The Gangster: Origin Story

I've been shopping for a bike and have been amazed and maybe a little horrified at how the categories and sub-categories of bikes have multiplied since the days when you had either a "three speed" or a "ten speed". Touring bikes. Relaxed touring bikes. Cyclocross. Gravel. Cargo. Fat tire. Racing. Mountain. Hybrid. Etc. Etc. Etc. You practically need a Linnean classification system for the damn things. 

With the help of expert advice from my friend Cyndi I identified the species I wanted to purchase as roadus gravellus, known colloquially as the "gravel" or "adventure" bike. Able to handle road riding almost like a touring bike, but also some rougher terrain like gravel roads and paths like the C&O canal trail. Very similar to roadus cyclocrossus, but with bigger tire clearance and a more touring friendly frame geometry. After doing some test riding I was about to pull the trigger on the purchase of a Raleigh Tamland when I mentioned my planned purchase to my friend Chris, who emphatically insisted that what I really needed was a touring bike - in fact, a particular carbon frame Trek. I was at that point in danger of descending into what in engineering we call "analysis paralysis" when Cyndi stepped in again, recommending that I not overthink the purchase and just buy something. Whatever I buy as a newbie is going to be different than what I figure out I really want once I get more experience, and I can always buy something else later as I grow in the sport. This is advice I certainly recognized since I'd given it myself many times in the kayaking world - and have lived by as well. I'm pretty sure Cyndi knew that this advice would resonate with me, since she knows how many kayaks I've owned over the years.

With that in mind I decided to give a quick scan to Craigslist. Maybe the right first move for me would be to buy something used. And what to my wondering eyes should appear but an ad for a rather spectacular titanium frame bike which, while set up as a roadus cyclocrossus was (according to both the manufacturer and online reviews) also suitable for gravel exploring and even commuting. Being an older model it lacked disk brakes and didn't have quite the fat tire clearance of the newer gravel bikes, but it met my tire width needs (up to 38mm, for the record), was equipped with high end components all around, and as a used bike was in the same price range as the more pedestrian steel frame Raleigh I had been planning to buy. And it was right nearby in Merrifield. Have I mentioned the titanium frame? Suffice it to say, I bought it. What can I say? I'm a sucker for exotic materials. I like my wooden kayak not because it's the best boat out there (well, it's not bad), but because it's WOOD. Gorgeous, lovely wood. And now I have some gorgeous, lovely Ti.

Tires, old and new

After getting the bike home my first step was to do some work to convert it into the bike I wanted. Off came the knobby cyclocross tires, replaced with a pair of Clement Xplors, a 35mm width tire suited for road and trail. I wanted to make the riding position a little more relaxed, so I flipped the angled stem. This required replacing the front brake cable, since the existing cable didn't have enough play in it to support raising the handlebars. Replacing the brake cable meant replacing the handlebar tape - which I might have done anyway since who knows what kind of icky sweat was on the old tape. Surprisingly, the things I thought would be hard were easy and the easy things were hard. I got through two tire replacements without pinching any tubes - the tires seated right and hold air (I do not have a sterling history in this regard). The brake cable and stem inversion - easy. On the other hand, my handlebar tape job, which I thought would be an easy thing to do, looks sloppy and uneven. Even a little sloppy, the red tape looks sharp with The Gangster's silvery body. And the color is an homage to my first drop-bar bike, a red Motobecane Mirage purchased when I was a teenager.

Finally, there was the issue of pedals. Why are pedals a separate item these days?? I ordered a pair of Shimano pedals online, opting for the first time in my life to go with clip-in pedals. I did, however, select platform format pedals - flip 'em over and they work as regular old pedals which can be worn with regular old shoes. As I screwed them in I thought about the fact that my pedal spanner wrench is older most of the people who had been giving me bike advice, as I've had it since my first foray into the world of bicycles back in the 70's. It may actually be my dad's and so may be older than that. It is stamped "Made in England" - when was the last time this sort of tool was made in the West?

Putting on new pedals with my old wrench

With pedals attached The Gangster was ready to ride and I looked forward to getting it out for a test run.

Ready to Ride

Oh, where does the name come from? I don't usually name cars, or bikes, or boats. None of my kayaks has had a name. Valerie and the boys name our cars, but I only sometimes buy into those names. This bike, though, somehow needed a name. The bike is a Lynskey, which made think of Meyer Lansky. Back in the early days of organized crime there was a Jewish mafia as well as the better known Italian one and Meyer Lansky was the most famous of the Jewish gangsters (the character Hyman Roth in The Godfather is based on Lansky). And so the bike is The Gangster. Actually the bike is a Lynskey Cooper CX, which makes me happy because I like the name Cooper. It's the name of my alma mater (Cooper Union) and, because of that, one of my lizards. But since Cooper already has enough connotations in my life, I chose to play off the Lynskey brand name.

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For those who care about the componentry details:

• Lynskey Cooper CX frame (Titanium), vintage approximately 2010?
• Full Ultegra drivetrain including front and rear derailleurs, 50/34t crank and 11-28t cassette
• TRP Mini-V 8.4 brakes
• Thomson stem and seatpost
• Ritchey comp handlebar
• Specialized Toupe Roubaix saddle
• Mavic Kysrium Equipe wheelset
• Shimano PD-A350 pedals