Another week gone by, and another project completed. Took my Fat Chance Team Comp out for its second ride tonight, and was joined by my friend Jon on his Team Comp.
We were only one Team Comp short of Dewin' it country cool. Bonus points for anyone that can name what that's from.
I got the Dew reference and remember the commercial, but didn't notice the bikes (dumb kid I was), nice rides and looks like a fun trail. What's with the painters tape, a second spare? Hopefully see you this evening Lee. Dig it, Ben
Bingo! Apparently Mountain Dew had a shop in New Jersey build up three Team Comps for that commercial. One of them ended up in the hands of the producer's son, who took it to summer camp, where my friend Jon was staying that year.
The Team Comp rides really well. The Yo is definitely more pinpoint with its steering accuracy, and seems to track better at lower speeds, especially on technical climbs. The Team Comp doesn't really wake up until you get it higher up in the middle ring. It does manage to float over rock gardens and choppy trail surfaces better than the Yo. It also feels a bit more playful as well. It likes to be tossed around the trail.
The comparison to the Wicked is much closer, as they are basically the same bike. For the first few years, Team Comps were just Wicked frames with box crowns of specific geometry for racing and a build kit that consisted of as many American made parts as they could spec. A large number of racers actually ditched the TC box crowns for standard issue unicrowns because they had a very twitchy feel and they were known to crack. For the 89 and 90 model year (and maybe some 88 models), the Team Comp got its own, lighter weight tube set, G.P. Wilson dropouts, as well as a unicrown option that also had the G.P. Wilsons. These bikes will handle like a Wicked, but with a more compliant ride and lighter weight.
My bike is a 1989, but I got it with a Ritchey Logic fork. To be honest though, it feels about the same as my friend's with the Fat City unicrown.
Ben, the tape is actually blue electrical tape. I have about a dozen bikes that are trail ready at any given time, so instead of having a big, bulky bag for each bike with the specific size tube with the right valve, I tape each bike's spare to the frame, mount a pump on each bike (haven't gotten one for the TC yet) and just have a small bag with a multi, CO2, tire lever and a rag. I can quickly switch the bags from bike to bike and not worry about having the wrong spares. Also, keeping the saddle bag light and small means less pendulum effect when pedaling hard out of the saddle.
Mo, I'm lucky enough to have two friends that are very avid Fat riders and collectors. They also happen to be friends with Chris, so whenever I pick up a new Fat, they give me the full rundown on the bike. Fat City actually did a fair amount of "badge engineering" in the 80's and early 90's. Some early Monsters were just other models painted with Monster decals. Some employee bikes were cleverly renamed with expletives. I've even seen "Wickeds" with the supposedly Team Comp exclusive G.P. Wilson dropouts. It gets difficult to keep track of.
Dig the paint on both of those TC's. I really like the bottle opener drop out hidden on that green/yellow TC....that is way cool.
Interesting review on the ride characteristics of the TC. I had an 89/90ish Wicked and liked it as a climber and ok on tighter slower single track. The more I opened it up, the more nervous it felt to me.
You're crankin' out projects!
Good to hear your process on bike ride prep too. Funny that it really does become a factor when you have several bikes that all go in rotation. For me I use a Backcountry Research Race strap. Really quick and easy to swap it from one bike to another. I have three all set with: tube, 2 CO2's, tire lever. Two on bikes in use, a spare set up in my bike gear bag. In a sock goes the multi tool, inflation device, patch kit, pin/master link, $20 bucks. Wrapped around that keeping it closed is a velcro strap with personal identification tag and emergency contact info. Dump that in the jersey pocket. Figure that's about as light as I can travel and lets me fix at least two flats before I have to hoof it. Several wraps of electrical tape around the seatpost marks saddle height and also serves emergency fix duty.
on that lightweight Team Comp tubeset; maybe it evolved to become the Wicked Lite in 93? I find their handling to be precise and the bike comfortable.. It's just not the best at jumping and getting air time.
The later Team Comps used a mix of Tange and Dillsburg. The Wicked Lites used True Temper. By the time the Wicked Lite came out, Fat City had released the Yo Eddy, so the Wicked Lite took a more relaxed geometry. It's not the same race oriented ride that the early Wickeds or TCs had.
