“Strange; until recently I had never heard of Van
Dessel, or the Country Road Bob,” said Joe Whitehair
single speed evangelist and editor of
singlespeedoutlaw. com, “then all of a
sudden I see them everywhere.” Praise Van Dessel!
until recently I had never heard of Sponge Bob Square
Pants. I’d recommend them both.

The Country Road Bob is neither a road bike, nor a
mountain bike. and, it certainly isn’t your father’s
hybrid. Image a single speed cyclocross bike.That is
Bob. It is the ultimate and most creative commuter
bike I have ever ridden—
utilitarian, efficient, and fun.

Country Road Bob comes in any color you want so long
as you want Grasshopper Green. An anomaly really,
because if the bike were a bug, it would be more like
a Praying Mantis than a grasshopper—monklike
eccleticism combined with a stoic
atheleticism—spiritual.

This bicycle is truely a work of art. The frame is
painted lime green and the handlebars are wrapped
with yellow tape, reminiscent of lemon-lime Italian
ice; cool and refreshing. A classic recipe for fun and
performance.

I have used my Bob to commute to and from work; a
sixteen mile round-trip worthy of a decent bike with
decent wheels, and a nice saddle. Bob has ‘em all.

The front end sports Van Dessel’s own GoGo wheels,
Flip Flop Hub, XXXX CarbonFork and Ritchey’s 32c Speed
Max tire, headset, BioMax bar and stem. Bob is
forgiving in the corners and tolerant of the evil
roads I ride.

44x16, or 2.75 :1 in singlespeed venacaular, is the
perfect gear ratio for efficient climbing and
cruising. Rare is the hill I can not climb on my Bob
and seldom am I forced to coast.

Although most riders would benefit with cranks longer
than 172cm, I doubt they would notice. Neither would
they notice the slightly less than perfect chainline.
I only mention these because I noticed. Ride hard,
have fun and leave the details to the gear heads.

The business end of this workhorse, with it’s Flip
Flop hub, allows you to change from freewheel to fixed
gear in a heartbeat. In deference to my niece—I mean
my knees—I did not try the fixed gear option. The seat
and chainstays curve inward to greet the horizontal
drop-outs. Form or function? I’ll let you decide.

Like the VW Beetle, the CRB is neither retro nor
techno. It is a timeless classic. Perfectly in the
moment is how you will feel riding it—like when you
were nine. To find out where you can test ride the
Country Road Bob, go to vandesselsports.com. It’s a
great reason to ride.


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Thanks,
TM