Year End Happy Holidays Sale

We have gotten special pricing on parts from Shimano on the new 10-speed XT parts package.
We are closing out the remaining Taiwanese-made BLT's.  Sizes and quantities are limited to the stock on hand.  The sizes available and quantities are as follows:

56cm 700c - 11
52cm 700c - 11
39cm 26"    -  2

Complete sizing and other information is on our web page: http://www.bgcycles.com/blt.html
 (I know the parts pictured are not the exact ones offered - the parts included in this sale are an XT parts package, a higher-quality group- see below).

The Parts Package is:
Crankset -10 speed XT - 42/32/24 chainrings
Cassette - 10 speed XT either 11/34 or 11/36
Hubs - XT 36 hole
Spokes - 14 gauge DT Stainless
Rims - Mavic A119 700c (or XM317 on 26")  -  Hand Built Wheels - built in our shop.
Tires - Schwalbe Marathon  700x35 (or 1.5" on 26")
Rear Derailleur - XT Shadow 9 speed long cage (this is the derailleur that works with 10 speed Dura Ace Barcons)
Front Derailleur - 10 speed XT
Brakes - XT V-Brakes front and rear
Brake Levers - Cane Creek Drop V Levers
Chain - Shimano Ultegra 10 speed
Seatpost - Kalloy UNO 27.2mm
Seat - WTB Speed V
Handlebars - Dimension Anatomical

The price for a complete bike with these parts, including front and rear Bruce Gordon 4130 racks (made in our shop in California)...

$1725
+  shipping and handling + assembly at your end (the bike is shipped totally disassembled in 2 boxes) Everything is included except Pedals and Water Bottle Cages.

The same 10 speed Shimano XT group is what we are equipping the Rock 'n Road Tour and Tour-EX at the same price as the older 9 speed group.

Take the measurements from our sizing page at http://www.bgcycles.com/fitting.html and give us a call at (707) 762-5601.

Grasshopper

On January 19th, Old Caz will kick off the fifteenth annual Grasshopper Adventure Series.  For those of you who have never participated in it, Old Caz is an epic mixed-terrain "training ride" that follows some of West Sonoma County's finest backroads, fireroads and trails.  Some of the strongest riders in the area show up to compete, but it's also a great opportunity for laid-back non-racers to enjoy riding little-seen routes with the pros and the proles.

Bikes of all types show up, but the consensus seems to be that fat-tired road and cross bikes are the name of the game.  For some Grasshopper rubber we suggest using the Bruce Gordon Rock 'n Roads, which are fast-rolling on the paved sections, grippy on the dirt and mud.  They're even good creek-crossing tires.  

We hope to see you on January 19th in Occidental.

  

Green Monstercross

After the red monstercross bike came back from testing, Bruce decided he wanted to build himself a monstercross bike similar to the red one, using the same methods and materials.  Before too long, presto: the Green Monster was born. 

Double Plate Fork Crown?  Check.  (Pacenti Paris-Brest model)

Bilaminate (meaning both lugged and fillet brazed) construction?  You bet.

Curvy seat stays and chain stays?  Absolutely.

Custom black anodized BG cantilevers?  Indeed.

Our own Rock 'n Road 700x43 gumwall tires? Hell yes. 

And the custom-built-by-Shimano-just-for-us long-cage Dura-Ace derailleur?  Yep.

After riding the Green Monster, Bruce remarked, "It rides like a bike."  That's high praise coming from Bruce Gordon. 

If you're interested in having us build a custom Monster of your own, call the shop at 707.762.5601 or email Bruce at bruce@bgcycles.com.  If you'd like your own RnR Tires, you can get them here. We can also make black anodized BG cantis for you, but it'll cost a little extra.  The Red Monster is still available, check it out here.  

Win a SOPWAMTOS t-shirt

The first person to correctly identify all the people in the 1994 photo will win a SOPWAMTOS t-shirt.  Not open to any close friends or people in the photo.

I know that the sopwamtos.com web page is down - we are working on getting it back up soon!

