Reader’s Rig: Emory’s Squid Bikes Squidcross

Words and photos by Emory Hancock (@emor_e)

Hey, y’all. My name is Emory, and I’m from Atlanta, Georgia, USA, where I work in and around bikes. Track bikes and social rides got me riding initially, but what kept me hooked was randonneuring and mixed-terrain touring. Between commutes, errands, and pacelining, what kept my imagination lit was long days in the saddle. Leaving the house before the sun rises and returning long after it sets will never cease to excite me.

I’ve been through a few bikes—a Surly Straggler, Salsa Colossal, and a Specialized Diverge. These bikes had their issues (weight, tire clearance, and a low bottom bracket), but I learned a little more about what I wanted out of a bike with each purchase, and after a few thousand miles on each, I got a firmer idea of what kind of riding I liked best. I settled on the Squid because it was single-speedable with about 15min of work, fit a wide enough tire for my tastes (700 x 38mm), and had a high bottom bracket, which allowed me to ride it with more confidence on rough Southeastern singletrack. Oh, and most importantly, I had most of the parts around to build it up.

The luggage is Outer Shell, and I’m happy with the fit of the frame bag. For an off-the-shelf size, it fits like a custom. The front light mounts high off the stem due to frame size (a light above the tire limits bar bag space). I optimized this setup for any road I may find in the Southeast, as well as the occasional MTB trail. 


My favorite detail is the custom-made rear light mount I made out of a track chain’s outer plate. If you drill one hole a little, you can fit the light neatly off the seatpost clamp. This solution leaves the light out of the way of bags and just visible over my tire. A good amount of my riding is in Atlanta, and I feel a higher light is better for visibility in this case. Most of the photos in this post show how I set the bike up for urban riding, but I’ve included a few pictures of it loaded down for some 200km and 350km rides.

• Frame Squid Squidcross (MD)
• Fork ENVE CX
• Rims Nextie NXT35GRX (front) / Roval Terra CLX (rear)
• Hubs Shutter Precision SV-8 (front) / Roval DT Swiss EXP (rear)
• Tires Specialized Pathfinder Pro 2Bliss 700 x 38
• Handlebars Salsa Cowbell 38cm
• Headset White Industries
• Crankset SRAM Force
• Pedals Time ATAC
• Cassette SRAM XG-1199
• Derailleur SRAM Force 1x (Garbaruk cage)
• Brakes Paul Klamper
• Shifter(s) SRAM Force
• Saddle Specialized Power 143
• Seatpost Thompson setback
• Stem S-Works 10cm
• Front bags Outer Shell Drawcord
• Frame bags Outer Shell Small
• Rear bags Outer Shell Mini / Outer Shell Rolltop
• Lights Busch + Müller IQ-XS (front) / µ Micro (rear)
• Other accessories Wahoo ROAM, King Cages Stainless + Iris + USB, K-Edge computer mount

Oh, and you might wonder why I haven’t painted the bike in Squid’s DIYFS style? If I felt creative, I could wax poetic about how a blank canvas is the most exciting and how the raw finish represents the unlimited possibility of a day on a bike. But I won’t lie to you: the truth is my bike remains unpainted because I’m very lazy. 


You can find more from Emory on Instagram @emor_e.

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