Guido's Double Cross with 1 x 8 Drivetrain

Guido built his Double Cross from a mix of old and new parts and it is beautiful. He went with a 1x8 drivetrain with a 36t front x 11-32 in the back with a downtube shifter. A simple versatile set up that is working well for him.

Even though 1x drivetrains did not hit mainstream until we nailed down good shifting 10 and 11 speed cassettes, some folks are more fine with fewer cogs in the back. IRD recently release 12-40 9-speed and 13-40t 8-speed cassettes for those want to maintain some simplicity.
(Guido is a cartoonist by trade.)

Feeling Lucky? Enter to Win A Set of Shikoro Tires

Bicycle Times Magazine is giving away a pair of our fast and tough Shikoro's in their weekly Give-away Contest. Definitely better chances to win than Fantasy Football or the state lottery.

The Shikoro is awesome for training, touring, commuting, and even light gravel and is very supple riding for an armored tire.

Distributor Merry Sales is already out our first run of Shikoro (folding bead) in 3 sizes, so it might take a couple of months for us to get the winner their booty, if they choose one of those sizes.

"Shikoro" is the Japanese term for the neckguard on the back of a samurai helmet.
Contest ends Dec. 9. Good luck!