The Best Trail in Santa Rosa

The best trail in Santa Rosa starts at the Luther Burbank Home and Gardens. Luther Burbank was Santa Rosa's most famous resident, a horticuluralist-botanist-inventor who developed the delicious plumcot, the juicy Freestone peach, the iconic Shasta daisy, and the ubiquitous Burbank Russet potato.  He led an enviable existence.  As his pal Paramahansa Yogananda wrote in Autobiography of a Yogi, "His little home amid the roses was austerely simple; he knew the worthlessness of luxury, the joy of few possessions."  

From the Luther Burbank Home and Gardens, take Sonoma Avenue all the way to Farmers Lane.  Go left on Farmers Lane and continue until you reach Highway 12.  Take a right on Hwy 12 and look for the turnout just past the speed sign.  There's a little trail that begins right here. 

 The trail runs alongside Santa Rosa Creek, where you may spot some wildlife if you're paying attention.  On my last ride, I saw this Snowy Egret dipping his toes in the water.

 Taking his cue, I shot the obligatory bike portrait.

The Santa Rosa Creek trail is a simple pleasure.  It's right next to a busy thoroughfare, but it feels like it's in the middle of nowhere.  It's a great place for riders of all abilities to enjoy some singletrack without dedicating a few hours to getting there, but it can also be the starting point for a big ride in Annadel, a burly climb up to Sugarloaf, or a nice road ride out to Sonoma. 

UPDATE 12/7: Heavy rainfall over the past two weeks has destroyed large parts of the trail, and the sudden rise in the creek has washed ashore fallen trees and other stormy artifacts.  Please wait until things have dried out a bit before exploring down there.  

Tire Test

Here's Nick's review of our amazing Rock 'n Road tire:

"Last weekend's group ride was an excellent opportunity for me to take the Bruce Gordon Rock 'n Road tires out for a test spin.  Here was a ride that had it all: smooth stretches of well-kept blacktop, rolling gravel fire roads, chunky granite climbs, and sloppy, muddy singletrack with a few hairy switchbacks.  I threw pretty much everything available at the Rock 'n Roads, and they did not disappoint. 

The test bike, a custom offroad tourer by Bruce Gordon.

Let me first say that I'm biased when it comes to 29er tires.  I like them fat.  So when I try on a skinnier pair of tires- and I know calling a 43mm tire 'skinny' sounds ridiculous- I don't expect them to perform as well as my usual Ralphs, Nanos or Ardents.  But the Rock 'n Roads soaked up the hits as well as any fat tire, they didn't lose traction uphill, and they felt solid in the corners.  I was frankly surprised by how well they performed off-road.

They were even better on the paved roads.  Getting to and from the park has always been a bit of a pain in the ass when I'm riding 2.2"-or-wider knobbies.  But the Rock 'n Roads were fast-rolling, especially considering their aggressive tread.  They felt nimble on the descents and confident in corners.  It was inspiring to watch Mike Varley, on his Rock 'n Road-shod bike, tuck and bomb our last descent  with grace and precision.  

The Rock 'n Road is a great all-arounder, jack-of-all-trades type of tire and would be especially well-suited to mixed terrain rides, bike camping, or any other kind of on- and off-road adventure.  They also happen to be damn handsome.  I wholeheartedly and sincerely recommend these tires." 

  

If you'd like to get some Panaracer + Bruce Gordon Rock 'n Road tires for yourself, order them directly from us!

Rock 'n Road Ride Recap

Our group of eight, led by Mike Varley and Bruce Gordon, departed from Black Mountain Cycles in Point Reyes Station.  Conditions were a bit wet, a bit cold, but generally just bracing enough to get the blood pumping.  We started with a nice stretch of smooth paved blacktop.

 We passed through Inverness and then began our ascent of Mount Vision.  The ground here consisted of decomposed granite and pine needles, a nice chunky mix to test the capabilities of our new tires.

