on one whippet

My On One Whippet is finally finished. Sold my previous heavy bike and some other stuffs on forums and ebay and  built this bike from scratch. Most parts are used except for the wheels, cranks, cassette, chain and bars.

I've test rode this bike a few times but only on flat roads. I haven't been able to go uphill/downhill yet with this bike since Mannheim is flat. I'm so stoked to ride this bike but it's already winter, so it will be a few months before I get riding again. I'm not sure about my 60mm stem. Probably I'll look for a 80mm later.

Bike sold. Bulls Bushtail. 21/4/2012 - 30/9/2012

It has just been 5 months since I bought this bike. But I had to sell it since it was 1-2 sizes bigger for comfortable riding during races. And yeah, it was kinda heavy too.

Bought it for 499 Euros. I intended to sell at at 399 Euros, but nobody wanted it. I put some ads on a bike forum and on a couple of small ads websites. A guy called me for a test ride, he complained about the scratches (dude, it's a used bike!), and he wanted 300 Euros insted of 350 Euro I counter-offered. I denied his offer, and said good bye. I even got some scam emails willingly to buy this bike without much haggling.

I even got some responses from the bike forum. One guy offered me 250 Euros. I told him I was selling the bike also on eBay with a starting price of 350 Euros and I couldn't go as low as 250 Euros. He kinda insulted me telling me it's a discontinued model (a 2012 model to be precise, since the 2013 bikes are selling right now) and saying that the bike wouldn't get sold for that price, but wished me good luck. Pffft.

He was right about that bike not getting sold, but after the eBay auction ended, a couple of people mailed me asking for a counter-offer. I told them if the bike was sold for 350 Euros, I would have to pay about 30 Euros of eBay fees anyhow, so I told them 320 Euros would be okay.

A guy immediately agreed and wanted to fetch the bike the next day (which is today). I gave him my address and my phone number. He drove all the way from Köln (about 120 km) to buy this bike. When he arrived, he just checked the bike for scratches and the wheels. He immediately wanted to pay. I told him to test ride it first. He was satisfied, and we loaded the bike into his van. He paid me, and I gave him the receipt from the bike shop where I bought the bike. And then we parted our ways. Honestly, that was the quickest deal I've ever done. It was like 2 minutes max!

Oh well, I've got some fond memories with this bike. The first time I rode with clipless pedals was on this bike. Fell a couple of times until I broke he plastic bashguard on the front ring. I've ridden to Rosskopf, Kybfelsen and Schönberg with this bike. I also rode this bike during the Black Forest Ultra Bike Marathon, stretching about 80km, 2000 m of climbing, on the stock saddle. And seriously my junk hurt after that 6 hours ride.

It was fun, but I indeed need a better bike if I'm getting serious about biking. Thank you and tschüss Bulls Bushtail!!

2nd bike

I bought a new (used) all mountain bike early August. I had to work during Ramadan and do labor work for two weeks to earn that bike! It's a 2008 Felt Compulsion One. I won't state how much I bought it, but I bought it for a reasonable price.

When I assembled the bike out from the box, the front axle couldn't lock the wheel up. I jammed it a bit, and ruined the threads on the axle and it couldn't be used anymore. That was a noob mistake. I had to look up for a new axle, and luckily I found an anodized axle in red. A week later I finally had the chance to test the ride out with the new axle installed.

I only upgraded the stem and axle on this bike. I traded the seat clamp for a quick-release one with a friend of mine, and changed the Nobby Nic tires with my Mountain and X-King tires. The only thing that I feel unstaisfied is the rear damper that couldn't be locked. I'll send the bike later to get it checked. Otherwise, I'm satisfied with it. It's maiden journey will be in the Alps on the end of August. Hope for the best!

#2 Things that make me smile

I love that when I go running or cycling, I smile or nod at other runners/cyclists, they smile/nod back. That really just makes my day. Thank you nice people!

Trail biking in Black forest, Freiburg

Went trail riding with two friends of mine in Freiburg during the Pfingsten holidays. We went up Rosskopf, Kybfelsen and the last day to Schönberg, and along the Dreisam river. 3 days, 3 hills. Total elevation about 1880 meters, with a total distance of about 70 km.

I had diffulties navigating the switchbacks when riding uphill, and with clipless pedals!! I fell a couple of times, during riding, and also standing still since I was not used unclipping my shoes quickly. Learnt techniques riding downhill. Fell a few times on steep hills. My friend said the trail we rode were specifically for Enduro riders, not for me, a beginner, using a front suspension XC bike. :)

Bled, bruised, bitten, scratched, and had contact with poison ivy. The bruises appeared after I came back home: a big one the size of my palm on my right hip, on the knees and mostly on my shins. Luckily I didn't break any bones in my body.

On top of Rosskopf.

On top of Kybfelsen.

On top of Schönberg

Dreisam river.

GPS Trail Riding Rosskopf (I didn't pause the time when we stopped for breaks)
GPS Trail Riding Kybfelsen
GPS Trail Riding Schönberg-Dreisam

Update: upgrades on bike

I bought clipless pedals, and cycling shoes too. It was my first time changing pedals, and I accidently stripped off the threads from my crank after turning the wrench the wrong way to loosen the old pedals. I tried googling whether I could save my crank after that awful disaster, and the only solution was to change the crank and the whole front chain set. Darn. I bought a new crank set to replace the damaged one. Good thing the crank/ chain set installed on my bike is a lower end model from Shimano and cheap to replace. I had to buy a crank extractor too.

I tried on the clipless pedals for the first time. People say if one hasn't fall off their bikes using clipless pedals is a BIG FAT LIAR. And seriously I fell off my bike for the first time after braking to a full stop, and forgot to unclip. And the rest is history.

I also installed bottle holders and changed to new set of tyres. The front wheel has Continental Mountain King 2,4", and the rear has Continental X King 2,4". I tested the new tyres after I installed them, and surprisingly the rolling resistance is way better (lesser) than the previous ones.

New bike

Bought a new bike on 21st April after like half a year without a bike since my previous bike was stolen. Bulls Bushtail, hardtail. The frame is bigger 57cm, considering that I bought a 52cm frame before. I though it was too big for me, but it seems that the frame fits perfectly with my body.