Road Bike?

When is a road bike not a road bike? When you hate road bikes and people who like road bikes, so you take a mountain bike and road bike - ificate it. And that's what I did, but if you piss me off I'm putting on a set of Nevegals and hitting the trail.

Drop bars and associated stem, bar end shifters and drop bar brake levers that work with side pull brakes.

Drop bar flare. The hoods are nice and level, the picture leans... I promise. Either that or my right arm is longer than my left.

Where's this little sucker?...

S-Works forged cranks. M900 XTR are through the roof, and the equivalent Sugino made models like these Specialized arms, and Ritchey Logic arms, are lagging behind in popularity and price. I buy good stuff cheap. Cheap is good. Your loss my gain.

All in all, 4 days on the commute and I like it. No it is not a road bike, but I can't stand the idea of having all that dough wrapped up in a bike I just hate. Still, aero and slick are necessary evils on bikes meant for pavement. I will conform, if only ever so slightly.

Cost, after marauding through the parts bins? Nitto bar - $60, Civia stem - $25, Dia Compe brake levers - $45. The rest I already owned...

...best bastard road bike ever.

Cheaper than the Turner.