Frankenbike 50 (part 2-ride report)

Sunday was a great day, beautiful weather with temps in the 70s. About 50+ riders showed up. This was a very informal ride/race, so there was no packet pickup or registration. We just threw $10 in a box, and got a map. There were all kinds of bikes there, about 50% 29er HT, 40% cross, and a smattering of other breeds, including CAAD9 road bike with slightly nobby tires, cross with flat bar, single speeds, a few 29er/26er FS and my 96er frankenbike.


We started with a neutral roll out for a couple of miles on the road. Then we turned right on to a gravel road. After that came the first climb, and a climb it was, relentless and unending.

 Even when we got to the top, it continued to roll up and down along the ridge. My lack of fitness was apparent right away, my dream of winning crushed (ok, never thought I could win anyways). I just tried to conserve energy, and think about the next 40+ miles to come. At just past mile 15, I came across the first check point right before the first downhill section. A drum set was there to cheer us on.


I took a break to wait for my buddies, but none showed up. After watching a bunch of people stream across, I hopped back on my bike and headed down. I was little anxious to see how my franken 96er would handle the downhill single track. I saw a number of crossers walking down the trail. To my surprise, my little frankenbike handled like a champ. Not only was I able to follow the MTBer's down, I actually passed a number of them. The trail was fairly smooth with a few berms to prevent erosion. I even caught a little air on one of them.

Soon I came out to a road along the valley. My bike shined there again. The skinny tires and stiff frame created an easy rolling road machine. I was able to maintain 20+miles/hr with no issues. Before I knew it, the next climb started(=more pain and suffering). At the halfway point, we went through the staging area again. What sucked about the second half were all the hike a bike sections. They really should have been downhill sections, very steep, barely walkable.

Then the signs began to disappear. Most of us got a little lost, had to backtrack at some point. I missed the last little downhill section. Overall, I had a blast; it was a beautiful ride. My bike did awesome. I wish I had been stronger, maybe next year.

The most incredible thing I saw was a guy riding with one arm on a cross bike with flat bar. I have no idea how he handled the downhills, very strong, incredible!

Frankenbike 50 (part 1)

Frankenbike 50 is a bike race/ride put on by the Capcity Cross guys. It's a ride that traverses nearly 50 miles of gravel, paved roads and single tracks in the Scioto Trail State Park gaining over 4000 ft of climbing along the way. It's a ride for roadies, crosser, mountain bikers and anyone in between. You can bring any bike to this event.

To ride this, however, the first question would be what kind of bike to ride? The course will about 50% gravel, 30% paved surface, and 20% of single track which includes some tricky downhill sections. The obvious choice would be a cyclocross. It has a road bike frame for efficient pedaling and quick steering, the capability of fitting slightly wider and nobbier cross tires for off road traction, and a geometry that is little more upright for comfort.

However, as I discovered on a 35 mile single track ride through the Manistee National Forest, it is not the most comfortable bike over trough surface for a prolonged time. The geometry is comfortable enough for road surface or smooth trails, but over roots and rocks, it requires a lot more upper body strength and attention. It gets tiring.

Therefore, in keeping with the name of the ride, I decided to make my HT mountain bike into a rigid 96er with skinny cross tires. A Frankenbike it shall be. My hope is that the rigid platform will provide enough pedaling efficiency for climbing, the longer fork with elevated front end will provide a more relaxed riding position, and the basic MTB platform will be able to handle the single track sections better than a cyclocross.

The HT is old school,  circa 1999 Weyless Ultra with Easton Ultralite tubings.

Shimano LX, XT 9 speed drive train provides transmission. 

Avid Single Digit V-brakes feel almost as good as my buddy's Hayes hydraulic.  

 A Origin 8 combo 26/29er fork is installed. 

A Shimano T565 touring front wheel is wrapped with Continental Twister 32mm tire. 

The rear Mavic Crossland is mated a Schwalbe CX pro 26x1.35. 

Basic aluminum cockpit with riser bar completes the deal.

The completed project weighed in about 22 lbs with pedals. Not bad for a 13 year old cheap bike. I am going to bring the MTB tires with me just in case that the course looks trickier than I think. Otherwise, I hope my Frankenbike can take on the Frankenbike 50. We will see. Ride report to follow.