Don’t Tease Me – Bike Snob NYC

Well, LeBron James or someone in his employ took nine full seconds to post something about a new Canyon to his social media, and speculation as to what it might be is already running rampant:

Oh, whatever could it be?!?!

Then the teasing really begins. The clip glitches to a darkened, studio-shot silhouette of what appears to be a road or gravel bike. A close-up shot then reveals a white Canyon downtube and some knobby tyres, followed by a rapid cut to a custom, basketball-themed logo and the nomenclature ‘R126’ – the same code found on the seat tube of the current Grizl gravel bike.

Taken together, these clues strongly suggest that an LBJ special edition Grizl could be on the way. But whether it will be a Bosch-powered OnFly e-bike or an Eclips-lit model is still unclear. The silhouette doesn’t show a Bosch drive system, but that could also be legacy footage or, even, a deliberate misdirection.

I didn’t understand a single word of that, but if they’re going to do a special LeBron James Grizl I’ll be really goddamn annoyed if they don’t call it a Dribl.

You know, because basketball.

Sorry.

As for me, yesterday I lit out for a ride on my Rivl:

Don’t let the trees fool you, this was not a “Wooded Wednesday.” It was merely a rest stop on the way to the so-called “River Road,” where I took advantage of the warm-ish temperatures to enjoy its scenic undulations:

This was my first ride in quite awhile on a road bike other than the Cervino:

I adore the Cervino, especially now that I’ve got it running so smoothly, but going from it to the Roadini is like getting home from work and slipping into more comfortable pants–not surprising given the Roadini’s longer wheelbase and more voluminous tires. Plus, the lowest gear available to me on the Cervino at present is a 42×26:

Which I access via the Cervino’s downtube-mounted rabbit ears:

I enjoy this configuration since it’s so easy to shift both front and rear derailleurs using the same hand, and I don’t mind the relatively high gearing. After all, I shouldn’t have to remind you that I climbed the Swiss Alps with a low gear of 42×21. But I will anyway:

Let’s also remember that after climbing said Alps I then descended them with nothing between me and plummeting to certain death but a pair of Campagnolo Delta brakes:

I’d like to see SAFA Brian try that.

But yes, all of this is to say the Cervino is fantastic…

…but the Rivl is considerably more comfortable and refined whilst retaining all the mechanical simplicity and sacrificing little in the way of sportiness–at least the way I have it set up, and until I see otherwise I’m going to go ahead and say mine is the World’s Raciest Roadini. They even weight about the same according to my highly scientific lifting-each-bike test, and can share many of their parts. (Okay, fine, they have different bottom bracket threading, seatpost size, and brake reach. But not bad for two bikes with a 42-year age differential.)

I think maybe what I’m getting at is that it’s quite possible to greatly improve the rideability of a road bike without completely reinventing it.

Or, you could go this route:

I would like to take the new Factor, roll it up to the starting line alongside another UCI-legal bike, and release them both–at which point they will both fall over, and I can commence my lawsuit against Factor for violation of truth-in-advertising statutes.

If any ambitious attorneys out there would like to front me the cash for the purchase of said bikes you can reimburse yourself once we receive the settlement.

But David Millar says it’s great, and who am I to argue?

David Millar, ex-racer and TV commentator installed this year as Factor’s brand director, explains that, since his racing days, bike design has continued to follow the same basic formula, with components changing to suit the rider.

“With the One, it’s different,” he says. “It’s designed with these adaptations in mind. Racers are choosing longer stems, inline seatposts and shorter cranks to improve their performance and efficiency.”

He knew all too well the many shortcomings of the bikes of yesteryear:

And his bold eyewear choices allowed him to see far into the future:

A future in which forks have chins instead of crowns:

If this bike doesn’t win the Tour de France then surely the fix is in.