Posts tagged DeSalvo

I’m loving my new DeSalvo gravel bike. On the first day I made a minor adjustment to the seat height and setback and that was it. It’s totally dialed for me and my riding. This is my fourth custom steel bike in four decades.

But in this day and age, does a custom steel bike still make sense? Here are my top ten reasons why you should buy a custom steel bike!

1. Fit. The top reason to buy any custom bike will always be fit. Maybe you have weird proportions. You’re super tall or super short. Or you’re getting older and those race bikes with crazy low stack heights just don’t work for you.
2. You want something unique. You have very specific ideas that aren’t met by what is out there already. You don’t want the usual Trek or Specialized. You want to be able to pick color.
3. You want rim brakes. Choices for rim brake bikes are almost non-existent these days.
4. You want a deeper connection to the bike. A custom bike is really YOUR bike. It’s not a commodity. It’s not easily replaced.
5. Style. There is something about the clean lines of a quality steel frame.
6. You love the ride of steel. Especially when dialed in for your weight and riding style.
7. Durability. Carbon has come a long way since the 80s and 90s, but it’s still more susceptible to potentially catastrophic damage in even minor mishaps.
8. Affordability. Custom steel might be cheaper than you think. It can be cheaper than off the shelf carbon fiber, and it’s definitely much cheaper than custom ti or carbon.
9. Street cred. Shop rats will swarm your cool ride at the LBS!
10. Fun. The whole process from start to finish is a lot of fun.

Chances are you have a top notch custom builder near you. Shoot them a note or give 'em a call. Support local, MADE IN USA!

When I turned 50 everyone told me that 50 is the new 40. The same holds true for gravel bikes. The new Santa Cruz Stigmata was designed to clear 50mm tires. So was the Enve Mog. And so was my new DeSalvo gravel bike.

In my case I went from 38s on my old Rock Lobster to 48s on the DeSalvo. The tires have the same awesome Rene Herse tread pattern–just a lot more traction and comfort. I’m finding myself way faster and confident on the sketchier gravel sections. From now on, I won’t accept less!

What tires are you running on your gravel bike?

I’ve been a big fan of American-made bikes my whole life. My basement is filled with US-made bikes from Ritchey, Ibis, Bontrager, Soulcraft, Fat Chance, Independent Fabrications and others.

I’ve also been a big fan of NAHBS for years, and have been to quite a few of the NAHBS shows on the West Coast (including one in Sacramento in 2016–you can see my pics from that show here). BikeList was even going to have a booth at NAHBS last year, until the show got cancelled.

So now I’m very excited about the MADE Show, which kicks off in Portland next week. Like NAHBS, the focus is on American framebuilders and domestic production. You can read more about the MADE Show at made.bike

I’m extra excited because Mike DeSalvo is building me a new custom gravel bike, which will be on display in his booth. I scored a silver Shimano GRX kit last year, so I decided to go with a silver and black theme, inspired by my first BMX bike, a silver Raleigh Rampar.



After going deep down the silver paint rabbit hole, I settled on Porsche GT Silver Metallic. Mike has done several bikes in Porsche colors over the years and they always pop!

The rest of the build includes Thomson stem and dropper, Chris King headset, Boyd wheels, and big fat 700 x 48 Rene Herse tires!

Mike just sent me a pic of my frame in the jig. Stay tuned for more pics of the bike, and of the show in general.



Do you plan to attend MADE? Hit me up via DM on IG or at [email protected]