tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-48897744401297590032024-02-19T07:27:07.578-08:00Bake-a-BikeUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger46125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4889774440129759003.post-10539330776000679592021-01-18T19:48:00.002-08:002021-01-18T19:48:52.552-08:00Mr. Raleigh<p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 16px; font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Technically, this is the first road bike I ever owned. Growing up in the kampong, I never had the financial ability to buy my own bike. The first bike I rode was my Grandpa's Raleigh. It was so big I couldn't get on the seat and had to ride it with my right leg through the frame to reach the pedals. Nevertheless, it gave me endless pleasure but grandpa was not pleased coz he was not able to use it. I rode it everywhere; to the provision shop to buy bread for mom and cigarettes for dad and grandpa. I was always ready to buy things for people just so that I could ride the bike and grandpa cannot say no. Later on, a neighbor threw away an old road bike. It was all beaten up, rusty and had a single gear only. I took over the bike from him, bought cheap paint and painted it with a brush. I remember the colour was gold. It had only one brake in front. The crank was the old fashioned cotter pin system and it would come loose after a few rides and you need to whack it with a hammer to tighten it. Still, it was my bike and I was very proud of it. I rode it to school for awhile but gave up awhile coz it was faster to walk up the slope. I remember the front crank had like 56 teeth and the rear freewheel gear was only 13. It was nice on the downhill but going up any incline was a challenge. I remember falling many times coming down the slope coz it had only one brake and in front! My younger brother would steal it for rides and one day, he got into an accident and the bike was completely smashed. Since then, I never owned a road bike. This was when I was in secondary school. When I started working in the Navy, I bought my first mountain bike. It was a KHS Summit, 3x7 speed, steel and heavy as hell. As time passed, I upgraded from the KHS to Bridgestone and ended up with 2 Miyatas which remains with me until today. That was in 1992. In 2014, I bought my first road bike. It was a Klein Quantum, size 52. It belonged to Amos from Juzz4cars. His wife forbid him to ride and I gladly took over the bike without realising that it was too big. Having experienced for a short while the thrill of riding a road bike, I decided to build one. The Raleigh frame was on sale by CRC but size was limited to 50. Going through the tech specs, it seems to be my size. I didn't have much knowledge about road bike set up and went with the Shimano 105 groupset, 2x10 speed. The wheelset was second-hand R-something. After putting the bike together, I went for my first proper road bike ride. I remembered how easy it was to get up to speed but how uncomfortable it was bent over the handlebars. Having ridden MTB all my life, the bike was left untouched for a while. It was not until 2016 that I started riding it again. We had some new friends join our cycling group and they were on road bikes. By then, I have read up a fair bit about road bikes. With tools and wallet in hand, I started upgrading the bike to what it is today. It would have been nice if it was a size 48 or even 45 but you know what, the bike is a blast to ride. It's not something you bring to a race. It's more like a casual bike to ride around the island leisurely and comfortably. I used it on my first NTU round Island ride and had no issues with butt pain or whatever. Looking at it sitting in the living room reminds me of how far I have come in life and my love for bikes and biking. I tell this story to remind myself of my roots. Too often, as we grow older, we forget what we had to go through and what our parents and loved ones had to go through to put up with us. To my dad (in heaven), who couldn't afford to buy me a new bike, mom and everyone else who made an impact in my life, I want to say thank you for sticking around with me. I want you to know how grateful I am for all that you have done and if I ever say something not nice, I seek your forgiveness and patience. Mr Raleigh will be around for as long as I am still around and fit enough to ride it. To think that I almost sold it about a year ago! Thanks for reading this..I get sentimental sometimes. </span></span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4889774440129759003.post-85338907510067374622016-12-27T23:31:00.004-08:002016-12-29T16:59:24.936-08:00Bike ListHere is the bike list as at Dec 2016. The pictures do not necessarily show the bike in its present state. Changes are inevitable as improvements are made to increase efficiency, look and feel.<br />
<ol>
<li>Vitus Chrono TT<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnpKaNGmEz40uqJitj3P9V9fcneaar11mFgVyyBbgGVPncjtm2xH0WO8Px6q6-x_DuKkjvMPSzgixgsiP4kxXBi0pnZ57LcjJ1id1C-Z9gx2sikq0fVF_hcHM-xpM96vreIWsAPixhsUgc/s1600/DSC_0006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnpKaNGmEz40uqJitj3P9V9fcneaar11mFgVyyBbgGVPncjtm2xH0WO8Px6q6-x_DuKkjvMPSzgixgsiP4kxXBi0pnZ57LcjJ1id1C-Z9gx2sikq0fVF_hcHM-xpM96vreIWsAPixhsUgc/s320/DSC_0006.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
</li>
<li>Olmo Link Pro<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj62mzFkI5dIxggFRhdqUKNeLwjlDNCtYL7cBch78skaVE82bX0xL_hwJBYFtn_9IeiiNWiOQ8VLixKvhMUBglUdBGWks-rSRFDNUylXnQpesGpEqoaBHePZIE5aCDaV8W91H4ENOsU5tGs/s1600/DSC_0291.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj62mzFkI5dIxggFRhdqUKNeLwjlDNCtYL7cBch78skaVE82bX0xL_hwJBYFtn_9IeiiNWiOQ8VLixKvhMUBglUdBGWks-rSRFDNUylXnQpesGpEqoaBHePZIE5aCDaV8W91H4ENOsU5tGs/s320/DSC_0291.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
</li>
<li>Giant Momentum iNeed Street<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbHSHrp5EVU1uQeZQL0Fp07SEhqK0KJLXars_JVpwmsnkRoaPQ3a0QAcJZls5lW8ituodugZ3U_v3q_yOco7NLH308TuD8jraxzOWwbT8vXK-1A_YkW0vXczkzWPstp85N1BoO5GEWkOhF/s1600/DSC_0324.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbHSHrp5EVU1uQeZQL0Fp07SEhqK0KJLXars_JVpwmsnkRoaPQ3a0QAcJZls5lW8ituodugZ3U_v3q_yOco7NLH308TuD8jraxzOWwbT8vXK-1A_YkW0vXczkzWPstp85N1BoO5GEWkOhF/s320/DSC_0324.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
</li>
<li>GT Transit<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCJ-zYqM0T5CbHBDiy-AIGNH3tCXZQIg7a6C7u7gN6T__mdlN93AeSQgG7Z6TXSip7oPHyNr5MHohFQX3LV9c2p2NdcONdA-8yqYfbbkSgSOa5sxFW6P60Q6YTh7p3Tt1dhAKdEc8bNXMn/s1600/DSC_0001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCJ-zYqM0T5CbHBDiy-AIGNH3tCXZQIg7a6C7u7gN6T__mdlN93AeSQgG7Z6TXSip7oPHyNr5MHohFQX3LV9c2p2NdcONdA-8yqYfbbkSgSOa5sxFW6P60Q6YTh7p3Tt1dhAKdEc8bNXMn/s320/DSC_0001.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
</li>
<li>Polygon Collosus AX 3.0 No. 1<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJwQtWgxd_pdMsVob7I911zVX03ccKsm8k8B6jdsMRGPROaUhe-obQaXX1D8kZs9NZjr3EY4CFP2oXvWu76X4MbFkzw6UZnOJ1ReeNuj2uT2EoXW0Q44BX7mI5zEHWL_sCtMrQ4Fgq8RVX/s1600/DSC_0285.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJwQtWgxd_pdMsVob7I911zVX03ccKsm8k8B6jdsMRGPROaUhe-obQaXX1D8kZs9NZjr3EY4CFP2oXvWu76X4MbFkzw6UZnOJ1ReeNuj2uT2EoXW0Q44BX7mI5zEHWL_sCtMrQ4Fgq8RVX/s320/DSC_0285.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
</li>
<li>Polygon Collosus AX 3.0 No. 2</li>
<li>Polygon Collosus AX 3.0 No. 3</li>
<li>Colnago CX Zero EVO<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://cdn2.bigcommerce.com/server4400/ox79uhj/products/36779/images/92369/colnago_cx_zero_disc_labr__24984.1458852350.490.588.jpg?c=2" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://cdn2.bigcommerce.com/server4400/ox79uhj/products/36779/images/92369/colnago_cx_zero_disc_labr__24984.1458852350.490.588.jpg?c=2" width="320" /></a></div>
</li>
<li>Mongoose Meteore 29er<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7gPCOeWquRJysqVPO3WCNv2DSTPwPmE_ALnEAPl3o03y-fmZ0yM8zlC7YB_k6s2NUK_U-2VADhVBD7kr9ApPyLUcpZ68IhdnwEtQrp2tZeGgDC2QrJBonVlEupvubXrTb6Oo3xdLB7sdb/s1600/P1050311.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7gPCOeWquRJysqVPO3WCNv2DSTPwPmE_ALnEAPl3o03y-fmZ0yM8zlC7YB_k6s2NUK_U-2VADhVBD7kr9ApPyLUcpZ68IhdnwEtQrp2tZeGgDC2QrJBonVlEupvubXrTb6Oo3xdLB7sdb/s320/P1050311.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
</li>
<li>Vitus Taillefer<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3mOITXjdZXHeWvh2G_kyXKoRM-UIH3BRW5MlzuC0it9c2lg7CDgmWGkLmyMm6y3e8hJf0i0j3ocqLD87jLufWhfPFdXP9eP7m3Z6vnSu86piXIiWZkQ0tk6xKoKcCrDzL7WKQfVkRIXrO/s1600/DSC_0065.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3mOITXjdZXHeWvh2G_kyXKoRM-UIH3BRW5MlzuC0it9c2lg7CDgmWGkLmyMm6y3e8hJf0i0j3ocqLD87jLufWhfPFdXP9eP7m3Z6vnSu86piXIiWZkQ0tk6xKoKcCrDzL7WKQfVkRIXrO/s320/DSC_0065.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
</li>
<li>Marin Fairfax SC2 IG<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4ADQ5lmXu-MEZjeff3bXZPgYOJ8_fminIGuwnayDFoDMP-gFcecSIMbesEO0DmSWHy3BsfZdMzLzmZqkRrECcpJIken3d2jemndwiCEADaCZruCkXo7rjkoGuZVB9vOMfPRiFsIh2SkpT/s1600/2015-08-07+10.36.16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4ADQ5lmXu-MEZjeff3bXZPgYOJ8_fminIGuwnayDFoDMP-gFcecSIMbesEO0DmSWHy3BsfZdMzLzmZqkRrECcpJIken3d2jemndwiCEADaCZruCkXo7rjkoGuZVB9vOMfPRiFsIh2SkpT/s320/2015-08-07+10.36.16.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
</li>
<li>Focus Planet 1.0 Alfine<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuljHuhiu3PjtW0iuaYQKub4bBIGabwsGojFvjZ20O2Jx3HSUd9dTEbFXLTB9tgfzEFW4lpaD6WYPVTJWypFh8OFnvHtnOpu7HVMKbVXz53sDmj7SK9-1H_8b7AgKH3ifJRKbvthQ8Sbsy/s1600/focus_light_gross_fo15_planet_1-0_9baf836974_291319b5fc.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="201" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuljHuhiu3PjtW0iuaYQKub4bBIGabwsGojFvjZ20O2Jx3HSUd9dTEbFXLTB9tgfzEFW4lpaD6WYPVTJWypFh8OFnvHtnOpu7HVMKbVXz53sDmj7SK9-1H_8b7AgKH3ifJRKbvthQ8Sbsy/s320/focus_light_gross_fo15_planet_1-0_9baf836974_291319b5fc.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
</li>
<li>Vitus Dee Alfine<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjL8D0KjUclstP6_0q8uKDsItL4l3muP5t9DknnwXU7aCxiUufpXp3ic7vYm762qn_1fyA-QgE-2yYOEQBA-HWcjDjGVOWKivDB9N3HBeV79-n2b2kTyJtWV_1VyZCtbm89hVTaDX7l00D/s1600/P1050276.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjL8D0KjUclstP6_0q8uKDsItL4l3muP5t9DknnwXU7aCxiUufpXp3ic7vYm762qn_1fyA-QgE-2yYOEQBA-HWcjDjGVOWKivDB9N3HBeV79-n2b2kTyJtWV_1VyZCtbm89hVTaDX7l00D/s320/P1050276.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
</li>
<li>Voodoo Hoodoo Mystical Folk Magic<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJvgAOVz1QzUhbWPHWHSSQf9ZMKVXMWTg5w29SggE2xXGaecL3es4A3MM7E23JCbkumFwzKwhpUid9eNuj5aZJRxV4K0SNTpafgaZYfW8qHhJRM5xnwranOtW-ELo7Uutdxz-1LoxP-MfM/s1600/P1050174.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJvgAOVz1QzUhbWPHWHSSQf9ZMKVXMWTg5w29SggE2xXGaecL3es4A3MM7E23JCbkumFwzKwhpUid9eNuj5aZJRxV4K0SNTpafgaZYfW8qHhJRM5xnwranOtW-ELo7Uutdxz-1LoxP-MfM/s320/P1050174.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
</li>
<li>Java CL Limited Sports Bike<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7kxtfwbIpXB5xodZw2ODeOTRXNsvffVOc4W8vFVcHgr-wp9nX7WDvbc0ErA8rhXimQJeMv3yTj87LH5menVPYHP5faeNWcIp9uGaovvN2EFHoMAnhEdlyd9zuBHVFWwQoMuB4STB-5RlG/s1600/DSC_0111.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7kxtfwbIpXB5xodZw2ODeOTRXNsvffVOc4W8vFVcHgr-wp9nX7WDvbc0ErA8rhXimQJeMv3yTj87LH5menVPYHP5faeNWcIp9uGaovvN2EFHoMAnhEdlyd9zuBHVFWwQoMuB4STB-5RlG/s320/DSC_0111.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
</li>
<li>Carver 96er<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPv4L1uSuQaGzdkA86jQWt719w9m7am18n1ptU2HlKkcvJ4hUD9E4iEvRv1aRvnisEvws4v9wLLUlnHkjg7q_-587HknbUQTdPiliaSSturK5XgezCDZief7ste9l_fIxwU91K9D9AHh-P/s1600/DSC_0153.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPv4L1uSuQaGzdkA86jQWt719w9m7am18n1ptU2HlKkcvJ4hUD9E4iEvRv1aRvnisEvws4v9wLLUlnHkjg7q_-587HknbUQTdPiliaSSturK5XgezCDZief7ste9l_fIxwU91K9D9AHh-P/s320/DSC_0153.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
</li>
<li>Cannondale Tango SL 29er<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsou8reXuvAhwd_h3VDVw9cFTIb3XMWz4r8i-w8N-HJrg_hUo2O0suUGh2sDF86fyn1MPwvZ16ax-PwIMjuvl0ROuPnbdXJPjBEFCUl5LwYzpTmvd5hTjJD5Wtt5xG6Ts14fuwfYq64InZ/s1600/10868203_10153581253473368_2691531176505184453_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsou8reXuvAhwd_h3VDVw9cFTIb3XMWz4r8i-w8N-HJrg_hUo2O0suUGh2sDF86fyn1MPwvZ16ax-PwIMjuvl0ROuPnbdXJPjBEFCUl5LwYzpTmvd5hTjJD5Wtt5xG6Ts14fuwfYq64InZ/s320/10868203_10153581253473368_2691531176505184453_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
