The Stridsland Beachcomber gets a lot of love over here at The Radavist and today for our weekly Readers’ Rides feature, Peter shares with us his super fun build with a 3×3 Nine Getriebenabe hub!
Hi, my name is Peter. I am an environmental engineer working as a technical expert at TÜV SÜD in Germany. In our bike-community I am better known as Rapapongi, the guy building very 😉 non-conformist bikes for myself and family.
Growing up on a farm and riding bikes was just the way to go. No fancy café-racing or multi-day bikepacking adventures … just purpose.
It all started with Covid, where parts have been scarce, and shops being closed … with a bended derailleur hanger and an alignment gauge.
For me creating a new built is a very intimate process. It is not only a purpose what drives me but also intense work of creating art. In school I was influenced by the “Readymade” artists but also by industrial designers and architects. In addition to that craftsmanship, innovation and quality drive my heart … so building bikes merges all that interests.
Coming to my absolute favorite bike, yet. The stridsland beachcomber with 3×3 gearhub. What this bike doing so good, is that it merges history, art and functionality in one great package. It takes all the references and merits from the old times and put it on a very modern technical level.
Steel frame and gear hub. Thru axle and disc brake. 26+ and 650B. Fancy Purple and neon yellow … A bike letting me smile on every ride.
Even at first sight, I knew the Beachcomber frame was really something special. The design practically screams “adventure” and “freedom”. Anachronistically based on old-school MTBs from the 90s and designed for 26+, it looks like it came straight out of a surf shop in California… er, sorry Matias… Denmark of course 😁…
Getting on the Beachcomber is an experience. Thanks to the extra-wide tires and the BB height, you feel like you’re on a monster truck that can suddenly jump like a rabbit. Matias Stridsland says MTBMX… I think that’s on point.
You roll over curbs and gravel as if they are non-existent. Fat tires have such strong cushioning that it feels like you’re riding on clouds and do have endless grip going uphill. At the same time, the wheels turn super easily. An absolute toy despite the weight. Stridsland has mixed the best of many worlds together and made something better out of it.
Technology: 3X3 gear hub free of maintenance.
The concept works even better with the robust gear hub than I could have imagined. Ground clearance like a Mercedes G-Wagon and butter-smooth gears, ultra-quiet with no noticeable loss of efficiency.
A chainline that is always ideal, a waxed chain and a drivetrain that is always clean and lubricated thanks to the encapsulation in the hub, more than compensate for the higher friction of the gears. Recently, a young guy pointing to the hub asked what kind of e-bike it is… and I replied: The motor is my legs and I have Styrian-power in the tank and what about you? :-D
A special highlight is the “party mode”… including a color-matching front rack from Allygn. Ideal for bringing good beer and snacks to the beach. Honestly, a bike in the house with a front rack is a must! (Original by Grant Petersen from Rivendell)
To sum it all up:
The Stridsland Beachcomber is not just another bike build for me. It’s my personal art of creating bikes … make it simple, YOURS!
Build Spec:
- Frame: Stridsland, Beachcomber, Stahl, M
- Fork: Stridsland, Barnacle Fork, Stahl
- Headset: Chris King, nothread
- Brakes: Growtac, Equal PM/IS
- Stem: Paul Component, Boxcar 50 mm
- Bar: Whisky Milhouse, 825 mm
- Rims Stans ARC MK4, 27,5
- Dynamo Hub / front: SON 28 Dynamo
- Gear Hub / back: 3×3 Nine Getriebenabe, mechanisch
- Derailleur : non, gearhub 9 gear, 554 %
- Cog: 30t
- Frontring: Absolut Black 32t, 0 offset
- Tires : Ultradynamico Mars JFF
- Crank: CyberCycles CyberCrank VK, 170 mm
- BB: White Industries VK,
- Shifter: 3×3
- Pedals: SimWorks Tiny Bubbly
- Wire: Jagwire Neon/Black
- Chain: SRAM e1, Silca waxed
- Saddle: Brooks B17, customed
- Seatpost: Sim Works bei Nitto
- Clamp: Paul Component
- Rahmentasche: Wizard Works framebagracadabra
- Front Rack: Allygn Front Rack
- Front Basket: Wald 137 half basket
- Front Light: Sinewave Beacon
- grips SRAM
- Bottle holder: Tanaka The Jim 1L, custom blacked
- Gear-Mount: King Cage Manything, custom blacked
- Mobile Mount: K-edge + Fidloc
We’d like to thank all of you who submitted Readers Rides builds to be shared here at The Radavist. The response has been incredible and we have so many to share over the next few months. Feel free to submit your bike, listing details, components, and other information. You can also include a portrait of yourself with your bike and your Instagram account! Please, shoot landscape-orientation photos, not portrait. Thanks!
