Mini Biking

I "finished" building the Neutrino some weeks back, not long after finishing the condominium renovation in Tahoe. It isn't in its final form yet as evidenced by the uneven color scheme and a couple ancient parts, but close enough.

So far I have used it for errands and a couple rides, one around 20 miles and yesterday a flat 37 mile ride along the canal. This was a test of sorts because the ride around Cozumel is 40.5 miles with very little elevation change.

The bike itself passed with flying colors, albeit with a couple caveats with component choice. 

As for the platform itself, the mini velo with 20-inch wheels is really just a bike. Your brain adjusts pretty quickly to the twitchy steering, and this is coming from someone who regularly rides what might be the longest and most stable bike around in the Jones LWB (long wheel base). Once that hurdle is out of the way, you simply ride. It's just a bike.

Considering my main ride, the aforementioned Jones LWB, is a steel behemoth with three-inch knobby tires, the Neutrino is downright fast. In fact, towards the end of the ride yesterday I held off a guy on a road bike for a couple miles until he out-geared me on a downhill. The 42x11 high gear combined with 20-inch wheels simply isn't made for racing speeds. I spun madly while he pulled away.

In many situations the Neutrino would be far superior to the 26-inch travel bike it is likely replacing. The only time it would be inferior is when the pavement ends. I would be pretty comfortable on anything but the roughest gravel roads, but I know Jennifer would not. The instability of the little wheels would definitely make her uncomfortable.

One interesting aspect to the mini velo is how well it climbs. Well, once you figure out how to do it right. It climbs fine in the saddle, but really excels when you stand. When I first tried standing it felt horrible and sketchy, but I quickly figured out that you really need to saw the bike back and forth like a BMX bike. When you do that it feels very natural, but maybe that's because I spent many years on a BMX bike. The other thing I noticed is you don't need to shift for hills. Simply stand up and start cranking, and the little wheels rocket right up the incline. This makes me believe it would perform very well as a single speed, which would be great for traveling.

Back in the day, the WTB SST saddle was my favorite. 

This one dates back to 2003 when I built my Santa Cruz Blur.

Perhaps in 22 years the foam has hardened up or something, but I found it very uncomfortable on our 37-mile ride yesterday.

The only other component of note is Steve Potts Siskiyou handlebar.

I thought it would be very similar to the Jones bar, but it really isn't. It's a couple inches wider, yet the grip section is much shorter, meaning a "regular" grip is in order. Part of the Jones appeal is the ability to use long (205mm) grips, which allow you to move your hands around. The sweep is 30 degrees to the Jones 45, and I prefer the greater sweep of the Jones. Also, I feel a little naked without my bag in the middle of my Jones bars.

The upside is I really dig the cow horns. It may seem dumb to have an "aero" position on a mini velo, but I appreciated it while riding into a stiff headwind. I use a similar position with the Jones bars, but these are better. I will miss that particular aspect of these bars should I change them out.

Later today we are heading up to Fort Bragg and taking the Neutrinos. We don't plan to do any serious riding, but it will still be a good test.

Later.