ALL Of My Bikes

From race-worthy carbon road machines to old straight-straight gauge steel frames that I found in a dumpster, I love them all! But my new philosophy is: “N+1 = hoarding“.

2024 Note: I stopped riding outside. Earlier in the year I was hit by a car (uninjured), continued to bike commute for two weeks, then realized that I was just fucking done with all these people that text and drive (you do it too! don’t lie to me). South Dakota is not bike friendly and I was tired of people threatening my life; both accidently and on purpose. I still sat on my trainer 2-3 times a week, but I haven’t ridden outside for over a year. It’s 2025 and I’m back at it but, be careful out there.

Bike #25 – Superbike Slayer

2001 Jamis Nova
Bought used. Repainted & rebuilt.
Ooops, so technically this bike has already been listed but you can see below (bike #21) that it went through two life cycles. The first, I bought it used with factory paint, components, and gravel tires. The second, I stripped it down to the frame, repainted it, and updated everything with marginal gains including 36cm wide handlebars and a simple 8 speed 44t x 30-11t drivetrain. Worth noting, when I was taking this photo, the bike tipped over and absolutely fucked the saddle and bar tape. Just ride your bike, fuck social media and looking proper.

Bike #24 – My forever bike.

2025 Trek Checkpoint ALR4
Bought new through a “Pro” deal – my most beloved bike
I’ve been waiting 16 years for this bike. How wild that I came completely full circle? My first bike ever, before I knew anything about biking, was a CX bike that was “Fast on the road, fast offroad”. I sold it and got into road biking, racing, real cyclocross, commuting, bikepacking, had some kids, randonneuring, gravel racing, and then I fell into the cycle of building old classic bikes into “x-bikes”.

I loved riding old ass 26er bikes and steel frames at group rides because I loved crushing other people on “bikes that no longer work”. And if I didn’t crush the other guys? I could blame the bike, haha! It was win-win. Also, fuck capitalism. “Designed in America! (made in taiwan on the down tube).” I am soooo sick of all companies doing this and refused to support them.

However, after spending weeks of trying to convince myself that I do NOT need to by a fancy new bicycle I woke up early one morning, wondered why my seat was slammed back on my old road bike, and measured it. It was 57cm. That is two full sizes too small for me. Here I have the ability to purchase an $1800 bike for $850, that is my favorite color, in a size that actually fits me (only once have I owned a bike that was tall enough for my 6’3, 35″ inseam), in the perfect 1x setup, with clearance for actually big gravel tires, in a geometry that works well for on and offroad, and was the LAST ONE available in the world. I bought it right there. I had waited many years for this bike and now it is mine.

4/18/25 update: I never knew I could love an inanimate object so much. Turns out my timing was perfect. I waited years for gravel bikes to become standardized with 1x and bought it two months before the Trump tariffs began to wreak fucking havoc on the bike industry.

5/4/25 update: First century ride on this bike! It was perfect.

10/19/25 update: I was off the bike for 4 weeks to train for a running/Hyrox competition. I finally got back on the bike for a weekend of commuting and… HOLY SHIT is this bike perfect. The handling, the fit, the tire/wheel size, the shifting, the bars and suspension stem. NEVER sell this bike!!!

11/2/25 update: fit is PERFECT. 100mile bike ride and I only got a slight lower neck ache.

Bike #23 – Is that a dent?

1997 Trek 930shx
Bought used for $80 – currently my winter commuter
How do you feel about me going from a $2,000 carbon road bike to an old steel 26er? When I first met the seller of this bike I just needed to confirm that the bike had a 1 1/8 steerer so I could replace the old suspension fork. Damn do I hate myself for not checking the frame better! Turns out the chain stay has not one but TWO big dents in it. AHHH! It hurts me so much. On top of that, the bike definitely sat outside for years because the bottom bracket that I pulled out of it was entirely orange with rust and everything is pitted. But the worst part!? The whole rear triangle was shifted to the non drive side so I took it to the shop I work at where me and the head mechanic pushed and pulled it back into line. Holy shit… So I decided I’m going to love it. I’m gonna love it like a neglected foster child and give it the tools it needs to thrive! (but i’m going to still whine about overpaying for this bike) I started with a Surly Troll fork and a 1×9 microshift setup. Stay tuned as I put on the miles and build stories with this bike!

