I first mentioned
Sketchy Cycles last summer, when I went on a ride with Jim and he rode his new custom bike. Since then I have been curious to try one, and now I finally have.
This pink
Sketchy belongs to Susan, who works at
Harris Cyclery and also writes the blog Twelfth Bike. She has had it for exactly a year now, and has used it for everything from commuting to the D2R2. Susan is an experienced cyclist, who has ridden many other nice bicycles over the years, and she likes her
Sketchy the best and has a review of this bicycle here. Susan's bike has a pink, white and black colour scheme going, which I find very pleasant.
Sketchyframes are steel and handmade by Mike Salvatore, who is a welder at
Seven Cycles. There is no website yet, but you can get in touch here. What intrigued me about
Sketchy, was that some pretty knowledgeable local bike people started getting them: mechanics, bike shop employees, even other frame builders (Brad of Geekhouse Bikeshas just had one made). What is it about
Sketchy that has made it the "it" bike for those in the know?
Well, here was my chance to find out. I was able to try Susan's bike, because not only are we the same height, but she uses
Campagnolo ergos (my hands don't work with
Shimano STIs, which really limits the roadbikes I can competently test ride).
Threadless stem and modern compact drop bars, the feel of which I quite like. I've been trying to get a feel for whether I prefer handlebars like these to the likes of
Nitto Noodles and
Grand Bois Maes, but really can't decide. Possibly it depends on the bike.
Is it normal that I find brazed-on brake cable hangers "pretty?"
Paul's cantilever brakes.
A
J-Tek adaptor to make the non-
Campy drivetrain compatible with the
Campagnolo levers.
Carminacrankset and a very cool chainguard.
Velocity wheels with wide tires (usually 35mm) that change based on season and the type of riding Susan is doing.
At the moment they are
Schwalble Marathon Supremes.
Dynamo lighting.
Lezynepump mounted next to the waterbottle cage, which I thought was a neat idea.
Berthoud saddle (which Susan is not quite sure she likes yet).
SKS fenders and
Tubus rear rack (which may get replaced with a custom-made rack at a later stage).
And this very cool
Nokon beaded cable housing.
In order for me to ride the bike, we had to lower the saddle a bit, and Susan switched her clipless pedals to
MKS Touring pedals. Everything else remained the same. I rode the bike with the handlebars just about level with the saddle (though maybe a tad higher) and no foot retention.
My ride was short and did not do justice to what this bicycle is meant for - which is long, spirited rides while transitioning between road and trails with ease. That's the problem with riding somebody else's vey nice custom bike - I just wouldn't feel comfortable taking it on a 40 mile ride on and off road. Still, trying the
Sketchy for a few miles along the back roads allowed me to get acquainted with the bicycle's feel and handling - both of which I quite liked. Because the bicycle fit me well and I could comfortably use the levers, I was comfortable on it immediately. I rode from West Newton to Belmont and back, trying to choose hilly streets. In some ways, the handling felt similar to the
Seven I rode earlier this summer: the easy acceleration and maneuverability, albeit with wider tires and a more "grounded" feel to it. I can see how it would do especially well on trails for that reason.
The ride was comfortable over bumps and potholes, though in a completely different way that the titanium
Seven had been. On the
Sketchy I could feel the road more, but that feeling was springy and cushioned and therefore not painful. On the
Seven it was as if I could not feel the road in the first place. I don't know whether that description makes sense, but it is the best comparison I can think of. I felt very natural riding the
Sketchy and can readily imagine it as my own bike, with the one exception being that I'd prefer a slightly longer top tube and lower handlebars - this felt a little bit too upright. But otherwise I would not change much about the frame or Susan's build.
I feel privileged to have tried a
Sketchy bicycle and give my sincere thanks to Susan for trusting me to ride hers. I hope you enjoyed this introduction to one of Boston's latest custom builders.
Can you spot some of the, erm... unusual updates?
First, there is the bell mounted on the top tube. Yes, the top tube. An eccentric choice, but I think it looks distinguished!
Then there is the computer on the handlebars. The juxtaposition of the computer and the twine makes me giggle. In return, he threatens to put one on his 
And, Oh God, what's this? He installed clipless pedals (SPD 520) and bought clipless cycling shoes to go with them. Madness!
Of course, you've probably noticed these. Yes, they are twin, fully twined water flasks - with sports sprouts, or whatever those things are called. Spectacular, no?
And finally, behold the
Bob, Sandy, John, Gary, and Smitty. This photo was taken in December 1973, just a few weeks before I left Reykjavik, Iceland. It's really hard to believe that it was 35 years ago! My one-year tour of duty in Iceland was made much more pleasant because of their presence.
[edited to add:Power Gripswas a sponsor of this website September-October . This review was written before that time.]
Power Grips are basically straps made of a thick, stiff woven fabric, that mount diagonally on the pedals. It is easy to slide your foot in and out, but the diagonal position grips the foot firmly in place once it is all the way in. Note that we mounted these with the logo on the inside. There is also a beige version with an argyle pattern accompanying the logo.
Even as I write this, it sounds implausible that something can both "grip the foot firmly" and "be easy to slide in and out of," but that is the feeling. Because the band is diagonal, there is a large escape area as soon as you move your foot back a bit. You can also feel the grip getting tighter/looser as you shift your foot forward or backward on the pedal, so there is a natural bodily awareness of the system that works in your favour. When approaching a stop, I simply slide one foot off the pedal and step down on the ground. Initially I would remove the second foot at stops as well, but eventually I discovered that it was easier to just keep it inside the grip.
I am not qualified to say how effective the Power Grips are in terms of pedaling efficiency; I simply would not know. It feels as if with the grips I can pedal with more power, but it may very well be an illusion. However, none of that is important to me, and what really matters is safety. The Power Grips keep my feet firmly in place when going over bumps, yet are easy to get out of whenever I need to.
I should mention also that the straps come in several sizes, and are adjustable to fit over different types of footwear. They do not squeeze or rub the top of the foot, so I am pretty sure you could wear them even with sandals.
Another nice thing about the Power Grips, is that if you want to pedal without them, you can easily use the other side of the pedal. I do not feel comfortable yet wearing the grips in stop-and-go traffic, so when the traffic gets dense I simply cycle with them upside down and my feet are free.The straps do not hang low enough to scrape against the ground. And even if there is an occasional scrape, it is soft and silent (whereas toe clips make screeching, clunking noises).
Some complain that Power Grips don't look attractive on a bike, but I think they are fine: it is just a strap attached to the pedal. They will soon be moved from my Rivendell to my fixed gear bicycle - though I must say it is tempting to keep them here, too. Unless riding in traffic, it actually feels nice to have my feet in the straps, especially when pedaling fast or going over bumps.
We paid extra for these level of trail grooming?
Skiers tracks in the woods
Happier now the snow is falling.
