Masi Speciale CX love

We received this really cool photo and short note this morning in our email this morning from Masi owner Shane Farthing;

Here's my Masi CX fully loaded, on a ride from the Pittsburgh suburbs to DC on the Great Allegheny Passage and C&O Canal Trail. The bike carried the load and road like a dream for all 385 miles of trail.

Shane, we're super happy you're as happy with your Speciale CX as we are about making them- it's a great bike and one that has built a great reputation out on the road (and trail).

Thanks for sharing with us- we love hearing from happy owners, so keep'em coming!

Winter bikes

Winter can be a wet and ugly affair in many places around the country, but why should that keep you from riding year round? Most of us are not made of sugar and will not melt in the rain or sloppy snow. With that in mind, why give up riding simply because things get cold and/ or wet?

Many people have differing thoughts on what makes a great winter bike, but there are several things worth considering when looking at a new winter bike.

• It's certainly nice to keep your rump a little dryer by using fenders. Looking for a bike either with fenders or with mounts that allow attaching fenders is highly recommended. At minimum, it's recommended to at least find something with enough clearance to use some of the slimmer snap/ strap on fenders.
  
• With winter roads often strewn with debris or slippery from snow, ice or rain, a very stable footed bike is beneficial. Bikes with longer wheelbases tend to provide that extra bit of handling security when things are less than favorable.
  
• Similar to fender mounts, rack mounts are a nice plus if you're commuting in the winter- being able to attach racks and panniers to the bike is a big plus for carrying dry clothes or extra bad weather gear. Let's face it, sometimes no matter how well prepared you are when you leave the house, the weather can turn ugly and potentially ruin your ride. Having that extra back up and dry storage for extra clothes or precious cargo can be a lifesaver.
• Another key feature is either the existence of, or ability to add, wider tires- in bad weather, any tire narrower than 25mm is going to be at greater risk of puncturing or slipping in bad conditions. It's best to ride tires at least 25mm wide, but 28's and above are even better if the frame has enough clearance for the wider tire.
  

Those are just a few basics and some people will place greater importance on on some over others, but they serve as a good baseline as you begin your hunting.

And while you're hunting, why not consider one of the following bikes while you're at it;


Speciale Randonneur- fenders included and rack mounts for bringing along all the fixins'. The retro touring styling provides a nice long wheelbase for stability and balance when carrying the heavy loads.


Speciale Commuter- fixed or free, with a long wheelbase for a stable ride and all the braze-ons for racks and fenders. There are those who say that in the worst of conditions, a fixed gear is the ultimate choice since you are not as dependent on a brake pad for stopping. In extreme cold, especially, some folks feel that traditional rubber brake pads become virtually useless and leg braking with a fixed gear provides substantial "back up".


Speciale CX- with a longer wheelbase than a traditional road bike and tons of room for wide tires, the CX is a great all-weather bike. With the rack and fender mounts, it's a great do-anything bike too.


SoulVille 10- the 10spd drivetrain and elegant, simple fenders create an excellent look and feel for a bad weather bike. The more upright and relaxed riding position creates a very stable feel as well.


SoulVille 7- the internal gearing adds another level of convenience and efficiency for bad weather riding. With the same frame as the 10spd, you maintain the same fenders and rack mounts for all your inclement riding needs.


SoulVille 3- need fewer gears than the 7spd or 10spd? Live in a mostly flat area where you need fewer gears? Then the 3spd is your answer. With all the bells and whistles seen on its big brothers and sisters, the 3spd is also an able icky condition rider.


Caffe Racer Doppio (10spd)- the Caffe Racer series is designed as a quick handling flat bar road/ fitness bike. The longer wheelbase is built into an agile geometry for quick handling. Even with the rack and fender mounts in full use, the bikes remain lively and nimble.

