It’s good to have confirmation…

Especially from someone like Andy Hamptsten, although in a very indirect manner. It was in 1988 on the Gavia pass in Italy, during the Giro d’ Italia where Andy Hampsten showed all who was boss on the cold, snowy slopes by taking second on the stage and donning the maglia rosa to become the eventual winner of the Giro. There is a very good article on Andy and that day in the snow in a recent VeloNews issue that is well worth the read – and if you are in Point Reyes, you can hang out on a couch and read it.But, today on bikeradar.com, there is a profile of the bike that he currently rides. The description almost sounds like a check list for the frame I designed that will become the Black Mountain Cycles road frame.

Slightly lower bottom bracket height – check.
Clearance for up to 33c tires – check.
Clearance for 28c + mud guards – check.
Standard reach brakes – check. Standard reach, not long reach because all the brakes found today on roadie bikes are actually considered short reach brakes.
Clearance for up to 33c tires also encompasses longer chainstays which means more stability – especially when accompanied with the lower bb height.

I don’t know why so many riders stick religiously to 23c tires and 120+ psi. The ride is horrible compared to something in the 25c-28c range at 90-95 psi. But it’s difficult to argue (even when there are many supporting facts about the benefits of fatter tires) about “what’s faster” when my parameter for a bike is usually centered around “what’s more fun.”

So, yeah, made me feel pretty good about my choice for frame geometry after reading the bit on Andy’s personal preference in bikes.

(What’s playing: My “Blue” playlist – any song that has blue in the title. Pretty fun group of music.)