</li>
<li>Monotine Folding Bike<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJIXpXJkKxRzQNPbAuU3gZPpOFk1jI1nsW9rocmcdII5KSOxUWsAjwfJkgbV7Gx5l-t9cvgjdugLjYESwrDSCtQO6RB1O2Q-9JExAsZrG52YzKw_FcIw9Poz1zxqrJOTrgDgaVmkvZx5vN/s1600/P1040955.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJIXpXJkKxRzQNPbAuU3gZPpOFk1jI1nsW9rocmcdII5KSOxUWsAjwfJkgbV7Gx5l-t9cvgjdugLjYESwrDSCtQO6RB1O2Q-9JExAsZrG52YzKw_FcIw9Poz1zxqrJOTrgDgaVmkvZx5vN/s320/P1040955.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
</li>
<li>Ridley Blast<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwJ98Q_jmJtCOmrtG9eASDY55FoetBR9nh_BJJFWERFlbw2k6sopgQ5cMJS23OMR73blHBfyhFCVgLtpLMYeVSO_2sQ6maalaAv8_lxmIJkxh_K8Upt7TIEa-FcgBPSPgct0Yz5L3tb7n1/s1600/DSCF7052.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwJ98Q_jmJtCOmrtG9eASDY55FoetBR9nh_BJJFWERFlbw2k6sopgQ5cMJS23OMR73blHBfyhFCVgLtpLMYeVSO_2sQ6maalaAv8_lxmIJkxh_K8Upt7TIEa-FcgBPSPgct0Yz5L3tb7n1/s320/DSCF7052.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
</li>
<li>Steinerdesign Porsche<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWj7g9rV1z13O8_xPZ36WmPJlXYVvVmHDKOMGB45SgEPEKNPD3MfTF89uquNWo1YXlhXmUiU__adrEIkvCSbtZ76rzVm9x2_vkOqdzvB9AU0YT3LRVGW1gqub4W3y1EotsKiUnL8sHL9xR/s1600/P1040929.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWj7g9rV1z13O8_xPZ36WmPJlXYVvVmHDKOMGB45SgEPEKNPD3MfTF89uquNWo1YXlhXmUiU__adrEIkvCSbtZ76rzVm9x2_vkOqdzvB9AU0YT3LRVGW1gqub4W3y1EotsKiUnL8sHL9xR/s320/P1040929.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
</li>
<li>Miyata Elevation 5,000 No. 1<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbCHg7y9CRmRvXJpWD6EgX4ZHY254VoHltd0oC5RXG9eR2OrwgzxHoxnwnAjycdV58g8c9eyyQ2VTzo44oiVR3ZXzA7ixJtR7uQTwt0ndQPVgRiC5_J5M7D4fWeJf9lIfQn21XzKWW4ZTp/s1600/DSCF6996.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbCHg7y9CRmRvXJpWD6EgX4ZHY254VoHltd0oC5RXG9eR2OrwgzxHoxnwnAjycdV58g8c9eyyQ2VTzo44oiVR3ZXzA7ixJtR7uQTwt0ndQPVgRiC5_J5M7D4fWeJf9lIfQn21XzKWW4ZTp/s320/DSCF6996.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
</li>
<li>Miyata Elevation 5,000 No. 2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMaGFPHhqIoL2YUqI8LO5qWb9Q4YnWjZ-CizapwibljtSdae4qzMqg4xLxK_lUHa1_vikdRB5LUXcvnYtQ9Gyy307yAf-MXb2NHEdvywxDxD985W0UlDqDT8rPHT5xStv5bP842oMKkg61/s1600/DSC_0225.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMaGFPHhqIoL2YUqI8LO5qWb9Q4YnWjZ-CizapwibljtSdae4qzMqg4xLxK_lUHa1_vikdRB5LUXcvnYtQ9Gyy307yAf-MXb2NHEdvywxDxD985W0UlDqDT8rPHT5xStv5bP842oMKkg61/s320/DSC_0225.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
</li>
<li>Giant Revive<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6PsYCJ3XbPJeWuUzGJ23EfWmd_YWIAizoN6MyOuwCKsjvVn583PaPObMwPBblu3TK6YIb6tsqlF3xylJUqZ6m1FrOtFKYYyuZyvsBN0OrqNgteC3ymJ1I3NcSN_KFSQaKTFZAmTuWLJIu/s1600/20140824_101805.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6PsYCJ3XbPJeWuUzGJ23EfWmd_YWIAizoN6MyOuwCKsjvVn583PaPObMwPBblu3TK6YIb6tsqlF3xylJUqZ6m1FrOtFKYYyuZyvsBN0OrqNgteC3ymJ1I3NcSN_KFSQaKTFZAmTuWLJIu/s320/20140824_101805.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
</li>
<li>Raleigh Ultra Race<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqZU4q_7UDkLFwpI3z0kIQdAGQUOS1GXbzGUzbISpdhe3LN4kye0U9YERS37WEfKDwc4SRHVmt_ULPgZMTsI7AYkJtXokBk2MXBlDFUIOjVujWW3VCPWiar3ZUp0z-PnDeDEIxoSFrNrN-/s1600/DSC_0234.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqZU4q_7UDkLFwpI3z0kIQdAGQUOS1GXbzGUzbISpdhe3LN4kye0U9YERS37WEfKDwc4SRHVmt_ULPgZMTsI7AYkJtXokBk2MXBlDFUIOjVujWW3VCPWiar3ZUp0z-PnDeDEIxoSFrNrN-/s320/DSC_0234.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
</li>
<li>Klein Quantum Pro<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5dLkyTdundf7WbJlFqIkyXFEtJLQk8CKb3euw844XSTsXEM1kKpOdNMckcO0gM1BSqZutO0QBzDpAowUy5XZz3JAOYG2Pk5dld7LPT5tluiX6ZnomSl3RoZm6o-ea43wG6I7SHrN6rEL9/s1600/DSC_0190.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5dLkyTdundf7WbJlFqIkyXFEtJLQk8CKb3euw844XSTsXEM1kKpOdNMckcO0gM1BSqZutO0QBzDpAowUy5XZz3JAOYG2Pk5dld7LPT5tluiX6ZnomSl3RoZm6o-ea43wG6I7SHrN6rEL9/s320/DSC_0190.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
</li>
<li>Alero <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAENOAcBNzt0iq8FcIFpR5Vp0se7MoMczbSmT-UX4vQ2oXJ41cOzDiQT-WdVT-091blE8t5nOnvmSNZ1wL-y59TaIm2L9j9BDPoE8Qe6RSWDczFrTXDqPIgbm73M2m9eIFp-ncqq_ElAd2/s1600/DSC_0159.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAENOAcBNzt0iq8FcIFpR5Vp0se7MoMczbSmT-UX4vQ2oXJ41cOzDiQT-WdVT-091blE8t5nOnvmSNZ1wL-y59TaIm2L9j9BDPoE8Qe6RSWDczFrTXDqPIgbm73M2m9eIFp-ncqq_ElAd2/s320/DSC_0159.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
</li>
<li>Giant Cadex CFM-3<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWzA6exKKo2_3yJM0en8fDAS_FGF7l9E8cpCj05TPr03xU6vUnnh-a2IKy0gekX2xzbr4HaQkCbcrTMwlgd659Uz66YGAoey7UVrh1QivN9S3-2EBHGpCon235eD6Gltdi3c_7NtDkrLTL/s1600/DSC_0114.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWzA6exKKo2_3yJM0en8fDAS_FGF7l9E8cpCj05TPr03xU6vUnnh-a2IKy0gekX2xzbr4HaQkCbcrTMwlgd659Uz66YGAoey7UVrh1QivN9S3-2EBHGpCon235eD6Gltdi3c_7NtDkrLTL/s320/DSC_0114.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
</li>
<li>Miyata Elevation 10,000<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYGL6lOudNv5-QsOqeJjUWr29TNVeBuurVMlAYorYA0iEUDQpU6HOaxMNzzOjpIm3FcgrSk9gnpub6QRRfl06Y8xFFiujouem7JVov45nGBF4FSNtuFVM_CrheF-URsZp1OQqZAPf9Wrb9/s1600/DSC_0011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYGL6lOudNv5-QsOqeJjUWr29TNVeBuurVMlAYorYA0iEUDQpU6HOaxMNzzOjpIm3FcgrSk9gnpub6QRRfl06Y8xFFiujouem7JVov45nGBF4FSNtuFVM_CrheF-URsZp1OQqZAPf9Wrb9/s320/DSC_0011.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
</li>
<li>Voodoo Hoodoo<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGlA-Fi9LqoKvFL-RJeXUF-D1_9FiQP1wIViV4WcnEHQtz6yGfvLtd9uLeILnwZGDOgmk_6HjHF3pYiJkY9ihWYV4fcirwST-aTILgHyejDsCjHpc_0KSChgz6G1QhKLgnNhvqkSZ8oBOT/s1600/CAM00622.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGlA-Fi9LqoKvFL-RJeXUF-D1_9FiQP1wIViV4WcnEHQtz6yGfvLtd9uLeILnwZGDOgmk_6HjHF3pYiJkY9ihWYV4fcirwST-aTILgHyejDsCjHpc_0KSChgz6G1QhKLgnNhvqkSZ8oBOT/s320/CAM00622.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
</li>
<li>KHS Montana Pro<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnevbZKd3sg4SLuf06Pmaj59hLJavzFN-XLTJtJ9DnGtcyZx1fR5s0yjmSxp-bZSBTIuzaGBSjj2W9h8Qfk5y7dUQTdXXicAUE3eJ2PKGuVtC8-Z1T9HqxVQGbagLTyftX3NwMEW_a03M2/s1600/DSCF6693.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnevbZKd3sg4SLuf06Pmaj59hLJavzFN-XLTJtJ9DnGtcyZx1fR5s0yjmSxp-bZSBTIuzaGBSjj2W9h8Qfk5y7dUQTdXXicAUE3eJ2PKGuVtC8-Z1T9HqxVQGbagLTyftX3NwMEW_a03M2/s320/DSCF6693.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
</li>
<li>Nishiki FS3<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzSOz7epOaQXGaGT3Nq7CQwIu0YUG5ny4pylXVGxKv7d1YTc7Km6qSGY6QYMtLjKFZIN8_mrfmWXRJldxcZ-N1lMWez2IP2UBNdsDi1HqbNWbMIG2J4b1LvdOuUq2EDLQVxs4M3J9-p6P5/s1600/CAM00468.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzSOz7epOaQXGaGT3Nq7CQwIu0YUG5ny4pylXVGxKv7d1YTc7Km6qSGY6QYMtLjKFZIN8_mrfmWXRJldxcZ-N1lMWez2IP2UBNdsDi1HqbNWbMIG2J4b1LvdOuUq2EDLQVxs4M3J9-p6P5/s320/CAM00468.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
</li>
<li>Bridgestone MB-1<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAf17WWlyOE2jKI0oOATyp0FpHEoPCGkVRPqoMttss3NZDPUX-5vdLoShRpDc5kVEUO6KdG5T0M3EYs2iA8iP66Z4lkSmXINLAI8SrvXcb1hXA6pmrnFgMfEbzOuI2tyF_bd-sD_xKngfc/s1600/DSCF6733.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAf17WWlyOE2jKI0oOATyp0FpHEoPCGkVRPqoMttss3NZDPUX-5vdLoShRpDc5kVEUO6KdG5T0M3EYs2iA8iP66Z4lkSmXINLAI8SrvXcb1hXA6pmrnFgMfEbzOuI2tyF_bd-sD_xKngfc/s320/DSCF6733.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
</li>
<li>Porsche S Bike</li>
</ol>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXTArOBQP_aqZlQ9R15fPX5nWHTU7bsT5veE-GKmI3mbdYO7Y-NhPYz2w7ADKYM551jT5zeW2eruHlePSHfuKEt2ljJRY8rAQ_8P3KQlhmsfZJK_UMbcFmm2wLuV98DJLmzllz61FMmh9L/s1600/10313739_10152780778773368_3180570697530538593_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXTArOBQP_aqZlQ9R15fPX5nWHTU7bsT5veE-GKmI3mbdYO7Y-NhPYz2w7ADKYM551jT5zeW2eruHlePSHfuKEt2ljJRY8rAQ_8P3KQlhmsfZJK_UMbcFmm2wLuV98DJLmzllz61FMmh9L/s320/10313739_10152780778773368_3180570697530538593_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<ol>
<li>Boardman Pro No. 1</li>
<li>Boardman Pro. No. 2</li>
</ol>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4889774440129759003.post-26928964869119573022016-12-26T20:34:00.002-08:002018-02-09T19:54:51.872-08:00Vitus Chrono TT (Sold)<span style="font-family: inherit;">I have done many crazy bike things in the past but nothing beats this. A TT bike? I must be mad. But the temptation was just too much to resist. Chain Reaction Cycles was having a sale and the Vitus Chrono TT was going for half price. Could I resist such an offer? Obviously not because I ended up buying it. Truth be told, it was a really good deal. The bike came with practically everything except for wheels and groupset. But still, a TT bike was an adventure into unknown territory. I have seen cyclists crouched over the handlebar, wearing funny-looking aero helmets and weird looking water bottles sticking out from the handlebar and I wondered, "What's wrong with these people?". Certainly, that must be the most uncomfortable riding position. I had to find out. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibaTbSJNrL2qbMc62IhyphenhyphenmdIwm78bgkZPRdEJDgjCJtRh88Gs4JCaCxauTyBo_aYQAr6la9CXBcmdwZFvcsFRLxkVXDy8RP2ZlGd70x8ugD8hDvtwIoesURGpgTx9B2_IHs3-MsXptFP1nm/s1600/DSC_0006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibaTbSJNrL2qbMc62IhyphenhyphenmdIwm78bgkZPRdEJDgjCJtRh88Gs4JCaCxauTyBo_aYQAr6la9CXBcmdwZFvcsFRLxkVXDy8RP2ZlGd70x8ugD8hDvtwIoesURGpgTx9B2_IHs3-MsXptFP1nm/s320/DSC_0006.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">With the click of the mouse, I ordered the frame and since there were wheels on offer too, I ordered them too. These are Bergamont Dolce Team wheelset shod with <span style="background-color: white;">Schwalbe Ultremo ZX, V-Guard, folding, 23-622, 700 x 23C tyres. While these wheels are not actually designed for TT bikes, I figured they should be good enough to start with and if the bike does not turn out well, I can always transfer them to another bike. The groupset is a 10-speed Shimano Ultegra; 53/39 crankset and 11-23 cassette. Its an aggressive set-up but my thinking is that since speed is the whole point of a TT bike, why not go all the way? </span></span><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzfDKBNgpwL2GqnfRIgGGRSwGy-z7yW5HNsVoPDoI0BZQ61mm40nb4nokD-9CJi4i75BWY-feJA25_2TRCHew' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Putting the bike together was not an easy task as it appears, even though most of the major parts have already been assembled. The first problem encountered was a loose headset. After countless hours of adjustments, tightening, etc...the wobble was finally removed by the placement of a headset washer. To be on the safe side, I ordered a new headset in case the wobbling comes back. I suspect the headset used is not the best. As usual, the internal routed cables are a nightmare to put together. One wrong move meant hours spent trying to route the cable to its proper position. On top of that, cable length had to be precise or else, shifting or braking efficiency will be affected. </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The next major adjustment was the cockpit. The variations were endless and being new to TT cycling, this took a lot of time to sort out. I had to checked various sources on the proper position to make sure I was doing the right thing. In the end, I settled for a compromised position but comfort was certainly not high. Since this is a new domain, perhaps my body was not prepared sufficiently for it. During the test ride on the trainer, I discovered truly how uncomfortable a crouched position is. I salute those who enjoy doing this because I certainly am not. Never mind, I told myself, give it a shot. </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white;">With all the work done and final adjustments made, it was time for a road test ride. I have to say this is the most frightening bike I have ridden on. It's unstable and uncomfortable when you go into a tucked position, you can hardly see anything beyond the front wheels but it is bloody fast! So, where do we go from here? I am really not sure. Perhaps my set-up is not proper or maybe my body is not conditioned enough for such a ride. Only time will tell. In the meantime, I decided that it is probably safer to use it on the trainer until I am confident of hitting the road again with it. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4889774440129759003.post-41366231888606508182016-12-26T18:09:00.004-08:002016-12-26T18:09:32.274-08:00Olmo Link Pro<aside class="review-key-points" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 30px;"><div class="key-point review-highs " style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 15px;">
