Bob's One der Dog
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Not just another day at the races – not just another bike.
Waiting at the start line of the Chequemagon Short and Fat race…this was not a normal day at the races. Many things were different that day. I’d be racing in the short race, not the 40 mile race…not such a bad thing…there would be more time to soak in the Chequemagon ambience. My lovely wife would be joining me for the Short and Fat experience…it was very nice to be able to chat with her before the gun went off.
Something else was different. This was the first race – second ride for that matter – on my new Bluedog Custom 29” rigid single speed. What’s different? Well this is my first 29” bike, first fully rigid bike, first single speed bike, and first custom built frame and fork. That’s all. My initial ride on the bike only two days prior left me confident in the bike. The bike felt like a steel framed bike should…no surprises. I felt immediately at home, like I had been riding it for years. The compact design left me in virtually the same riding position as my 26” Gunnar…actually the seat and handlebars measure a ½” closer to the ground. This was accomplished by keeping the front end as low as possible. Darrell pulled this off by designing a killer fork with a ridiculously short axle to crown measurement of only 410mm. I had the sensation while riding that the seat was to low…very comfy…like sitting in the bike rather than on the bike.
But racing is different. I would push the bike a bit further…see what she was made of. Up until the starter said go, I wasn’t sure how I would approach this race. Should I just cruise and soak in the atmosphere? Or should I see how fast I could go? My question was answered on my way up the first climb. I was passing people. I was passing a lot of people. This bike climbs exceptionally well with traction to spare. The front tire was planted…no wandering around. After the traffic broke up, I was able to settle in to a nice rhythm. I totally guessed at the gear ratio, and guessed right. Just enough gear to get over the climbs, but I was able to keep up on the flats. This single speed thing is fun!
Descending with rigid forks…this was going to be a new experience. I prepared myself for a rough journey down, but was pleasantly surprised. I could easily hop the 22 pound bike over the medium size obstacles, and the bike seemed to float over the small ones. Since this was my first real ride on a rigid bike, the lack of front suspension was evident, but not nearly as rough as I thought it would be.
This bike garnered much attention over the weekend, which surprised me considering all the bike bling on display. Perhaps it was the minimalist design or maybe the killer paint job dubbed vanilla crème by the guys at the shop. Not sure…but I was more than happy to tell anyone that asked how pleased I was with my new toy. I wanted a comfortable, stable, not-so-big feeling, playful, rigid single speed 29er and got exactly what I wanted. I’ll admit I was skeptical about a custom frame and fork, but I will tell you it is worth every penny.