After spending about a month riding (and loving!) this bike with the Spank Spoon flat bars and midline bar extensions I decided to cave in and put drop bars on it (2/15/23). I spent almost all of my time on the extensions and only moved to the wide grip position for using the brakes. So… aero wins again. The bike now weighs 34lbs with studded tires, metal fenders, and full panniers.

February 20th, 2023: Let the stories begin! I went down hard on an icy downhill after my studs broke loose cuz I was riding too fast. I think I hit a pole? Smashed my thumb into three pieces.

Early 2024: I was hit by a car while crossing the street from sidewalk to sidewalk. It was entirely their fault. I was unscathed but obviously quite angry. I rode for two more weeks and then it hit me like a brick: I was tired of dealing with idiot drivers. I quit riding outside and this lasted a solid year.

#22 – A 40 year old bike with a story.

1980s Kuahara Lynx
Bought on Craigslist for $40 – currently my winter commuter
Here is a fun story: I had just pulled into work at the bike shop and hung my bike behind the desk so the snow would melt off. A customer walks in and says to me “I used to own a bike that looked just like that.” I asked, “What happened to it?” He replied “I sold it to a guy on 33rd.” I BOUGHT THIS FROM A GUY ON 33rd!!! Haha, we had a good laugh and found out that he also had an old Surly Karate Monkey AND also loved bikepacking just as much as me. What a fun world we live in. When I bought this bike I wanted to keep the color-matched stem/bars for retro points (and to save money). I kitted it out with a 1×9 clutched groupset, studded tires, and a beautiful old set of fenders that my neighbor two blocks away had sitting next to a garbage can. Damn to I love free bike parts. I added “mid-bars” which are bar ends used on the inside for a more aero position. Usually I yearn for drop bars but I’m digging this setup…. I have had a few conversations now with some old cyclists and they said Kuahara was a boutique brand that focused on high end bmx bikes. Couldn’t find much of anything online about this brand.

#21 – Mmm, finally a worthy machine.

2001 Jamis Nova
Bought on Craigslist for $200! – Currently my roadbike and summer commuter
The former owner kept this thing in MINT condition. I feel bad for low-balling him but this is South Dakota. Not many farmers racing cyclocross or looking for all-season road bikes. After a season of gravel riding (and a run-in with a farmer that almost murdered me) I stripped the frame of paint and rattle-canned it black. Currently setup with a 1×8. Humble brag (jk, it is just a pure brag): I showed up at a group ride where both the leader and his friend told me how I’d have a hard time keeping up with my “under-geared” bike. Just to rub it in I was first to the top of all the big climbs. Don’t worry though, they got the last laugh when I dropped my chain on the decent and everyone had to stop for me. The geometry is a great mixture of racing cx/endurance road with room for 35mm tires and it fits great. I don’t see myself wanting a different road bike for a long time.

#20 – Back to the vintage MTBs…

1989 Giant Chinook
Found for free! – Currently used as the “Dadmobile” for hauling kids.
I found this sitting on the side of a road with a “FREE” sign next to a pile of other very old and rusty bikes. Prior to finding this bike I was living in some dark times. I was commuting 3 hours a day in my car and my life had no time for pedaling. I didn’t even have a bike in my garage until I borrowed (forever) my dad’s old and unused specialized city cruiser which was the wrong size for both of us. I ended up swapping all the parts from the specialized bike to the Giant frame after rattlecanning it black in the garage. In 2022 I decided to convert it into the dadmobile by building a kid seat on back with handlebars. We slay the sidewalks during the summer now.

#19 – LOW TRAIL!!!

2018 Rawland xSogn
Bought new – sold frameset on Ebay, parted out wheels on Craigslist
I went to Walmart.com (stick with me!!!) to look for a cheap bike part when “Rawland” popped up on my screen. I knew this name as a super kick-ass niche company making fat-tired low-trail ATB’s. I had been enamored with the idea of 650b low trail bikes after reading a Rene Herse article. I mean seriously, a bike with big gravel tires that handles like a road bike? Suddenly, in front of me was a niche bike brand with a modern low-trail bike for 50% off asking price!!!?!?!?! WTF!?!?! I told my wife I wouldn’t take no for an answer. This was the ULTIMATE n=1 bike. And so it was. I sold ALL of my other bikes and frames. The Rawland was great for most types of riding. Road rides? Yes. Gravel rides? 100% Easy double track? Yup. Bikepacking? Yup? Commuting? YUP! So why did I sell it? I learned first hand that the one downfall of low trail bikes is the squirrely handling when towing a trailer. And since I had to frequently tow my oldest in the Burly (and from my wife asking me to sell EVERYTHING in preparation for buying a real home) I sold the frame on ebay with all of my custom bags attached. Speaking of which, Zepto Gear was a small side business that I had started during this time. You can see some of my creations here: https://zeptogear.com/

#18 – A fast commuter for my 18 mile daily commute.