<div class="point-text" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; overflow: hidden;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I am never drawn into owning top-of-the-line stuff even if I could afford it. My purchases are mainly based on affordability and the potential of the product.This is especially so when it comes to bikes. Of course it is nice to own a Pinarello, Specialized or Colnago costing tens of thousand of dollars but in the end, what makes the bike go is the rider. Unless the intention of buying such bikes is merely to show off, I think the money can be better utilized for other things. Bikes, just like cars, are liabilities; they don't appreciate in value over time even though they may be classic bikes. The value of the bike is not commercially determined by market forces but by the buyer. I am willing to pay more for a bike only because it has some sentimental value. Perhaps it was a bike I wanted when I was a kid but could not afford or maybe it was a bike that reminds me of an event or a person. Whatever the case might be, prudence is a virtue when it comes to buying bikes. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #333333;">I saw the Olmo Pro Link frame hanging on the ceiling of my friend's bike shop and was attracted to it due to its colour. It looked good. I have never heard of the brand before but some googling reveals that Olmo has been around since 1931. Its an Italian brand with a rich heritage. You can read more about the history of the company here, </span><span style="color: #333333;">http://www.olmo.it/en/history/</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="point-text" style="box-sizing: border-box; overflow: hidden;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit;">The Link Pro is the entry-level carbon frame weighing 1.2 kg. It comes with a matching carbon fork and has internal routing for all the cables. Personally, I do not like cables routed internally; they are a nightmare to install and I do not think they do much in reducing drag. It does make the frame look neat and tidy but when you work on bikes like I do, you soon learn to dislike internally routed cables. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrKne0BV_f6Lk8Be3ds3ZMvUyTC-ZmDoD7oLRYfh5VhyphenhyphenWhrcydphuUPC89Sj6-geNEokndAn8L0qOU17_rusTLdZ68yX7nE7ZJaVaPxjpLZD2mcH3_OQqZnbJ4QcTfhyLcDHip6nT0E5NI/s1600/DSC_0291.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrKne0BV_f6Lk8Be3ds3ZMvUyTC-ZmDoD7oLRYfh5VhyphenhyphenWhrcydphuUPC89Sj6-geNEokndAn8L0qOU17_rusTLdZ68yX7nE7ZJaVaPxjpLZD2mcH3_OQqZnbJ4QcTfhyLcDHip6nT0E5NI/s320/DSC_0291.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Not knowing how well the ride would ride and whether I would like it, I decided to take the cautious route. I used the Dura-Ace parts cannibalized from the Klein Quantum. Everything was transferred over, less the Easton crankset which was replaced by a 53/39 Shimano Ultegra 10-speed. </span>The completed bike weighed around 7.5 kg which was quite ridiculous to me because I have never owned a bike with that kind of weight before! Of course, it was thanks to all the carbon fibre bits and pieces. I was all smiles and smirks after the first ride. It's an incredible feeling riding a bike that feels like a feather (when compared to the rest of my bikes); the surge and ability to reach good speed with less energy was something I could not stop grinning over. I knew that this purchase was a right one, never mind if it is entry-level. It is time for real work to be done to the bike.<br />
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The Easton wheels were replaced by Shimano RS 81 C24 shod with Continental GP 4000IIs. Technically, they are a little bit heavier than the Easton wheels but I did not want to spend a bomb and the RS 81 had good reviews. </div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The next major upgrade was to replace the 10-speed Dura Ace groupset with an 11-speed Ultegra groupset. I wanted to return the parts borrowed from the Klein Quantum because that is where they belong. The seat post is a Deda carbon fibre, stem is a Deda Zero One 100mm and the handlebar is from Cinelli. I was afraid that the weight of the bike might go up but thankfully, it remained at 7.5 kg. with pedals on. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The bike is a real blast to ride. With a slightly racy geometry, it’s a smooth, accomplished and comfortable ride, plusher than expected for a carbon frame at this price. The acceleration is good too, the BB86 bottom bracket, chunky chainstays and short, tapered head-tube contributing to a poised and purposeful performance.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The Olmo has proved once again that you do not need the best to be the best that you can be. It surpassed my expectations and for the price I paid, it was worth every cent. </span></div>
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</aside>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4889774440129759003.post-29670551636523887782016-09-20T05:34:00.000-07:002016-12-27T23:16:19.042-08:00Momentum iNeed Street (by Giant)I saw pictures of this bike a long time ago on the internet. It looked great and had unique features that distinct it from the many city bikes you see. I thought to myself, "Gee, it would be nice to have one." The specifications were nothing to shout about; ordinary, perhaps low-end components were used. After all, it was a bike for the masses and should be fairly affordable. Bike manufacturers tend to cut corners in order to reap higher profits. Nothing to complain about that because, for people like me, I never believe a stock bike will ever be good enough. There is always something that can be done to make it better. So, the journey to build a Momentum iNeed Street bike was kept in hibernation for a long time until by chance, someone put one up for sale. He had won it in a lucky draw and wanted to sell it so that he could use the cash to buy an iPhone 7. A iNeed Street for an iPhone 7? Isn't that a bad decision? Doesn't matter...the bike is mine.<br />
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Let's start from the original specifications.<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Specifications</span></div>
<table class="specifications" style="background-color: transparent; border-collapse: collapse; border-spacing: 0px; border-top: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; margin: 20px 0px 30px; padding: 0px;"><tbody style="box-sizing: border-box;">
<tr style="box-sizing: border-box;"><th style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); box-sizing: border-box; padding: 5px 9.125px 5px 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; width: 114px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-weight: normal;">Sizes</span></th><td style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); box-sizing: border-box; padding: 5px 0px; vertical-align: top;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Small, Regular, Large</span></td></tr>
<tr style="box-sizing: border-box;"><th style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); box-sizing: border-box; padding: 5px 9.125px 5px 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; width: 114px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-weight: normal;">Colors</span></th><td style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); box-sizing: border-box; padding: 5px 0px; vertical-align: top;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> Double Diamond: <br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><span class="glyphicon glyphicon-stop street-black-white" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-block; line-height: 1; position: relative; top: 1px;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> Black/White </span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> Blue/Bronze </span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> Matte Green/Orange </span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> Mid-Step: </span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> Blue/White </span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> Red/Pearl White</span><br />
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<tr style="box-sizing: border-box;"><th style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); box-sizing: border-box; padding: 5px 9.125px 5px 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; width: 114px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-weight: normal;">Frame</span></th><td style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); box-sizing: border-box; padding: 5px 0px; vertical-align: top;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">ALUXX-grade aluminum with integrated rear carrier and cup holder, double diamond and mid-step options</span></td></tr>
<tr style="box-sizing: border-box;"><th style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); box-sizing: border-box; padding: 5px 9.125px 5px 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; width: 114px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-weight: normal;">Fork</span></th><td style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); box-sizing: border-box; padding: 5px 0px; vertical-align: top;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">High Tensile Chromoly Steel</span></td></tr>
<tr style="box-sizing: border-box;"><th style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); box-sizing: border-box; padding: 5px 9.125px 5px 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; width: 114px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-weight: normal;">Handlebar</span></th><td style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); box-sizing: border-box; padding: 5px 0px; vertical-align: top;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Alloy, Mid rise</span></td></tr>
<tr style="box-sizing: border-box;"><th style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); box-sizing: border-box; padding: 5px 9.125px 5px 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; width: 114px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-weight: normal;">Stem</span></th><td style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); box-sizing: border-box; padding: 5px 0px; vertical-align: top;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Alloy Quill</span></td></tr>
<tr style="box-sizing: border-box;"><th style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); box-sizing: border-box; padding: 5px 9.125px 5px 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; width: 114px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-weight: normal;">Seatpost</span></th><td style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); box-sizing: border-box; padding: 5px 0px; vertical-align: top;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Alloy, 30.9</span></td></tr>
<tr style="box-sizing: border-box;"><th style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); box-sizing: border-box; padding: 5px 9.125px 5px 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; width: 114px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-weight: normal;">Saddle</span></th><td style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); box-sizing: border-box; padding: 5px 0px; vertical-align: top;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Riveted Retro-Classic Comfort, coil spring</span></td></tr>
<tr style="box-sizing: border-box;"><th style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); box-sizing: border-box; padding: 5px 9.125px 5px 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; width: 114px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-weight: normal;">Pedals</span></th><td style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); box-sizing: border-box; padding: 5px 0px; vertical-align: top;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Alloy/Anti-Slip Platform</span></td></tr>
<tr style="box-sizing: border-box;"><th style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); box-sizing: border-box; padding: 5px 9.125px 5px 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; width: 114px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-weight: normal;">Shifters</span></th><td style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); box-sizing: border-box; padding: 5px 0px; vertical-align: top;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Shimano Revo, Twist</span></td></tr>
