Bikes to Like: Gary D.’s Independent Fabrication

This week I’m featuring a PBP-bound bicycle, Gary’s Independent. This bike gets in a lot of long rides with Gary, as he is fond of keeping an active brevet and permanents schedule. Gary seems to really enjoy the ride of his Independent and he makes sure it gets lots of TLC at College Park Bicycles (where Felkerino and I frequently see Gary’s bike) so I decided to ask him to tell me more about what it is that makes his bike so special.

1. What kind of bike do you have?

Independent Fabrication Factory Lightweight

2. Why purple?

Purple is my favorite color and has been for my entire life. Purple is also one of the three Mardi Gras colors, which are purple, yellow, and green. The frame is purple. The headset and some accents are green. The decals are yellow and green. The water bottle cages and handlebar tape are yellow, and the tires (or at least accents on the tires) are yellow.

3. Where do you ride it?

I do not commute on it, but I ride it on weekday rides (when there isn’t snow and salt), on weekend rides with my wife, and on shorter brevets. It has taken me up Mt Washington, around Finger Lakes (Quadzilla), and 1000K up and down the endless mountains of Pennsylvania (Endless Mountains 1000K). I will be riding it on PBP this year.

4. What do you like about your bike?

What I like most about my bike is that when I am reaching my culminating point on a climb and have to stand on the pedals, it responds and dances (well, sort of, y’know) up the climb.

5. If you had to describe your bike in one word, what would it be?

Steel is real. (That’s three words, Gary, but I’ll let it go.)

6. Fenders or no fenders?

Clip on fenders only when needed.

7. What is one of your favorite memories with this bicycle?

I have had it for just a little over a year and I am looking forward to the memory of completing PBP with the bike, but so far my favorite memory is going up Mt. Washington without my foot touching the ground.

8. Does your bike have a name? If so, what is it?

No, but it should.

9. What is your favorite accessory on your bike and why?

My tri bars are my favorite accessory. They provide a great platform for cue sheets.

10. If your bike could talk, what is one thing it would say to you?

Laissez les bon temps rouler.

11. What did I forget to ask that you want to tell me about your bike?

I have done triathlons on the bike, and I must confess that I take a certain amount of pleasure passing triathletes on their oh-so-very-expensive and best-that-money-can-buy carbon tri bikes on my steel frame road bike with clip-on aero bars and a rack.

Merci, Gary, for telling us about your bike, and bonne route to you at PBP. See you there!!