2016 Raleigh Revenio
Bought used – stripped and repainted – parted out on ebay
I keep coming back to my road cycling roots. My daily commute in the twin cities was getting tough with my oldest kid at home taking up all my time so I wanted a faster way to get to work than my drop bar Surly Karate monkey with 45mm ebike tires. I sanded the frame down to raw aluminum and repainted the carbon fork blossom purple! After we moved to South Dakota I sold my Raleigh because we were poor as hell due to quitting our jobs and traveling the country. Haha. Worth it.

#17 – A beautiful old road bike.

1990 Trek 420
Traveled far to buy this off craigslist – Sold for triple what I paid
This bike had some unique features and I had planned to keep it but after my VERY FIRST RIDE to work I learned that the former owner didn’t put on any rim strips so I got two flat tires and had to run 7 miles home. I’m not a runner. It did not make me happy. I guess I sold it because I just preferred riding my Surly Karate Monkey (bike #13 below) and I made some good money off the frame.

#16 – Folding bike…

1980s Dahon Mariner
Bought used – no idea what happened to it!?
This popped up on my local craigslist for $40!!! I thought it would be a great bike for traveling since it easily folds up. I used it a few times and then… I don’t know what happened to it?

#15 – The bike that never was.

2015 Surly Straggler
Bought new frameset – traded for parts
I was very excited to build up this beautiful purple frameset but I decided that I could only ride one bike at a time and traded it for extra commuting parts like fenders, etc. I owned the frame but never put any parts on it 😦

#14 – Bikeshop perks…

2015 Giant Defy
Bought new – stripped/rebuilt – Sold to a local cyclist for his kid
I was working at Bokoo Bikes in the Twin Cities when I purchased this bike at a steep discount. It was the lowest level road-bike offered (and the beginning of my FUCK CAPITALISM mentality). Everyone at the shop couldn’t believe that I bought such a “crappy bike” and yet I was stealing KOM’s like… a guy who steals candy from a baby? I stripped the frame of paint, because I’m not gonna advertise for a company that I just paid money to! First ride out on my hyper expensive 30mm Challenge tires and I ripped an enormous hole in it! It was a good reminder of function > fashion. Haha. I even took this bike on ultra light bikepacking trips and it was just a simple fast bike for commuting!

#13 – The One Bike Quiver

2015 Surly Karate Monkey Ops
Built From New Parts – I hate myself for parting it out.
I have never had a bike that did EVERYTHING as good as my Surly Karate Monkey. This frame was build before Surly decided to make the Karate Monkey a dedicated 650b hardtail. Let’s see how I used it: flat bar mtb, drop bar commuter, winter commuter, electric bike (yup!), ultra durable bikepacking rig, long distance road bike, and finally I used it to explore the gravel roads after moving to South Dakota. And this is why I decided to sell it. The huge tires, heavy frame, and wide drop bars were horrible for the insane headwinds here in SD. I couldn’t keep up with the CPC gravel club so I sold it. Turns out, it wasn’t the bike… it was my lack of miles relative to the Central Plains Cycling guys. Either way, this was the closest I have ever come to being able to properly own just one bike that does everything well. But I’m happy that I now own a separate road bike and mountain bike. It means I get to have more fun in both disciplines!

#12 – ABSOLUTELY YES.

2012 Specialized Crux
Bought used – regrettably sold only to fund my monster-cross bike
This was a beautiful machine. The geometry was perfect and I rode SOOO many miles on it! Because of this bike I learned how to build wheels, almost podiumed at a cx race (even raced road!), rode my first gravel century, learned to love getting lost, and DAMN did I love this bike. For some weird reason I found myself riding or carrying this bike through deep water on multiple different occasions, haha. I sold it after reading about the guy who placed 1st at the Dirty Kanza 100 on a Niner with drop bars and MTB tires. I HAD to know what this kind of monster-cross bike was like.

