Bertha

To get things rolling with this blog I figure the best place to start is by talking about my bike.

So…I introduce to you, my primary mode of transportation—Bertha.

Bertha Undergoing a Post Ride Inspection

Bertha started life as a 2012 KHS Urban Xcel.  The Xcel is billed as an ‘Urban’ bike, and makes for a good commuter and recreational bike right out of the box.  You can get the full specs on the Xcel at the KHS website.

I bought Bertha a month or so after my heart attack.  I had been using a Specialized mountain bike for my commuting, and was in the process of paying off my KHS 300 road bike when my heart decided to try to kill me.  After what the doctors call my “event”, I decided that I was going to need a bike that was a little better suited to casual city riding than either my mountain bike or road bike.  After a lot of research, and thought about what I wanted in a bike, I settled on the Xcel.

As I mentioned before, the Xcel is an ideal commuter.  It came with a steel frame, Shimano 27 speed mountain drive train, disc brakes, and a more relaxed geometry and upright ride than a road bike, but also with 700cm wheels and a longer wheel base than a mountain bike.  It’s heavier and slower than a road bike, but is much more comfortable, especially on long rides, and the steel frame is more durable than aluminum, and absorbs some of the bumps of city streets.

Over the last two years Bertha has gone through several configurations, I’ve changed the handlebars twice, had a couple of different rack configurations, have changed the shifters and brake levers, and have done several stem changes.  Her current configuration is as follows:

• Stock, wheels, derailleurs, crank, brakes, and saddle.
• On One Midge handlebar
• Shimano Dura Ace bar end shifters.
• Tectro RL 720 brake levers.
• Tubus Ergo front rack.
• Hitches for Burley Travoy, and Burley Nomad trailers
• Axiom Rainrunner Trekk reflex +disc fenders
• Front and Rear lights
• Topeak frame mounted pump
• Continental Tour Ride tires
• And 2 water bottle cages.

This set-up works great for me for both commuting and touring, and is the configuration I have been using for several months now. 

I started upgrading the wheels and components, but have put off installing them, as I have decided to build up a Surly Disc Trucker to replace Bertha.  I will probably start a series of posts about the build for that bike as I get going on it.  In the meantime, Bertha is serving me quite well, and I am happy with her configuration and performance.

I will do a post soon about my experiences with different cargo carrying methods which will go into more detail about the trailers and rack configurations.

Until next time, keep your bike rubber side down, and enjoy the ride.