I was one of four racers sponsored by now legendary Bridgestone Cycles USA in 1992 through 1994. This was the first bicycle they gave me and I rode the absolute heck out of it, including at the Triple Ironman triathlon in France in 1993 (with aero bars cleverly mounted to the moustache bars). Only 1000 XO-1s were made and it’s still an iconic, mythical bicycle. I rode it on roads and trails and everything in between, from racing to adventuring all over hills and dale for most of the mid-90s. Then I had it repainted by Cyclart in 1999, gave it a massive upgrade across the board (only the moustache bars and Avocet saddle are original), rode it just once, and then never rode it again. Long story short? Despite my best attempts to like them, I really do not like moustache bars and since it would be sacrilegious to have anything but moustache bars on this bicycle, I just don’t ride it. But it’s a great bike to ride, and a crummy collector of dust, so I am going to sell it when the right owner comes along. That’s a somewhat painful concept for me because of all the personal associations I have with it (even my blog is located at XO-1.org), but it should be ridden, not displayed in my living room. What a gorgeous bike, though, which made a HUGE impact on the cycling industry and on far more than the thousand riders who got one back in 1992. (What a HUGE bummer that my 1993 model was stolen in 2002!)

This is the personal bike of Chris Kostman.