Have I mentioned I have poor impulse control?

I watched Paris-Roubaix on Sunday, the whole 6 hours of it. Right at the start, I saw clever mechanics using these stupid little portable inflators to air up tires. 

!!!!!

$30 in parts and two days later, I have my own. Thanks, Amazon!

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Afternoon ride, Sunday. 

With so many bikes, I have a problem keeping them all fitting the same. #firstworldproblems, eh? This will also serve as a reference for the bikes I’m currently building 😉

Salsa Colossal (130mm stem)

1. Saddle to BB: 76 cm
2. Saddle to Bars: 56 cm
3. Saddle to Ground: 101 cm
4. Bars to Ground: 95 cm

Soma ES (120 mm stem)

1. Saddle to BB: 76 cm
2. Saddle to Bars: 57 cm
3. Saddle to Ground: 100.5 cm
4. Bars to Ground: 95 cm

Soma DC Ergo Trainer (120mm stem)

1. Saddle to BB: 76 cm
2. Saddle to Bars: 55.5 cm
3. Saddle to Ground: 101 cm
4. Bars to Ground: 94 cm

Soma Grand Randonneur (130mm stem)

1. Saddle to BB: 76 cm
2. Saddle to Bars: 56.5 cm
3. Saddle to Ground: 101 cm
4. Bars to Ground: 97 cm

It’s amazing what you can do with stems, isn’t it? The Colossal has a 130mm 0 deg. stem, the ES a 120mm -10 deg stem, and the DC has a 120mm 0 deg. stem, and all bikes, except the Grand Randonneur, hover within 1 cm of saddle to bar drop (which is low because I’m old and fat).

In the four years I have owned my 2013 MY Salsa Colossal, everything except for the frame and fork has been changed/updated. Oh, the seat collar and the brake calipers are still stock 😉

My original intent was a one-bike quiver, sadly it didn’t fulfill that. If I had any meaningful criticism of the original Colossal, it would be the wheels/tire clearance. The original Sun Attack wheels were exceptionally mediocre, and my optimism that I could stuff a 32mm tire in there was misplaced due to the tight Enve fork.  Both of these criticisms were corrected in the 2nd Generation of the Salsa Colossal. Like many bikes, and in particular the Colossal, a nice pair of modern tubeless road disc wheels, such as the Velocity Aileron wheels I have upgraded to, really bring the bike alive. For a rider of my weight (102 kg/230 lbs), tubeless is an attractive option to pinch flats on a bike that can only take a 28mm tire.

That said, it has long been a bike I love to ride, and I think that shows in my commitment to evolving this bike as I discover more.

The latest iteration benefits from Salsa’s excellent Cowbell 2 handlebars, Thompson stem, SRAM Rival 22 groupset, Wickwerks chain rings, Speedplay Pave pedals, a Brooks C13 saddle, and a Specialized CG-R carbon seat post.