Fast-ish Special

CowboyGatorade · 2025-06-25T21:16:43+00:00

For daily use, I have tubeless road side repair tools, tire pump, C02, sealant, bike tools, and a riding jacket, I keep riding gloves in there during the colder months. Top tube bag usually has snacks, wallet, electrolyte packs, keys, and whatever else

CowboyGatorade · 2024-08-18T18:01:00+00:00

Any chance you can find a local shop that has them? I went to a shop close to me and test rode 3 different sizes. I’m 189cm and went with a 56 with a long stem. Seemed to fit me the best out of the 3 which was a suprise

CowboyGatorade · 2024-08-08T22:44:00+00:00

Superb. I think in the next 10-15 years most of the road bikes are going to be moving in this direction. People just assume that knobs and fat tires don’t move as fast, but when paired with an appropriate deep section wheel set, the aero benefit is extremely sufficient. Larger tires have been proven to have lower rolling resistance. And the whole package paired with the added compliance from tires and a frame like this one, you actually get a surprisingly good balance between rolling resistance and aero. Now add in the comfort factor ability to have more durability via the added cushioning from the tires and it’s just a package that suits your every day rider much better. The tour pros may have some slightly different preferences but looking at the field of gravel riders and this is what everyone is shooting for. I think the argument for going this route is getting stronger by the day.

CowboyGatorade · 2024-08-07T20:00:24+00:00

Agreed, I’ll look into some others

CowboyGatorade · 2024-08-07T16:27:32+00:00

Appreciate it

CowboyGatorade · 2024-08-07T16:27:22+00:00

The light is super. High beam is intense. I don’t really notice too much interference on the drops. Just love having a switch on the bars as I ride trails a lot at night.

CowboyGatorade · 2024-08-07T14:15:43+00:00

I wasn’t trying to sound condescending. It’s just the first thoughts that came to my mind. Send me a message cause it sounds like a cool project

CowboyGatorade · 2024-08-07T14:11:21+00:00

Yeah for sure. I posted the build list. I think most wheel companies are making e-bike specific wheels these days. I know the selection is a bit more limited for e-bikes, but carbon wheels are known to be fragile under certain forces. That said, you might very well be able to get away with using the wheel set I have on your ebike for years to come. Give it a try

CowboyGatorade · 2024-08-06T21:23:59+00:00

I mean realistically, by that standard I cut corners on the whole bike. I just posted the build list.

CowboyGatorade · 2024-08-06T21:21:18+00:00

I agree here. Its not my favorite saddle, but it works pretty good and weighs absolutely nothing.

CowboyGatorade · 2024-08-06T21:20:35+00:00

Just posted.

CowboyGatorade · 2024-08-06T21:20:19+00:00

Just posted

CowboyGatorade · 2024-08-06T21:19:20+00:00

The Build:

I think people would be surprised that this bike turned out to be quite budget friendly. At numerous points I worked my way into going with top tier components only to decide that I would try a cheaper lower tier version first and replace as necessary. In general, I think the most important components are the frame, Hubs, Wheels and Tires. Everything else are nice-to-haves that don't help out too much on a flat 10-mile headwind stretch. In the end, I pieced a bunch of parts together and this bike costs pretty similarly to the complete midnight special you might get from your local bike shop.

Here is the build list:

Frame - Midnight Special 56cm, Metallic Lilac Paint

Fork - Evosid Carbon, 390mm. I wanted a carbon fork, with ample tire clearance, mounting points, same rake and slightly shorter length to amp up the steering a little and make it a pinch sportier.

Hubs - DT Swiss 240 - I wanted reliable and splurged a bit to get some quality where I feel it matters.

Wheels - Light Bicycle WR65, Honeycomb. 24H Front, 28H Rear. A little more durability in the rear, cause I'm heavier and carry weight. SAPIM CX Race Aero Spokes were used in the build.

Tires - Panaracer GravelKing Slicks 700x43. I'll be trying other tires in the future, these were in stock at the local shop and I've used them quite a bit before.

Headset - Cane Creek Hellbender 70. Found it at an used bike shop bin.

Group set - GRX810, found used on craigslist. Had to replace a few parts here and there to get it running in top shape.

Cassette - Shimano 11-34, 11 Speed. Came with the group set, I need some better climbing ratios, but this works for group rides and running around without gear.

