I finished building my new Kent Eriksen titanium hardtail XC bike this week. I’ve been working on this bike for almost three months, and it was well worth the effort.

The frame was made by Kent Eriksen in Steamboat Springs, CO. Kent did a great job (as expected), and was very helpful in the design and planning stages. The frame construction, welding and overall design are the best I’ve seen. The attention to detail is also impressive (check out the screw head orientation on the headbadge). The headbadge was designed by Eric and made by Jen Green in Philadelphia, PA. Jen kept to Eric’s design and the badge turned out beautifully. Most of the remainder of the components came from Karl at Klunk Cycles in Columbia, MO, and a handful of parts came from local DC-area bike shops.

The components on the Eriksen tend toward the durable side, as opposed to light weight. The fork is a 100 mm Rock Shox Reba Race w/ lockout, and the drivetrain is mostly Shimano Deore XT with a SRAM cassette and a Wippermann chain. The brakes are from Paul’s Component Engineering, and the wheels are Mavic ceramic Crossmax ST/XLs. Other interseting components include Salsa titanium skewers, Thomson stem, Titec bars, Selle Italia saddle and a very nice Kent Eriksen “Sweetpost” titanium seatpost. The total weight of the bike (w/o pedals) is 23.25 lbs.

I’ve only ridden the Erkisen once. It has been very wet and muddy here. However, I’m planning a biking trip in Colorado and Utah soon, and I’ll have some riding impressions and more photos…

This rare Schwinn Safari was pulled from the garbage a few months ago — the chrome was rusty, the paint was rough and the brake levers were beyond repair. However, I didn’t let the ridiculously small frame and equally small wheels deter me…

The Schwinn now sports a custom two-tone matte green finish with carmel saddle, vintage slingshot style MTB stem, chopped bars and cork bar tape. The retro paint job is nicely complemented by the original white-wall tires. Also, the original non-functional v-brake-style brakes have given way to a fully functional coaster brake. Now I just have to try to ride it.