Where in Santa Cruz is that? I've only ever ridden Demo Forest whenever I make the trip down there, and only on a modern bike. Not a very vintage friendly place. I've heard there are tons of other great trails in the area though.
I went to Joaquin Miller this morning, but on my big travel suspension bike. No VRC worthy pics to post.
Wilder Ranch. Everything there is ridable on a vintage bike for sure. A few rough patches, but overall it's fine.
Demo is fun, definitely needs a modern bike for max enjoyment. Down side is that you have to climb in and out. Climb to DH ratio is awful. But...Flow Trail is amazing. If you attack it, the experience is even better.
You would need to come ride UCSC. 50/50 legal/illegal depending on what we do. Again, best enjoyed on a modern bike, but I have some routes that you can do on a vintage bike. You'll be challenged and have to skip some of the features, but it can be done. We could make a monster ride out of it pairing UCSC and Wilder. We could even make a vintage ride out of it, but I would say intermediate/strong intermediate riders and at least some good base fitness would be required.
Eric, after we get the China Camp get together behind us, maybe you can show me some of these South Bay trails.
I've been riding the big full suspension bike all week, so I decided to add a Friday ride in this week. Wanted to get out on an old bike at least once. Good turnout for such short notice.
Eric, after we get the China Camp get together behind us, maybe you can show me some of these South Bay trails.
I've been riding the big full suspension bike all week, so I decided to add a Friday ride in this week. Wanted to get out on an old bike at least once. Good turnout for such short notice.
That's fantastic and good work/fun all around, the powers of getting out in general 2 feet or 2 wheels (gotta give love to hikers too). Eric is farther than I am, but I'll try to make this Wednesday evening ride from your shop, are you doing one this week? Even though Berkeley is only 12+ miles away traffic can make it a hundred. I'm coming off surgery, but I think II can tag along if that's ok.
We ride every Monday morning and every Wednesday evening, and you are always welcome. Just show up at the Recyclery at 6:00 on Wednesday evening. It's a nine mile ride, but it's a tight, twisty nine miles. Hope to see you there.
On that note, if there are any other Bay Area locals looking to join in, feel free. About half the group is on vintage bikes on most of our rides.
Great I'll be there this Wednesday, it'll also be cool to see the recyclery, I'll show up a tad early to avoid the 4 wheel mess, should be fun and twisty, I'll try to keep up with the the Fats or Otis.
Got six of us out tonight, and 5/6th of the group was vintage! I think that's a personal best. Could have been seven, which would have been a shop ride record, but someone whom I'm pretending not to point the finger at didn't make it.
Monday ride on a new bike (I rode it yesterday too)
Now that I've checked Ala Carte off of my list, I'm pretty much down to a Mountain Goat Deluxe and a Cunningham as far as must buy/ride bikes. I suppose there's always room to revise the list though.
Lee, yes sorry about last Wednesday and forgot to contact you, the City of Oakland was needier that I thought last Wednesday.There's always this week, you doing it again, Wednesday? BTW, is that Salsa brazed or tig, can't zoom in on the pics. Oh and is it a purchase or a borrow? I did a nice modern ride in Joaquin Miller, not vintage but I was the only full rigid (P-29er) and going down Cinderella rattled my bones good. I swear the RL will be in once of these great photo shoots soon!
We're here every Wednesday night, at least as long as daylight savings is in effect. I went to JMP a couple weeks ago, but on my long travel bike. That's the way to go there, in my opinion. I've done all the trails there on my SS hardtail, but Chaparral was VERY nerve racking without a really tall front end on the bike.
The Salsa is a purchase. It was on eBay, but it didn't get a single bid. I got in contact with the seller, who was local, and he agreed to $600 cash. Couldn't pass that up. He described it as "one of the last Salsas that Ross sold out of Petaluma" so I'm assuming 1998 or 1999. If someone can decode serial numbers, let me know.
Anyway, let me know about this Wednesday. We'd love to have you join us.
Maybe it's just the perspective playing tricks on me, but those bars look narrow enough to throw on a fixie with some hot pink Ourys to go play pretend bike messenger in the City.
Nice bike Eric. I didn't know you had a 90's Breezer.
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