<tr style="box-sizing: border-box;"><th style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); box-sizing: border-box; padding: 5px 9.125px 5px 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; width: 114px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-weight: normal;">Front Derailleur</span></th><td style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); box-sizing: border-box; padding: 5px 0px; vertical-align: top;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">N/A</span></td></tr>
<tr style="box-sizing: border-box;"><th style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); box-sizing: border-box; padding: 5px 9.125px 5px 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; width: 114px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-weight: normal;">Rear Derailleur</span></th><td style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); box-sizing: border-box; padding: 5px 0px; vertical-align: top;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Shimano Tourney</span></td></tr>
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<table class="specifications" style="background-color: transparent; border-collapse: collapse; border-spacing: 0px; border-top: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 1.2em; list-style: none; margin: 20px 0px 30px; padding: 0px;"><tbody style="box-sizing: border-box;">
<tr style="box-sizing: border-box;"><th style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); box-sizing: border-box; padding: 5px 9.125px 5px 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; width: 114px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Brakes</span></th><td style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); box-sizing: border-box; padding: 5px 0px; vertical-align: top;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Alloy, Direct Pull</span></td></tr>
<tr style="box-sizing: border-box;"><th style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); box-sizing: border-box; padding: 5px 9.125px 5px 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; width: 114px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Brake Levers</span></th><td style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); box-sizing: border-box; padding: 5px 0px; vertical-align: top;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Alloy Comfort</span></td></tr>
<tr style="box-sizing: border-box;"><th style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); box-sizing: border-box; padding: 5px 9.125px 5px 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; width: 114px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Cassette</span></th><td style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); box-sizing: border-box; padding: 5px 0px; vertical-align: top;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Shimano TZ31 14x34, 7-speed</span></td></tr>
<tr style="box-sizing: border-box;"><th style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); box-sizing: border-box; padding: 5px 9.125px 5px 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; width: 114px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Chain</span></th><td style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); box-sizing: border-box; padding: 5px 0px; vertical-align: top;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Z51KMC Z51, Nickel Plated</span></td></tr>
<tr style="box-sizing: border-box;"><th style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); box-sizing: border-box; padding: 5px 9.125px 5px 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; width: 114px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Crankset</span></th><td style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); box-sizing: border-box; padding: 5px 0px; vertical-align: top;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Alloy, 42T</span></td></tr>
<tr style="box-sizing: border-box;"><th style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); box-sizing: border-box; padding: 5px 9.125px 5px 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; width: 114px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Bottom Bracket</span></th><td style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); box-sizing: border-box; padding: 5px 0px; vertical-align: top;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Sealed Cartridge</span></td></tr>
<tr style="box-sizing: border-box;"><th style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); box-sizing: border-box; padding: 5px 9.125px 5px 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; width: 114px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Rims</span></th><td style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); box-sizing: border-box; padding: 5px 0px; vertical-align: top;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Giant Alloy, Double wall</span></td></tr>
<tr style="box-sizing: border-box;"><th style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); box-sizing: border-box; padding: 5px 9.125px 5px 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; width: 114px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Hubs</span></th><td style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); box-sizing: border-box; padding: 5px 0px; vertical-align: top;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Alloy, 28h</span></td></tr>
<tr style="box-sizing: border-box;"><th style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); box-sizing: border-box; padding: 5px 9.125px 5px 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; width: 114px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Spokes</span></th><td style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); box-sizing: border-box; padding: 5px 0px; vertical-align: top;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Stainless Steel, 14g</span></td></tr>
<tr style="box-sizing: border-box;"><th style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); box-sizing: border-box; padding: 5px 9.125px 5px 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; width: 114px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Tires</span></th><td style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); box-sizing: border-box; padding: 5px 0px; vertical-align: top;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Kenda Kwick Roller, puncture protection, 700x32</span></td></tr>
<tr style="box-sizing: border-box;"><th style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); box-sizing: border-box; padding: 5px 9.125px 5px 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; width: 114px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Extras</span></th><td style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); box-sizing: border-box; padding: 5px 0px; vertical-align: top;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Chainguard, Kickstand, Bell, Integrated Rack with Straps and removable bag mounts, Integrated Cup Holder, Frame Mounted U-Lock Carrier</span></td></tr>
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<br /><br />Not very exciting, is it? For some, the word 'tourney' is a complete turn-off and I happen to be one of those. Building a bike is not about what the bike is now but the ability to see the potential of the bike under your charge. Its about dreaming and visualising what and how things should be done. Most importantly, you must have the ability to make it happen.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsFT3lyi2KhqXn-6Y_qVEFccQsa7d_nGJXVHHsvhgWoImFptCHqp0IE2_64zLsXbWu72aSQHZAv_WP7LIeRHa9WbZ_9Lwe0vQJczWgyjKmlm6oYkvMIp0kLLelGfSIxMLeF4JYE_X9BIq-/s1600/DSC_0324.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsFT3lyi2KhqXn-6Y_qVEFccQsa7d_nGJXVHHsvhgWoImFptCHqp0IE2_64zLsXbWu72aSQHZAv_WP7LIeRHa9WbZ_9Lwe0vQJczWgyjKmlm6oYkvMIp0kLLelGfSIxMLeF4JYE_X9BIq-/s320/DSC_0324.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Just look at that frame. How can you not fall in love with it? It's pure art to bend pieces of metal into such shapes. And how could Giant actually use those cheap components? The top tube is a single piece of metal that starts at the head tube, makes a detour for the cup holder, winds its way towards the rear to form the rack and back again.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKp2hYXiVjbCvbbpE4_Del5W7Dp5veB-qYVVsTkeFIj1olRkRDzVWz_qlVh4NP7gWpmtbnYh3ZdoPdhW6YxJHnvPrnQpA09OfIy6FvycCmDtZp6n_F551ovsiFVoQY-Ept9RodcyMA3m1m/s1600/DSC_0353.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKp2hYXiVjbCvbbpE4_Del5W7Dp5veB-qYVVsTkeFIj1olRkRDzVWz_qlVh4NP7gWpmtbnYh3ZdoPdhW6YxJHnvPrnQpA09OfIy6FvycCmDtZp6n_F551ovsiFVoQY-Ept9RodcyMA3m1m/s320/DSC_0353.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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It is obvious that with the modifications made to the bike, it is completely transformed. What used to be a straight-up, 'cheap-looking' thing is now a sophisticated piece of machinery.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIoBZ3_wDpeLl7vNd2AzYzTdHH6j9hmluo5mo8KBXyOMzC2KbikbWCF4A0NFDUgSuvejRhh4vr0PIqZWZLm3wVo3gSFjwIUvE7BsTo5xaGoGFn2IsmoplKbQ0MnMZKkQHPOJ43IK32hPG1/s1600/DSC_0351.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIoBZ3_wDpeLl7vNd2AzYzTdHH6j9hmluo5mo8KBXyOMzC2KbikbWCF4A0NFDUgSuvejRhh4vr0PIqZWZLm3wVo3gSFjwIUvE7BsTo5xaGoGFn2IsmoplKbQ0MnMZKkQHPOJ43IK32hPG1/s320/DSC_0351.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Over here, we have a term for el-cheapo bikes; we call them market bikes. These are the kind of bikes that are covered with rust, creaks and croaks, uncared and never stolen. I suppose Giant intended for the iNeed Street to be such a bike. If not, why load it with all that crap?<br />
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The rear rack has a maximum load of 25 kg. That's strong enough to carry a kid but please do not do that. The rack is meant for goods, not people.<br />
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The original wheels came with brandless hubs, the spec sheet simply says Alloy, 28h. Check out the hubs now; Deore XT. The drivetrain is a Shimano Zee 1 x 10 groupset; 36t chainring with 10 gears from 13 to 35 holes. That's more than enough and climbing hills should not be an issue.<br />
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Not just the rear but the front hub is also a Deore XT.<br />
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The elastic bands are supplied with the bike. The rear rack has pannier holders for those long rides out of town.<br />
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Brandless rims give way to DT Swiss wheel set.<br />
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You won't believe the options I think of for the drivetrain. Internal gears? 1 x10? 1 x9? Retain the original 1 x 7? Etc, etc... In the end, I cannibalise the Zee system from the Cannondale 29er since I was going to change that to a 2 x 10 drivetrain. Save some money and solved the problem at the same time.<br />
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You are unlikely to see a WTB saddle on a cheap banger. I think saddles says alot about the bike. It can raise or lower the stature of the bike. Put a Brooks saddle onto any bike and suddenly, you would think its an expensive bike.<br />
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The integrated cup holder was the first thing that caught my eye. Its somewhat crazy and bizarre to put a cup holder on a bike. We don't drink coffee while on the move! But now, I do... The Deda 100mm stem might be replaced with a 90mm one as its quite a reach.<br />
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The handlebar is an On One OG gentleman styled. Somehow, this handlebar only works on big bikes. Its so comfortable, I use it on all my 29er/700c hybrids.<br />
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Its been a real pleasure building this bike. The smile factor is 9/10.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4889774440129759003.post-68322177189721685062016-06-30T20:44:00.002-07:002016-06-30T20:44:45.006-07:001987 GT Transit<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
