Hopefully a constructive review of a few bikes I owned this year.

[mattsbeers]

Man it must be winter because there have been way too many anti this, this bike cost too much, you don't need those wheels threads. Not wanting to high-jack this thread: Unpainted Carbon Forks - only acceptable with Ti now? I thought I would share my thoughts on the bikes I rode this year.resize.jpgphp4b7SPqAM.jpgphprT0YZvAM.jpg
If you want to skip to the end I sold the Spooky.
I love aluminum bikes, I have owned a Caad 5,8,9, Ridley X-bow, Icarus to name a few, but remain frame material agnostic. I ordered the steel Rocklobster a few years ago and might go to the grave with that thing. It was my race bike for two seasons and is stiff, light and so comfortable and is hands down the best handling bike I have ever ridden NBD.
I think I would still own the Spooky if I hadn't gotten my Primus Mootry. The Skeletor was lighter than all three, fit great, handled beautifully and was truly a nice bit of kit. Until a box from Colorado showed up at my door. The Skeletor is a faultless race bike, I think about buying another one whenever they hit the classifieds, but the Primus Mootry is a game changer for me. It is the stiffest bike I have ridden, but at the same time is super comfy. I did two 100+ rides on it this summer, great bike for just turning your brain off and hammering away.
The Spooky just happen to be stuck in the middle, it rode a little rougher than the Primus and wasn't as stiff. It was a 1%er problem, I passed it on to a friend who continues to love it and rides the shit out of it. What the moral of this rant? This is a really great time for people who love race bikes, carbon, steel, aluminum, whatever. Ride the piss out of what ever you have and hopefully you get as lucky as I was and find those perfect bikes. A bike is a tool not a jewel.

[Matthew Strongin]

Perfect. That's what I was hoping to hear. My Spooky is the bike that still surprises me with how much I love riding it. Like in the I love getting new bikes, but I'd be afraid to get rid of it and not be able to find another one so it will stick around for a long, long time kind of way. But I'm always curious about similar bikes and the subtle differences.

What the moral of this rant? This is a really great time for people who love race bikes, carbon, steel, aluminum, whatever. Ride the piss out of what ever you have and hopefully you get as lucky as I was and find those perfect bikes. A bike is a tool not a jewel.

And i totally agree...

[-HvA-]

Dare I ask, can you talk a bit about how the Caads compare to the custom aluminum frames?

[musgravecycles]

what's the story on the Lobster? It looks to be a longish wheelbase bike for rough roads??

[jitahs]

[jimbo]

Matt,
Nice write up. Love the Lobsta' and the Mootry.
On a side note: I'd kill to rock your saddle to bar drop.....
My little hampster legs could never pull that off.

[caleb]

Good lookin' bikes - all.

[chancerider]

That Lobster just looks RIGHT.

[liv2bike]

Nice man. All three of them. Those are all on my shortlist...leaning heavily towards an Al Mootry as my next addition to the stable. One of the guys in our club has a Mootry, rides it all the time. Nice, purpose built machines.

[Z3c]

I have had a PM Alu for 2 summers and I really like it. I had high hopes and they have all been exceeded by this bike; it is amazingly comfortable, certainly stiff enough and was pretty much a bargain. Joe was a pleasure to deal with and did a few optional things for gratis..

[mattsbeers]

Thanks for all the "likes", I can only take credit for having good taste.

what's the story on the Lobster? It looks to be a longish wheelbase bike for rough roads??

I don't exactly know what the geometry is, but when I ordered the frame I said "I want a modern steel race bike", and Paul did the rest. The Rocklobster has a shortish front center 59cm and a lowish bottom bracket, Paul spec'd longer chainstays to compensate for the 72.5 seat tube angle. The frame fits 28's perfect, and yes when the road is rough, fast and twisty it can not be touched. The guys I ride with seem to think I am a daredevil descender, but good handling is just a product of having impeccably designed race bikes with wheels and my weight in the right place. Pretty simple really.

[TRuss]

Thanks for the reviews as all three of those are being considered for my next bike. And you already know how I feel about your bikes.

[suspectdevice]

fwiw,
Spooky is out of the production bike game.
The ride of the production Skeletor and Havocstaff frames are representative of our design philosophy but we've changed our focus to making the exact tool a rider needs to accomplish their goals.

[fixednwinter]

I like all your pictures. I especially like your use of 3T Rotundo classic bars. They look great aesthetically, but more importantly, they're functional, comfortable, and, at least to my hands, they're more "ergonomic" than some of the supposedly ergo bars out there.

I'm also delighted that you like your PM. Joe D is an awesome builder. He built me an aluminum frame last year - an extreme, all-out, race rocket. It's an uncomprising, insanely rigid frame. Next spring, Joe will have completed my next frameset - a MAX frame and fork: robust, relaxed and built for longer distances. I'm eagerly looking forward to the result.

[mattsbeers]

I hope that the above statements don't get misconstrued, I think the Skeletor was a fantastic bike, and I want another one. I also want a Spooky aluminium cross frame.....and a 650b hardtail, and a custom road. I might have a problem.

[Chooey]

Hey, I want to hear about your Sizemore training bike?!

[doctor855]

That PM is the cats pajamas........this thread could use some more doping content however.

[mattsbeers]

Hey, I want to hear about your Sizemore training bike?!

The Sizemore is dope, stiff, comfortable, fits great. The blue one here: Your bike(s) - post picture here if there isn't a category is actually version 2.0 as the first one ended up like this.....php3uEuktPM.jpg
after t-boning a car. Taylor Sizemore is a friend of mine and he hooked me up with the frames. You should buy one of his frames too!

[Chooey]

More Sizemore!

image.jpg

"A bike is a tool not a jewel."

[tedschwartz]

mattsbeers has the best taste. !!