My bike story with a little life thrown in.

This started out as a post on the past bike thread, but It turned into "how I got started into mountain biking." Seems more appropriate in the introductions. Grab a bag of popcorn and enjoy my ramble.

My first bike was a used peugeot BMX with a huge downtube on it. Kick brakes and tires as fat as the downtube. I rode that bike everywhere. From BMX jumps, comic book store, arcade, the local creek to fish for crawdads, the local hospital parking structures. That bike was my best friend and was always there for a quick getaway from whoever was chasing us.

Fast-forward to high school, an isolated suburb 10 miles outside of town. An ideal area for road biking, so my parents got me a sears roadmaster road bike to get around in. It wasn't long before I started experimenting with toe clips and <gasp> powergrips! I did some 10 mile rides to school at least once a week, passing by this park called Rockville Hills. It wasn't long before I was huffing and pushing that 10 speed with 26x1-3/8" tires up the trails and screaming down the short yet thrilling downhills. I was hooked! Powergrips don't let go when you crash and I found myself upsidedown with the bike attached on many occations. I stared finding the widest tires that would fit on those rims and eventually stuck a cheap MTB wheel I found in a dumpster on the back of that 10 speed with a BMX brake. It took some widening of the chainstay, but I made it happen. A short time later after bending the hi-tensile steel fork, I upgraded to a chrome cromoly fork and I had 26x1.5" tires all around.

Eventually I was able to convince my parents to get me a Miyata elevation frame I've been drooling over at the local bike shop. When I got back to the shop with the money they had already sold the frame. I instead got a Trek 830 and rode that tank with exage 400 compenents for years, but it was my first real mountain bike. I slowly upgraded the components to Diacompe 987 brakes and xt thumbshifters mounted upside down like Joe Murray. It was then my friend who I rode with bought a Rock Shock suspension fork and a Klein pinnacle frame. He sold me his cannondale beast of the east frame and I immediately dropped pounds off my bike and started enjoying the climbs. We went everywhere, but my favorite was the Mt Tamalpias loop that ends in the repack downhill.

It was then I just started college and a part time job at a bike shop. Then a whole world of opportunistic upgrading opened itself up! Being the cheapskate that I am, I looked for the best deals, the best cost per weight or performance ratio. I only splurged on 1 item, the coveted grafton cranks. They were the lightest available aside from toplines and looked way cooler. I paid a whopping $150 for those puppies back in 1993 and have been riding them ever since. We rode almost every day after work, Mt Diablo, Briones, Skyline……. And when I wasn’t working, I was riding Rockville and Penia Adobe in my back yard and Mt. Tamalpais on the weekends.

Then I decided to try my hand at racing. I entered in the Rockstomper race in Anguin. A 20 mile race and for beginners, 1 loop 20 miles long with mostly singletrack. Not being used to the pace, I eventually cramped up halfway into it. The cramps got so bad that I had to stop every 50 yards and just sit. If I tried to stretch one muscle, the opposite one would cramp. I eventually limped my way to a dead last finish. I fared better in subsequent races in the Rockhopper series, but the pace was not for me. I eventually stopped racing and just cheered on the greats like Ned Overend, John Tomac, H-ball, Joe Murray, Tinker Juarez, Julie Furtado, and Sara Ballantyne.

I then moved to Texas Tech University and got a job at DFC cycles. There was a great bunch of guys who worked there. I kept up with my riding on the few trails that they did have and instead of mountains, they had canyons! It was there that I got my first suspension fork, a Rockshock Quadra 21R. I was thrilled to be able to wear a watch again while riding. After 2 years I went back to Northern California for a year working at the shop at REI. I was introduce to more trails and made a Downieville trip and did Mr Toads wild ride. It was this time I picked up a Tange Prestige superlight steel frame (parkpre maybe?) and rode that while still running upside-down XT thumb shifters.