There is almost always a story behind every bike I build. Perhaps I am just a sentimental fool because a bike is just a bike, right? Well, not really, at least to me. There must be a certain level of connection between bike and rider or else, there is just no reason to ride that particular bike. Maybe this GT Transit will explain what I mean.</div>
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This bike was put on sale for a long time, nobody seems interested in it and I was rather surprised because I thought it is quite an interesting bike. The owner did not say much in his advertisement either, so maybe that's why it did not drew much response. I decided to take a look and see if it can be a fixer upper. The owner was very nice gentleman with a sad story to tell. At age 45, his spine is giving him problem and cycling is something he had to give up. This bike was his commute bike, using it for quick runs to the food courts and supermarket. There are some other personal details which I will omit but sufficed to say that it is indeed a sad story. I decided to buy the bike to remind myself how lucky I am to be healthy and this bike personifies it. I told the owner I will restore it as much as possible to its former glory. He told me he bought the bike off an elderly man and thinks the bike was brought it from New Zealand. Originally, it has a 7 speed internal gear drivetrain. However, since it was rather old, I decided to restore it with modern parts but keeping to the original design of the bike.<br />
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As usual, the bikes I buy are never in good condition. Being a steel bike, rust was starting to show in areas where the paint came off. Armed with paint remover and plenty of sandpaper, the frame was stripped and all traces of rust removed. Next thing to do was to apply a corrosion prevention primer.<br />
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I had a few cans of spray paint and decided to use them instead of buying new ones. Not a good idea because the nozzles were clogged and the paint came out in droplets instead of a mist. However, it sort of gave the bike some character, with its rough finish. I would have liked it to be smooth and shiny but the final result was not too bad either.<br />
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After weeks of work, this is the final result. The bike looks great and I kept to the retro theme.<br />
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The drivetrain is a Nexus 3-speed internal gear with coaster brake. I could have gone with the original 7-speed but I figured 3 is enough since the purpose of this bike is mainly for commute to the food courts just like how the previous owner was using it.<br />
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The brake levers were a rare find! They are originally red.<br />
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The Nexus drivetrain works very well. Simple and effective. The ratio between each gear is quite large but I do not really care. This bike is about going out for a ride, the speed do not matter.<br />
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A rear bag was installed for putting stuff like food and other things.<br />
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A raised handlebar means a very comfortable riding position.<br />
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While the bike looks docile, there are some racy parts like the Mavic rims and 105 hub.<br />
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Both wheels were built by me. Wheel building has been a skill I have always wanted to achieve and I am glad I have finally achieved it.<br />
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Good old cantilever brakes, not the most effective but they do not give you much problems.<br />
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Of course, the Ferrari leather saddle is a natural choice.<br />
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The chainring is a Shiman Dura Ace 39T.<br />
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The sticker that shows the bike was sold in New Zealand.<br />
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Coaster brake, also not very effective but it works.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4889774440129759003.post-43967089581944772612016-01-31T03:46:00.002-08:002016-02-15T04:54:36.077-08:002012 Polygon Collosus AX 3.0<span style="font-family: inherit;">One of the bike shop that I like to visit is Rodalink Jurong East. They have a wide range of bikes and accessories and most important, they carry the full range of Shimano parts. They are also the main distributor for Polygon bikes. According to their website:</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"For the past two decades we have been passionately creating bikes for customers to ride. Our bikes are meticulously designed by a team around the world and manufactured in world class manufacturing facilities in Indonesia. Polygon is a group of riders who just happen to be engineers, industrial designers, and creative thinkers based in North America, Europe, and Asia. We work hard to keep our designs fresh and authentic with the global market in mind. We control every step of the manufacturing process to ensure that all of the bikes are assembled to our high standard. Several competitors at the highest level of competition such as Mick Hannah, Tracey Hannah, Andrew Neethling, Jamie Nicoll, Fabien Cousinie, and Sam Reynolds have become believers in the effort we have put into design and manufacturing."</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Although I visit the shop often enough, I never really gave the Polygon bikes more than a second look. Perhaps, </span>subconsciously I do not have high regards for bikes made in Indonesia. Well, it is a little bit of an elitist attitude but somehow, the bikes somehow never catch on with me. Things changed somewhat when a friend of mine bought a full suspension frame from the shop. It was a 2012 Collosus FR full suspension frame and it was on sale. Some of you might remember I bought and returned a full suspension Pivot Mach 429 frame due to a damaged head tube. Since then, I have always been on the look out for a replacement. Anyway, he told me that the frame was rather well made and that I should take a look. Besides, it was a quarter of the price of the Pivot. Surely, I thought to myself, it cannot be that good. I was proven wrong. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The first thing I noticed was the weight of the frame. For a bike that is loaded with pivots, shocks, fenders, etc...it was surprisingly 'light'. You cannot expect a full suspension to be as light as a hardtail and it should not be. A full suspension needs to take a lot of beating and strength is paramount. Well, you could take the carbon fiber or titanium route but you have to pay a lot more. Comparing the Collosus aluminium frame to the Pivot, there was hardly much difference. The picture shows the FR2 which is almost the same as the AX 3.0.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The second thing I noticed was how well the frame was made. The weldings are nice and even, nuts and bolts are made of good material and attention to details like bolt on cable holders, built-in rear fender are well thought of. T</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">he rear shock is a Fox Float Factory RP23 with 150mm of travel. It would have been perfect if it was a 29er but I am glad it is a 26er as I found out the hard way that a small guy like me would find it easier to move a 26er on the trails. But that's another story. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">This is Colossus AX3 v.1. Why v.1? Well, over time you will realise that I have 3 of the same frame but the intent is to set them up differently. So, here we go with v.1. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">This set up is for cross country, enduro rides. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Its not as aggressive as a DH bike. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The front fork is a Rockshox Sektor with 150mm travel. I am biased towards Rockshox simply because they have never failed me. Their prices are also reasonable but more importantly, they work really well. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">A FSA 685mm straight handlebar instead of a riser bar. A riser handlebar would put me in a more upright position but my preference is more towards a lean forward kind of position. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Shimano Deore brakes provide the braking power. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0klmHarU8YHkfUFjPrh03F2bVy-RdYM-iDZmyOx0hx0bgIy6pQ8VNHPyu9H1TDK8iJ6ZUA_yO4DYc7VFEoFnairP7jiWKLbmP6rM5TUstlgACnuBTAH_oSTRl_dRtxmwpktwj9VBenUkw/s1600/DSC_0294.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0klmHarU8YHkfUFjPrh03F2bVy-RdYM-iDZmyOx0hx0bgIy6pQ8VNHPyu9H1TDK8iJ6ZUA_yO4DYc7VFEoFnairP7jiWKLbmP6rM5TUstlgACnuBTAH_oSTRl_dRtxmwpktwj9VBenUkw/s320/DSC_0294.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The tapered head tube provides good strength to the frame. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_U5QLJwDwXRy0YFO5ubvDDB_sy_lhkKu3dAWUl8dZqIg0YYtwcmJA7gtubkR6ZltpiZuJPRwhMxfcdYVZF_hhH5z4WodPsme_ihcNCtFHujhaPbiRcoyDEoZ6RxUFXFfIQRMZmaWlpRVH/s1600/DSC_0295.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_U5QLJwDwXRy0YFO5ubvDDB_sy_lhkKu3dAWUl8dZqIg0YYtwcmJA7gtubkR6ZltpiZuJPRwhMxfcdYVZF_hhH5z4WodPsme_ihcNCtFHujhaPbiRcoyDEoZ6RxUFXFfIQRMZmaWlpRVH/s320/DSC_0295.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The 60mm stem came from a Specialized DH bike but it is too short for my liking. It will be switched for a 70mm stem. You may ask, does 10mm make such a difference. The simple answer, yes. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrDti7kFahWsdWW2CY-P7JcCp08W50Qx9y7XgdSXWymGa_Gj9nbfg3g7UvSYBI40ofFkVkRjVl6LH_MSnraY6YOq7UFX2GCEXB9e3c_9rojpk606fSRq7XrUptHWJT3n_iCdh0fjTWuJGd/s1600/DSC_0296.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrDti7kFahWsdWW2CY-P7JcCp08W50Qx9y7XgdSXWymGa_Gj9nbfg3g7UvSYBI40ofFkVkRjVl6LH_MSnraY6YOq7UFX2GCEXB9e3c_9rojpk606fSRq7XrUptHWJT3n_iCdh0fjTWuJGd/s320/DSC_0296.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Selle Italia SL saddles are the most comfortable, bar none. One by one, most of my saddles are being replaced by this model. They are not the lightest or flashiest but when your bum does not hurt during a long ride, who cares. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSpyTFwSI3x4XN81QnDwj93E5wxpUg3NBQeXJQNdWRugBW4qd3dB7E04Qm1YLR0Us_Wr_qw5_D1IzzhnAO_jV8580LjXEKEMdt2P6vDNIyMNLwSzQrTBPSpX7TqSmYC2RdmLNZqhVVUhhz/s1600/DSC_0300.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSpyTFwSI3x4XN81QnDwj93E5wxpUg3NBQeXJQNdWRugBW4qd3dB7E04Qm1YLR0Us_Wr_qw5_D1IzzhnAO_jV8580LjXEKEMdt2P6vDNIyMNLwSzQrTBPSpX7TqSmYC2RdmLNZqhVVUhhz/s320/DSC_0300.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The rear suspension is a Fox DHX Air with 215mm of travel. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUP5ZKPlygm8DSR1tVv0c1X99xVsyx3T9yPmVi9lVUPBaILkOROAzn6qBRppVGN9AMD3FBLO8BDOQ3CGwSSAWY4FeeESK07PmfzmfJgDJ8tMiDdoNnOIVlZyJ8hHC0yYENOieMisk0IL1E/s1600/DSC_0304.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUP5ZKPlygm8DSR1tVv0c1X99xVsyx3T9yPmVi9lVUPBaILkOROAzn6qBRppVGN9AMD3FBLO8BDOQ3CGwSSAWY4FeeESK07PmfzmfJgDJ8tMiDdoNnOIVlZyJ8hHC0yYENOieMisk0IL1E/s320/DSC_0304.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Chain stay cover provided by Polygon. Such small touches shows the company thinks about their customers. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ6gd99i04I_6CMVLTnUXL_HJI3XiOQpYhiWn8UfFwQGG5F3HKvYCeCNWb2r-RAq-SZtrmGOiRCF90Dp1Amf8M6uRq_xaA0MiR8DljlZd2Kgj7ETjuGFU5bCyZe8zTRaiZDhL2z8j7Vnb9/s1600/DSC_0307.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ6gd99i04I_6CMVLTnUXL_HJI3XiOQpYhiWn8UfFwQGG5F3HKvYCeCNWb2r-RAq-SZtrmGOiRCF90Dp1Amf8M6uRq_xaA0MiR8DljlZd2Kgj7ETjuGFU5bCyZe8zTRaiZDhL2z8j7Vnb9/s320/DSC_0307.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">A Deore rear derailleur completes the drivetrain. I might swop it for an XT rear derailleur next time. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTQqL3X-Yv0Muf86iQfxr_B3mDJaL7GDyS1Anz458LgSwKmSmEQ37fy0W8gUAi1wO4ui3XfmJ3x76MZ1Wjk9m4NkCY1hf_6M5f-OWVBObYKLDWywcxNQIPNowMm7OzXxN9IqkiMaU5GLFn/s1600/DSC_0311.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTQqL3X-Yv0Muf86iQfxr_B3mDJaL7GDyS1Anz458LgSwKmSmEQ37fy0W8gUAi1wO4ui3XfmJ3x76MZ1Wjk9m4NkCY1hf_6M5f-OWVBObYKLDWywcxNQIPNowMm7OzXxN9IqkiMaU5GLFn/s320/DSC_0311.