Brunner One Fun Thing: Greatest Anti-cancer / Get well / Stay well gift ever.

I've gotten a handful of gifts in my life that really stick out.  One was an Optimus Prime Transformer, obviously when I was a kid.  Another was the original NES, also as a kid.  When I was in college, my wife (then girlfriend) got me a custom Wisconsin hockey jersey, customized with my last name and the year of our (anticipated) graduation as the number, sewn on in the authentic letters/numbers.  To this day I have no idea where she found that, as I'd looked high and low.


This gift completely blows all those away as the coolest, and most meaningful thing I've ever gotten.  As I mentioned previously, Team Snorting Bull made me a bike.  I don't mean picked one out, I mean made.


If you hang with this crowd, you might get talked into some serious things.  Maybe it is flying completely across the country to participate in a ride that climbs 15,000 feet.  Maybe it is drinking a gallon of milk in an hour or making pants.  Or eating nuclear chicken wings.  Maybe it is riding a cross bike in a mountain bike race.  Or riding the cross bike 100 miles with 13,000 of your closest Texan friends.  Easily the greatest of these, though, is talking one member into actually creating custom steel bicycle frames.


This project had apparently started in planning sometime shortly after my diagnosis.  Erik was already starting to get into creating frames by then, and had obtained a program which took various measurements and gave bike dimensions.  So, he had all of us enter our measurements.  Of course I participated.  The program was cool enough that it spit out a picture of the bike for you, and you could create custom colors and graphics.   Here is a computer graphic of Josh's bike, version 1:

Please click on the picture to enlarge and read the downtube.  At this point, I hadn't yet made my Joshpants, and so I got a pretty good amount of "push" to get this done.  Here I had been spouting off that I could make pants for 3 years, and in months, Erik was already making bikes.  Good thing I finally got those done.


In the meantime, he was taking measurements for the entire team as well as our significant others.  I was excited to someday get myself a Brunner bike.  Someday being in a year or two, so you can imagine my surprise.  You can't you say?  Well, here is a picture.

Wait?  You guys made me this bike?  What?  I just....what? 


The whole thing truly did not compute for many minutes.  How could this possibly happen without me knowing?  Even my wife was in on it and she was very afraid she gave away their secret.  She thought she gave it all away when she sent Erik an email using my email account on accident once.  Since I send these guys multiple emails, there is NO way I'd notice that in my out basket, which I never look at anyway, since I tend to know what emails I sent.  Of course it never seemed weird if she'd email him (or any of these guys), because as I previously noted, they were all extremely supportive and helpful to both of us during my whole treatment ordeal.  To this end, I've exchanged emails with Erik's wife Mary myself, and so none of this would ever flag on my radar.   I'm actually more impressed that the guys could keep all this a secret.

And wow, as you can see, this bicycle is gorgeous.  That had shocked me just as much.  I'd seen Erik's bike that he made himself, and I was very impressed with it, but the fact he made two during his build just surprised me all the way around.  I got to see his bike come together little by little, and it was very interesting to watch.  I was always eager for updates on what he was doing, so this took me by complete surprise.

When I say it didn't compute in my head, I'm not kidding.  Even today I'm finding little details of what made all this happen, and it is honestly very touching.  I'm still surprised.

The attention to detail was extremely thoughtful.  There is not an inch of this bicycle that wasn't planned out and, I'm told, debated about extensively.  This includes color, style, components, everything.  The whole team helped, and apparently Sarah did as well.  During the build, it was actually shipped around the country so that they could all sign the frame.  Wow.  For example, here is Sarah's signature right next to the very appropriate model name.

As close followers of Josh vs. Lymphoma know, I have a policy not to name others in the blog out of respect for privacy.  However, I told these guys I was making an exception, and I have all of their expressed, written consent in the form of signatures on the bicycle.  

As pictured above and here, the bike is outfit with Maxxis Raze tires for cyclocross.  So, the question I was asked was is it a roadbike or is it a cross bike?   Here's what the designer had to say:  

It's a road bike optimized for JB/fatties not a cross bike.

And there you have it.  Here is a great shot by the garage door, since that is how bikes must be photographed by general internet protocol.

For reference, a comparison shot of the pinarellol on which the measurements were based.

Highlights of the build:

Custom steel lugged frame, handmade in Alaska (and MI, apparently)

Ultegra 50/34 crank

Ultegra brifters

XT rear derailleur

DT Swiss hubs / Velocity rims (rated for gigantor)

Ritchey stem/seatpost

Regale saddle

Maxxis Raze cross tires & Jack Brown blue tires

Garmin 705 Edge

Crank Brother Candy pedals

and a Custom handmade Moosey headbadge

I'm told the group called in some serious favors to get some of these things.  And so as of right now, the Pinarellol is relaxing in the basement, likely to get most of the rest of riding season off.

How does it ride?

Very smoothly.  I got to take it for a quick spin on Thursday night in Wichita Falls that did NOT do it justice.   So, yesterday I took it out in "cross mode."  Basically did some gravel trails near home.

In terms of sizing, fit, comfort, really everything - they nailed it.  I know Erik is looking for feedback as he continues to build, but I have absolutely no constructive criticism!  Not one thing, and this isn't just out of appreciation or whatever.  When I was looking to purchase the pinarellol, I was steered away from titanium with the reason being that it would be too "noodley" at my size.  That is absolutely not the case with this steel frame.  It is sized perfectly to me.  I could not have picked out any part better, and truthfully, I'm really thankful they designed the whole thing, because with my color-blindness and complete lack of style, any input I would've had could only have subtracted from it.

Today, I put on the Jack Brown tires and gave it a real road test, climbing lookout mountain, through the country club, on up to Genesee park, before shooting down to Morrison, up through Red Rocks, and over Dino Ridge before heading home.  This was about 40 miles and 4,000 feet of climbing.  I got it up to ~45 mph, and can say it is at least as stable as the pinarellol.  The bike handles better than I do, and the JBs are a pleasure to ride on rough roads.  Sarah came along for the whole ride despite having a migraine headache, and I'm so proud of how she did.  It was a great ride and the feedback I have is that these guys nailed it.  

How in the world do you appropriately thank someone(s) for doing something like this?  There is simply no way I can.  I'm so blown away by the whole thing, I really don't know what to say.  Obviously, I expressed my sincere gratitude to all of them, but there is simply no way to appropriately thank them.   In the meantime, though, Brunner Bikes gets nothing but a top notch recommendation from me.