The Croll

This is my beloved Croll roadbike: handbuilt in Minneapolis by Erik Noren, Reynolds 853, the bike I rode to back to back Stupor Bowl wins.

I busted it out the other day to give it a spin and try to figure out what to do with it.  There are certain bikes in the stable that I've promised myself I'd never sell and this is one of them.  However I'm getting cramped for space and have now ridden it exactly three times since building up my Mr. Pink.  The simple fact is that it's my third road bike.  (white people problems) Both the Pink and my Peacock Groove were custom built to fit me and are more versatile, lighter, and flat out ride nicer.

Even though it's a righteous frame and a build that any bike geek can appreciate it just hangs now, and I'd like to own less bikes and ride the ones I own more.  (every once in while I look at all my "stuff" and start feeling so wasteful and stupid)  The problem is what to do with it.  Finding a buyer who wants a classic steel frame with a carbon crank and nice parts and who is willing to pay for them (I figure it's gotta be worth at least $8-900 easy) isn't easy, and dealing with the Craigslist lowballer fuckshow is always a hassle.

I've got similar problems with my Marinoni track bike.  I have other track bikes that fit better and I ride more, but when track bikes have changed the course of your life, how do you sell your first one, your first love?  Do you just keep stacking em up because hey you work in the bike industry, or do you make hard choices and let some of them go.

I'm kind of thinking about taking the kit and hanging it on this rad Limongi frameset that's too small and has been hanging for years and just keeping the Croll frameset around in case I ever feel the need in the future to build it back up.

I just kind of promised myself that the whole goal is to own more bikes that were handbuilt in Minneapolis, not less, and it'd be sad to not own a Croll.