPERCROSS STRONGARM "bent" cranks
RACE FACE downhill chainring
SHIMANO DX race pedals
KORE front sealed hub
KORE 3 speed rear disc brake sealed hub
BOMBSHELL SL hoops
PEREGRINE forklifter handlebar
MAGURA MTS hydraulic disc brake caliper/lever setup
8" rear disc brake rotor
SHIMANO SAINT downhill derailleur
SHIMANO DEORE shifter
UNI SEAT w/ carbon post
TOKEN lock-on grips w/ ODI bar ends
PRO CONCEPT lhs chain tug

Friday WTF: Why Rim Wear is Important

   Rims can be used to the point of failure, lucky for this guy it happened during a tire change and not while moving:

   Learn more about rim wear here. 

Cool Cargo Bike of the Week

  In the not too distant future, I'm going to be back on the cargo bike twice a week taking one of the kids to summer camp!

Hold on to your butts

I'm super excited, and celebrating by posting this really neat concept cargo bike. This is built as an urban cargo bike, something less cumbersome than a normal cargo bike, but still very versatile.

Neles Cargo Bike

   I came across this sweet piece of machinery on the Woman on a Wheel Blog, which I recommend you check out. This is a cargo bike by industrial design student Nele Dittmar, and unlike a lot of concept bikes, this one is not digital. It has two 20" wheels, and a fairly compact cargo area. This keeps the size down and the rear end short.

In action

   The most interesting and innovative part is the steering connection - not done by a piece of linkage like a Bullitt, but with a chain connection:

Chain driven steering

   What is neat about this is that it maintains the steering rake. What is confusing about this is how do you keep the chain tight? It is a half-link chain, so it has more adjustment than a standard chain. I still wonder how to keep it nice and tight for good steering without any sloppiness.
   Other details scream elegance, like the braze connection, leather details and tiny pieces of hardware. This is as much art as it is function. I think I need a cold shower.

Rear wheel details

   Speak German? Read more about the bike here.

The Opencycle Up

   Since I started working on this post, I have been seeing ads for this bike popping up around, which is encouraging! Or creepy if you don't know how targeted advertising works. Capitalizing on the hot new gravel bike trend, the Opencycle Up super flexible road frame to fit all your adventure bike crazy needs.
   The first time I saw something like this was on r/bicycles. This is a 27.5" mountain bike set up with drop bars. When you stick on 2" tires, you have an outer diameter of about 700c.

Motobecane 

   The issue with the above bike is that the geometry is mountain geometry with road parts, resulting in less than ideal handling. Opencycle built a bike with proper road geometry. The frame clearance allows you to run a 27.5" wheel with up to a 2.1" tire, or a 700c wheel with up to a 40c tire. 

   The Up, for Unbeaten Path, is an adventure bike, built as a quiver killer that can handle road, gravel and single track. The perfect bike for a Grinduro? You bet. 

The Opencycle Up

   What is the advantage of this? Versatility! The rims and frame allow for almost any tire selection. Thinner slicks for road riding all the way to 2" knobbies for an adventure, you're covered. They also allowed for more crank clearance by dropping the driveside chainstay:

Look at all that clearance. 

   The idea is not entirely unique - Cannondale sells the Slate, another adventure bike built around 27.5" wheels and with a locking short travel Lefty.

Competition?

   The Opencycle Up. Not to be confused with up.opencycle, a windows server service. 

Friday WTF: Train Jumping

   Nice shot modern...

   And vintage...

   Just a reminder that bikes have always been this awesome. 

First CU Short Track of 2016

   Last night was the first CU short track race at Valmont, and it was a great one! The weather cooperated, there was a great turnout, and it was a fun course. Being the first race of the season, all classes were extra packed, with a strong showing by local juniors.

Starting line of the C's

   I raced B's and it was a full house with 26 finishers. It was an unconventional course as it was very short laps and we didn't cross onto the North side of the park at all. Lap times were about 2 1/2 minutes, and we completed 14 laps! We ended up racing for 34 minutes for some reason, but that was fins as I was feeling strong at the end of the race and eager to keep going.

Course map

   I ended up with a 5th, and am very happy with it. The race started fast, and there was a lot of shuffling around in the early laps. It was unusual for me to make late passes, but I caught a couple guys and it felt great to be the one doing the passing. 

Effort!

   Bill and Aaron were in the A's with some stiff competition. Three guys went out early and stayed in front the whole race. The rest of the pack somewhat stayed together until the end when a couple crashes and some late efforts broke things apart.

Aaron at the start

Bill leading up a hill in the Glades

   Overall it was a great race, I can't wait for next week!

Has Science Gone Too Far?

   There is no shortage of people willing to do weird things with bikes, especially if they have a use in mind. The guys over at Rungu bikes have been solving problems with stability and traction in a pretty interesting way: The trike:

Kilimamjaro

   The Rungu Kilimanjaro is the kind of bike that, when you first look at it, makes your brain go:

   Trike bicycles have been around forever, the most common with two wheels in the back. They are simple and effecient, if a little unsteady.

Standard trike

   With both wheels in the front, you get a little better handling, at the cost of increased complexity in the front end. The steering is handled with two headsets, and a piece of linkage than connects independent parts of handlebars:

Rungu steering

   The design reminds me of the CanAm Spyder. The front wheels steer together, so it's a pretty stable set up. In fact, the biggest advantage of this set up is stability at low speeds.

Can Am

 
   Like all good bike designs, this one also comes in a fat tire version, The Juggernaut:

Triple fat tire trike

   The stable platform makes it perfect for cruising around in the sand, in this case towing a surf board. Since balance isn't a big deal, you can just truck through the soft stuff.

   At 50+ pounds, it's certainly not light, but the claim is that is can not be stopped. At around $2,600, it's more reasonably priced than I expected. There is a good write up on the capabilities on GearJunkie if you're looking for more info on this monstrosity. In the mean time, look at this pic of a double Lefty that was on a Rungu forum:

This guy...

   had me scratching my head for a long time. Turns out it's a joke and he just has a wheel and Lefty leaned up against his bike to make people like me furious.