Rim Brakes Are Not Dead: Maurice’s Custom Tarmac

Maurice is a Connecticut cyclist I met during a Manual Pedal Saturday Troop Ride I lead out biweekly. I was glad for him to not only come shred on the Troop Ride, but he brought his whole posse of cyclists to join in on the fun. I have a keen eye when it comes to custom builds and can usually spot one out of the bunch as they stand out to me. I was intrigued by his rim brake choice, as disc brakes have pretty much taken over. Maurice’s bike was loud with its striking paint job, modern with all the latest SRAM Red technology, and classic down below with cotton wall tires that sit on ZIPP 404’s. I really dig his bike so I did a little Q&A with him to get an inside scoop on his build. Let’s see what he had to say.

Q: Where do you reside?

Maurice: I reside in Hartford, CT

Q: How long have you been cycling?

Maurice: I’ve been cycling for about 3 years. I started taking the sport seriously in July of 2019.

Q: What got you into cycling?

Maurice: I had gained a good bit of weight and wanted to do some type of cardiovascular exercise. I was looking forward to the health benefits of cycling more than anything else. 

Q: Where is your favorite place to go riding?

Maurice: So far, Northwestern CT and Southern, MA have been my favorite places to ride.  Not much traffic and beautiful scenery.

Q: Your Specialized Tarmac is an unusual colorway, tell me the story behind the bike? 

Maurice: I was searching for a rim brake Tarmac and came across mine on Google Shopping. The bike was at a shop in Spain and was marked down due to the disc brake craze. A few days later I went to purchase the frame and discovered the sale was over. I told my riding buddy Adam what had happened and he took it upon himself to call the shop to express how disappointed he was. The owner felt bad and said he would honor the price. A week later I had the frame in a color that wasn’t offered in the US. Having a color you don’t see everyday is what I love about the bike the most.

Q: What made you choose the parts you have it set up with?

Maurice: I spent hours researching what components I wanted. I wanted a lightweight build with components that were also durable. I got the bike down to 6.6kg so I’m pretty happy with that.

Parts List Breakdown
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About The Rider

Maurice is a road cyclist and photographer based out of Connecticut who loves pushing the pedals. Follow him on Instagram – @moetyler23

Maurice_Specialized.Tarmac_15

This review is based on personal opinions and experience from the rider. All parts were purchased at the rider’s expense and links provided are affiliate partnerships with Amazon.

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