• Home
  • Services
  • News
  • Home
  • Services
  • News

Hours:
Monday-Friday: 11am–7pm
Saturday: 10am–5pm
Sunday: Closed

Ph: 773.654-3419

3259 W Lawrence Avenue
Chicago, IL 60625
VIEW MAP

Custom Highball

August 16, 2019

The mission: build a custom mountain bike weighing 20lbs with gears and front suspension, and make it durable enough to hold up to endurance mountain bike racing and trail riding on chunky East Coast trails. Not an easy task, but also not impossible. Obviously, carbon fiber would be the material a majority of the bike would need to be made of, and we wanted to make sure that we used carbon with a reputation for quality and durability, which is where Santa Cruz comes in, with their lifetime warranty on carbon frames and Reserve wheels.

 

For the drivetrain and brakes, our customer wanted to go with the newest 12-speed version of Shimano’s XTR 9100 group. We went with 2-piston brakes to stick with the cross-country theme of the bike. A Fox Fatory 32 step cast fork was installed to take care of suspension duties on the bike. Santa Cruz updated the paint colors for this frame around the time we were getting the bike together for our customer. Since they weren’t changing the frame aside from the color, we decided to stick with the 2019 version in Gloss Fog since it looks so good with the ice grey and black finish of the XTR components.

We paired a Wolf Tooth 32 tooth chainring to the Race Face Next carbon cranks using the Wolf Tooth CAMO system. The crankset is mated to the frame with a Kogel ceramic bottom bracket. We went with the cross-seals on the bottom bracket to help out with durability. The 32 tooth ring drives the 10-51 tooth 12-speed XTR cassette for an impressively wide gearing range.

The cockpit starts out with the Santa Cruz Reserve carbon flat bar, finished off with Wolf Tooth Fat Paw grips.  This was our first time installing these grips on a bike, and the initial impression is they feel awesome. Shimano’s I-spec system cleans things up by allowing us to attach the shifter directly to the brake lever, rather than needing to use another clamp on the bars.

Detail image of the Gloss Fog paint and Cane Creek Hellbender headset.

Custom wheelbuilding is one of the services we take a lot of pride in. The Santa Cruz Reserve wheelsets aren’t offered in an XTR hub version from the factory, so it only made sense to build the wheels in-house. Sapim CX Ray spokes were used to keep with the theme of durability and weight savings. The micro spline XTR hubs are beautifully finished, and we were extremely please how the wheels turned out.

We love Maxxis tires, so the Aspen EXO was the obvious choice to mount on our wheels.

 

New bike day!

« Previous // Next »


/TAILWINDCYCLES

This error message is only visible to WordPress admins

Error: No connected account.

Please go to the Instagram Feed settings page to connect an account.

Archive

Chicago Bike Races and Rides in May

Here is a list of bike races in the Chicago area, plus things to do on a bike for May of 2025. Events are divided into races for competitive cycling, and rides for social outings or non-competitive endurance events (like...

View More »

Archive

Tailwind’s Pit Tips for Criterium Racing

What is the Half Acre Cycling Skyway Crit? Who and What: The Half Acre Cycling Team puts on an annual two-day road bike racing event called the Skyway Criterium. It's a lap race open to anybody at any skill level....

View More »

Archive

Fueling Your Ride with Tailwind: Nutrition and Hydration for Cyclists

The ancient wisdom says that you should be hungry by the end of a long ride, but the latest science shows that you should actually be comfortably fed the whole time. Modern cycling nutrition strives to get as much fuel...

View More »

Archive

Fighting Bike Theft in Chicago: Statistics, Trends, and Prevention Tips

Bike Theft Statistics Bike theft is up 15% in 2024-25.   Most bike theft occurs in sheds and garages, not out in the open.   The thefts that occur in the open involve cutting or disabling a lock, meaning the...

View More »

Archive

The Tailwind Gift Guide for Chicago Cyclists

Chicago cyclists don’t all hibernate in the winter, but the city's cold winds and icy roads demand gear that ensures both warmth and safety. If you're looking for the perfect gift for a winter cyclist, here are some recommendations that...

View More »

Archive

2022 Tailwind CCC Cyclocross Package

[caption id="attachment_585" align="aligncenter" width="572"] Let us take care of your muddy bike![/caption] Cross is here! For 2022, we have the official return of the Chicago Cyclocross Cup, and we're back with our cyclocross support package. We're going to keep most...

View More »

Archive

2021 Chicago Cross Cup* Service Package

Well, it's been a pretty wild ride since 2019 when we last had a cyclocross racing season in Chicago! We sincerely hope all of our customers (past and present) and friends of the shop are hanging in there and doing...

View More »

Archive

2020 Santa Cruz Jackal

We just had the chance to build up another Santa Cruz Jackal dirt jumper and deliver the bike to it's new owner. These builds are always fun for the shop since the Jackal is only offered in a frame from...

View More »

Archive

Shop News/ New Shop!

We've got some big news coming out of Tailwind Cycles during these strange and unprecedented times. We're moving the shop to a new and bigger location! It might not seem like the best or most logical time to do something...

View More »

Archive

2019 Chicago Cross Cup Service Package

Here we go again! Whether you are ready or not, 'cross season is upon us.  And, once again Tailwind Cycles is back with our ‘Cross Cup service package.  The package will stay the same as last year. Bring your bike...

View More »

Tailwind Cycles is a full-service bike shop located in Albany Park, Chicago offering in-shop and mobile bike repair, tune-ups, and bike fitting.


View in Google Maps

Contact Us


    [recaptcha theme:clean size:compact]


    Mobile Service appointments:

    We will come to you and tune up, build, or repair your bike on the spot!

    Book Now
    Newsletter Signup
    © 2025 Tailwind Cycles   //   Site by Bark Design