The Mod Zero replaces both the MCD and Road+ frames. Frames are in stock and available for purchase. Frameset (frame, fork, thru-axles, seat clamp) is $1145. Colors are Signal Yellow or Go Green.
Back in December of 2020 I was informed that the minimum number of frames per size I would be required to order was increasing from 5 to 30. That meant the approximately 80 frames I was ordering in each production run would increase to around 200 based on a bell curve type ordering system. Two hundred of one model is a massive amount for me, but doable. Two hundred of both the MCD and Road+ was not feasible considering I also have the La Cabra and Monstercross frames. I barely have enough storage space for a production run of two models.
When I was hit with this news, my initial reaction was “well, that’s it.” I didn’t think I could realistically manage that much and thought, for a brief moment, Black Mountain Cycles was done. Then I went for a ride. The MCD and Road+ frames are very close in terms of basic geometry. One of my most frequently asked questions was “which frame should I get. They’re very both pretty similar.” During the ride, I thought “combine them into one frame.” That solves the question of which frame to buy. And it allows me to make some revisions I had wanted to make. Essentially, it was a chance to go back to the drawing board. Go back to zero and create something I would create today if I was just starting out.
On my bike commute and on rides around West Marin, I’ll come across at least a fair number of Modelo beer cans discarded on the side of the road. Modelo. Model-O. Model Zero. Hey, that’s a pretty damn good model name. That got shortened to Mod Zero for brevity.
Alright, on to the Mod Zero. I used the MCD as the basis for geometry. It’s pretty dialed, after all. And it works well with 650b wheels as well as the 700c it was designed around. I ride my MCD more than my Road+. Mainly because my Road+ is set up for winter wet riding and we’ve been in the middle of a drought. But, I digress. What makes the Mod Zero a Mod Zero?
• Flat mount brakes
• 44mm oversized head tube
• Clearance for 27.5 x 2.25 tires. Proper clearance. Not “hey that fits (barely)” clearance. Proper clearance with road cranks with 50/34 rings.
Why flat mount brakes? That’s the way the industry is going. Sure they are a little more finicky to adjust (especially the rear with the bolt head on the bottom of the chainstay, but their compact design is nice. And with the availability of some really nice forged dropouts with integrated brake mounts it helped with my decision making process. I want things to look right. Aesthetics are important.
Why a 44mm oversize head tube? I get a lot of questions from owners of the MCD or Road+ frames asking about compatible carbon forks. Carbon forks are increasingly only becoming available in tapered designs and are incompatible with an MCD/Road+ frame. With the 44mm head tube a Whisky No. 9 MCX fork will be a perfect companion to the Mod Zero for folks wanting to do the lighten up. The larger diameter headtube is stiffer and creates a different surface area where the down and top tubes attach, so there are gussets on both preserve overall strength of the front end.
Another popular question on the MCD and Road+ frames is “what’s the biggest tire I can fit?” Lots of folks wanting to run a 27.5 x 2.25 tire. I didn’t advise it for those frames. While folks may have been able to shoehorn that size in the frames, it wasn’t with what I call “proper clearance.” There’s now going to be proper clearance even with road cranks. The biggest 700c tire is still going to be 50-ish. If you need clearance for a 29 x 2.2 or bigger, check out La Cabra.
Anything else new? The fork is going to get braze-ons for dynamo wire routing that. There will be a port for internal routing of a dropper post cable housing. All housing runs will be full housing along the down tube. For those wanting to run a front derailer, there will be a bolt-on cable stop, or, better, use the integrated cable stop that comes on the Shimano 11s front derailers. Oh, and the rear derailer hanger will be replaceable. Because that’s how the dropout is made. Works for me. Works for the Mod Zero.
