Jenny's Hog's Back

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It was during the pre-COVID spring of 2019, on an Equipo Borracho group ride, that Jenny first thought about getting a Bassi Hog’s Back. On that day she had the good luck of tasting the sweetness of that beige baby when Julian lent her his prototype steed. Here's a fun pic of Jenny on Julian's bike and Julian on Jenny's bike from back in the day:

Our camera guy Jo spoke with Jenny about her bike tastes and favourite types of riding. Here’s a little recap of that conversation.

Jenny had been riding a classic Surly Cross Check for many years, taking it to the California coast, to Cuba, and on Ontario’s BT 700 bikepacking ride. She realized that for rougher terrain such as rural gravel roads and trails, a different bike would contribute to more fun. It was the toe overlap on that Cross Check that was most annoying to her (when the feet touch the front tire; caused by big wheels on small frames). She also longed for fatter tires and better braking.

In the last few years, Jenny found herself riding more and more technical trails, dirt roads and eastern townships groads. One of her fondest memories is of the first year of the WTF Bikexplorers group rides. On the Montpellier VT area dirt roads, she found friendship, motivation and an amazing network of Women, Trans and Femme riders (she otherwise mostly bikes with men).

In the COVID bike boom of 2020, Jenny pulled the trigger, bought that prototype frame and started talking at length about her new whip with Julian at C&L. Jenny has very specific tastes and wanted to make sure every single part was chosen wisely. The result in her own words: a modern-ish bike with classic touches.

Some fun facts about the build. A Sram Rival/GX mix 2x10 drivetrain — when road and mountain parts mix for the better. Jenny knew she wanted lots of gear range for everything from open roads and tailwind to steep rocky mountain roads. A double crankset and 11-40 cassette would do the trick. We chose the new, rando-inspired Easton EA90 46/30 teeth crankset and pushed the rear GX derailleur’s capacity a bit. Some Tanglefoot wool tape, her faithful Brooks saddle, Stolen BMX pedals, fat 650Bx1.9’’ Gravel King tires, Salsa 46cm Cowchippers and a tiny 35mm MTB stem completes this Columbus steel machine. Add-ons include a Gurp Stitchworks stem bag and fanny pack, a Swift Industries Zeitgeist saddle bag in a Wald 137 basket atop a Soma Champs Élysées mini rack. Tying together the build nicely are the Shutter Precision dynamo hub and Son Edelux front light.

Jenny’s shakedown ride on a 70km dirt/paved loop would confirm her carefully planned bike build, and she rode home happy. In her own words, it’s the perfect all-rounder!

Photos and words by @jochhoo