15 June 2012 - 9:34The Fisti Rides Again

It all started on Monday. I was moving a bunch of bikes around in the shop, and pulled out my partially disassembled Fisticuff from the hook it has been swinging from for the last few years.I knew what needed to happen.

Townie.

beer getter

I needed a bike that I can go get a coffee on, or lunch, get beer, or to go down to Jonsy’s print shop and hang out. Something low stress. Turns out I had just about everything I needed jut hanging out in random boxes, except for a few items, which I quickly procured. I had to think good and hard about how I wanted the project to finish, and took a little bit of a risk on the handlebars. I think it payed off.

keeping it classy

ESP 9.0 brake levers, remember these plastic things?

Paul WORD disc hubs

XTR cranks w/ Spot chainring

This bike is a hoot to ride. I’ve spent quite a bit of time bombing around town on it, looking for any excuse to hop on it and pedal. I’ve also taken it on some non errand type rides too. I had a nice evening jaunt with the dog down behind the empty State Complex, casually rolling through the parking lots and grassy knolls. I began thinking about the Fisticuff, and how I had never really “gotten it” until just now. It was always a weird bird, I had a hard time finding it’s purpose, but I’m glad I finally did. The result is a very well balanced and dead sexy cruiser.



Sadly, Vassago is no longer, and I found myself thinking of my old friends who have moved on to the next things in life. It’s a crazy world out there with many hurdles to clear, but the company just didn’t wether the storm. They made good bikes that made a lot of people happy, including myself. The stoke lives on.