Van Dessel Sports Country Road Bob

Price Paid:  $999.00 at B1 Bicycles, Columbu

Model Year:
2007

Favorite Ride:
Boulder, Utah, Continental Divide Colorado, Appalachains WV

Bike Setup:
All stock except for tires:
Ritchey aluminum short and shallow ergonomic bend handle bar, stem, and seatpost
Avid BB5 disc brakes
Cyclocross (nobby tires) switched out for the city/hybrid grooved non nobbed tires.

Summary:
2008 model, (differs from earlier models by disc brakes). I just picked up this bike, and I couldn't be happier. Rock solid construction, single speed, gearing is perfect for city riding, light off roading/cyclocross, mild or short hills.
I was worried about a harsh ride (coming from my all carbon Time Edge Racer), but was pleasantly suprised with the plush feel with cyclocross tires. The gearing allows me to accelerate comfortably from stop, cruise easily at 19-20 mph on road, and maintain 22-24 if I really spin. I averaged about 15-17 mph on a light off road cyclocross trail.
The gearing is perfect for me, and without gears and derailleurs, I feels much more efficient.
I got this bike for fall/winter commuting and some off roading. I couldn't be happier. It also comes with all of the grommets/cable guides and rear derailleur hanger in case you want to switch to a geared set up. It has an eccentric bottom bracket for perfect chain tension as a single speed/fixed gear, carbon fork, and disc brakes. Stopping is confident and smooth.

Strengths:
Surprisingly smooth ride
Carbon Fork
Disc brakes
Simplicity and efficiency
Gearing perfect for commuting, some off road trail riding, mild hills
Eccentric bottom bracket
Styling
Short and shallow handle bar bend is surprisingly perfect

Weaknesses:
Weight if you are thinking about racing - 21 lbs stock.

Similar Products Used:
Schwinn Le Tour custom fixed gear that I built up

Price Paid:  $995.00 at Sven's Bicycles of A

Model Year:
2007

Favorite Ride:
Pintlar Scenic Route

Bike Setup:
Bone stock CRB, with Planet Bike yellow fenders. Gives a quirky John Deere green/yellow combination.

Summary:
I just picked up the 2008 Country Road Bob from Van Dessel. I wanted a bike to ride in town and train on, and this fits that description nicely. Great workout bike when you only have an hour. One thing that my LBS and I noticed immediately was that when this machine arrived, the 2008's are fitted with Avid disc brakes and no longer the traditional cyclecross brakes. This makes for a more versatile bike, especially with the rough roads (dirt and paved) we have in Montana. It may bother some, but gone is the flip/flop design of earlier CRB's due to the disc brake redesign, although the bike does come with the fixie cog if you want to switch it. Components excellent, comfortable saddle, no rattles, comfortable ride, very durable. I emailed Van Dessel and learned that they made the switch to discs at the request of NW dealers, and you can run a Rohloff if you want to do so.

Strengths:
See above. Fun fun fun, simple yet challenging if you're used to a geared bike- pedal or perish baby!

Weaknesses:
Cannot think of any right now, other than the shifting is horrible- wink.

Similar Products Used:
No SS or fixies,just geared bikes.

Price Paid:  $600.00 at Tri shop in Seattle

Model Year:
2005

Favorite Ride:
Tapeworm (Seattle area)

Summary:
I really love the versatility of this bike. I am thinking about putting a nexus hub on it so I can train on it over the winter. I used this bike as a commuter in Seattle for about a year and had no problems other than a few rusty bolts. I didn't like the ergo drop bar and went with a traditional drop Salsa number. The only real issue is that there is a terrible shudder from the front brake. I have tried numerous times to re-adjust the pads and tighten the pivot studs and even tried a new fork and a new brake. I think it is either the headset or the frame. I don't want to blame the frame so I guess if I get to trying to fix it again I will have to try a new headset. As I said I love the idea of the bike, the ability to put just about any tires on it, gears or no gears. I rode it fixed gear for quite a while and loved it. Been on some 30+ mile rides and still felt strong.

Strengths:
versatility, cost, out of the box cross racer with the right tires.

Weaknesses:
possible front end issues associated with braking

Similar Products Used:
mostly just mountain bikes but slowly switching over to road.

Price Paid:  $700.00 at amazon.com

Model Year:
2007

Favorite Ride:
route 5

Bike Setup:
Crank Bros Eggbeater Pedals
Everything else is stock

Summary:
I have had the Country Road Bob for a couple weeks now and I have been mostly satisfied with it. The Bob is a classy looking bike that rides smooth and clean and gets a lot of attention, but it is definitely not a racer. It is comfortable between the speeds of 15-25 miles per hour, but anything over 25 will make for a pretty shakey ride. The gear ratio has a lot to do with it and I still don't completely trust the cranks.

Although I haven't yet "rediscovered the pure happiness of mastering riding a two wheeler" (as advertised) I have thoroughly enjoyed cruising on my pretty bike.

Strengths:
Relatively light
Removable cable guides
Really comfortable drop bar grip
Hot sytle
The seat is fine.

Weaknesses:
Gear ratio
Clicky cranks
Awkward brake setup
People will be unnecessarily impressed by the hot style

Similar Products Used:
shwinn traveler