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">First ride today on a muddy trail and around a sandy stretch of road around the reservoir. What a blast! I've done this route many times with hard tails and front suspension. Nothing beats going around them on a full suspension bike.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwoSM27aAwK7_UsIlhC8GvR0AOTRQszlMk9hp3OZvlWoHMhK9qkxBPlnXAMSYbfOG6kbx_UyfjOZlpYSnSl-0r8bVw2u2uTe9P3i9ofP-ALLjUvU48LINKJVxoVVf5pED6Tl2iwMrLHO2V/s1600/DSC_0317.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwoSM27aAwK7_UsIlhC8GvR0AOTRQszlMk9hp3OZvlWoHMhK9qkxBPlnXAMSYbfOG6kbx_UyfjOZlpYSnSl-0r8bVw2u2uTe9P3i9ofP-ALLjUvU48LINKJVxoVVf5pED6Tl2iwMrLHO2V/s320/DSC_0317.JPG" width="180" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Mud, mud and more mud!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMqmTjWcQ084F314lpsX4wNPCwzJ3W1Wq3RrffvYxYQTFlxuOZnNkClKowimdEKBhDbhy1Jd6aSOk1jNPt7fS1Nsu0tEvlqDQBomUoVuULHuZzE_JzaJp1ds8N_vXhIy6D4U917MoFr3ur/s1600/DSC_0302.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMqmTjWcQ084F314lpsX4wNPCwzJ3W1Wq3RrffvYxYQTFlxuOZnNkClKowimdEKBhDbhy1Jd6aSOk1jNPt7fS1Nsu0tEvlqDQBomUoVuULHuZzE_JzaJp1ds8N_vXhIy6D4U917MoFr3ur/s320/DSC_0302.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">A very satisfying build without spending a bomb. </span></span>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4889774440129759003.post-76607555031970006532015-10-31T03:29:00.000-07:002018-02-09T19:55:10.750-08:002015 Colnago CX Zero EVO (Sold)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglmoIRP8jqBiDGFnLCckYs4sC2mhT5de6K0mxFYcby5AgHeWQRG2rs0CFZmltp0wgYjQOXjVRgNVre5_VFf3GAZcIMJN_v-cXkkGEAtR0AuV42nCeL1Ki4Qx7VxhJHSBoVQ7Lr4Gb_v4d8/s1600/Colnago-CX-Zero-Ultegra-Disc-Road-Bike-2015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglmoIRP8jqBiDGFnLCckYs4sC2mhT5de6K0mxFYcby5AgHeWQRG2rs0CFZmltp0wgYjQOXjVRgNVre5_VFf3GAZcIMJN_v-cXkkGEAtR0AuV42nCeL1Ki4Qx7VxhJHSBoVQ7Lr4Gb_v4d8/s320/Colnago-CX-Zero-Ultegra-Disc-Road-Bike-2015.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12.56px; text-align: center;">The 2015 Colnago CX Zero Disc is designed for the endurance rider. With its classic geometry, Disc brakes and Ultra spec this bike will push your boundary's and keep you going for longer.</span></div>
<h2 style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; margin: 10px 0px; padding: 0px;">
<strong>The CX Zero EVO</strong></h2>
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<span style="font-size: 12.56px; font-weight: normal; text-align: center;">The CX Zero EVO is the bike for endurance. A professional level racing frame, proven in the Spring Classics in Europe, the CX Zero Evo strikes a perfect balance between performance and comfort. The most versatile Colnago model, the CXZero Evo has been developed to meet the demands of cycling in the greatest range of conditions. “Classic” geometry for fit combines a taller head tube and slightly shorter top tube. This allows a more relaxed position of the shoulders and arms and a more open angle between the torso and thigh for more efficient pedaling during even the longest days in the saddle. The tube shapes of the rear triangle are designed to offer maximum vertical compliance while allowing clearance for up to 25mm tires.</span></h2>
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<span style="font-size: 12.56px; font-weight: normal; text-align: justify;">The endurance geometry arises from the extent of the steering tube, which is considerably longer than the classical racing. The reason is essentially linked to two factors: the need to raise the position of bust and shoulders, then relax your arms slightly and shorten the top tube. The higher head tube, also promotes the driving of the bicycle in all situations by making the front end also more comfortable. The conical shape is characterized by the double diameter of 1-1/8 "at the top and 1-1/4" in the lower. The larger diameter also increased corresponds to the shape of the fork crown and seat stays, mix that improves the aspect of safety and better handling.</span></h2>
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<strong>Shimano 11 speed drivetrain</strong></h2>
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<span style="font-size: 12.56px; font-weight: normal; text-align: center;">To power this bike not only involves you but a good drivetrain system. This year Colnago have spec'd up the CX Zero with the new Shimano Ultegra 11 speed. With its light action and smooth indexing allows you to push that little bit further but supply you with the confidence and the reliability that Shimano offer with their products.</span></h2>
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<strong>Shimano hydraulic brakes</strong></h2>
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<span style="font-size: 12.56px; font-weight: normal; text-align: center;">The all new Shimano dropbar hydraulic brakes give the Colnago CX Zero the stopping power it needs down the hills. The dual piston caliper ensures even brake wear and a greater performance. Its STi shifting mechanism offers the 11 speed drivetrain an economical brake/gear lever but a smooth and elegant change gear.</span></h2>
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<strong>DT Swiss Wheelset</strong></h2>
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<span style="font-size: 12.56px; font-weight: normal;">The CX Zero Evo disc is rolling on a set of DT swiss R24DB wheels rapped in Continental Grand Sport Race 700x25C. These will supply you with the comfort, grip and speed to make those long distance endurance rides that little more enjoyable. </span></h2>
<h2 style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; margin: 10px 0px; padding: 0px;">
<strong>Colnago/Deda Finishing kit</strong></h2>
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<span style="font-size: 12.56px; font-weight: normal;">Colnago finish there bikes of with a combination of self branded parts and the Deda range, such as handlebars, stem and seatpost finished of with a Selle Italia saddle.</span></h2>
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<span style="text-align: center;">About the Colnago brand</span></h2>
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Ernesto Colnago was born in Cambiago, a small rural village twenty kilometers east of Milano on February 9, 1932. Ernesto was just 13 years old, but to start work, he had to be at least 14. He changed the date on his working papers and so was hired as an assistant welder. It was 1954 when Colnago went out on his own in a tiny little workshop, his bicycles have been used by more than 100 professional team, 2,500 professional racers, who have won more than 7,500 wins worldwide. Champion riders of the caliber of Fiorenzo Magni, Gastone Nencini, Eddy Merckx, Giuseppe Saronni, Gianni Motta, Gibì Baronchelli, Michele Dancelli, Gianni Bugno, Oscar Freire, Johan Museeuw, Tony Rominger, Pavel Tonkov, Yaroslaw Popovych, Erik Zabel e Alessandro Petacchi, and many others, have ridden Colnago Bicycles to victory. As the great researcher and innovator he is, Colnago created the first frameset in carbon fiber in collaboration with Ferrari Engineering in 1986. The next year, the innovative straight-blade “Precisa” was created. In 1989, two years later, the dramatic Colnago “C35” emerged, an innovative monocoque carbon fiber frame in road racing & mountain bike versions. 1994 was a hallmark year when Colnago introduced the ground-breaking “C40” carbon fiber frameset for his 40th anniversary and still a reference point today. No other frame has won as much as the Colnago C40: 5X Paris-Roubaix and many World Championships. In 2000 another remarkable model emerged from Colnago’s atelier: the limited edition CF1, created in collaboration with Ferrari that quickly became a major success. Next was the CF2 dual-suspension mountain bike in 2002. After ten years of success in every segment, Ernesto Colnago launched the “C50” in 2003. It was the Fiftieth Anniversary of his company, a brand that has become synonymous with the best bicycles the world over, synonymous with the best products Made in Italy. This new carbon fiber composite frame quickly found success in both the competition and sales arena. And for 2004, for the official anniversary of Colnago, a special collectors item bicycle was created, the “50th Anniversary”. Ernesto Colnago continues to dream about and create bicycles appreciated by riders passionate about cycling all over the world. Don’t ask Colnago which of his bicycles is the best: his answer is always the same. “I’ve made a lot of bicycles, but the most beautiful is the one that is yet to come.” For more info on Colnago please feel free to view Bike Radar's <a href="http://insider.bikeradar.com/colnago" style="background-color: transparent; color: #3d5793; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">article</a> on them.</div>
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<h3 style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal; margin: 10px 0px; padding: 0px;">
Top Features of the Colnago CX Zero Disc Ultegra 2015</h3>
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Full carbon fiber CX Zero frame and fork</div>
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DT Swiss Disc specific wheelset</div>
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Continental Grand Sport Race tyres</div>
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Shimano Hydraulic dropbar brakes</div>
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Shimano 11 speed Ultegra drivetrain</div>
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Colnago/Deda Drivetrain</div>
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<h3 style="font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal; margin: 10px 0px; padding: 0px;">
Product Data</h3>
<table class="bem-table" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border-collapse: collapse; border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); color: #666666; font-size: 12.56px; line-height: 17.9429px; margin: 10px 0px; width: 422px;"><tbody>
<tr class="bem-table__row" style="background-color: #f7f7f7;"><th class="bem-table__title" style="padding: 5px 10px;">Road:</th><td class="bem-table__data-column" style="padding: 5px 10px;">Yes</td></tr>
<tr class="bem-table__row"><th class="bem-table__title" style="padding: 5px 10px;">Number of gears:</th><td class="bem-table__data-column" style="padding: 5px 10px;">22</td></tr>
<tr class="bem-table__row" style="background-color: #f7f7f7;"><th class="bem-table__title" style="padding: 5px 10px;">Front Axle Type:</th><td class="bem-table__data-column" style="padding: 5px 10px;">9mm QR</td></tr>
<tr class="bem-table__row"><th class="bem-table__title" style="padding: 5px 10px;">Cable Routing:</th><td class="bem-table__data-column" style="padding: 5px 10px;">Internal</td></tr>
<tr class="bem-table__row" style="background-color: #f7f7f7;"><th class="bem-table__title" style="padding: 5px 10px;">Model Year:</th><td class="bem-table__data-column" style="padding: 5px 10px;">2015</td></tr>
<tr class="bem-table__row"><th class="bem-table__title" style="padding: 5px 10px;">Frame:</th><td class="bem-table__data-column" style="padding: 5px 10px;">CX Zero Carbon Disc Specific Frame</td></tr>
<tr class="bem-table__row" style="background-color: #f7f7f7;"><th class="bem-table__title" style="padding: 5px 10px;">Fork Material:</th><td class="bem-table__data-column" style="padding: 5px 10px;">Alloy/Carbon</td></tr>
<tr class="bem-table__row"><th class="bem-table__title" style="padding: 5px 10px;">Fork:</th><td class="bem-table__data-column" style="padding: 5px 10px;">CX Zero Carbon Disc Specific Fork</td></tr>
<tr class="bem-table__row" style="background-color: #f7f7f7;"><th class="bem-table__title" style="padding: 5px 10px;">Steerer:</th><td class="bem-table__data-column" style="padding: 5px 10px;">Tapered 1 1/8 - 1 1/4</td></tr>
<tr class="bem-table__row"><th class="bem-table__title" style="padding: 5px 10px;">Bottle Cage Mounts:</th><td class="bem-table__data-column" style="padding: 5px 10px;">Double</td></tr>
<tr class="bem-table__row" style="background-color: #f7f7f7;"><th class="bem-table__title" style="padding: 5px 10px;">Front Derailleur Mount:</th><td class="bem-table__data-column" style="padding: 5px 10px;">Braze On</td></tr>
<tr class="bem-table__row"><th class="bem-table__title" style="padding: 5px 10px;">Dropouts:</th><td class="bem-table__data-column" style="padding: 5px 10px;">Replaceable Rear Derailleur Hanger</td></tr>
