Bicycles

[Giles]

Now,  that looks like a trail….

[JCar2666]

Jesus specmvl!  Where is that trail?  I dream of places like this to ride my mt. bike.

[specmvl]

Vinschgau, South Tyrol. Amazing trails over there and 300+ sunny days/year. Went there for a 2-week trip of pure MTBing last year. Highly recommended, though there isn´t much else to do besides riding your bike.

[JCar2666]

Definitely gonna have to google map that.  I don't have a clue as to where that is.  Sounds and looks amazing.

[specmvl]

It is in the Italian Alps. Looks more like Austria, though. 

[Jii]

@specmvl:

Highly recommended, though there isn´t much else to do besides riding your bike.

I could live with that

Used to go to Are in Sweden once a year for downhill/freeriding back in the days. I just love riding high speed trails downhill and taking the lift up. No mountains and very few larger hills over here where I live so it's something I only dream about nowadays. A friend of mine is in Utah at the moment and the pics he sends me make me cry…

Edit: Since we love pics - here's one of me from Are in 2005. I rode an Ellsworth Joker back then, I really loved that bike..

[specmvl]

Nice pic, looks pretty fast.

[thomasnunnally]

Yea, nice pics man, any more like that?

[Giles]

Thanks for all the help with the spd's, this is what I got (Prezzie from wifey)…

[specmvl]

Can´t go wrong with fivetens! I´m abusing the Macaskills for platform pedals.

[Jii]

Found one more snapshot of me riding a skinny…. Same mountain, same year - good times!

[Jii]

Have you seen "Where the trail ends" already? It's releasing tomorrow and it's the first freeride movie I'm genuinely super-excited about. Amazing footage and crazy riding. Check out the trailer on Youtube, you'll love it!

[Giles]

I could hardly watch that, it made me seriously uneasy…..

[emceeQ]

I'm thinking I may now have to pick up that movie.  The spirit and vibe (exploration, discovery, and next level terrain) of what they are doing is everything I look for in a snowboarding flick translated to biking.  Looks awesome!

[Jii]

I had the chance to watch the movie in whole and the footage is so next level (as are some of the stunts as well). I think I'll pick it up tonight since it's probably one you could watch lots of times - just like Roam from 2006.

[Jii]

Hungover today so I took a leisurely ride with the Bareknuckle. I just love how it rides.

Next week I'll build up a new fixed mountain bike

[Jii]

Here's the reason IH purchases are on hold for a while. I got the appetite for a true SS/Fixed MTB and built this one up:

Specs:
On-One Inbred 29er 19,5" + carbon fork
FSA Orbit XL
Race Face Turbine/Response/ODI
Thomson/SDG Circuit
Race Face Atlas AM/Velosolo/e-thirteen/shimano/KMC
Syncros DS 28/Atomlab/Shimano XT
Syncros DS28/DMR/Velosolo

I took it for it's virgin ride today and man do I love how it rides. Climbs like it's on speed, descends like it's on coke and is amazingly whippy on fast singletrack. I think this one's a keeper!

[Giles]

If you decide it's not a keeper, I'll more than entertain a swap for store credit - LOVE IT…...

[tmg]

Awesome build Jii! I had a 26" Inbred a few years ago, and loved it…..wishing now that I'd kept it! Your pics are edging me closer to another SS build though, love how that Bareknuckle looks, but I'm also considering a Surly Steamroller. Currently running a Specialized Carve for my daily commute, and it's coping just fine with West London's lumpy roads, but a fixie might be a nice change 

[Jii]

Thanks guys!

Tmg, the Steamroller is a lot more versatile than the Bareknuckle (but you probably already knew that). Loads of guys I know have a roller and the only critique I've heard is the low bb and the fact that you can't fit a pair of full length fenders with winter tyres. Otherwise I think it's definitely "the one bike to rule them all".

A local shop here In Helsinki have designed an improved version of the Steamroller, the Pelago San Sebastian. Check it out and if you're interested they'll probably ship it abroad ( and if not I might be of help).
Pelago San Sebastian (if you're interested and need translation info etc. hit me with a pm)

Here's a nice San Sebastian build, it works just as nicely with drop bars, a riser or a moustache bar: