my camera is in the shop. will update this with more pics soon!!!

Traitor PBR Ringleader
size: 56

It's finally time to take this bad ass bike up the stairs and out of the basement, and get it back out on the streets where it belongs! It's been a long, rough winter here in northern MI, and i still hear talk about more snow ahead, but i'm done with it. I'm ready to put the winter bike away, and ride even harder!

There are many bikes at our house to be ridden by us and occasional traveling/visiting friends, four of which are fixed. One is a rebuild, two are nice, "middle of the road" bikes, and then Traitor's PBR Ringleader- the cream of the crop.

The Ringleader is the lightest of the four, and so far the strongest. We (me & the Ringleader) have only crashed once (which is good for me!), and the Ringleader came out the winner for sure. Not a single scratch, wheels still totally true.

Me? I blew a glove out and shredded my palm, skidded down the pavement far enough to wear through my Swrve knicks (which totally bummed me out...), and got a headache. It was one of those "wtf just happened!?!" kind of bails.

I don't know if I turned too sharp and my pedal caught the ground, or if I hit some sand and it threw me (I was down by the beach/pier, and sand tends to pile in certain spots, and there was a small pile where I turned. quickly...), but either way, I crashed.

I sat there for a second before slowly getting up, and laughed to myself, hoping someone sitting in their parked car caught it and laughed, because I would've laughed for sure. The sweet comedy of pain...but I digress- to summarize, the Ringleader clearly came out the winner.

We barely had enough time to get to know each other before i had to hang it up for the winter. We rode through the end of last fall fast and furiously, getting smiles and thumbs ups from most bikers, and scowls and shaking heads from squares and hicks alike.

The Ringleader is honestly the first bike since I was a kid that I feel was built just for me. I know all bikes need minor adjustments here and there to make everything fit just right, but there's just something special about this bike. It just feels perfect, like the stars were aligned perfectly one night and Traitor built this magical bike just for me...I know that's a bunch of crap, but you gotta have dreams, so why not dream big!?!

The leather saddle is so comfy. It's my first one. No soreness nor numbness anywhere. The white leather looks hella fresh at first, but that's my only complaint- whatever color pants I happen to be riding in turn the seat a tinge of that color. But a minor drawback to having a white leather saddle. It's still super tough, and doesn't look like it will tear or wear out any time in the near future! And actually, the blends are starting to look kinda smooth...

Originally, I had reservations about the mushroom grips, I have to admit. Not to sound too hip or anything, but style wise, I thought they went out in the 80's, but if that's true, they'll be in full fashion within the next couple years, so I have to give Traitor props for being ahead of time on that one.

I actually got a pair of mushroom grips for xmas a few years ago, and they've been sitting in their package in a box ever since. From riding 'shroom grips on the Ringleader for a season, it brought back good memories, and honestly they're quite comfy! I'm starting to get tendonitis, and my wrists don't bother me at all after riding with them. So, I dug the xmas grips out of the closet and threw them on another bike. Its nice having the same grips on more than one bike if possible- i think it helps the transition of switching bikes.

I could have rode it this past winter, but there's beaters for a reason! A beater bike for the winter can be put together pretty inexpensively- it might not be as fast, or have top notch components, but unless you're rich, beaters aren't supposed to!!! All you really need are a good set of tires, fenders, and lights. old frames can be found at scrapyards, backyards, and everyplace in between on the cheap. the priciest part will probably be the wheels, unless you're unlucky and your frame doesn't have a bottom bracket/cranks/pedals.

I didn't want to wreck the Ringleader with all of the salt and what-not that the plows throw out, invisible potholes, etc., so I hung it up and looked on with envy, counting down the days, and now the time has finally come! More reviews coming soon!

p.s.- my pedals have since been replaced with a pair of crank bros. eggbeaters!