Chicago XC

Winter tip: make sure you hit the trail before the sun does.
One more reason to wake up early.
(note: I didn’t ride in the mud. I walked like all trail respecting dude should.)

Generally the Redline Monocog 29er is considered a starter level 29er single speed bike. Common consensus is that one would start the 29er single speed experience with such bike and eventually upgrade to a pricier 29er. Why such attitude? Perhaps it’s the lack of prestige, humble components, or the really reasonable price. Whatever the reason, I am probably not the only person who thinks otherwise. I actually went the opposite direction. I switched from the Gary Fisher Rig (converted to carbon rigid fork) to the Redline Monocog 29er.

There’s no arguing that the stock components on the Monocog is somewhat el cheapo budget. But it’s still a solid performer as-is. However, my Monocog 29er is dressed up with few upgrades for a little more respect along with decently admirable appearance. The upgrades on my Redline Monocog 29er include; Easton Monkey Lite XC Composite handlebar, Thomson Elite stem and seatpost, Juicy hydraulics, White Industries crank, Surly chain ring, and Crank Brothers Candy SL.

My Monocog 29er weighs just over 27 lbs. which is very respectable for a steel bike. Even though this Redline weighs 5 lbs. or so more than my old Gary Fisher Rig (22.x lbs), it actually rides and pulls itself on the trails like it’s a much lighter bike. I’m sure the Gary Fisher Rig’s Genesis geometry is much more modern and boasts more engineering prowess but the humble Redline just feels more nimble and responsive. I was very reluctant to admit to this in the beginning – largely because the Gary Fisher cost me a hell of a lot more money than the Monocog – but that’s the truth. The Gary Fisher no longer felt right after riding the Monocog. Gary Fisher Rig’s problematic and always creaky EBB (eccentric bottom bracket) didn’t help it either.

I don’t know what it is exactly about this humble steel bike – maybe the Redline guys got the geometry just right by accident, who knows – but now I know the Redline Monocog 29er should deserve more respect. Much more.

December 17th, 2011 Palos trail with old school Specialized Stumpjumper single speed. Bad day for 26″ single speed. Took some photos instead.

Bike Season on Craigslist can be hectic, confusing, and extremely difficult to know whether you are getting the right bike at the right price for that matter.
I have gathered here few points to consider especially for beginners when shopping for bikes on CL.

- Know the brand and model you’re buying. Research on www.bikepedia.com. Familiarize yourself with the model in question; how it looks, features, the components. Believe it or not, there are fakes out there. Decals for premium brands are readily available on eBay.

- Know the value of the bike. This is a hard one but, again, research is the key. Based on the selling prices on eBay and Craigslist, it’s typical for a 6 to 8 year old bike to retain 25% – 35% of their original price*. Note, this is strictly based on my observation/research of recent transactions of mainstream brands not to be taken as a guideline or rule as there are tons of variables that ultimately determine the value of any bike; condition, upgrades, rarity, etc.

- New technology becomes old news in matter of months or even weeks. Bicycle industry is no exception. As once cutting edge technology becomes mainstream, it’s not uncommon to see newer bikes outperform higher-end bikes from few years ago that retailed for hundreds more. Another point to consider is that bike prices fluctuate significantly depending on economic or social climate of the time. Therefore, in many cases the original MSRP may not be a direct reflection of the bike’s quality. For example, a bike that retailed for $4000 in 1999 is not necessarily superior to one that sells for $2000 today.

- Quality components are always a plus. However, a 1999 Shimano XT is not same as 2009 Shimano XT. The same rule described above applies to components as well.

- Unless the bike is an obvious fixer-upper, be wary of those that are not in rideable condition. Majority of the sellers on Craigslist are honest. But a scandalous seller could try to conceal problems with the bike this way. Typically a missing wheel or no air in tire. The only way to know the condition of the bike is to ride it. If you can, bring extra set of wheels or air pump with you.

Research, research, research is the best way to avoid getting ripped off.
Happy riding!

If you are a sponsored racer or someone who has so much money that you don’t look twice at the price tags, sure… why not?
But if you are a practical, everyday joe like me, who simply enjoys mountain biking few times a week, then it’s only natural to think hard about the cost-to-benefit factor.

When it comes to bicycles, the sense of reality gets easily blurred. Because the actual dollar amount that you’re dealing with seems somewhat attainable for most. Especially when bike magazines and websites review $4000 mountain bikes left and right, it’s easy to forget what is reality and what is a dream. In the real world, a $4000 mountain bike is anything but ubiquitous.

Car magazines, too would feature super cars such as Lamborghinis and Ferraris every other month. But normally, we don’t consider those cars as possible future purchase just because we saw one in the magazines do we?
To put things into perspective a $4000 mountain bike is the Lamborghini of the bikes.

And let’s seriously think about the cost-to-benefit factor. In any consumer product category, there is a known threshold which when passed, the premium required to gain marginal benefit increases beyond logical reason. The premium increases exponentially toward the high-end of the spectrum to gain even smaller benefit.

Using cars as an example, it’s not hard to find a $40,000 car that’s twice as fast and twice as powerful as the Chevy Cruz. But it’s extremely rare that an $80,000 car would have twice the power and twice as quick as a $40,000 one. One would have to spend more than three times as much to get anywhere near doubling of performance.

This is just the way it is. It’s been that way for ages. It’s marketing. Practical thinkers, and everyday joes like you and me are not the target audience of high-end items. Because any thinking would render these high-end objects pointless.

Sure, a carbon frame weighs less than your everyday aluminum. But how much less? Well, the weight difference is nowhere near what you can easily lose in a week or two by avoiding Steak ‘n Shake. We’ll leave it at that. That’s just my two cents.