#11 – Cyclocross.

2013 Nashbar Steel
Bought new – sold after a year to upgrade to a race-worthy cx bike
This bike allowed me to test the waters of cyclocross and I LOVED IT. I raced for one season on this bike before selling it to buy a used Specialized Crux.

#10 – Bike commuting during over-night shifts? Nope.

1980’s Miyata One Ten
Bought used – quickly sold
I bought this bike for my 24mile round trip commute on a busy highway. I worked a lot of overnight shifts and, well, it was just a stupid idea. Not the commuting! But the working overnights and random day shifts. Holy crap is that horrible for any human! Either way, this bike was sold quickly after I realized I couldn’t handle biking that many miles working a flex schedule.

#9 – It’s the miles on the legs NOT the price of the bike.

2013 Specialized Tarmac
Bought brand new – sold to a newbie cyclist
Ahhh yes. With this new steed I would surely crush the other racers in my local crit! Coming from a hefty steel road bike (see bike #3 below) to this feather-light beast meant VICTORY WAS MINE!… And then reality hit and I got dropped from the pack on my first race with this bike. My wife bought it for me as my college graduation present (she is bad-ass isn’t she?) and I rode the fuck out of it. I’d guess I had over 15,000 miles on it during the couple of years that I owned it. I’m actually surprised that I don’t have more photos??? I was probably too busy riding.

#8 – WHY did I sell this frame!?

198X Schwinn KOM
Bought bike in almost mint condition – sold it like an idiot
The worst part is that I sold it to some dude smoking cigarettes as he told me he lost his license due to another DUI and was going to weld a motor onto this bike. Damn. This frame may have been old be the geometry and tubeset were ahead of the times. When I eventually converted this to a SS city slayer I had some very good times on it. It served as my winter commuter for a few years.

#7 – I hate that I loved it

2011 Spicer Pursuit
Bought frameset and built bike – sold all the parts on craigslist
Try #2 at building myself a fixed gear bike. This thing looks like a torture device (and my saddle angle is still horrendous) but I really liked riding this bike… until it almost killed me. I was riding about 25mph down a hill and wanted to practice my high-speed skids when the lockring blew the threads and I cruised through a stop sign without brakes.

#6 – It could have been worse…

198X Maruishi Road Ace 4
Bought used – converted to fixed gear – sold the frameset?
Apparently, I hadn’t yet learned how to set my saddle angle. Yikes. This was my first attempt at building a fixy and it just didn’t have the vibes that I imagined. This was not ridden much.

#5 – Winter commuting begins

1994 Diamond Back Sorento
Bought used – sold after lots of love!
This was the first bike that I used for winter commuting. I don’t know what is going on with my handlebars or my seat in the above left photo but I assure you this was one of my most comfortable bikes. She rode like a cushioned tank and always got me to work. I did take it on one bikepacking trip where I spent a night of misery getting eaten alive by mosquitoes through my too-small bivy net.

#4 – Slaying trails

2011 Trek Gary Fisher Marlin
Bought new – Sold after lots of love
After my local bike shop mechanics kept telling me about MTBing I decided to visit a different store (like an asshole) and buy a new 29er. This was at a time when the debate between 26 and 29 was still happening. I stripped the frame of paint, took off all the gears with the help of my LBS mechanics, and rode the hell out of it. Bike King in Saint Paul, if you are still there, THANK YOU! We had some fucking gnarly rides after dark at Lebanon and I rode the hell out of this bike. I eventually sold it since I stopped MTBing and was more focused on road riding.

#3 – Let the miles begin!

198X Miyata
Bought used – Sold after many many miles
One day on my Specialized Tricross I saw a guy climbing an insanely steep hill in Duluth, MN with some skinny tires and thought, “He looks so fast and bad-ass”. At that moment I decided I needed to begin roadbiking. I used this bike to do my 36 mile commute four times a week, my first triathlon, and my first road race. I bought it used from a mechanic in the cities who had the frame powder coated. I put a LOT of miles on this machine.

#2 – I don’t know what I’m doing.

