Bike Profile

Basement projects at Perennial Cycle cover a pretty wide array of bike related interests. Marlin is a mechanic at the shop that recently learned how to use the torch and was looking for a fun, practical project. This cargo bike project is Marlin's take on a practical load carrying bike that you can ride around all day without feeling as though your driving a bus, or a tank.

There were a lot of little sketches like this around when the project was going strong. This is the most detailed drawing I ever saw of the Cargo Bike. I'd say that Marlin had a little extra energy after having a sandwich from Caffrey's (I recognize the bag). The sandwich bag sketch gives the main idea behind the design..

The frame is a  steel 90's Fischer mountain bike frame that had a oversized (1-1/4") headset. To convert the front end to fit a 20" front wheel he got a 1-1/8" headtube that happened to fit nicely inside the original headtube and used the new headtube to extend the headtube down. This allowed him to put a large, heavy duty (yet lightweight) rack on the front of the bike.

The rack is brazed onto the frame of the bike and thus when you turn the bike, it does not move with the fork and handlebars like you'd expect a front basket to. The fact that the rack is quite low (this is the reason for the 20" front wheel) means that the weight on the rack does not throw off the handling of the bike much at all. When there is not a load on the rack you don't even notice that the bike is cargo-minded.

You can see a lot more of Marlin's work and see more current projects at his website http://utilitariantransports.com/

Nice work Marlin!

Here's a bike that gets in a lot of miles on the paths around the area. Phil rides a lot and has used a variety of bikes over the years. The past few years have been all about the RANS crank forward bikes. He likes to go fast in an ergonomically friendly position.

The handlebars and riser are custom modifications that have helped make the bike very comfy on the wrist, shoulders and hands. Instead of using the stock "straight" riser, this bike is set up with a RANS curved riser which brings the handlebars back about 3-1/2". The handlebars are swept back cruiser style handlebars with Ergon Grips with built in bar-ends for a variety of hand positions.

Forza 145mm Crankset with FSA chainrings

The other major modification this bike has are the 145mm Forza cranks. These are a nice, triple crank option that can work for a variety of bikes. The Forza cranks are available in 145, 155 and 165mm lengths and the bolt hole pattern is 130/74mm.

Phil is out putting real miles on his bike. I see him on the trails regularly and he's always smokin' down the trail at a quick pace. Looking good Phil!

I did my first double century at the end of last season. This is the Bacchetta Corsa that I used for the ride. I felt that this was a perfect bike for the ride and the set up I had felt just right.

I used a wide range rear cluster (11-32) mixed with a road crankset. This is a good mix of gears for my style of riding. The wheels are 26" with Schwalbe 26 x 1.35 Kojak tires. These tires are nice and durable with a supple sidewall. This makes for a speedy touring style tire. Perfect!

200 miles is a long day and a true test of mental and physical strength. That said, we had a blast and doing the ride on this Corsa was perfect!

Under the seat is a camera bag that allowed me to pull out and take pictures while riding.

We have a pretty wide range of customer's at the shop that put in a good amount of miles each year. Some do (or lead) a lot of club rides, some love the call to tour, some are just all round bicycle users and some are big time commuters. Mark is a commuter with a love of a good tour every now and again.

Mark consistently gets in over 4,000 miles a year. We're talking year after year after year.

Here's some Q & A that Mark submitted as a "Bike Profile"

Bicycle (year, brand and model): 2000 Vision R44, 2002 Vision R85 tandem, 2005 ICE-T

What's your primary use of this bike?: Commuting, but I do day rides and I tour with my wife.

Do you have an especially memorable ride that you did on this bike?: All my rides are memorable, but our tour last summer through the Iron Range in northern Minnesota was a hoot.

Are there any accessories or custom modifications on your bike that you'd like to point out?: I've crated my own "T" bar for mounting my computer and ! light systems and it cost under three dollars. I'll try and get some close up pictures downloaded.

Anything else that you'd like to mention about the bike?: They are like riding on a human powered magic carpet.

Thanks Mark!