Its no secret I have a serious bike problem. At the moment, I’m in the process of thinning the herd. Tough times for all, and maybe I don’t really need 17 bikes anymore. I choose to think of it in terms of cooking. A sauce that reduces over a period of time is almost sure to be tastier than one that you just throw together and serve immediately. Right now, the sauce is very very good.
I’ve dabbled in this medium before. Some of you may remember such experiments as
Pandora and
Shreddie. Well, I’m here to tell you that the 3rd time is indeed the charm. However, if you were to tell me that my 3rd attempt at this would have a 120mm fork, I would have looked at you funny. This bike is straight up bonkers.
Bonkers I tell you!!
I had put the v1 version of the RDO Speedwagon up on the chopping block as I am in need of funds so that I might acquire a new B29 Executor. The Saab is getting on in years, and I have no Astro Mech to keep it running smoothly. But I had also sold off Rambo, my go to singlespeed A9C of 2 years. Yup gone, just like that, and all that is left is a pile of leftover parts. I had fully intended upon replacing the bike ASAP, but after my race at the 40, I’m not so sure. At least not yet.
I spent the best part of a Friday night after the shop closed abducting parts form my other bikes to make this project work. Breaking the rule of “don’t mess with your shit before a race”, I cranked up some METAL and went to town. Some would call me crazy, I call it winning. I proudly present the v2 version of my RDO.
I robbed the rear derailleur from my road bike to use as a chain tensioner. Sure, its a SRAM RED mech, and might be a little excessive for the average guy. It’s what I had available, but most importantly, it really works. You can use any road or short cage rear derailleur for this application. I looped a shift cable through the barrel adjuster to set the pulleys in line with the chain, and voila. I never once threw the chain while bouncing over the rock gardens of Stewart.
shifty bits repurposed
I also had a BB30 XO crank laying about. I did have to buy the 104mm spider though, so I could run my e*13 34t chainring.
cranking it up a notch
Overall, the bike is a hoot to ride, which is really all that matters. It weighs 23.7lbs, which isn’t a whole lot heavier than the A9C it replaced. Being able to have the control and confidence of a full squish bike is so much fun, and paring the gears down to one makes for a way different ride. The suspension on the RDO is pretty darn efficient, so with the right pedaling style, bobbing is at a minimum.
It's the best!
Good times! But I think I am going to run a 22t cog out back for riding around here…
