# Carl Strong All-Rounder...



## singlecross (Nov 1, 2006)

Carl Strong All-Rounder... or what a Bridgestone XO-1 would look like built in 2010. This is my attempt at a "one-bike" to do it all. Carl already had good fit information for me and was willing to let me design my dream bike with some unique perspective from the world of BOB (Bridgestone Owners Bunch for those of you who haven't drunk the Kool-Aid).

Road geometry, light steel, disc brakes to allow multiple wheel sizes (26"/650B/700c), gobs of tire clearance, fender and rack mounts, S&S couplers, everything I wanted wrapped up in a single bike... One bike to rule them all.

Carl delivered. This thing is going to be FUN! 

Get ready for a whole new set of dirtroad ride reports...:thumbsup: 

singlecross


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## m_s (Nov 20, 2007)

That is totally cool. 1 suggestion and 1 question. First the suggestion: Those stock avid roundagon rotors pretty much suck. I used them for a long time on my mountain bike, but switching to hayes rotors, which are also cheap, made a huge difference. They stay true way better and don't seem to fade as much.

The question is more general: how was Strong to work with? I really like his dirt road bikes that I've seen in person and on this forum.


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## MB1 (Jan 27, 2004)

Pretty bike. :thumbsup:

Too many gears. :yikes:

Looking forward to some fine ride reports! :yesnod:


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## rcnute (Dec 21, 2004)

I favorited your bike.


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## brucew (Jun 3, 2006)

m_s said:


> Those stock avid roundagon rotors pretty much suck.
> 
> The question is more general: how was Strong to work with? I really like his dirt road bikes that I've seen in person and on this forum.


I agree with the critique of the Roundagons. 

I replaced mine with Avid G3. I chose them because I wanted stainless, and my front hub was Shimano CenterLock and the rear hub is ISO six-bolt. The G3s come either way, so I could have matching rotors, but with different mounts

You can get an idea of what Carl's like here: http://www.velocipedesalon.com/forum/f22/strong-frames-15047.html 

To the OP: Thanks for this. I like an all-rounder for my commuting rig. It's nice to see some of Carl's work in this area. When I have mine built, it will vary in some details, (and will be Ti so I don't have to worry about paint scrapes in the bike racks around the city) but the fundamentals will be very similar to yours.


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## singlecross (Nov 1, 2006)

m_s said:


> The question is more general: how was Strong to work with? I really like his dirt road bikes that I've seen in person and on this forum.


This is my second bike frame from Carl. I have no hesitation recommending him as a builder... both of my experiences have been great. This man knows how to build what you want. For TIG... go Carl!

singlecross


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## singlecross (Nov 1, 2006)

MB1 said:


> Pretty bike. :thumbsup:
> 
> Too many gears. :yikes:
> 
> Looking forward to some fine ride reports! :yesnod:


The 24 tooth chainring is for when the road ends... straight into the forest I'll go!


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## FatTireFred (Jan 31, 2005)

disc and dt shifters... now there's a combo you don't see every day


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## zuk88 (Jan 11, 2006)

Perfection....I want one!!


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## Slim Again Soon (Oct 25, 2005)

That's a clean machine. :thumbsup:

Nice mounts on the disc brakes ... good job all around, actually.

Enjoy!


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## Dave Hickey (Jan 27, 2002)

Well done....that is an excellent design


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## MB1 (Jan 27, 2004)

Dave Hickey said:


> Well done....that is an excellent design


Ha! :idea: 

You just like it because it is red. :yesnod:


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## singlecross (Nov 1, 2006)

FatTireFred said:


> disc and dt shifters... now there's a combo you don't see every day


Just wait until I get the 650B wheelset built... Disc, Downtube shifters, and 650B wheels. Add in a Dynohub and I'll be able to confuse and/or alienate everybody. Just like Grant P.
 

singlecross


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## Pablo (Jul 7, 2004)

That bike is hawt. I almost like it as much as my bike.


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## weltyed (Feb 6, 2004)

i have an old rb-1. 
your bike is pretty much what i want in a bike. steel. disc. non-threaded (but i might go carbon).


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## onrhodes (Feb 19, 2004)

Nice bike, only change I would make if it were mine is compact crank with apex shifters and 11-32 gearing.


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## Ridgetop (Mar 1, 2005)

Very nice. And it'll stand out in the crowd like a true beauty should!


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## tarwheel2 (Jul 7, 2005)

Sweet. That's definitely a do-it-all.


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## tomk96 (Sep 24, 2007)

nice. can i borrow it?


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## kiwisimon (Oct 30, 2002)

Singlecross, nice original example of a great custom build. Love the chainstay meld to disk mounts inboard, very svelte looking dropouts. That's one thing I would change on mine so rack fitting is less of an issue. Another original Carl Strong do it all bike here http://www.dropbox.com/gallery/1186654/1/Rohloff?h=ef5a74 , doing it's stuff here in Japan.


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## lwkwafi (Jan 21, 2006)

Wow, that looks awesome. Looks like it gets as close to the all-in-one that you can under most circumstances. Also glad to see you return some business to someone that did well by you. 
As MB says, looking forward to even more crazy ride reports.


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## Hjalti (Feb 26, 2004)

*Nice Bike*

Lovely. :thumbsup:


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## crossracer (Jun 21, 2004)

With this bike you have completely failed. Why? Well you have three tire sizes you can install on this rig. Well all major bike computers only have two tire choice settings.        So now you will always have to reprogram your computer again and again and again. LOL LOL LOL 

Ok, great rig. Just one question? Why did you not go with STI style levers instead of down tube shifters? Was it just to save money? 

Aside from that it is a great ride, i am really jealous. What a nice build. 

Bill .


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## singlecross (Nov 1, 2006)

crossracer said:


> With this bike you have completely failed. Why? Well you have three tire sizes you can install on this rig. Well all major bike computers only have two tire choice settings.        So now you will always have to reprogram your computer again and again and again. LOL LOL LOL
> 
> Ok, great rig. Just one question? Why did you not go with STI style levers instead of down tube shifters? Was it just to save money?
> 
> ...


Bike computer? What's that? I look at the scenery man, not the numbers. When I do go rambling with the bike, handheld GPS doesn't care about wheel size. Gives really nice maps to find the backroads though.:thumbsup: 

As for the downtube shifters... Simple, bulletproof, cheap, & classy. What's not to LOVE? They also make the bike easier to break apart for travel with the S&S couplers.

Looks like rain this week... time to throw on the color-matched fenders.

singlecross


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## carter1 (Aug 5, 2004)

very nice. Tucker Orange I believe. Looks familiar. I like the new rear disc mount.
c


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## Belltownbrazer (Oct 6, 2010)

*Allow my first post here...*

to be spam.

I have the sister of this bike for sale in the classifieds right now:

http://classifieds.roadbikereview.com/showproduct.php?product=22435&cat=

B


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