Favourite Bikes in 2015
2015 was certainly a good year for different kind of bikes. The most exciting bikes for my taste were, as probably expected, the mutant bike category. Disk brakes, wider axels, geometry that’s right in between road and cyclocross and very colourful paint choices. Of course there are loads of bike “TOP” lists so there is really no point to replicate them. So I reached into my own personal resources and here they are, in no apparent order.
Interestingly to me, each one of these bikes will be a bike I’d love to have. The problem is, each of these bikes is already a bike I have, in some form or another, which is why I lust over these, but am not chasing after them. Well…other than one. Now that we have a nice collection to commemorate 2015, lets see what 2016 bring.
- 44 Bikes – Huntsman “Super Trail” The bike and the blog post (linked) just scream adventure! I love how it manages to look clean and organised even though there are so many moving parts. Bikes with thick tires and drop bar just do it for me.
- Stinner Frameworks – Ti Grinder This one came through on the excellent Cycleexif. It is based on the Bruce Gordon Rock’n’Road tires (43mm) which have been around for a few years now in combination with SRAM 1×11 groupset. It’s clean and tidy and even without riding it, it seems like a confident ride.
- Igleheart – Painted Hills Bike. This came up much earlier in 2015 as a competition to explore the hidden treasures of the state of Oregon, U.S.A. Even though the bike is very small (for me) I could not stop staring at it. Why? Again, adventure on two wheels. In addition, Chris Igleheart is someone whose bike building skills I admire since years. That fork is amazing and the paint job is stellar. What’s not to like here?
- L’espérance – Disc Randonnee. This sweet 650B belongs to a fellow cycling fanatic from Seattle. It’s a one of a kind since he basically had it built by a local shop and man does this rig look like it will be fun to ride. I can imagine this being the only bike one really needs to explore, do grocery shopping, go camping, what-have-you. I’ve been staring at this bike since February and still get excited at every new picture John posts of it.
- Elephant Bikes – National Forest Explorer. This one is probably the most exciting bike of the year for me. Why? Because it is actually attainable. Sure, there is a waiting list of about 8 months for one, but the price is in the “affordable” range (compared to the above bikes) and it has everything a bike that could be “The One” is – grocery shopping, check. Brevets, check. Trail riding, check. I pretty much like everything about it and am waiting patiently for my turn. A great article about the creation of this bike is here. Other than the Radavist post about it you can also find one here.
- Mosaic – GS1 All Road. This would be the ultimate road bike in my book. A bike you can keep up with a fast group, but still take on a detour in the forest should you feel so inclined. I absolutely love the look of the baby blue with those HED wheels as well as pretty much everything Mosaic produced this year.
Happy New Year, Jambi! Nice bikes! too bad only two of the makers have understood forks . . . all the others are straight . .
hope to see you soon! AJW