If you've been paying close attention to my posts on other Keeper articles lately perhaps you've noticed my stable has been in a state of flux. It all started when Frank texted me a pic of a pair of used demo 404's at his LBS for sale. Well no, that's not true. It really started 10 years ago when I lived in Bellingham, WA. and laid my eyes on the first Kona Jake the Snake I'd ever seen. From then on I wanted a cyclocross bike.
The Kona is a distant memory, so fast forward to last spring. My significant other and I were shopping for a new bike for her at a shop Frank and I used to work near. The salesman working with us was a guy named Bob who actually used to work with Frank and me down the street. Bob was an old friend who knows me as a gear junkie. He's also a damn good salesman. As Sheri and I were paying for her new steed, Bob wheels out an ALAN Cross Carbon Excell from the back that had been special ordered and never picked up. It's a rare steed. ALAN's aren't very common at all in the States but are very well known in cyclocross circles, especially European cyclocross circles. It's full carbon frame and fork with curvy lines immediately gave me carbone. It's also a large frame so it wouldn't fit many people. Being 6'2″ as I am, with a 34″ inseam, Bob thought I'd be just the guy for this beauty. He was right. $2700 and an hour later I walked out of the shop with twice the cross bike I'd lusted over 10 years prior. Last year I was so enamored with the ride quality of the ALAN I slapped road tires on it and used it as my sole machine.
Enter the the Zipps at Frank's LBS. They were to be used on the ALAN this year. They would have worked well too but I never got the opportunity to try the combo out thanks to CompetitiveCyclist's rippin' good deal on last year's BMC SLT01 frameset, perfect for the Zipps. The Team Machine is also the pro-level frame and fork I've wanted for quite some time. I pulled the trigger.
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Anyway, to make a long story short, I've gotten my stable in order and am in compliance with Rule #12. What's more, I was able to live up to Rule #11 without a ruckus whatsoever. Where's the third you may be asking? It's around but I will not speak its name nor post a photo here for fear of losing my newly granted Keeper status.
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@brett Cool. I'm looking forward to racing the local XC league on my Yeti starting in February. But I'm building a small cabin in the mountains near some awesome XC and DH trails so I think I'll need an extra bike to leave there permanently.
@RedRanger
Yes, if I was getting a ht, the niner would be at the top of the list. The rigid model is straight hawt.
@G'rilla
I've never ridden one, but I've noticed it's not easy to find tires/tubes in bike shops, so be prepared to take rule #83 to another level. I'm a hardcore XC guy and my trails are mostly flowy and fast, so it has not crossed my mind to consider a smaller wheel. Brett is a better advisor.
@blake If the death of the 26er is upon us, where are all the cheap 26er carbon wheels that people should be unloading about now? I'll buy a set in clincher and another in tubular!
I find it hard to believe that your local shops don't stock 26er tubes. Have you asked?
@G'rilla
I was referring to 650b, not 26. 26 inch equipment is still widely available, though I did have trouble finding even a single 26 inch tube at a (big) XC race last year (just upgraded from the 26 inch HT I learned rule 5 on). The 26 is certainly not dead (nor should it be), but its popularity for XC has declined sharply. 650b on the other hand may be great, but until it becomes a popular standard availability will always be a question.