197X Schwinn Continental
Bought used – Thankfully sold
I saw this old-ass bike with a $50 price tag on it near my house. I bought it thinking, WHAT A DEAL FOR A ROAD BIKE! I was wrong. I still feel bad for making fun of my wife when she was riding this and couldn’t keep up with me on my Tricross (see below). Yikes did this bike suck in every way.

#1 – The bike that started it all.

2008 Specialized Tricross
Bought new – Sold
I sold my Kawasaki 600R Ninja to pay for this bike. One week later I decided I had enough experience to bike 80 miles up the North Shore of Minnesota while carrying my camping gear on a poorly DIY-ed rack and two lunchbox containers bolted to the fork. I didn’t even have a spare tube to fix any flats that luckily never happened. My body was completely destroyed by the end of those 160 miles but I was hooked!

TRAINING

  • Cheat Sheet: <155bpm FTL, 110-120bpm PA, 55-75% ftp DJ
  • No Strava or bike computer allowed. Why? They force me to focus on the wrong thing. Example? On 3/23/25 I went for an early morning ride on the only day I had available that week. Temp was 41*F, wind speed was 25mph with gusts up to 50mph, and freezing rain. It took me almost an hour to ride north for 10 miles. Total mileage was probably less that 25 miles, but my total ride was 2.5 hours. If I was only going by mileage I would have wanted to turn around and try again without the wind. If I was running Strava I’d be embarrassed by my abysmal pace. But when I got home my legs were cooked. The only two things that matter are time and RPE. Strava and a bike computer beg me to focus on unimportant shit and take away from the fun of riding and exploring. Plus, who gives a fuck about KOM’s?
  • My estimated Max HR per cardiologist (2020): 194-196bpm
  • “So it’s possible to do a lot of Zone 1 work without any fear of over training.”
  • “Cyclists went from eating 50g of carbs an hour to 90g…”
  • Spend most days at 55 to 75% of FTP. Per Dylan Johnson.
  • Peter Attia defines Zone 2 as light to moderate exercise where you push yourself just hard enough that it’s slightly uncomfortable to speak, typically maintaining a heart rate at 57-63% (me= 110 to 122bpm) of your maximum. This level of intensity is beneficial for building endurance and improving metabolic health. “Zone 2 exercise is beneficial because it causes your cells to produce more high-quality mitochondria.” His ideas seem to come from traditional zone 1-5 instead of polarized zone 1-3.
  • Don’t do HIIT workouts all year. Keep it simple (not zwift). Choose an interval time and frequency then go as hard as you can without fading. Tabata = 30s on 30s off x 10-15 for two sets. Vo2 Max Interval = 4min on 2min off x 4-6. Longer = 8min on 4min off for 4 sets. Dylan Johnson
  • Aero Upgrades in price per watt saved: position/flexibility (drop stem), clean drivetrain 5w, 2cm narrower bars 10w, aero socks (shaving legs!), aero overshoes, skinsuit, aero helmet, 1x drivetrain, tires, wheels, frame (CyclingNews.com), same website claims “40mm tires are faster for almost everyone”. From Dylan Johnson – Bottle in rear jersey saves 3.5w and fanny pack saves 1.5. No bottles on bike frame is slower than biggest bottles but AeroCoach says bottles on frame is worse. DJ says drops save 13w but areo hood position saves 30w!… “I don’t like people bending levers inward, it is dangerous and generally pushes elbows out (Aerocoach link.” “Don’t turn levers in, bars same width as shoulders, too narrow lots of pain” (link). …..Velocis almost as fast as Ballista (cyclingnews)…. internal cable routing saves less than 0.4 watt (road.cc)… narrow bars are sooo much better (bikeradar)… cool bike setup (adam hansen)
  • Carbon Wheel Reference: “…these wind tunnel tests confirm that aero wheels don’t significantly improve aerodynamics on a gravel bike. When I discussed this post with the chief development engineer of a well-known American wheel maker, he confirmed: “It’s difficult to envision aero wheels that provide advantages for tires wider than 32 – 35 mm.”” (Rene Herse Gravel Aerodynamics) Besides, deep rims will be an absolute nightmare in South Dakota’s crosswinds. DON’T DO IT!
  • Wheel spokes vs power: less spokes (16) saves 100g. Removing 500g from a wheelset saves 2w. Compare to a more aero body position = 5-10w saved.
