04 April 2011

The Birth Of A Sophisticated Cycler

Back in the dot-com boom, the young, hip and on-the-make talked about "getting in on the ground."  That meant investing in a company or trend as it was about to become popular and highly profitable.   Everyone, it seemed, spoke of wanting to be in on "the next new big thing."  


Of course, some of those "next new big things" have become mainstays of today's world: Think of Google,as an example.  On the other hand, some were comets that flared brightly and briefly before crashing.  Do you remember Pet.com?


Well, I don't think very many of us are going to get rich, even for a moment (as so many of those former dot-com millionaires were), by finding the next hot new blog as it's starting its run.  I missed the start of "Lovely Bicycle!" by about five months and "Bike Snob NYC," "DFW Point-to-Point," "Girls and Bicycles," "Urban Adventure League," "1410 OakWooD" and a few other great blogs by a couple of years.   (Sorry to all of the ones I haven't mentioned:  Simply listing them would be a post unto itself!)


However, I think I might have witnessed the birth (well, OK, I caught it on its second day) of an interesting new cycling blog.  I'm talking about The Sophisticated Cycler.


In it, TSC is documenting the building--or, rather, making--of a bike that suits his particular needs and tastes.  It's fascinating to follow his process, from his research and decision about what type of bike to buy to the ways he's customizing it.


He's only on his fourth post, so you can still be there for the "birth," as it were.  

6 comments:

  1. Thanks, I'm always on the lookout for new bike blogs.

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  2. I wish you'd warned me about what bike he used as his starting point!

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  3. RTP: My pleasure!

    Steve: It's not the bike I would have chosen, either. But I think it'll be interesting to see what he does with it, and what bike(s) he customizes in the future. I think now of how "Velouria" began with a Pashley city bike and now has a stable that includes road, touring and fixed-gear bikes as well as a Raleigh DL-1.

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  4. Hello all,

    @ Justine, thanks for the honorable mention.

    @ Steve, I'm guessing you're wondering at the choice.

    For both as well as everyone else, you can jump over to the blog, but it's certainly a strange combination and we'll see how it works out. Its a 2007 Specialized S-Works Tricross, a bright red frame with black, carbon fiber fork and seatpost. The frame is certainly going to be repainted and that is all part of the process. The main question is when, and what color. The fork and post will likely be staying carbon fiber, with dark brown leather Brooks seats, grips and saddlebag.

    This is going to be a modern bike with modern components, going old school, classic, elegant and beautiful without looking like some neon beacon in the road. But that certainly isn't the whole purpose of the blog. Jump to the first post of the blog, it has been updated since it wasn't all inclusive.

    Hope you guys enjoy and choose to follow it. It will have it's ebbs and tides, but I will keep it as up to date as possible.

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  5. Oh by the way, to Rat Trap Press and Steve A, I just checked your profiles, hello fellow Texans!

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  6. One last "spam" on this comment thread, I went ahead and posted up a new post addressing the bright red aesthetic issue on this modern bike. It won't be implemented quickly as medical school finals are in the next two weeks, but may happen shortly after.

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