Most of my bikes have pretty clear identities – the gravel bike, the road bike, the mountain bike, the fat bike – and then there’s this guy, a 1996 Giant Nutra which has lived a few different lives over the years, a few with me. I’ve posted it before when I first got it in drop bar form with WTB Nanos when it was my gateway drug to discovering what all the fuss was about with gravel, then decked out with Jones bars and front and rear racks for full-on touring and a trip down the length of the Oregon coast. Then regular flat bars and more of a dad bike vibe and lots of time sitting in the garage while the other bikes got more play.
Then I got a bug up my butt and really wanted to get my hands on a Surly Cross Check because I wanted a steel road bike with wide tire clearance and rim brakes for simplicity and something that wouldn’t mind winter road muck and would be one of those rigs that could just soak up the miles until I realized I already had that bike, I just needed to tinker a little more. So, back to the drops. It’s amazing how swapping parts can make a familiar bike seem new again. A good reminder that sometimes the best bike is the one you already have.
by Several_Rip4185