Bike Forums - Scott from KC (w/bike pics)

Hello from KC, MO. I'm a 26 year old relative newbie... more a mountain biker until recently getting into more road riding. I now have a small collection of bikes that serve my needs well.

I've been riding several times a week for the last year or so. Main routes are around Blue Springs Lake (pea gravel), Landahl Park (dirt singletrack), Little Blue Trace (pea gravel), and my neighborhood roads. I currently do about 60 miles a week, including a 30 mile ride every Saturday at Little Blue Trace. My goal for this year was to finish 1,000 miles on my mountain bike (which I completed this June) and work up to a 50 mile ride (off-road... may be changing that to on-road now that I have a bike for it).

I'd eventually like to start commuting to work a few days a week. The biggest problem there is that I have to use my car for work, so I'd need to leave it there and ride back and forth. I've worked out a decent looking 12.9 mile route, avoiding busy roads and highways, but I need to do some test runs to see how it would go.

Other plans include working up to a century ride and completing the 240 mile Katy trail ride.

Anyway, here's my bikes:

http://www.muxon.com/dbrbike1.jpg
1999 Diamondback DBR X2 full suspension mountain bike (with proper dirty tires and frame). I picked it up last year from my wife's cousin and have really meshed with it. It's about the perfect fit for me, and can do everything I'm brave enough to try. It's also been extremely reliable... with over 2,500 miles during its life, I don't know that a single part has broken. It's got 27 speed Shimano Deore XT drivetrain components, Marzocchi Bomber front fork, and some kind of Fox rear shock/spring. I've put almost 1,300 miles (mostly off-road) on it so far, and it feels good for thousands more. No doubt the durability is thanks to its frame, which also makes it fairly hefty at 31lbs.

http://www.muxon.com/amfbike1.jpg
80's AMF Roadmaster 10 speed piece of crap. This was a pretty impulsive garage sale buy. At $10, I didn't feel the need to research much. I was looking for something to tinker with and possibly make into a singlespeed/fixie for road riding. The front derailleur was completely seized, so it became a 5 speed immediately. It rode okay once I put new tires and brakes on it, but it never looked well built to me (being used to huge visible welds on mountain bikes). Also, at 36lbs of steel, small frame, and extremely poor fit, it offered almost no advantages over my mountain bike. I have since given up on the singlespeed idea, at least for this bike... especially after reading some of the "Worst Bike Ever Made" threads that specifically call this non-lugged pile of garbage "death on wheels."

http://www.muxon.com/fujibike1.jpg
Early 90's Fuji Thrill rigid mountain bike. This was actually my first bike, which I left with my wife's cousin after getting the X2. I hadn't planned on using it until I recently started wanting to ride roads. After abandoning the singlespeed project, I thought this bike might be a better staring point for a commuter. It's certainly better built than the AMF, not to mention lighter (30 lbs flat) and prettier. I got it back from the cousin, put some Specialized Fatboy 26x1.25 road slicks on it and it flies. My first ride on it was a 30 mile on-road around a local lake. The first 15 miles flew by in just under an hour, and this is a typical winding, hilly lake road. The bike needs new grips and a better seat for sure, but it really is fun to ride. Solid cro-moly frame, Shimano BioPace chainrings, 21 speed. Better for climbing, obviously with the MTB gearing... pedal power tops out at about 30MPH. Should be perfect for my ride to work though.

So that's me. I've been reading around here a lot and have learned quite a bit over the last year. I'm also inspired by the long distance cycling forum. One day I'll add myself to the century list!