Want It Wednesday - Mosaic Steel Cross Bike

It is the beginning of March, I’m about as far away from the cyclocross season as I can get, but I can’t seem to get beautiful cross bikes off my mind.  Or off my Want It Wednesday list.

Yup, time for another Want It Wednesday – join the fun over here at Jez’s site!

If there is one bright spot in winter for bike geeks, it is the North American Handmade Bicycle Show – the best over-the-top collection of bike porn you can get.  This year didn’t disappoint, with several prime examples of handmade crafting.  Really, when you want Want It Wednesday inspiration, you just have to throw a dart…

But me?  I’m not tempted by those carbon and titanium frames, particularly when looking for a cyclocross beauty.  No, it is always steel that draws my eye.  Mosaic Cycles certainly knows how to put together a beautiful frame – they won the award for Best Cyclocross Bike with their titanium disc bike.  And it is pretty…

But if you check out their site, the steel is where it is at.  Check out this specimen:

It has everything you could want.  True Temper OX Platinum steel (American sourced) in a variety of thicknesses so you can get the feel you want without extra weight.  And I like their eye for detail – cable routing along the top of the top tube with no pesky cables getting in your way when you throw the bike up over your shoulder.  And I even like the paint job, with the white seat- and chain-stays blending seamlessly into the rear wheel.  It’s not overly forward – I was once thinking disc brakes were the way to go, but after Nationals this year I’m back to the simplicity of a good cantilever brake. 

I love my cyclocross bike (a pretty piece of steel), but the Mosaic steel cross bikes makes me want to open up another savings account…