Why Cuda?

[vpc66]

Yes I wanted to ask the same...anybody in the clan here with one?

[willywill]

Good lord man! What size is the chainring on that FS Cuda?? Looks like its running a 52-53 outer ring!

Of course Tomac's is bigger...

JT_bigring.jpg

[neo_pop_71]

Johnny T. spanked everyone twice over at the 1990 World Championships with his dirt drop Yeti and prototype rear Shimano STI "Brifter" and it was ugly... no one came close to the cowboy!!!

I gave my good friend my Johnny T. signature edition 'Goose, he still rides it and loves the bike to this day! Another crucial mistake on my part!

[mixalive]

Johnny T.. AWESOME..

[willywill]

Johnny T.. AWESOME..

Now that is something we can all agree on!

[neo_pop_71]

Here are a few more of my hero... enjoy!

First pic- Nothing to say, simply an awesome photo!

Second pic- I love this shot of Johnny T. taking the holeshot, ala BMX style racin', but he was such a pro that he snagged the holeshot and had the skills to reach down and adjust his Tioga "Hot Button" toe strap!

Last pic- You think you kick A$$ on the trail? Check out the crazy chain slack, top and bottom, this picture always humbles me!!! Johnny T., The Mash King!

[willywill]

Humbling is right. What a freaking stud, and a seemingly cool dude too. I just read an article about JT and his brand of bikes in some cycling porn. His ranch out in CO like sweeeeeeeeeeeeet!

[vpc66]

The black and white pic at the top is a cool shot...Drops on the bike and riding hard core,not sure I would feel right running drops but have never tried before.

[neo_pop_71]

Yeah, that's what I thought before I tried it, it's a different sensation but has its cool points for sure! As far as "Dirt Drop," that started with Charlie Cunningham (no relation to Richard cunningham from Mountain Bike Action and Mantis Bikes) in the late '70's. He is one of the founding partners of Wilderness Trail Bikes (WTB) and was the first guy on the west coast to pioneer the use of aluminum in frame building (same time Gary Klein was doing it on the east coast). Charlie was an aerospace engineer from Berkley and was there at the beginning with all the rest of the developers. He even won some of Charlie Kelly's Repack races since he was the only guy on an aluminum purpose built bike going up against 50 pound pre-war Schwinn Klunkers. The whole Dirt Drop scene sort of exploded about fives years ago, I think there was even a Dirt Drop bike or two at InterBike in 2006 or 2007. Here is an article in DirtRag that got me pondering a build, since then I've built three and I'm piecing together another right now. They make awesome commuters... slack geometry compared to a road frame, fatter tires for safety against potholes, and a more stable platform for racks and/or panniers.

http://www.dirtragmag.com/reviews/wtb-m ... d-drop-bar

Also Rivendell jumped in with a Dirt Drop specific build called The Atlantis, it's a tasty bike that has big cred with commuters. My buddy Daniel ordered one last year and he loves it! Here's a link:

http://www.roadbikerider.com/product-re ... -rivendell

[vpc66]

Yea that old Specialized frame I have can be used for that set up but my plans as you know will be single speed....maybe one day I will try drops though that look really does not get me wound up.