Pictures of your Bike

This looks much similar to
This looks much similar to the $600 Electric bike on Geekwake .

My Koga kimera road premium

My Koga kimera rp. love it:):)

A ‘little unusual’, not your

A ‘little unusual’, not your average bike but when you live on a volcano with no car and no shops this is a life-saver.  We have two (one with pink sheepskin and a goat skull).  We cover around 50km per day most days, 99% on mountain gravel tracks away from traffic, and use them for everything from shopping (4 days food with the panniers on 2 bikes – or much more with our trailer), touring and days out with Baba our dog who fits nicely in the pannier bag.

They are a couple of end-of-line Corratec 28 ebikes, modded for rough gravel track use in hostile environments (windy, salty, dusty, 50 degrees heat, no shade and mountainous).

The main essential mod was the tyres which we replaced (slippery on gravel) with Continental AT gravel tyres and puncture sealant liquid (all plants have thorns here)

The other practical essential were the Ortlieb Classic rolltop bags – zips fail quickly here because of the sand and dust in the air.  They carry Baba the dog, a comprehensive toolkit with spares such as spokes, tubes and nuts n bolts – bits can drop off! plus drinks, spare clothing, food and shopping.   We get 2 days shopping for two on one set of Ortliebs, they are a design classic.

The other lifesaver is the Bosch Nyon – the map it uses shows all the backroads and gravel tracks reliably, making for a safe journey home when the light is fading and the powerpack is at 15% (yes Ive done it and had to walk home across two mountain ranges in the dead of night with a 45 kilo bike  – never again!)

The sheepskin wrap is a great way the protect the frame from the large amounts of dust – plus everyone knows it’s your bike too 😉

The bones are just for decoration (rather than bright colours and flash words adorning many bikes)  we find them in the desert and mountains where animals such as goats and hunting dogs die naturally and the flesh is consumed by the vultures.  The skull is made from the horns of 3 goats (giver of life to the island) and the head of a hunting dog which the farmers use for protection for the goats – the spine is supported by a coat hanger wire down the top-tube.  I did have the ribcage of the dog but it proved a little flimsy to secure to the frame.

Weighing in at a minimum of 45 kilos fully laden, depending of the day’s journey here’s what goes wrong:

1. Inner tubes!  everything has thorns so puncture protection liquid like Slime is a must.
2. Spokes! always carry some spare, and some tape to secure it to the adjacent spoke and limp home.

3. Mudguards with the wire to the back light built in – these are rubbish as the connections rot with the salty air – I taped some speaker wired over the top instead.

4. Nuts and bolts – carry some spares for emergency repairs – bits like kickstands, pannier racks and other bolt-ons have a habit of snapping.

I always carry tie-wraps for emergency repairs, spare water and a muesli bar.

Having run them almost every day for 2 years across mountains, deserts, beaches and volcanoes I can honestly say they are the most practical and fun transport I have ever used, and would I go back to using a car? …never 😀

Cut that steerer down boss

Cut that steerer down boss before it fails on you! 🙁

New bike time! Jumped on the

New bike time! Jumped on the disc brake bandwagon.

Bianchi Infinito CV disc, with Campagnolo H11 and Super Record.

Build cost £2375, consisting of:
Campag H11 shifters + calipers, H11 chainset and SR mechs £650.92 (I know!)
Last year’s Bianchi Infinito CV disc frame £1199.99
Zonda DB wheels + rotors £260
Chorus cassette (spares box)
Campagnolo Potenza chain £33.63
Fizik Antares saddle (spares box)
Bianchi bars £40
Bianchi stem £10
Bianchi full carbon seatpost £60
Veloflex Corsa tyres and Vittoria latex tubes £77.29
Shimano SPD pedals (spares box) 
Praxis Works conversion BB £29.99
Supacaz bar tape + plugs £13.99
 

Mmm Campag…

Mmm Campag…

Before and after of my Scott

Before and after of my Scott Addict Gravel. Ditched the Ultegra and replaced with Record EPS. Also got a respray. I kept the stock wheels for CX/gravel events and swap them in as needed. I guess this is my ‘quiver-killer’ as I’ve now raced road, CX and gravel on this bike in the past year. And I always find that I am the only Campagnolo equipped rider at CX/gravel events…

…a much loved John Perks

…a much loved John Perks 531 out in the sun…