Birthday Ride

Enjoyed some rare sublime weather yesterday with a lengthy bike ride on the Mandan side of the Missouri River.  Few pedestrians and cyclists were out, leaving the trails mostly open for worry-free riding.

(Confluence of Heart and Missouri Rivers)

(Looking north on Infantry Post Hill)

Had just enough time to cover a distance equal to my age.  I guess I'll know I'm officially 'old' when I celebrate this annual milestone with kilometers instead of miles.  ;-)

Introducing the AWOL Comp

The AWOL Comp, reviewed in March, is now a formal addition to the corral.  Though I’ve yet to ride it beyond the neighborhood, I expect this bike to immediately take over commuting responsibilities, leaving my Surly Cross Check for gravel rides and cyclocross.  Using it for randonneuring is definitely in the plans, particularly for routes with variable road conditions.

The bike represents a hybrid of ideals that will hopefully translate into the most rideable bike I’ve owned.  Aspects of randonneuring, touring, and commuting are evident in the accessories, all brought together on a Reynolds frame inspired by the 2013 Transcontinental Race.

I’m indebted to Epic Sports for team support and expert guidance during the build.  Kudos also to Compass Bicycles, Rivendell Bicycle Works, Peter White Cycles, North St. Bags, Handsome Cycles, Brooks England Ltd, and of course, Recep Yesil and Erik Nohlin (aka Team AWOL) at Specialized.

Here are a few photos taken on this Winter Solstice morning along the Missouri River.

If you would like to see the bike, it will be displayed at Epic Sports through March 2015.

Bike Build in Progress

In 2013 Specialized announced their intention to sell a heavy-duty ‘all everything’ bike made from Reynolds 725/520 Co-Mo tubing.  Referred to as the AWOL, the frame is designed with a split seatstay for multiple drivetrain options, three water bottle mounts, and disk brake compatibility.  I was intrigued with the possibility building up a randonneur bike for the 2014 season using an AWOL frame and a mix of new and used components.  Realizing that if the bike didn’t work for randonneuring it could always be used for commuting, I decided to order a frame after the Munger Bungo.  Now, over five months later, I’m still waiting on the frame, though I have assurances it will arrive later this month (a novel marketing campaign by Specialized has generated significant interest in the AWOL).

Here’s a photo of the bike (with a non-standard, tripped-out paint job), courtesy of the 'Team AWOL' Tumblr.

I hope to be sharing a photo of my AWOL soon.