How would you design your bike if you could do anything you wanted? That’s the opportunity Steve gave me when it was time to build my new Ruckus gravel bike.
Design-wise, the answer was easy. My new bike would be inspired by my love of all things Wonder Woman. Starting with a carbon Ruckus frame painted in royal blue with a touch of sparkles, I used my Cricut and 3M vinyl in red, white, and gold to create a design inspired by Lynda Carter’s iconic costumes, including the motorcycle variation, from the 1970s-era television show. Other touches, including the eagle on the Lauf gravel fork and the sword under the top tube, pay homage to the more recent movies and comic book versions of our heroine. A gold paint pen allowed me to gild all the bolts and the Ruckus headtube badge.
Mechanically speaking, we decided to upgrade my 1x setup with SRAM Rival AXS electronic shifters and SRAM GX Eagle AXS derailleur. In addition to the Lauf, a few other items came over from my previous gravel bike, specifically, the SRAM GX Eagle cassette (for those keeping track, that means I have road shifters in the front and mountain bike gearing in the back – a setup referred to as a ‘mullet’) and wheels that Steve custom-built using HED Belgium G rims and a repurposed DT Swiss hub from an R23 wheelset. The Continental Terra Speed 40mm tires work well both on the trails and rough roads in our area.
Other details, for those interested:
- No.7 24F (24-degree flare) drop bar from Whiskey
- Gamma Platinum Advanced Leather Touch Gamma bar tape from Ciclovation
- Oi Luxe Large bell
- Garmin/GoPro Mount in red
- Elite Cannibal XC bottle cage in gloss red and black
- Issi Flash 3 in Especially Red
- Fizik Luce Women’s Saddle
- Topeak Propack saddle bag
With a big gravel ride coming soon, I’m still working on finding the perfect bolt-on top tube bag – recommendations welcome!