  • Instead of looking at aero upgrades, worry about making yourself more comfortable with quicker access to food and shorter (or none!) stops. You f’ing sit up in your saddle on centuries and you are worried about saving .00001 watt on stupid stuff like bottles or bag placement?
  • Chainring reference: group ride on 42mm, 40×11 with a heavy tail wind and hard pulls. I was riding the biggest gear only a few times and never spun out.
  • Tubeless reference: 4/9/25 – riding to my first group ride on the Checkpoint I stopped at a light and heard a hissing sound, panicked, spun my wheel by hand, and it sealed right up. 5/7/25 – During group ride my rear tire was running flat. A friend noticed small bubbling. I had been unable to keep the tire inflated since century ride 5 days earlier. There was a giant buildup of goo on my frame and a lump on the tire. I removed it, darted it, and it seems to have fixed the problem. Never had to stop my ride due to flats!
  • Clothing reference: 5/4/25 – high 30’s low 40’s, 100 miles – Started at 5:00am and left my wind jacket behind to be more aero. STUPID!!! I had rash guard top, microgrid fleece, headband, bibs, knee warmers, shoes, socks, and thin fleece mittens. Computer said “42*F” but I almost turned around at mile 15 once I got out of town. I couldn’t go fast because the wind was too cold, my hands were freezing, and I was near shivering. I had never wanted the sun to come up so bad in my life. 40 min after the sunrise (and a bit of warmth) multiple town signs said it was only 40*F so I’m guessing it was much colder when I had left. I stopped at a gas station for a moment of warmth. Eventually I stuffed my head band in a fanny pack, my gloves in the upper back of my rash guard, and my fleece in a ball in the front of my rash guard. It worked well but would have been 1,000x better with a light wind jacket.
  • Clothing reference #2: 11/2/25 – 30’s*F to 50*F – DIALED! Trek Velocis helmet with Pearl Izumi windproof headband and neck Buff, micro grid fleece -> Giro windshirt -> compression top (unzip windshirt as temp rises, still compressed under top shirt!), Trek bibs, Trek winter weight fleece pants, Pearl Izumi lobster gloves, MTB shoes with light toe covers and poly socks. Face got cold into headwind but pulled up buff and was fine, a bit chilly into high winds but comfortable, ankles got cold (a full shoe cover would be perfect).
  • Discussion of 32 vs 24 spokes: 10% of wheel aero dynamics is spokes, 80% is depth and width. 24 go out of true easier. 24 are marginally lighter but usually rim has to be thicker to compensate for less spokes: https://brainybiker.com/archives/18209 …On August 2025 you snapped your first spoke ever on a rim with 24 spokes! Haha.
  • EVERY TIME I swing a leg over my Checkpoint I think, “Wow, this is perfect.” For commuting it is fast, yet still upright enough for those late night commutes with a heavy backpack. For centuries my neck doesn’t get destroyed. For random fun rides I can ride gravel, mtb trails, or crush it solo on pavement. Dropping the bars or making them skinnier would ruin comfort. Going with 35mm tires doesn’t get you super fast speed AND it hinders gravel performance. If, on the other hand, I have a dedicated bike for crushing road rides I don’t have to worry about going with too skinny of a tire or too aggressive of a riding position. The bike is purpose built for one thing: going fast on the road.
  • “This is why I stopped cycling.” Texting while driving -> Link
    • “My stepdad was a professional cyclist and while out on a ride (in full kit and gear), was hit by a 19-year-old girl driving an SUV and not paying attention to the road. He had to be airlifted to a hospital, and died the next day. Posts like this make me so irrationally angry. I’m sure if you dig far enough in my comment history you’ll see I’m not lying, if you need proof.”
    • https://www.reddit.com/r/WatchPeopleDieInside/comments/1n3xf3n/stop_looking_at_your_phone_while_driving_people/
    • If you ride early Sunday morning on gravel you will see very little traffic and speeds will be much slower. If you deck-out your Raleigh for road speed you will be tempted to ride on highways with cars whizzing by at 65mph, other riders doing 25mph inches away from you, and on skinny tires that beat the hell out of you. You don’t have to give up riding outside to be safe: make running friends, do road rides on the bike path, ride gravel to get out of town, and ride on low-traffic days. ALWAYS where a high-vis vest, ankle strap, front and rear lights.