joshr

ok, after an extra week plus, i just now (drumroll, please) rode the san jose home from the shop.

love it. i took the longish way home, hit some very light dirt trails that parraellel the bike path. i missed being fixed a little, but thats easy to fix with some cash down the road.

anyway, i know pics are in order but probably won't be up for a few days.

flipped4bikes

Harris Cyclery is selling these for $950. A little pricey, no? But I guess if you want a bulletproof 8-speed bike with upgraded wheels and better tires...

joshr

ok, i posted a few pics and a link in the 'show us your cross bike' thread.

daveF

Still enjoying the San Jose? I finally rode one of my other bikes, my Litespeed w/Ultegra 9, on Saturday. It's been 5 months since I've been on anything but a fixed or single speed & two months since I've ridden anything other than my San Jose. I think the off road intervals have helped my speed on the road.

joshr

yeah, went out and ran a few errands in the rain yesterday. i'm really happy with the 'all around-ness' of the bike so far. hopefully it will clear up long enough sometime this week for my son and i to go mudding.

phillybill

In case anyone is looking for one.

https://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...MESE%3AIT&rd=1

B17

I'm seriously interested in this bike. What's the downside of the wheelset? Is it weight, durability or smoothness? I can live with a few extra grams if the hubs are really nice, or if the wheels are bombproof. Or is it that they're really road hubs not intended for off-road use?

phillybill

I would say that they are really road wheels not intended for off road use. Not the most bomb proof things I have seen. They ride nicly on the street.

deathintransit

My girlfriend got one.
She got it a shop called Performance on Grand located in St.Paul Minnesota and she said the guy who helped her with it was great.

She had been previously riding around on an old department store bike that was a...department store bike. Then she went to our local DIY shop and someone helped her build one up there. After a couple of weeks of mechanical problems she decided to put her new credit card to use.

I was recommending the Redline 925 to her since it was simple and came with fenders. We looked at one shop and they didn't have the size so they sent us to another location. The San Jose caught her eye and she made a B-line right for it.

We've been a few rides (not nearly enough, though) and she can go. It's awesome.

I plan on getting a SanJose as well and maybe down the road upgrade the wheels to a Surly/Salsa Delgado set.

Tango6

I picked one up on Monday of this week. First real commute was today and it was great. I really enjoyed the feel of the bike and the "hum" of the tires at certain speeds. Don't know how fast I was going but it felt like 15-18 mph most of the time. A few small hills so the 42x17 felt about right. I asked the LBS to throw in a 48 tooth chain ring so I can ride with my son on his pista and not have to spin like a madman to keep up. I also took off the leopard skin saddle and replaced it with my Brooks B17. Anyway, cool ride I'm glad I bought it.

flipflop

Tmax1:

How does the pista do off road? I've thought about it with mine, but the 48x16 and slicks on there now don't make dirt much fun!

Thanks

Tango6

This is probably old news to those of you who have had single speeds before, but make sure you tighten the rear axle nuts very securely prior to really standing on the crank to take off. It can slip the tire into the chainstay causing the rear tire to lock up and without the ability to quickly unclip you will bust your ass in the middle of the street in front of several onlookers. Dammit.

outofthesaddle

Mine finally came in a couple of weeks ago. Unfortunately, it was just in time for me to leave for vaction for 9 days. I've only been out on it for two very short rides. I haven't got the postion worked out yet. So far the bike feels "short" to me. I ride a 56tt on my road bike and a 55tt on my geared 'cross bike. I'm not sure why the virtual 56tt feels cramped but I'll have to work on refining the position. I think I'm going to throw on my fixed wheelset with some cross tires. Not sure how it will work out.

joshr

Its finally sunny out, here are a few pics of my San Jose.

On-One Mungo bars
Brooks Team Pro saddle on a Thomsen Elite post
stock wheels and tires rebuilt with IRO high flange hubs, fixed/free.
Crank Brothers Mallets

otherwise everything else is still stock.

B17

Looks great! Hey, what's your chainline at the crank, and what model of crank (I know the brand is Sugino) is it? I got hold of a frameset w/stock headset and BB (I think the BB is stock, anyhow- gives me a 52mm chainline with an older Shimano MTB triple on the outside ring). I've been trying to find a ss wheelset that matches that. I know the IRO doesn't, unless I go with the singlespeed hub, but that's 135, not the 130 of the San Jose spacing. I have the option of using a road hub with spacers and a Nashbar bolt-on skewer, but even there, I'm not sure I can get a sprocket far enough out on the cassette to make 52.

joshr

Hmmm, I'm pretty sure I've got 42mm in the front. I need to check the rear again, but it looks pretty straight.

Tango6

Am I the only one who thinks it is a pain to replace chainrings with the stock Sugino since the crank arm covers one of the bolts. It is impossible to get the chainring bolt tool or allen wrench in between the arm and the bolt. Using a small flat tip screwdriver to hold the slotted side works but not very well. Is there a solution?

joshr

I noticed this too, but I haven't tried anything yet. If I do I'll post about it.

wintermute

that sure is one purdy bike. Those allterrainasaurus tires look alot better on the bike then the WTB site would lead one to think. Still waiting for my Volpe...

akky

Just got my SJ built last night, (got the frameset of ebay) can't wait for this afternoon to go fo a ride. Was built mostly with stuff I already had. Right now it's set up as fixed, but also have a freewheel on the other side. Joshr, I liked the Mungo bars so much in yours I had to get those.

BodiesOfLight

My LBS said the San Jose runs small, is this true?

Donkey Hodie

Actually, i think it might run big. When the guys at harris cyclery fitted me for my san jose the 58 was the one that was the right size. The 61 was just too big and i felt like i was reaching or stretching too much. Im 6'2" with a 32 inseem and I figured I would need to go with a 60 or 61. The 58 fits me NICE!
I love this bike

I test rode the redline 925 in a 60 or 61 and it felt more cramped to me than my san jose.

BodiesOfLight

Hm, well, I'm 'bout 5' 8'' with about a 30.5in inseem and my LBS had one built (58cm), which was too big for me, but I wanted to ride it anyway, the only thing that was really too big about it was the stretch like you said. The one I was thinking would fit me (55cm) still needed to be build, so I'm waiting on that now. Maybe I would need the 52cm? I'm used to MTBs, and I do like a little smaller fit.

EDIT: I had them get the 52cm instead, should be ready Thursday. Hopefully it fits like a glove and I can stop worrying.

alanbikehouston

Grant Peterson, of Rivendell, obviously likes the bikes made and sold by HIS company. But, the most recent issue of his "Rivendell Reader" had a rave review of the San Jose. He has "rules" for what makes a bike a USEFUL bike, including the ability to use fat tires, use fenders and racks, simplicity, reliability, and good fit. He thinks that at the $600 price point, the San Jose is a "best buy".

His one quibble was that it is difficult to get the bars as high as the saddle, his preferred postion. He had a photo of a San Jose that had been "Rivendelled". It had a higher stem, a brooks saddle, fenders...it even looked like a Rivendell.

Donkey Hodie

do you have a link or a copy of the "Rivendelled" San Jose you could post? Or is the "Rivendell Reader" a news letter sent by mail?