After a year I transferred to cal Poly Pomona and joined their cycling club. I quickly joined the cycling club and did some collegiate racing and even tried a road race once. I converted my beast of the east to a 27” rear wheel, a tange switch blade fork with 650c front wheel, drop bars on a GT flip-flop stem with bar-con shifters to do the road rides. Eventually I loaned it to my sister who got it stolen up in San Carlos. That bike always got weird looks from the roadies.

It was approaching the millennium when my Ebay shopping started. First it was Fisher Procaliber OCLV frame that replaced the steel. Along with the frame I purchased a Manitou FS Ti fork at Supergo. I eventually missed the feel of steel and scored a Rhygin frame with a rear wheel and some parts, and I transfered my parts over and found a 1” steer for the fork. The Fisher I built up with spare parts and sold it to my boss who still has it. I may buy the frame back from him someday.

Around 2002 I started working in Orange County. It was then had the full suspension itch and I picked up a Proflex 3000 frame. Through my constant upgrading, it seemed like I always had enough spare parts to build another frame up. I decided to get my girlfriend (now wife) into biking by getting a good deal on a Cannondale M400 at REI. After several trail comments how I was on a full sus and my girl was on a rigid bike, I upgraded her bike with suspension forks. That opened a can of worms. Once a bike is no longer stock, it’s fair game for upgrades. I scored up a Haro rigid bike with XTR components at a pawn shop. It was listed on ebay, but the shop didn’t know what it had and the pictures weren’t clear. But who can mistake that dark grey finish for anything else. Being too big for my wife, I stripped the parts for myself and upgraded my wife’s components with the ones off my proflex. I then sold the 3lb frame back on ebay for half of what I paid for the complete bike.

Later I ditched the Proflex for a frame with more travel; a GT I-drive. It was a low end frame, but with my compenents, I kept the weight down. With 4” of travel in the rear, I needed a fork to match the rear and purchased a Duke SL on closeout at Supergo. This was when I decide that my wife needed full suspension so I picked up a new proflex 856 on ebay for $100 and built that up to a 26lb cross country machine. To save another ½ lb, I fabricated an adapter to fit a cane creek air shock onto the rear. That will serve her until she starts hucking.

I used to ride with Team Basso, but unfortunately we stopped riding a year and a half ago when my wife was pregnant. About 1 month ago I bought a bike trailer to haul the little guy around and got the itch to ride dirt again. I rode 2 weekends alone and I was hooked again. I then came upon the STR website. I joined and met up at Oneil/Tijeras Creek ride and had a blast. I just wish my wife was able to join us. Now I'm hoping to catch a ride every weekend and meet the rest of the group.:beer:
Steve

 

:welcome:

 

Wow Steve, you've been at it a while. I read about some of the older stuff you use to have and I find it very amusing on what we used to think was hi-tech. I guess it was for it's time. Now we have a whole bunch of new hi-tech stuff to spend our hard earned money on. Welcome to the tribe.

 

Welcome! I love this line "Eventually I loaned it to my sister who got it stolen up in San Carlos. That bike always got weird looks from the roadies. "you just know it was the roadies who sole it!!

Mott

 

Great intro looking forward to seeing you on the trails, keep an eye on the calendar, there's plenty coming up!

 

That was/is really tough to read...

Welcome!
:beer:

EDIT...YOU FIX IT! Sweet!

 

2 years later welcome???? WTH is that?

 

Wow, just noticed that! I saw it late last night...

Gremlins in my 'puter?

#-o

 

Man Steve where you been?

 

I'm very familiar with skyline kick ass dowhill trails now, proud of your bravery to go Haro for awhile, I ride Haro.. Have you ever rode Carnegie outside of Tracy???

 

There is some new guy posting in old threads, maybe he resurrected this one???

 

I'm still around Carl, I got sidetracked during last summer and got into airgun field target. You know how it its when you first get into a sport. The time and expenses involved, customizing, tuning, practice.
I've been riding once a month at best. My family and I will be at Neil's Whiting ride at the end of the month though! Who knows, I might show up at San Juan this Saturday.

 

Welcome, from Ladera Ranch, I to was with team Basso.

 

:welcome: from los angeles!