2024 was a hekkin' good year as far as acquiring bikes goes - I got bikes from Canadian legends Paul Brodie, Chris Dekerf, and, Guiseppe Marinoni....
I got it as a purpose-built commuter; singlespeed, fenders, Ultegra hubs on Mavic A319 rims, Tektro mini-Vs, and a RaceFace drop bar. I never knew RaceFace made drop bars. Also, a whole bunch of reflective tape.
And you can tell it saw a lot of commuting action. There's a ton of dents and impacts on the top tube, probably from a U-lock pounding it over bumps, and from being locked to traffic signs.
I went right to work getting it changed to a 1x10 gravel bike. And I did it so quickly that I didn't get any detail pics of the 'before.' I changed everything but the wheels;
Chris King headset
On-One Mary handlebar
700 x 35C Innova gravel tires
XTR V-brakes
SRAM 9.0 SL composite brake levers
XT rear derailleur
XTR 10-spd shifter
Sun Race 10-spd cassette
Brooks Swallow saddle
It really was the perfect storm of having 80% of the stuff, and the rest being on sale.
And you can tell it saw a lot of commuting action. There's a ton of dents and impacts on the top tube, probably from a U-lock pounding it over bumps, and from being locked to traffic signs.
I went right to work getting it changed to a 1x10 gravel bike. And I did it so quickly that I didn't get any detail pics of the 'before.' I changed everything but the wheels;
Chris King headset
On-One Mary handlebar
700 x 35C Innova gravel tires
XTR V-brakes
SRAM 9.0 SL composite brake levers
XT rear derailleur
XTR 10-spd shifter
Sun Race 10-spd cassette
Brooks Swallow saddle
It really was the perfect storm of having 80% of the stuff, and the rest being on sale.
This was enjoyable to ride, though I felt like I was sitting bolt upright.
The V-brakes really looked really dumb, I couldn't leave those on there. So we changed a few more things to arrive at v1.1;
Shimano LX cantilevers
Knock-off Paul's brake levers.
The V-brakes really looked really dumb, I couldn't leave those on there. So we changed a few more things to arrive at v1.1;
Shimano LX cantilevers
Knock-off Paul's brake levers.
And then finally, in a v.20 update;
Mavic Aksium Race wheels
Michelin Cyclocross Mud 2 tires
Craig stem
I needed the wheels for a flip project, and these Mavics popped up for cheap. And I don't ride in mud, but when folding Michelins come up for $15 each, still in their original packaging - you buy them. Whether you need them or not.
Mavic Aksium Race wheels
Michelin Cyclocross Mud 2 tires
Craig stem
I needed the wheels for a flip project, and these Mavics popped up for cheap. And I don't ride in mud, but when folding Michelins come up for $15 each, still in their original packaging - you buy them. Whether you need them or not.
I haven't ridden it much with the new wheel/tire package on it, but I was very happy with v1.1 - it's a joy to ride. And I think that stem is what it needed the whole time, it feels really good now. Too bad the colour doesn't match anything else on the bike.
There's more I could do - the brakes suck, the BB is too wide, something is creaking in the crank/BB/pedal area, the steerer tube is too long - but the bike is terrific as is.
There's more I could do - the brakes suck, the BB is too wide, something is creaking in the crank/BB/pedal area, the steerer tube is too long - but the bike is terrific as is.
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