An ode to my Pizza Bike

 

An ode to my pizza bike - the one that started it all! 

Bike touring on Vancouver Island

This bike has had many lives, providing countless hours of tinkering. It's been a perfect platform to try new things, explore different setups, and get a bit silly. I wanted to create a post to highlight some of the different configurations its had over the years. 

As a frame, its nothing special. An older steel Norco, likely made from plumber's pipes. Really nothing to write home about. I can't find a picture of it in its original state unfortunately. 

I first got this bike in the summer of 2018. I was inspired by a few of the vintage mtb drop bar conversions you could find on the internet. I found some 25.4 diameter Salsa Woodchippers, picked up some Microshift bar-end shifters, and a set of DMR SuperMoto dirt jump tires to get the build underway.
 



Running 21 speeds, this thing was heavy! A reliable daily commuter though. I even loaded it up for a few days of touring with my partner on Vancouver Island and walked it up a bunch of hills. 

Outfitted with an extra heavy Blackburn Outpost front rack





After a winter of commuting, it was time to freshen things up. I was tired of the drop bars, and wanted a little more simplicity. I picked up some Surly Open bars from my local bike shop and retired the old drivetrain in favour of going singlespeed. I later found this ridiculous Wald Pizza Rack, giving the bike its namesake.


Winter commuter duty

The pizza bike lives! 

Maiden voyage to Edmonton's Rosso Pizzeria

The Wald Pizza Rack was great, but it was heavy and cumbersome for daily use. I eventually stripped things down and experimented with some extra-wide 800m flat bars. I wanted to see if I could get things feeling a little sportier after running the heavy front rack for a few months. 

I first tried this setup with some 35mm clamp RaceFace Atlas bars I had from my MTB. These looked ridiculous given the svelte 1" headtube. I later found a set of  31.8mm bars that gave it much a better, more balanced look.  

All party up front

Everyone loves a basket bike


Missing the utility of the old Pizza Rack, I mounted a Soma Lucas front rack and paired it with a Wald 139 half-basket. To get everything to work, I replaced the old canti brakes with a set of Shimano Deore XT v-brakes. This freed up the center-hole in the fork which allowed the rack to mount securely.  

Things were feeling pretty dialed! But my desire for tinkering never falters. Recently finding inspiration in the old MTB klunkers (no doubt thanks to Stridsland), I picked up a set of Surly Sunrise bars, a top-loading BMX stem and the Moto-muter was born. 

Some vintage annodized Tektro levers add some flair. Who doesn't love vintage anno?


Handbuilt 26" wheels - SunRims RhynoLite laced to Koozer XM490 Pro 

This bike continues to provide a reliable platform for experimenting, and I'm always amazed at how much joy this old piece of junk can bring. I encourage everyone to find their own "Pizza Bike" to see where your inspirations takes you. 










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