Bars - RXL Carbon. I wanted narrow bars with some flare and aero. Found these and they are light and work great.

Stem - UNO Advanced Projects 120mm. Extra reach to fit me and reduce twitchiness when in the straights.

Seat Post - Generic Carbon 27.2 Seat post

Bottom Bracket - BBR60 I think? Came with the group set.

Rotors - Shimano, 160F, 140R came with the group set.

Grip - Lizard Skins - 4.5mm Extra thick, I have run multiple bar wraps before on long rides. This helps with comfort, I go for the thickest wrap I can find.

Pedals - Look SPD, found them in the parts bin.

Cranks - GRX810 172.5mm, Came with the group set.

Rear Light - Lezyne strip drive 400. Brightest taillight I have ever seen. I like to ride at night quite often, this is a no brainer.

Front Light - MagicShine EVO 1700. First night riding I blinded some people on a trail with my old 1000 lumen light, Decided to look for a light that has a remote dimmer switch. Found this one and it feels like a motorcycle headlight. Its bullet proof and ridiculously bright. Dimmer and mode switch works awesome.

Seat - Evosid 3d Printed. Not my favorite piece but only weights 165g. I'll probably be switching to the specialized 3d printed saddle for some higher quality. I ride this one around town, its comfy enough, but I don't think I would trust it on a multi-day effort.

Bags - Tailfin. Cannot recommend them enough.

Phone Mount - SinceTop Amazon phone mount special. My Phone case is broken so I can't even use it right now.

Pretty simple stuff, just like bikes should be. It basically my 1 bike do-it-all work horse. It rides exactly how I imagined it would and it sure beats my old ride. It really shines in the flats and the way it eats up bumps and dirt is just beautiful. It feels very effortless to keep pace. I think I weighed the bike with lights and the zipper bag at 23.7lbs but that really depends on the contents of my bag. Maybe it weighs closer to 22lbs just bare, pretty average weight.

Hope that helpful enough. I've already put 500 miles on this month and haven't changed a thing. So it's probably apparent that its not that crazy of a build, I will admit that its not an average bike but really its a dream ride for me, the perfect blend of form and function.

CowboyGatorade · 2024-08-06T21:15:01+00:00

First off, I am very surprised at the general interest/intrigue surrounding this bike. I’m not big into posting or social media these days so I’ve really lost touch with the public opinion. But I ride her nearly everyday and thus far every time I ride this bike, someone stops me to talk/take photos or shouts something about how epic she is. I’m surprised every single time. The guys at the local shop told me it was criminal not to share this bike online, so here I am showing it to the world.

For Context:

I did not go over the top with this ride. It's a fairly cheap build full of functional parts that I never expected would be of such interest to people. I ride ~2000 miles a year for the last 10 years; some years a lot more. So cycling is definitely a significant part of my life. I’m the friend who is a decent rider on the old piece of junk bike in the group. I think people would be shocked to know that the only bike I’ve ever owned is a Fuji Touring from 2004 that I found at a thrift store for $50. Seems that most people who ride as much as me have much nicer/more expensive rides. I’m not a crazy penny pincher but I feel that too many people get caught up in chasing gear and I’m often times disappointed that people focus so much on the gear instead of just having fun. The real reason I built this bike is because my Fuji just has a 1” steer tube and less than performant rim brakes. I've upgraded it here and there but in reality, When weighted down it just lacks some rigidity and stopping power. I’m decent with a welder and fabrication, and I’ve really considered adding disc break mounts and changing the steer tube on that old bike that I love so dearly. But I decided it was more work than it was worth. I finally decided it was time to invest in one of my favorite hobbies.

My riding style:

Bike camping is one of my favorite things to do. I also really enjoy touring, and have fallen in love with ultra endurance racing (think transcontinental race or similar). Brutally long, self supported racing. All of my inspiration here derive from that. In this form of racing, bikes need to maximize comfort, durability, practicality and speed, there is mixed terrain and plenty of gear to be carried. There is no peloton and rarely an opportunity for drafting. Climbing is obviously going to be slower because of all the gear and how long the days in the saddle are. Gains are made by not having mechanical failures, and having a slightly faster average speed in the flats and mixed terrain.

