After getting hit by a car on his road bike Daniel was left with a few usable parts and a check from the insurance company of the motorist that hit him.
Rather than simply get another road bike Daniel decided to go with something different. He was looking for a bike just as at home playing the role of commuter as it is doing some loaded touring. After talking a bit about options he found himself at the same conclusion that I came to. The Civia Bryant would be the perfect choice.
Using the Force shifters and derailleurs that managed to survive the crash we got to work building the bike. We took advantage of the Bryant’s disc mounts as well as Salsa’s new Woodchipper flared drop bar. We replaced his broken Force carbon crank with a lower geared compact one. 700×28 Continenal Gatorskin tires were chosen to give that perfect balance between durability, ride quality, and rolling resistance. We topped it all off with a Brooks B-17 and the always classic Thomson stem.
This bike is ready for action.
Since picking it up Daniel has been logging some miles and has already added full fenders to keep the muck to a minimum when the road conditions are nasty.
He’s looking forward to doing some bicycle camping this spring and I can’t think of a better bike to do it on.
5 comments
Jedi Mike says:
Feb 15, 2011
Awesome ride Dan! Sorry to hear what you had to go through to get it. I’ve seen this in person and it’s a sweet build. He’s dead serious about the bike camping bit too!
Ron B says:
Dec 26, 2011
I am considering this as a touring bike especially due to Alfine 11sp internal hub and belt drive. I think these may be more recent advancements to this model. Have you loaded it up and tested the ride?
I wondered about any shimmy.
Braden says:
Dec 26, 2011
Ron, I have my Bryant set up for loaded touring and it works well. I prefer to use a BOB trailer over front/rear panniers though. The shorter wheelbase of the Bryant (compared to something like a Surly Long Haul Trucker) is not really ideal for fully loading the frame with gear.
Alfine 11 should be fine but there is something to be said for the traditional drivetrain when pulling weight. When my trailer is fully loaded I use every bit of my gears when it gets hilly and having smaller jumps between gears makes for better riding too.
I have used an Alfine 8 speed hub before and while it was fantastic for commuting and running errands I would not choose an internally geared hub for loaded touring.
Bryce K. says:
Feb 28, 2012
Braden, I too have a Bryant with Alfine 8 and am seriously thinking of converting it to a drivetrain very much like your current incarnation: 28/42 x 10. The belt is fantastic for cruising around town or even more . . . going over bumps is great because there is no chain slap, no noise. Can feel a little drag though from all those gears inside the hub and then the weight of it. But I can think of no better platform than the Bryant frameset for most things.
What cassette are you running on yours.
Braden says:
Feb 29, 2012
I’m running a Sram 11-32 in the back right now. Around down there are some big gaps between gears and I have been meaning to put an 11-23 or 11-25 on there but am always too busy to work on my own bikes.
When I am pulling any weight that 11-32 is awesome though. Used it at Monster Cross this past weekend and it was great there too.
I feel that the mountain double is pretty much perfect for commuter bikes. My biggest gear is 42×11 which is PLENTY for halulin’ butt down any hills in the immediate area.
Best part is that 99% of the time I never even touch my front shifter.