<tr class="bem-table__row" style="background-color: #f7f7f7;"><th class="bem-table__title" style="padding: 5px 10px;">Wheel Size:</th><td class="bem-table__data-column" style="padding: 5px 10px;">700c (622)</td></tr>
<tr class="bem-table__row"><th class="bem-table__title" style="padding: 5px 10px;">Wheelset:</th><td class="bem-table__data-column" style="padding: 5px 10px;">DT Swiss R24DB</td></tr>
<tr class="bem-table__row" style="background-color: #f7f7f7;"><th class="bem-table__title" style="padding: 5px 10px;">Groupset Manufacturer:</th><td class="bem-table__data-column" style="padding: 5px 10px;">Shimano</td></tr>
<tr class="bem-table__row"><th class="bem-table__title" style="padding: 5px 10px;">Brake Levers/Gear Shifters:</th><td class="bem-table__data-column" style="padding: 5px 10px;">Shimano Ultegra</td></tr>
<tr class="bem-table__row" style="background-color: #f7f7f7;"><th class="bem-table__title" style="padding: 5px 10px;">Front Derailleur:</th><td class="bem-table__data-column" style="padding: 5px 10px;">Shimano Ultegra</td></tr>
<tr class="bem-table__row"><th class="bem-table__title" style="padding: 5px 10px;">Rear Derailleur:</th><td class="bem-table__data-column" style="padding: 5px 10px;">Shimano Ultegra</td></tr>
<tr class="bem-table__row" style="background-color: #f7f7f7;"><th class="bem-table__title" style="padding: 5px 10px;">Brake Type:</th><td class="bem-table__data-column" style="padding: 5px 10px;">Hydraulic Disc Brake</td></tr>
<tr class="bem-table__row"><th class="bem-table__title" style="padding: 5px 10px;">Brakes:</th><td class="bem-table__data-column" style="padding: 5px 10px;">Shimano BR-RS685</td></tr>
<tr class="bem-table__row" style="background-color: #f7f7f7;"><th class="bem-table__title" style="padding: 5px 10px;">Brake Calipers:</th><td class="bem-table__data-column" style="padding: 5px 10px;">Shimano BR-RS785 + SM-RT99</td></tr>
<tr class="bem-table__row"><th class="bem-table__title" style="padding: 5px 10px;">Chainset type:</th><td class="bem-table__data-column" style="padding: 5px 10px;">Compact</td></tr>
<tr class="bem-table__row" style="background-color: #f7f7f7;"><th class="bem-table__title" style="padding: 5px 10px;">Chainset:</th><td class="bem-table__data-column" style="padding: 5px 10px;">Shimano Ultegra</td></tr>
<tr class="bem-table__row"><th class="bem-table__title" style="padding: 5px 10px;">Chainring Size:</th><td class="bem-table__data-column" style="padding: 5px 10px;">50 Tooth, 34 Tooth</td></tr>
<tr class="bem-table__row" style="background-color: #f7f7f7;"><th class="bem-table__title" style="padding: 5px 10px;">Chain:</th><td class="bem-table__data-column" style="padding: 5px 10px;">Shimano Ultegra</td></tr>
<tr class="bem-table__row"><th class="bem-table__title" style="padding: 5px 10px;">Bottom Bracket:</th><td class="bem-table__data-column" style="padding: 5px 10px;">Shimano Pressfit</td></tr>
<tr class="bem-table__row" style="background-color: #f7f7f7;"><th class="bem-table__title" style="padding: 5px 10px;">Cassette:</th><td class="bem-table__data-column" style="padding: 5px 10px;">Shimano 105</td></tr>
<tr class="bem-table__row"><th class="bem-table__title" style="padding: 5px 10px;">Cassette Range:</th><td class="bem-table__data-column" style="padding: 5px 10px;">11-28 Tooth</td></tr>
<tr class="bem-table__row" style="background-color: #f7f7f7;"><th class="bem-table__title" style="padding: 5px 10px;">Handlebars:</th><td class="bem-table__data-column" style="padding: 5px 10px;">Deda RHM02</td></tr>
<tr class="bem-table__row"><th class="bem-table__title" style="padding: 5px 10px;">Bar Tape/Grips:</th><td class="bem-table__data-column" style="padding: 5px 10px;">Black</td></tr>
<tr class="bem-table__row" style="background-color: #f7f7f7;"><th class="bem-table__title" style="padding: 5px 10px;">Stem:</th><td class="bem-table__data-column" style="padding: 5px 10px;">Deda Zero One</td></tr>
<tr class="bem-table__row"><th class="bem-table__title" style="padding: 5px 10px;">Seat Post:</th><td class="bem-table__data-column" style="padding: 5px 10px;">Colnago CX Zero carbon</td></tr>
<tr class="bem-table__row" style="background-color: #f7f7f7;"><th class="bem-table__title" style="padding: 5px 10px;">Saddle:</th><td class="bem-table__data-column" style="padding: 5px 10px;">Selle Italia X1</td></tr>
<tr class="bem-table__row"><th class="bem-table__title" style="padding: 5px 10px;">Tires:</th><td class="bem-table__data-column" style="padding: 5px 10px;">Continental Grand Sport Race 700x25C</td></tr>
<tr class="bem-table__row" style="background-color: #f7f7f7;"><th class="bem-table__title" style="padding: 5px 10px;">Pedals:</th><td class="bem-table__data-column" style="padding: 5px 10px;">Supplied with basic flat pedals</td></tr>
<tr class="bem-table__row"><th class="bem-table__title" style="padding: 5px 10px;">Warranty:</th><td class="bem-table__data-column" style="padding: 5px 10px;">2 year frame warranty, 12 month parts warranty</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4889774440129759003.post-28820181019188040702015-10-31T01:34:00.003-07:002018-02-09T19:55:31.019-08:002011 Pivot Mach 429 (Abandoned)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
This was a project that did not materialise. The store sent me a frame that was damaged and I had to return it. Sadly, they did not have any stock of the small size frame and so, I have to let this one go. It would have been a beautiful bike. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibDC0xMT_s_Lj-No0ggyOtv2x-7Ezk1XevieWIXMIUHIBpPT6NMPwxvifYhdktQolTjcCRr1M9qLTgigXU8ob6BiyQ5iA3GsPYCMaiUMoMSmhG9xtAflhNAPWKLsJwaxVLRDa8n9bHQ75i/s1600/m429-black-new.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibDC0xMT_s_Lj-No0ggyOtv2x-7Ezk1XevieWIXMIUHIBpPT6NMPwxvifYhdktQolTjcCRr1M9qLTgigXU8ob6BiyQ5iA3GsPYCMaiUMoMSmhG9xtAflhNAPWKLsJwaxVLRDa8n9bHQ75i/s320/m429-black-new.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="border: 0px; color: #525455; font-family: roboto_condensedregular, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">
The Mach 429 has won awards and high praise from the MTBR, Outside magazine, Dirt Rag, MBA as well as countless European magazines.</div>
<div style="border: 0px; color: #525455; font-family: roboto_regular, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">
The Mach 429 has that special “something” that few if any other bikes can match. Sure, you’ve heard it all before from every manufacturer advertising that their 29er accelerates and handles like a 26” bike and theirs feels better then everyone else’s. The difference with the Mach 429 is that IT DOES, and has countless reviews to back it up. The combination of dw-link suspension and Pivot engineering results in a bike that makes the ground beneath you nearly disappear and delivers acceleration, stiffness, traction and precision that can’t be matched. It’s light, nimble, and stable; inspiring confidence whether you are racing or just riding your favourite trail. When you throw a leg over the Mach 429 you know immediately that you’re riding the most efficient and fastest 29er full suspension bike in the world.</div>
<h3 style="border: 0px; color: #525455; font-family: roboto_condensedregular, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 20px 0px 5px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">
Features:</h3>
<ul style="border: 0px; color: #525455; font-family: roboto_regular, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<li style="border: 0px; line-height: 18px; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 10px 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: top;"><strong style="font-family: roboto_bold, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Material: </strong>Mach 429 Alloy</li>
<li style="border-top-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-top-style: dotted; border-width: 1px 0px 0px; line-height: 18px; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 10px 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: top;"><strong style="font-family: roboto_bold, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Suspension: </strong>8 bearing dw-link® and high-modulus carbon rocker</li>
<li style="border-top-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-top-style: dotted; border-width: 1px 0px 0px; line-height: 18px; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 10px 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: top;"><strong style="font-family: roboto_bold, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Fork Compatibiltity:</strong>100mm or 120mm</li>
<li style="border-top-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-top-style: dotted; border-width: 1px 0px 0px; line-height: 18px; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 10px 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: top;"><strong style="font-family: roboto_bold, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Shock: </strong>Fox RP23 Boost Valve shock</li>
<li style="border-top-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-top-style: dotted; border-width: 1px 0px 0px; line-height: 18px; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 10px 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: top;"><strong style="font-family: roboto_bold, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Rear Travel: </strong>100mm</li>
<li style="border-top-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-top-style: dotted; border-width: 1px 0px 0px; line-height: 18px; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 10px 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: top;"><strong style="font-family: roboto_bold, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Head Tube:</strong> Tapered fork-compatible oversize head tube (with Cane Creek XX headset) for increased front endstiffness and control.</li>
<li style="border-top-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-top-style: dotted; border-width: 1px 0px 0px; line-height: 18px; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 10px 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: top;"><strong style="font-family: roboto_bold, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Bottom Bracket: </strong>BB92 bottom bracket</li>
<li style="border-top-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-top-style: dotted; border-width: 1px 0px 0px; line-height: 18px; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 10px 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: top;"><strong style="font-family: roboto_bold, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Front Derailleur: </strong>Direct mount</li>
<li style="border-top-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-top-style: dotted; border-width: 1px 0px 0px; line-height: 18px; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 10px 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: top;"><h3 style="border: 0px; font-family: roboto_condensedregular, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: normal; margin: 20px 0px 5px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<strong style="font-family: roboto_bold, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Technologies:</strong></h3>