Caffe Racer Solo (9spd)

CXR- designed as a competitive cross race bike, the CXR can easily pull double duty as a rainy/ snowy all-purpose bike. Without rack and fender mounts, there is still plenty of room for streamlined fenders and lots of room for wide tires. The racing geometry makes the CXR super quick and an excellent winter road training bike, as well as a great bike for getting into the mud.

***

We may be based in rainless southern California, but we know a little bit about how to design bikes for less than perfect weather. So don't let the winter months put an end to your riding bliss- when done right, even riding in less than perfect weather can be a lot of fun.

Masi Speciale CX in New Zealand

I'm not exactly known for being "a man of few words", in fact... I'm pretty well known for being "wordy". However, sometimes there is nothing I can say better than the words of somebody else. With that said, I'm going to let Vaughan Watson of Christchurch City, New Zealand do the talking here:

Hey Masi Guy,
just thought I'd send in a little story and some pictures of what my Speciale CX and me have been up to over here in New Zealand. You see, over here there is absolutely no such thing as Cyclo-Cross, i.e. no races, nobody knows what such a bike looks like, they're a novelty in obscure corners of foreign magazines for the most part. So what do you do with a steel 'cross bike in New Zealand?

It's done 4 100km+ road races with me placing as high as top 5 in my age group amateur class, and first bunch of amateurs each time in fields of over 1000 people. It's wonderful mixing it up with the carbon boys as many look upon your soulful steel beast with utter disdain!

It's completed two proper XC MTB races in the local Canterbury Summer XC series, first race I got 2nd in sport, then mixing it up with the elite boys I got 6th with a puncture at the next one, despite the mud and slop and many people walking the downhill sections, which the Masi nailed.

It's completed a 106km 'off road' race, consisting mainly of gravel 4x4 road, getting me 30th place out of 700 odd, in freezing cold conditions with a few people getting treated for hypothremia. I tell ya, there is something satisfying about nailing past full suspension bikes downhill in the big ring on your CX bike in an 'MTB' race!

It's done 850 road km in one week, with 414 of those in one day between my hometown Nelson and where I now live in Christchurch City, a goal I've long wanted to accomplish, the Masi rode comfortably for the whole 19 hour (including stops) effort.

It's been ridden through a number of the local MTB trails, some of which get raced in Downhill competition, and the easy line of jumps at the local trail!

It's also been a reliable commuter doing about 80km in that duty each week since I bought it, and has been on a nice leisurely ride with my girlfriend down the local recreational cycle path.

About the only thing it hasn't done is Cyclo-Cross!

Although there is no such thing as Cyclo-Cross in New Zealand, this bike has proven an awesome choice for all types of riding. STEEL IS REAL! I've never had such a comfortable riding road bike, sure rocky MTB trails can be a little hard on the body on this bike compared to the full suss, but sometimes you just gotta suck it up, there is something so satisfying about using such a simple bike to conquer such rugged terrain.

If for some reason I could only own one bike, I would be happy with it being my Masi Speciale CX over any other! Thanks for making such an awesome bike.

Cheers,
Vaughan Watson
Christchurch City
New Zealand
(P.S. those Masi team cycling kits are looking sharp, perfect for getting the word out about your brand at the races!)

Like I said above, there's nothing I can add to make Vaughan's commentary any better.

Thank you Vaughan- we sincerely appreciate your passion for Masi and your Speciale CX... and we agree with you- "steel IS real".

Tim

Speciale CX

It's always nice when we get a little love for the products we love too;

Obviously, we're a bit biased, but we certainly think that the guys at Urban Velo are on to something when they say, "the bottom line is, you get what you pay for and this bike strikes a good balance between 'want' and 'need.' "

The Speciale CX has been one of our best selling bikes since we brought it out 2 years ago. Jeff brings up all the reasons why in his brief analysis of the bike.

If you're looking for a good "do it all" bike that won't break the bank and offers style points to match the value, then look no further than the Speciale CX.

Thanks again to the guys at Urban Velo for the nice mention. (The check's in the mail Jeff... and maybe even a CX to test.)

Tim