The Rise of the Phoenix

There were about 530 Phoenix frames made between 1993 and 1998, and somehow I've managed to own three of them. My first one was from '93, although I really enjoyed the bike, it was a little small for me. The second one was a '98 and it was a size larger than this frame which worked well with a standard flat-bar but not so well with a drop bar; and it wasn't the "SE" model (which means that it was not set up for roller cams). I sold it since it was not all as special to me.

I found this frame as a local bike swap in 2007. The frame had a crack at the bottom of seat post binder slot, and the rear toggle cam brake was included in the asking price. The price seemed right, so I bought it. The frame was sent to Steve Potts, the original builder, to make the frame repair, and to build a new Type II fork for it. New paint was applied, and the bike was built up mostly with components that I already had, and with a few new ones thrown in.

The bike is a bit confused, but that's okay with me; I built it the way I wanted it. The frame is from the end of the Phoenix run: 1998. But the paint scheme is the early paint, which I prefer to the later paint. The late frames had the "Phoenix" decal smaller and on the top tube, and the "WTB" decal on the down tube. I had it painted like an early frame, even though it does not use a 1-inch fork, and has the roller cam mounts on the seat stays instead of the chain stays (features of the early bikes).

Drop bar mountain bikes tend to confuse people. The assumption is that if it has drop bars it must be a cyclocross bike. People never seem to notice that everything but the bars (and related equipment) are from a mountain bike, and the tires are unmistakably from a mountain bike. The bars are a fun alternative and ride nicely. There are multiple hand positions for climbing, and when downhilling in the drops, the bike rides really well. If you've not tried this setup, try it out sometime, it's fun.

The only outstanding item that I'd like to change is the stem. Right now I'm using a generic stem (likely a Kalloy) that puts the bars where I need them, but it's clunky looking. There's a shortage of high-end nice-looking high-rise stems - go figure... Most of the options that look nice are custom, and therefore expensive. Eventually I'll find a solution, but in the mean time I'll curb my vanity and ride with this stem.

-el (1/17/09)