Just got back from the ride. It was harder than I thought to find gravel. It's been quite a while since I did such a thing and when I did it last it was just a matter of going a few miles outside of the sprawl to find some. Now that sprawl goes on and on. I called around to some locals and no one had any idea of any close. So I loaded up and headed in a direction where I thought the black top might end. Find album reviews, stream songs, credits and award information for Serial Mom - Basil Poledouris on AllMusic. 17 miles later I found it, which isn't really too bad considering. Saw a guy working on his bridge and asked if I could park next to his driveway then headed off on the bike. I have been too busy to ride much at all for over a month and it showed, however this was pretty hilly. Up and down, up and down with almost no flat cruising. The bike worked flawlessly and I kept in the 44 ring. ![]() Shifting the rear derailleur was a bit tricky since those shifters were designed for 6 speeds not 9 speeds, plus no indexing, but no real issues. Hitting the fresh big gravel at full speed going down hills was scary but I stayed upright. I ran 60psi rear and 50 front. It rolled nice but I could probably get away with a bit less. The front end felt a bit light due to the long fork and short reach stem but nothing I could not compensate for and the added stability going down hills was welcome. I locked out the fork on longer climbs. I'm not a fan of road riding and gravel makes it a bit more interesting but it's still pretty blah compared to trails. But non the less it's a good workout and for the amount I'll be doing it this bike will serve the purpose well. So, thinking of doing up an Monstercross fixie, or MXF. Would you be mad at me if I do so? Would I be within the rules? Are there any out there? If ya say 'hey' I will proceed.If there are any rules I think they are pretty vague. As I understand it the bike should be more laid back and stretched out than a cross bike and have 35c and wider 700c wheels. Drop bars of some kind might be a good idea. ![]() Fixed should not be a disqualifier. Hey it's your bike.build away if that's what you want. Here is a google link. First, this thread is my favorite on this site. It's the only one I check regularly. Lots of great bikes posted. Secondly, I don't want to derail this thread so will get to the point. Thanks for all the kind words. This has been a project in the making for the past few years. I was greatly influenced by the drop bar mountain bikes of the late 1980s (1987 Bridgestone MB-1, 1989 Specialized Rock Combo) as more recently the Amaro Lollobrigida and a bike the Fast Boy Cycles Double-Dually-Dinglef$#%er. As for a definition of what kind of bike it is, quite frankly, I can only say that it's a bike that will be ridden. I like description from a Bike Rumor Firefly interview: “We’ve got a couple more things in the works, including a ‘monster cross’. It’s set up for disc brakes and larger tire diameters. The geometry splits road and mountain, so it’s not exactly ‘cross. Everything is custom though, so there’s not going to really be a standard model for this category.' Firefly also stated this up on their Twitter site: 'Not exactly a mountain bike, definitely not a road bike. Definitely the future owner's dream bike.' That pretty much sums it up. Now for the questions and comments: It's an integrated seat post (ISP). Indeed, I do! When I brought my parts bin to Firefly, I included both bar cons and the Shimano Deore thumb shifters. I wanted a backup with the bar cons in case the thumb shifters didn't work out. When I arrived at Firefly on Monday afternoon, Tyler had it about 50% built with the thumb shifters (no cables at that point) and they looked great and I was pretty excited they were going to work. Regarding Paul Thumbies, I've used them on my drop bar Ted Wojcik and they're great (my wife also has them on her Sweetpea), but the Shimano shifters are closer to the bars. In addition, they complemented the other NOS parts I had on the bike. I beg to differ. Firefly knows exactly what they're doing.
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March 2019
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