We’re a bike shop with locations in Victoria, Langford and Nanaimo, British Columbia. We carry a wide variety of bicycles, from family commuters and city bikes to high end mountain and road bikes, and have advanced, fast turnaround service shops. We carry several leading brands of bicycles, including Specialized, Norco, and Ridley, and are big proponents of 29ers for much of the riding on Vancouver Island. (Read more...)
OBB Victoria is Open on Monday May 21st

OBB Victoria is Open on Monday May 21st

Yep, we’re open for the long weekend. 12 Noon – 5pm. Come say hi after (or before) your rides!
Huatulco Triathlon Race Report by Matt Sharpe

Huatulco Triathlon Race Report by Matt Sharpe

OBB has been supporting Triathlon Code, a triathlon development team, for a few years now and we’re super excited for Matt riding his first ever World Cup this year. He sent over this race report: I recently returned from my first ever World Cup level Triathlon, which took place in...
Ore Crusher Race Report by Geoff Homer

Ore Crusher Race Report by Geoff Homer

OBB rider Geoff Homer sent over a little report from the Ore Crusher in Squamish. Highlight number one of my Saturday May 12th was racing the 2012 edition of the Ore Crusher. Highlight number two, in case you were wondering, was watching Pretty in Pink for the first time. I’d...
OBB at Bike to Work Week 2012

OBB at Bike to Work Week 2012

The 2012 Victoria Bike to Work Week kicks off for May 28 – June 3 and OBB is excited to be involved in a big way again this year. We’ll be manning the following Celebration Stations: Wednesday, May 30th, 2012: CAMOSUN COLLEGE LANSDOWNE CAMPUS OAK BAY MUNICIPAL HALL Friday, June...
Nanaimo Build: Kona Operator

Nanaimo Build: Kona Operator

Kona launched the Operator platform last year and it’s been a super successful bike for them. It’s low slung, with a nicely tuned single pivot setup, and has oversized pivots and bearings so it’s not in the shop all the time for service. Kona bikes are available only at our...
The 2012 Norco Brand Book

The 2012 Norco Brand Book

Norco is really pushing it right now with some solid bike designs and a willingness to take risks. They’ve also put out a great little magazine-style “Brand Book” for 2012 which we’re really enjoying. Check it out here, and see if you can recognize any local spots/trails in there!

Vegan Dave hit us up with some notes on his new Ridley X-Night build:

Very excited for the arrival of my custom colored X-Night. I went with orange and green of course, but took a gamble with picking the darker metallic green. It came out amazing – looks black in the shade, but pops in the light! I also went with the white to better show off the post-race mud.

It’s built up with parts from my old Salsa, mainly Campy Chorus; some highlights of the bike include:

  • Avid Shorty Ultimate brakes, simply the best, near V-brake power, but with much more modulation than the TRP mini-V’s
  • Specialized Phenom Expert saddle, very comfy
  • XTR pedals, new design has excellent mud clearance
  • FSA WingPro alloy bars, flat top is so much more comfortable, especially in bumpy terrain
  • Lizard Skins bar tape, just go to the shop and touch the sample, you’ll be hooked immediately!
  • integrated seat post, i’m excited that I won’t have to worry about it sliding or twisting!
  • full cable housing and internal routing – very clean looking, and the cables go fully from the shifter/brake body to the end

Pictured has my old Easton EA90 Aero wheels (great bang for the buck) and classic Michelin Mud tires – this is my training and back-up wheel set-up, and 105 cranks I threw on until the Red’s arrive (and will have a 34t/44t combo in the front.) My race wheels will be my tubeless Stan’s Alpha340 wheels with my PowerTap hub and Specialized Captain CX Pro tires (better than the Mud2′s for around here in my opinion). Weight as shown is 18.3lbs, but should be well under 17.5lbs for races.

I’ve only taken it out for a quick spin, the stiffness was felt immediately – you pedal, and it leaps forward! The handling is what I was most excited for, and it lived up to expectations. In a grassy field, swooping in tight arch’s, typical of Cross on the Rock courses, confidence was high as the frame pushed the wheels into the ground, and kept everything stable and upright. Wasn’t out long enough to really comment on the comfort, but didn’t feel like it was beating me up at all.

Another note that will no doubt be controversial – I use 165mm cranks on the road (and this comes from the track), and decided to try them on my CX bike this year as well. There’s a steep little climb on the route I took, and I seem to make it up 50% of the time, often stalling out at the top. Aced it with 100% confidence. One aspect of shorter cranks (and a fault of longer cranks) is that the ‘dead spot’ at 12 o’clock is amplified as the crank gets longer – Jon Taylor can comment on this. Riding a shorter crank means it’s easier to carry the turn-over at this position (think of riding an elliptical, and spreading your feet out vs close for smaller, tighter circles). This can come in handy in CX. Another benefit is a smoother spin, more clearance from the ground, and slightly less cramped cockpit (ie. knees further from the chest in more aggressive positions). And maybe a little lighter. Something to consider anyway.

Looking forward to getting on it more, racing begins September 11th!!

- ‘Vegan Dave’ Shishkoff


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5 comments

  1. Emile de Rosnay says:

    Aug 21, 2011

    Nice ride. I must say, your best looking bike so far ;)
    Agreed on the 165mm, especially about the dead spot. I think for most it would take a bout a month to get used to. But think about being able to pedal through most corners…

  2. Ian Marsh says:

    Aug 24, 2011

    Nice ride!! Love the colour scheme.

    Can you tell me the frame size, and Vegan Dave specifics, inseam and height?
    This might help me in sizing one of these beauties.

  3. Dave Shishkoff says:

    Aug 25, 2011

    Heya Ian – the Ridley website is very well detailed on the sizing aspects, but i ordered a 52cm (normally ride a 54cm, but i like a shorter top tube, and Ridley’s all seem to come ‘long’.)

    I’m 5’10, and my inseam is about 33″. I didn’t have to cut the seat mast either, i’ve just added in the smallest spacer, and it seems about right!

    Let me know if you have any other q’s, it rides like a dream!!!

  4. Dave Shishkoff says:

    Aug 25, 2011

    Oh, and btw, i’ve swapped over to Red cranks, and it’s already under 17.5lbs. =)

  5. Ian Marsh says:

    Sep 18, 2011

    Dave

    Thanks for the info. I picked up the XNight in World Champ Colors in a 52. Looks fantastic, and boy is it stiff!!!!

    I have a few questions regarding the headset assembly if you have time? ianmarsh@shaw.ca.

    ian

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