Vivian – Mosaic XT-1

Viv!

Meet Miss Vivian. My Mosaic Bespoke Cycles XT-1 cyclocross bike and the newest edition to our family.

Photo credit: TB @ Velosmith

Before I get into the bike details, I’d like to stay a bit about the amazing woman, my Grandma Viv. She selflessly took care of my step-grandfather in his ailing years. She’s a bold, yet classy lady. She loves live ragtime music and frequents the concert scene in the South. She has a bright smile and a fun laugh. She’s also slow at playing cards.

When her husband passed, she decided to sell their home on the lake in northern Minnesota. It took a lot to get it back into sellable shape, and she probably tends to remember the hard times since they are most recent. But my memories have always been positive. We celebrated so many summer’s there, with a lot of family having August birthdays. It was always a blast to hang with the cousins, swim and play, and of course eat. {Nothing went to waste as my Grandpa Leroy always made us clean our plates!}


She sold the house this summer and gave her grandchildren a gift. A gift that helped all of us in different ways, but speaking for them, we are all very grateful for. It was unexpected and way too nice. But much appreciated.

Enter the Mosaic. She’s a cyclocross machine who will eat some gravel as well. She’s made of titanium and will last forever. She ain’t the fastest bike in the fleet {save that for Kermit} but she’ll be a crafty lil competitor.

photo credit: TB @ Velosmith (#baaw)

Grandma Viv’s card playing speed isn’t up to par compared to the impatient Gordon clan. So anytime my family plays cards, whomever is taking the longest to make a play gets the nickname Viv. Typically, that person does well in the game, but with quite a bit of heckling.

And cyclocross is full of heckling. So if you see me out there, sucking wind and looking like I’m going slow, give a little “Viv!!!?!” shout and hopefully I’ll make a move.


Bike specs for those nerds out there:

Mosaic XT-1 frameset with custom geometry.
Handbuilt wheelset: Hed Belgian plus rims, Sapim D-Light spokes and brass nipples, White Industries CLD 12mm thru-axle hubs in a gorgeous purple
Clement PDX tires and 140/160 rotor size.
SRAM eTap wireless electronic drivetrain.
Compact, 165mm crank arm length, 11/28 cassette {This is the gravel gearing setup; it’ll change for cross}
TRP Spyre SLC flat mout rear and post mount front brake calipers.
Zipp service course SL cockpit {38c-c bar/70mm stem} with carbon offset seatpost {and purple Salsa seatpost clamp!}
Chris King headset and PF30 bottom bracket both in teal.
Fizik Vesta saddle.
Finished with Supacaz black bar tape.

Viv!!


She is currently, the 9th addition to our fleet. Some of you may wonder why we have/need this many bikes but they all serve a different purpose. I’ll refer you to The Rules. {specifically #12}  For me, they are a triathlon bike meant for solo speed. A road bike that likes to go on long rides, with friends, and short races. A track bike with only one gear cause that’s all that’s allowed on the velodrome. And now a cyclocross bike with a big tire clearance that can go off-road. Off the beaten path, away from traffic and all the things that scare me about cars. {cell phones + angry, impatient drivers}


Assemble the fleet! Super thanks to Kyle for finishing the expansion of the bike rack.

Velosmith asked me a few questions about this build. A more formal review to come once I’ve gotten some miles on her.

Viv! She is mine and I’m in love.

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