At this point, we rode some more fire roads and descended the breathtaking Inverness Ridge.  I was too busy riding with a big dumb grin on my face to take pictures at this point.   

Afterwards we sat around Mike's shop/museum and told stories, drank beer and hot toddies, and unabashedly ogled Bruce's new monstercross bike.

Thanks to everyone who showed up, it was a world-class group.  Check the Black Mountain Cycles blog for a more complete recap of our course. 

Retro-Future

Here is a classic Italian-American beauty made with vintage lugs and tubing from the golden era of cycling.  Bruce dialed the time machine back to 1979 and retrieved a stamped wave-shaped Cinelli lugset and Columbus SL tubing.  When he made it back to 2012, Bruce designed and built a roadbike with a touch of the past and a bit of the present. 

 

 

Cinelli lugs before: 

 

Cinelli + Bruce Gordon lugs after:

 This bicycle was built to accommodate a modern 130mm spaced rear wheel, so you don't have to get in a time machine to find period correct parts- in fact, we think it would look (and ride) great if you were to deck it out in modern components.  The geometry is designed for comfortable, all-day riding.  

Specs are below.

54cm Center to Center Seat Tube

54.5cm Center to Center Top Tube

73˚ Head Tube angle
73˚ Seat Tube angle

42cm Chainstays

  

This frame is currently for sale for $3000.  That's $800 less than our going rate for a custom frame with cutout lugs, and it comes with a very snazzy silver Ed Litton paint job.  Call the shop if you have any questions: (707) 762-5601. 

Short Notice Rock 'n Road Tire Shameless Self-Promotion Ride

To celebrate the arrival of the second coming of the Rock 'n Road tires, we are teaming up with Black Mountain Cycles for a group ride on Saturday, November 17th. We will meet at the shop in Point Reyes Station at 9am, depart at 9:30 to ride Mike Varley's favorite on-/off-road loop, and then return for warm drinks, food, and conversation.

The purpose of this ride is to show off the versatility of our new rubber, so bring your RnR-shod bikes to ride. If you don't yet have the Rock 'n Roads on your bike, you are welcome to come ride with us and see how capable these things are for pretty much any on- and off-road riding you might do.


If you have any questions, call the shop. If you'd like to order some RnR tires, go here.

Anticipation

Oh Boy - I'm getting a New Monster Cross Bike!!
with Bruce Gordon 700x43 Rock 'n Road Tires

The frame is being painted by Ed Litton.  The parts are here and I can't wait.

                                             

There is a prize of a Free SOPWAMTOS T-Shirt to the first person to identify the completely one of a kind part in the picture.  Steve P. is the winner, he saw the long-cage Dura-Ace derailleur.  Congratulations Steve, and thanks everyone for participating.

                     

The bike will be my sized version of the Monster Cross bike described in the May 17, 2012 post.

Pictured below: the red frame is still for sale as a frameset or a whole bike.

Check back.  I hope to have pictures of the latest build soon.            

       

Nearly Up to My Eyeballs in Tires!!

I'm nearly up to my eyeballs in tires, except that my nose keeps getting in the way.

Thanks to all who pre-ordered; I will pack up and ship those orders tomorrow.

Those who haven't ordered yet - go to the store on our web page http://brucegordoncycles.bigcartel.com/ to order.

Regards,

Bruce Gordon

An Update on Tires...and Why We Love Customs

First Things First - Some News About Tires

Some of you may have pre-ordered the Rock 'n Road tires (if you haven't, you can go here to check them out). We estimated they would be here around the first week of June, but that was only half correct. They are currently sitting in customs in Southern California and should be cleared by next week (hopefully). In the meantime, we're going to keep the free freight going until we have the tires in hand. We apologize for the hold up, but it's out of our hands at this point. In the meantime, check out the review on All Hail the Black Market.

Second Things Second - Some News About Bikes

Cyclecross Magazine loved our fillet brazed cross bike and so do we. So much so that we're going to be doing more fillet brazed frames - the seamlessness of brazed joints is just beautiful. We'll be bringing this red bike (and a few others) to Oakland in July for a ride around Lake Merritt. Details will follow so you can put it on your calendar. Count your pennies too - we'd like one of you to take this red bike home - we have too many bikes at the shop anyway.



