it occurred to me this evening (just now, to be precise) that this whole time i've been thinking of the schwinn as a "campus cruiser" bike. but why did i put the suspension fork on? why did i keep the pseudo-knobby mountain bike specific tires? there is no reason for the riser bar so shouldn't i get rid of it?
as soon as i thought about this for more than 20 seconds, it occurred to me that i'd probably want to ride it here not just on the roads/gravel, but also give it a whirl as a mountain bike (though i'd probably put a front brake on). having just ridden this snappy little number around town with just one shifter to worry about, i can begin seeing the attraction to singlespeeds. though a 30tooth chainring would've been better for mountain biking, the 32t won't rip my legs off on every hill in bellingham. the only immediately bummer with the one ring is trying to get the chainline right. if it's spaced out too far the chain will crumble to the inside. if the chainring is spaced in too much i'll take two pedals strokes before there is a chain catching on the apogee of my cadence (the result a violent crashing sound as the pins and plates blow apart under my brutal and crushing leg strength and a violent crashing sound as the fence that i just crashed into blow apart under my brtual and crushing flying/flailing strength). it's pretty close to as good as it will be, especially after taking out a link or two from the chain. also, a bashguard is on order.
so, then. the obligatory revised parts list:
fox float RL80 "suspension" fork (80ish millimeters travel)
LX/Rhyno Lite rear wheel, Mavic CrossLand front wheel
hutchinson python air light 2.0 tires
deore crankset (32t)
LX octalink bottom bracket
LX cassette (11-32t)
esp 9.0sl rear shifter ("halfpipe" version)
esp 9.0sl rear derailleur
avid single digit ti rear brake lever
avid single digit ti rear brake
easton ea30 stem (90mm, 5deg. rise flipped upside down)
race face deus xc handlebar
trans-x seatpost
wtb devo saddle
shitty hodgepodge headset
wooo! we'll keep you updated on the bike's performance in the mountain (spectacular on the road, so far).
-e
*save one bashguard that is on order.
2 comments:
this is sweet. i spent a while dreaming about buying a frameset instead of getting a whole bike, then building it up from scratch and making an awesome cross rig...but the need for a Bike That I Can Ride Now, combined with my nonexistent mechanical skill and tool-access, and topped off by the fact that my Jake the Snake cost the same as a Giant cross frameset with nothing on it, all added up to ebay. but i kind of envy you. one of these days i'm gonna do this too.
i've been missing you guys a lot lately, by the way. i just thought you should know.
also, because this is going everywhere i can link it right now, http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-web_wieneraug10,1,2880309.story
chicago triumphs.
Post a Comment