Evergreening – Page 3

Travel Bike Optimized

We build a lot of travel bikes. Increasingly, riders are realizing the value, not only of riding in far flung places, but in riding their own bike along to do it. BTC couplers and travel cases make this dream a much simpler reality than it might at first appear. We like to think about more than just getting the bike into the case though.

A well-equipped Seven Evengreen leans against a wall painted with beautiful grafitti

Part of the value of the way we build bikes, one-at-a-time, for the specific people who will ride them, is that we can be thoughtful about the whole bike and how it serves the larger goal.

With that in mind, and with a request from one of our readers, we thought we would break down, in detail the bike above, one of the bikes we brought with us on our most recent trip.

This bike is optimized for traveling just about anywhere in the world. The kit is chosen for easy service at any reasonable bike shop on the planet.

Model: Evergreen SL
Kit: A mix of Dura Ace and Ultegra. Ultegra rear derailleur so the rider could use a wider range cassette. Shimano because it’s the most popular and common kit on the planet so easiest to get replacement parts.
Gearing: 11-32t cassette with 44/28t chainrings. 11-32t rather than a wider range cassette because it’s easy to replace while traveling if needed.
Crank: Rene Herse. Why? We used this crank in order to get a lower gear ratio for steep technical climbing. Herse cranks use a classic tapered and threaded bottom bracket for easy service while traveling.
Saddle bag: Revelate Viscacha
Handlebar bag: Bedrock bags Tapeats Handlebar Bag. We like this because it has a waterproof closure at the top. Easy to access.
Tires: Clement MOS 40c tires. With tubes. Tubeless is nice to ride, but presents serviceability issues when traveling.
Wheels Pacenti rims with White Brothers hubs. Centerlock for traveling. Classic hook spokes for ease of service. 700c wheels because they are ubiquitous anywhere in the world. The bike also works with 27″ wheels — if you’re really in the boonies — and 650b or 27.5″ if needed for some reason.
Brakes: Mechanical Shimano CX77. These work really well for mechanical discs (which are easier to set up and break down) and are very low service.
Bar, stem, post: Seven parts. Aluminum and titanium, so they are as durable as possible.
Pedals: XTR
Saddle: Fizik Arione
Lights: Light & Motion Urban 1000s. Easy to mount, easy to charge, light weight, multi-function, helmet mount and bar mount.

From Benelux to Barcelona

Racers gather at the start line with camera operator filming the scene

On Saturdays and Sundays, through the winter, we watch the cyclocross racing from Europe. Flemish language commentary bounces off the shop walls as we go about our weekend rituals, cleaning and tuning bikes, and so, when we spied a (mostly) free week that lined up with the World Championships in Valkenburg, Netherlands, we packed our travel bikes and headed to the airport.

We flew into Belgium, the spiritual home of cyclocross, and drove east to Valkenburg.

A huge group of cyclocross racers wash mud off thier bikes

Our original idea was to ride our bikes to the race, but there was so much mud it proved impossible. For two days we mixed with the oddly quiet crowd as the racers whipped by in their colors. A streaker sprinted down the course just before the men’s elite event, slipping, covering himself in mud, and bringing loud guffaws and cheers from the spectators. This wasn’t the R&D we had in mind, but we laughed along.

It snowed. It rained. It sleeted. But we didn’t mind.

two bikes lean agains a wall with two vine-like trees attached to it

On the Monday we rode the flat farmland outside the city, rolling through the open spaces on mostly car-free roads.

a cyclist rides on a shady road with a field

The next day we drove down through France, pausing for a quick ride in Lyon, before finding our hotel in Barcelona. There we did three rides, one an urban adventure, trying to find our way in the hectic, fever-pitch traffic of the city. We found the cycling infrastructure really impressive, but we struggled to keep up with Barcelona’s fast city riders. Still we fed off the energy and everyone we met was friendly and helpful.