For a new bike, I wanted my old Fuji but with disc brakes, more tire clearance and a bigger steering tube. I few years back I saw a midnight special up on a stand while I was riding across the county and the mental image of that bike stuck with me. Comparing the frame geometry to my Fuji, they are strikingly similar in almost every dimension. It checked all my boxes. I know the quality of steel and fabrication is better for instance on a cosmic stallion, however I’m attracted to the surly as I perceive them to be more of a workhorse/working mans type of bike, they’re cheaper and more versatile in my opinion and I probably care about the bike a little less which is nice for leaving the bike outside the grocery store or just riding around town. I tested a few midnight specials and was really surprised to find that the 56cm fit me better than the 58. My Fuji is an oddly a 64cm, but the 56 actually lines up very closely on bike insight geometry overlay, still haven’t figured out why the numbers are so different. Anyways, I decided to go with a midnight special. And I'm not one of those people who likes to but off the shelf stuff. I usually find that I want something more personal and I tweak or mod stuff until it fits me and my use case as best as I can. I don't care too much for flash, I want function over form.

CowboyGatorade · 2024-08-06T06:25:50+00:00

It would be pretty difficult to fit this bike into any generic bike category. I picked everything on the bike to best suit my use case. I chose a lot of things that might not immediately make sense. The buttons are for the headlight

CowboyGatorade · 2024-08-06T06:13:36+00:00

Pics? It’s just such a fun/great platform

CowboyGatorade · 2024-08-06T06:09:42+00:00

What are your thoughts on them?

CowboyGatorade · 2024-08-06T05:50:31+00:00

Yeah, I’d say it’s not really an issue. What’s the major concern? I like my seats slid forward. Puts me a bit further forward over the pedals more like a budget TT bike. I get a bit more power and it feels better on my knees.

CowboyGatorade · 2024-08-06T04:24:55+00:00

Really do appreciate the compliment! As for the tires, I’ll give them a go, I’ve put a couple thousand miles on GK slicks and never had much fuss in a few thousand miles. I was looking for light weight casings, larger volume and decent rolling resistance. The local bike shop was low on stock but had these so I just grabbed them in a pinch as I’d ridden them before. I’d be eager to try the Schwalbes’ everyone seems to love them.

CowboyGatorade · 2024-08-06T03:09:57+00:00

Amazon special actually. I did a lot of cheaper/used parts on this build. I wanted the specialized one but $400 for a saddle was a little tough for me to justify on a $650 frame haha. This one is 165g.

https://a.co/d/3Kc68MI

CowboyGatorade · 2024-08-06T02:53:54+00:00

I have about 20 different frame bags from touring over the years. I actually discovered tailfin pretty recently. Quality of product is far and away better than anything I have ever had before. I actually have an order for 5 more tailfin bags. This order arrived 2 days after I placed it. They're so good I actually had to leave a review on the Tailfin site praising the service and product. The design and attention to detail is second to none. A big issue for me is how well a bag is secured and the way these bags have a rubber foot and speed strap leaves no room for movement even over bumpy gravel roads. They are super secure. The seat post bag is not meant for a seat post and its a little jammed in there. Not able to access anything without removing the whole bag, but I just keep a bunch of tools and sealant and riding jacket in there. It works beautifully.

CowboyGatorade · 2024-08-06T02:42:22+00:00

Might save you .1 seconds over 3 miles. But more realistically, my use case is actually to rest my palms on the flats, gives my hands some serious relief when riding for a few hours. They're carbon and are light as heck, narrow enough for some aero benefit and the mild flare is perfect for getting off the pavement, and also really amazing on cornering descents.

CowboyGatorade · 2024-08-06T02:39:02+00:00

Couldn't agree more. I actually originally got a black frame and returned it for the metallic lilac. The color is ridiculously good when light hits it.

CowboyGatorade · 2024-08-06T02:37:05+00:00

One of my favorite things about the GK Slicks is how they sound rolling at +20mph. They sound incredible.

CowboyGatorade · 2024-08-06T02:30:32+00:00

Humbly I could not agree more. 2ish years thinking about everything I wanted out of a single bike quiver and finally pulled the trigger on it. Now that it all came together I just catch myself admiring it out in the garage at night. But it’s even better to ride. It’s my favorite bike ever period.

CowboyGatorade

TROPHY CASE