Ride Loose: a bike build blog.

I never really know how one ends up with a rat bicycle. They just kind of happen. You buy bikes and parts and swap them around until you’re left with a pile of mismatched metal and rubber. And if you stare at the pile long enough you just might be able to manifest a bike…

Every now and then fates align in the bike build world. You reach out into the ether and manage to pull out exactly what you need in one or two grasps. Like stumbling into the lost Garden of Eden everything you need is yours for the taking. All you need to do is drop what…

In 2019 I bought a Specialized Stumpjumper ST 27.5. It was the cheapest full suspension bike I could find that was modern and completely upgradable. Thru-axles, boost spacing. You could even convert it from a 130mm rear suspension to a 140mm if you swapped out the yoke. As I upgraded parts on the bike, over…

I was riding my Monstercross bike out near Russian River on the Islands in the Sky loop. I was with a friend who was riding the Evil Chamois Hagar, a slacked out gravel bike with an MTB drive train and of course drop bars. It was a 1.5 mile 895ft climb at nearly 12%. I…

I am a firm believer in having a quiver of bikes. If you ride enough in different terrains or for different purposes and you have the space, money and time, go for it. Having a purpose-built bike for what you are doing makes riding more fun. A one bike quiver isn’t needed. Have a commuter…

I’ve been obsessing over this one KOM on my usual road ride for a year. I kept climbing up the leaderboard but the top spot was eluding me. Even though my fitness and training had improved I was still 20 seconds off the KOM. So, I naturally turned to the weight weenie sages across the…