Riding up a narrow street in Barcelona

a cyclist casts a long early morning shadow as she approaces the edge of Barcelona

The next day we put our tires on some dirt, riding portions of the Olympic mountain bike course, near the velodrome. The single-track was beautiful, swoopy, and fun on our Evergreens.

A cyclist admires a stunning city of Barcelona at dusk

Later, we took a night ride up into the hills above the city, where we found wide mixed-use paths with stunning views. Beyond that we could see miles and miles of more technical dirt calling to us, but we were out of time. We’ll have to wait for another week, mostly free, to get away.

A well-equipped Seven Evengreen leans against a wall painted with beautiful grafitti

a lone rider pedals through the pre-dawn hours

A Study in Contrast

It was 13F at ride time this morning. Small flakes darted around on the wind. As the morning progressed, they got fatter, drifting and chasing each other into small cottony piles. We rode, and it was nice. We like pushing ourselves through the falling snow, and there are usually fewer cars on the road.

It’s hard not to think of warmer days too, though.

Here’s a photo from FOS (Friend of Seven) Mike Bybee who was kind of us to put us in his new Sights of the Southwest 2018 calendar. Mike is an ardent explorer, bikepacker, and photographer. We built him this Sola SL 29er adventure rig a few years ago, and so he’s taken us on some incredible adventures.

A Seven mountain bike leans against a desert dirt ridge

Five Ways to Stay on the Bike Through the Winter

Here’s how we do it:

1) Studded Tires – Today, you can get studded tires from 30mm to 4.8in wide to fit mountain bikes at all wheel sizes, and any disc brake road bike (and Seven’s RedSky series, too, if you like rim brakes). Nothing provides the confidence to take on winter riding quite like a pair of studded tires.

2) Bar Mitts and Boots – Hands and feet bear the brunt of the cold when you’re riding, so we like Bar Mitts to keep our hands warm, and a pair of serious winter cycling boots like these 45nrth Wolvhammers or these Lake MKZ 400s. You will be surprised how much easier it is to get out the door once you’ve solved the problem of cold hands and feet.

3) Layers – One of the great things about riding is that it raises your body temperature, so you won’t be cold long. That means that your best strategy for regulating comfort will be layering your clothing. We like full zip jerseys and jackets that we can open when we’re warming and close when we’re cooling off.

4) Friends – We all like a solo ride for clearing our minds and simplifying things, but in winter we prefer to travel in packs. We’re more likely to show up for a ride if friends will be there.

5) Adventures – All the places we go during the year are different in winter. Sometimes the thrill of a cold weather ride is just in seeing old sights through new eyes. They say it’s the journey, not the destination, but in wintertime, we make sure the destination is part of the motivation.

The Things Winter Gives Us

In New England, where we live and work and ride, the winter can seem unkind to cyclists. Snow falls, the roadways shrink, and the melt-freeze cycle makes ice a constant hazard on paved roads and dirt trails alike. Oh, and it’s cold.

a Seven rests in an urban snow pile at night

Having said all that, there are few things we look forward to more than pedaling through the first snow, or cresting frozen climbs in our local woods, the air perfectly still in among the trees, everything quiet. Winter gives you those peaceful moments in ways the other seasons never quite manage.

It’s funny the way, in summer, we can find ourselves out riding at all hours. Late sunsets help, early sunrises. Winter compresses the active part of the day. We get home after work, and the day feels over, just because it’s dark. For us, that makes it all the more important for our health (and sanity) to get out on the bike as much as possible. It’s the endorphins, but also the inspiration that riding provides.

Naturally, we take it a bit easier this time of year. We cut back on the distance, tone down the effort. Our bodies need time to recover. Winter gives us permission to do that. In many ways, it’s easier to appreciate riding in this mindset, because we’re unplugged from goals. We’re not trying to be fast. We’re not trying to go far. We’re just pedaling.

And for those who want to continue to test their mettle, the cold offers ample opportunity. Temperatures here the last week of the year were most in the single digits, but day-after-day the Seven crew came rolling through the door, some with ice in their beards, but all with a smile on their face.