That's all the updates that we have from the shop right now - hope you're enjoying this weather as much as we are.

Building a Bike in your Kitchen

Saw this video this morning and it reminded me of the bike I built in "My Kitchen".
Check out this video of Graeme Obree building his record attempt bike in "His Kitchen" - it is a Great Video
http://vimeo.com/humansinvent/httpvimeocomhand-buildingtheworldsfastestbicycle

I built my first Lugged Titanium frame in 2008 in my Kitchen because it was too cold in my shop for the epoxy to set up properly. 

By the way my bike won 2 huge trophies at the Portland NAHBS Show in 2008.

Check out more pictures on our web page at http://www.bgcycles.com/

The "Perfect" Bike Comes Back from Cyclocross Magazine

Everyone once and a while you build a bike that stands out as a little bit better. Not just better brazing or paint, but one that sums up the reason you started building bikes to begin with - that elusive "Perfect" bike. While no bike is perfect, this one is pretty damn good. So damn good that I almost had to wrestle this fillet brazed  "Monster Cross" Bruce Gordon bike back from Andrew Yee, Editor of Cyclocross Magazine http://www.cxmagazine.com/ (who has lovingly had it in his possession for...a while).

He said it was the "Perfect" bike for him, and was sorry he didn't have the money to buy it.

Now that we have it back, we've decided to put it up for sale. Spec'd as is, this bike would set you back a cool $5700.

You can steal buy this one after a short road test for $4500 - It is super clean, and barely used.

Details are as follows:

Frame - Fillet Brazed Bruce Gordon Frame & Stem  Chrome Moly .8 x .5 x .8 tubeset

Drivetrain - Shimano Ultegra Derailleurs front & rear with STI Levers, CX70 Crankset

Headset - Cane Creek Classic 100  -  1"

Brakes - Bruce Gordon Cantilevers

Wheels - White Industries MI5 Hubs, Mavic Open Pro Rims, Bruce Gordon Rock ‘n Road Tires

Seat  Post - WTB Speed-V Gel, Kalloy Uno Seatpost

Frame Dimensions

Frame Size center to center  -  51cm, Frame Size if it had a Level Top Tube  -  57.5cm

Effective Top Tube (Level) center to center  - 57cm

Angles - 72 degree Head  - 73 degree Seat

Chainstay - 43.5cm

Quill Stem - 11cm -  11 degree rise 26.0 Clamp

If you are interested or have any questions, please give me a call - (707) 762-5601



Sending Some Lugged Frames to the Painter

Ed Litton and I have just finished a couple of our new Lugged frames.

Raw finished frames:

Ed taking the frames to his shop for painting:


















Check out the video below - NO it is not Bruce Gordon Cycles - but, it is an interesting look at how Bikes were made. We are not quite as big a factory - but, we do make Bikes.

http://film.britishcouncil.org/how-a-bicycle-is-made

The Rock 'n Road Tire is Offically for Sale

Yes, you read that correctly. The Rock 'n Road tire is ready for pre-order. For those that are on our mailing list, you already received the heads up (which is why YOU should sign up for the BG Newsletter, amongst other things). But for the rest of you, consider this your official PSA.

Here are the details -

• BG Cycles is doing a pre-order special. What that means is you can buy the tire at a reduced rate before it lands in the beginning of June (some time in the first week).
• The pre-order price is $50/ea with free shipping in the US. Outside of the US? We'll work out a reduced cost option for you.
• There are only a limited number of these tires available at this price. Get them while you can.

In Other Tire News  

We have had some people ask about clearance for these new tires (43mm X 700c) since they are a little bigger than your average cross tire. To help alleviate an confusion in regards to fitment, we drew up these handy diagrams to help you gauge fitment on your current bike.

Not only do we love the tire, but think it would look great on your own Rock n' Road!