<ul style="border: 0px; line-height: normal; list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<li style="border: 0px; line-height: 18px; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 10px 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: top;"><strong style="font-family: roboto_bold, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Dw-link® Suspension: </strong>One of the primary benefits of the dw-link® suspension design is position-sensitive anti-squat. Put simply, the dw-link® is the first and only suspension design that takes into account the rider’s weight and position on the bike (i.e. the rider’s centre of mass). When you stand up to sprint or shift your weight back to climb, your weight along with the force on the pedals is the dominant force on the suspension. This bob or “squat” caused by the rider’s mass shift is a good part of the reason why ProPedal, SPV, Brain, lockouts, and a host of various other “platform damping” solutions exist: to resist suspension bob and squat. With the dw-link®’s anti-squat design, the dual suspension links are positioned in such a way that your weight shifts do not result in unwanted suspension movement or “squat” under power. This allows for tuning of the rear shock with lighter valving, making the bike free to absorb bumps and follow the terrain better.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4889774440129759003.post-19926760866554672022015-10-30T20:41:00.002-07:002015-11-01T06:52:00.457-08:00Mongoose Meteore 29er <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVbPJB-qYt0vXrgUwhdPr26KqpSFj0Y6ZzzcjGl_x4m6H5gXmwb3PJ8zmFaMHGxYF0ZAPrFdMQiftQ8ARnje-6RY5Nn84dVPPtmU3CuxFgBqPovKdafkuIAfCG1e8s_kHXHiSd2KqOPIQg/s1600/P1050311.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVbPJB-qYt0vXrgUwhdPr26KqpSFj0Y6ZzzcjGl_x4m6H5gXmwb3PJ8zmFaMHGxYF0ZAPrFdMQiftQ8ARnje-6RY5Nn84dVPPtmU3CuxFgBqPovKdafkuIAfCG1e8s_kHXHiSd2KqOPIQg/s320/P1050311.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Its the same old story. Many spare parts lying around, need to clear, find a frame, put them on, sell the bike, recoup some money and build again. That's the plan but it always ended up stopping short of the selling part. This time, my excuse is that this will be the bike I will bring over to my Thailand home. Lets see if it will materialise.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU8UbUN2Vsilf94nGQML-hZyewfyWXYz9kF3eW1LCpiaQGfBD8JOMA0te1ClH2EFx3W3lKTpDwk9uOYOIkW5EYaKTF1GpPg2Dyk5oaEhC6eigNqwsGD20uxyDz3ZTOpPvvKv-ygpIy6XnB/s1600/P1050315.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU8UbUN2Vsilf94nGQML-hZyewfyWXYz9kF3eW1LCpiaQGfBD8JOMA0te1ClH2EFx3W3lKTpDwk9uOYOIkW5EYaKTF1GpPg2Dyk5oaEhC6eigNqwsGD20uxyDz3ZTOpPvvKv-ygpIy6XnB/s320/P1050315.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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The frame is a Mongoose Meteore 29er. It came from a friend who wanted the parts but not the frame. It was rather cheap to inherit and that has always been my preferred mode of bike building; buy them cheap and and sell them for a reasonable profit. People need to understand that the physical aspects of the bike is not everything; the effort in putting it together and making sure everything works well is something money cannot buy. Its call experience and unless you have been there and done it, be nice to your bike builder.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6JoG23_m9Ky1ZuBDBjBz1Hs_IXoRvARkl0jLx-NRTccjnfnDLJUzKeiN06cJZr8i_lVRdXYpnnYMmjvjXNIywzbVA8VEs_gmjGdU4AM48scH73bDFku_7nh-vBJcJaXiqkb7trJ0UAI-P/s1600/P1050318.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6JoG23_m9Ky1ZuBDBjBz1Hs_IXoRvARkl0jLx-NRTccjnfnDLJUzKeiN06cJZr8i_lVRdXYpnnYMmjvjXNIywzbVA8VEs_gmjGdU4AM48scH73bDFku_7nh-vBJcJaXiqkb7trJ0UAI-P/s320/P1050318.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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The stance of the bike is rather compact and it actually is. For a 29er, it doesn't really feel big like the Cannondale Tango.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI3eOdkarrE4lM6f7FauUhB33CtGNs0LvTbCVy5fBQU1B4n1FFWTVyMyxax0kYmrBgbFemRDPQnP_ssPWX6xFGtowpRtHn9m8ST_xuzmUS3gf8NpdzFi61R-kPFDdue-1BKy-VyGenmaYH/s1600/P1050319.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI3eOdkarrE4lM6f7FauUhB33CtGNs0LvTbCVy5fBQU1B4n1FFWTVyMyxax0kYmrBgbFemRDPQnP_ssPWX6xFGtowpRtHn9m8ST_xuzmUS3gf8NpdzFi61R-kPFDdue-1BKy-VyGenmaYH/s320/P1050319.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGOQi2hfniP9uQlp5okCBlh7gizNWZDwDDDFZ8lI-j5fzr6UFz6FubpQYiINct7GxMsK_iqax1v9nVMcs0eZv8_DDcfweyMKxW57XO3YlKbwHX_h1TqerA3PSxBaFSSnCawJEBK_J9Q-aC/s1600/P1050321.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGOQi2hfniP9uQlp5okCBlh7gizNWZDwDDDFZ8lI-j5fzr6UFz6FubpQYiINct7GxMsK_iqax1v9nVMcs0eZv8_DDcfweyMKxW57XO3YlKbwHX_h1TqerA3PSxBaFSSnCawJEBK_J9Q-aC/s320/P1050321.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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The parts of the cockpit were transferred from the Marin Palisades Trail. That bike is undergoing some rejuvenation. The brake levers are Shimano Deore, shifters are Shimano Alivio 3 x 9, stem and handlebar are from Merida. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFZ0d8lHQM_du7WSe9ITSp1zYvED_VFrn93T4yUUEX66Rmc__WD1dHxMQJX9eB-4lWU7ZC2vO7p25vQFapYNpCceMEtpx_ukOnl_72LfZ2STyZuKFpDyqVOROdb77lKmHs2eSwbl6JlPZg/s1600/P1050323.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFZ0d8lHQM_du7WSe9ITSp1zYvED_VFrn93T4yUUEX66Rmc__WD1dHxMQJX9eB-4lWU7ZC2vO7p25vQFapYNpCceMEtpx_ukOnl_72LfZ2STyZuKFpDyqVOROdb77lKmHs2eSwbl6JlPZg/s320/P1050323.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7e2i4Jdu12pMzAjZbMGYH3jfOOh2B1_0ajzpJoTZx8picHk1EFW9C1BIwwoOHB7fQ1_Ywbrz8NiAwZSDff9HI_KTVSHe0VzTmgQhrrQArIiwz7lXrneWyJgaQdVi81YsCp1hAvXRwXCsA/s1600/P1050324.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7e2i4Jdu12pMzAjZbMGYH3jfOOh2B1_0ajzpJoTZx8picHk1EFW9C1BIwwoOHB7fQ1_Ywbrz8NiAwZSDff9HI_KTVSHe0VzTmgQhrrQArIiwz7lXrneWyJgaQdVi81YsCp1hAvXRwXCsA/s320/P1050324.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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The Suntour XCR fork was a clearance item from Chain Reaction Cycles. Its an air fork, so its actually quite light for a suspension fork. Not really plush but it works well.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7FJz91aFsncnwVvujX4riQaa1T-w9M5JIsd_wP_qnwT5uiLnuF4dTK1DqYX0G2ljneHnDtWRMn1KncyRhdnNH1vJVKlM2LzKmZvrRL2_UAWmtnGKCIpuHH7Ssh4xrRoHSXcckbLdv4be_/s1600/P1050327.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7FJz91aFsncnwVvujX4riQaa1T-w9M5JIsd_wP_qnwT5uiLnuF4dTK1DqYX0G2ljneHnDtWRMn1KncyRhdnNH1vJVKlM2LzKmZvrRL2_UAWmtnGKCIpuHH7Ssh4xrRoHSXcckbLdv4be_/s320/P1050327.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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At long last, the Sugino-Colnago crank is put to good use. I think it has finally found its home on the Mongoose. This is a terrific crank but its not for the weak. With a 48T chain ring, you better make sure you have strong legs to move the bike that is not on the lightweight side. A Shimano Deore front derailleur takes care of the front shifting.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh15MhlTG8qXVE_uL0J7CNti65mnORl3jLMaeOC6GVl6kFmXAPPvcmxHFGNNIoE8twd3Dm48vJ7xiYQZZVheT_1fIkIkRTeQ_IaS28KG1vNjNts1CRX_XPBFK7BMi3SBgrtQJSLq42TgdXC/s1600/P1050332.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh15MhlTG8qXVE_uL0J7CNti65mnORl3jLMaeOC6GVl6kFmXAPPvcmxHFGNNIoE8twd3Dm48vJ7xiYQZZVheT_1fIkIkRTeQ_IaS28KG1vNjNts1CRX_XPBFK7BMi3SBgrtQJSLq42TgdXC/s320/P1050332.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Shimano Alivio 9 speed rear derailleurs do the job. Nothing flashy, you shift, it moves; that is all that matters.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCL9Rw-LqWRIY5Z5XMPoX0GfbtLzrjF5xaxvIKEByLGC2ePRX-6qS3oSqu6Xrc5NbNCeE2-M3unLgDmsPqesgfhU4gjoFHyayigZGF5QXU_2yBf8pyBBE1CBchv0JDAKVWc8nIMgL_vcCp/s1600/P1050334.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCL9Rw-LqWRIY5Z5XMPoX0GfbtLzrjF5xaxvIKEByLGC2ePRX-6qS3oSqu6Xrc5NbNCeE2-M3unLgDmsPqesgfhU4gjoFHyayigZGF5QXU_2yBf8pyBBE1CBchv0JDAKVWc8nIMgL_vcCp/s320/P1050334.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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The wheelset came from a Giant Momentum (http://www.momentum-biking.com/us). The rear hub was replaced by a Chosen 'loud hub' and it lives up to its name! You don't need a bell, a few backward turns of the crank and the whole world will know you're coming. More importantly, they are really smooth.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixauhkKOH5LXc-wYG8gWXeBwwuT2UI1jTxAWJAWxBhuAZabfUSPBdoGctGjn4PhQL3mT4lHhzYYQT8upFx7Q8iYCAMKnYP98EX108Tif-oSmNjmhfMSME5aTZ7yVAWFEtwpProGJ4czYwp/s1600/P1050336.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixauhkKOH5LXc-wYG8gWXeBwwuT2UI1jTxAWJAWxBhuAZabfUSPBdoGctGjn4PhQL3mT4lHhzYYQT8upFx7Q8iYCAMKnYP98EX108Tif-oSmNjmhfMSME5aTZ7yVAWFEtwpProGJ4czYwp/s320/P1050336.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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My favourite seat. Nothing more to say.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNqFiYfsQJfII_tv6WPLYXHinEZ0zvqrEgfqmGLlp_YBLCdNsv4Pxqmv7BS6XrAwL400eOoY8azjmWUcxllReCwULiG8No0VA8YNUmAq3s2sfwhJaGcXu7J_5C7AjQTy0fK9qYQAfJzLZ6/s1600/P1050337.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNqFiYfsQJfII_tv6WPLYXHinEZ0zvqrEgfqmGLlp_YBLCdNsv4Pxqmv7BS6XrAwL400eOoY8azjmWUcxllReCwULiG8No0VA8YNUmAq3s2sfwhJaGcXu7J_5C7AjQTy0fK9qYQAfJzLZ6/s320/P1050337.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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I don't really like cables that stretches from source to component. The long cable housing does not provide the 'crispiness' compared to bare cables. Tuning it is quite frustrating at times because besides the cable stretching, the cable housing is also stretching.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8F6g8cJcRhs8zmIJWzpu_rTK51Z7f9PujHhwR0n7JudlsMIOgENHuZzKfQotQ_3uowxypBPDYDHKipLIuNGFcbruprtgnofeMFQFTEIFN9aoYraOSwVMPzzj3scg1SipotcThexU2hg_v/s1600/P1050339.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8F6g8cJcRhs8zmIJWzpu_rTK51Z7f9PujHhwR0n7JudlsMIOgENHuZzKfQotQ_3uowxypBPDYDHKipLIuNGFcbruprtgnofeMFQFTEIFN9aoYraOSwVMPzzj3scg1SipotcThexU2hg_v/s320/P1050339.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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How it looks from the rider position.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzQfhStBpLPLwo4SDNJIpfYlKJTCPRcKWVoC8M3DmDp62tHNwRSyg4YfmG0Wj6XdLt8-XSSTcb7D83kNlLwSGboL4bHwZWEfxjn0aOxR2Y1TUBIfAm-JrTHHjTYQeijgSiOiIZbJaKRB0F/s1600/P1050345.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzQfhStBpLPLwo4SDNJIpfYlKJTCPRcKWVoC8M3DmDp62tHNwRSyg4YfmG0Wj6XdLt8-XSSTcb7D83kNlLwSGboL4bHwZWEfxjn0aOxR2Y1TUBIfAm-JrTHHjTYQeijgSiOiIZbJaKRB0F/s320/P1050345.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Overall, it is a nice bike. Its not something I will hop on if I want an easy ride but I will take it on the trail anytime.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioPOJWX_85duV4FaZ8rPmBaSmm-bnQKq0EfbPZHvwkw81EL472ITMcoYXTmh7HxHZr78PHenKa-XdZcEyA0cJO1lTJUm3EOCL9EuWC74XpjUw6hbGrn3rrLiGjIu7Hy3eOFUCZlbB8bXLg/s1600/P1050347.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioPOJWX_85duV4FaZ8rPmBaSmm-bnQKq0EfbPZHvwkw81EL472ITMcoYXTmh7HxHZr78PHenKa-XdZcEyA0cJO1lTJUm3EOCL9EuWC74XpjUw6hbGrn3rrLiGjIu7Hy3eOFUCZlbB8bXLg/s320/P1050347.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4889774440129759003.post-21356039120511532102015-10-01T09:07:00.003-07:002016-07-27T19:08:45.970-07:002010 circa Vitus Taillefer<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Building a bike is not rocket science. With a fair amount of experience and proper tools, it doesn't take much to build a bike from scratch. The challenge is finding the 'right' one to build. Over the years, I have build, break-up and re-build many bikes. The time has come for me to be more discerning about building bikes that says something about its origin, evoke and convey an emotion and rides beautifully because after all, bikes are meant to be ridden. This is the challenge and in today's environment where bikes are a dime a dozen, finding that special frame is like striking the lottery. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Vitus Bikes have a long heritage in road cycling and have racked up quite a few Pro Tour stage wins over the years with riding greats such as Irish road cycling star Sean Kelly who claimed stage victories in the Tour de France onboard a Vitus bike. Vitus pioneered the bonding process that is now widely used in the manufacture of carbon frames and this process has been developed and refined and is still utilized in all high end Vitus Carbon Fibre road bikes. In recent years Vitus has had close collaboration with French DH super star Christian Taillefer in designing their range of MTBs. Through sound design concepts through to the use of high grade aerospace alloy and carbon fibre you can be sure that each and every Vitus bike has been designed to provide the perfect balance between performance, function and style. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">Amidst all the advertisements in the classified ads, this frame stood out. It is a hardtail frame by MTB legend Christian Taillefer. I did some googling and discovered that he was once a downhill legend in France. Well, he must have been really good for Vitus to engage him in designing a frame. And what a frame came from that collaboration! See for yourself in the following pictures:</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkHfgfljaFDDp5P06SvsjMS6sls9j2IPsHoNLJJgjJJD0AOebMtiturT4INRmrWOxav-acCjT1laXXxOTWR-yUckl9zrkyCnGX-5fPPB6vUigreaZ3JOTnww7QexwZM7P5J7-m8pNDX5sp/s1600/BF1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkHfgfljaFDDp5P06SvsjMS6sls9j2IPsHoNLJJgjJJD0AOebMtiturT4INRmrWOxav-acCjT1laXXxOTWR-yUckl9zrkyCnGX-5fPPB6vUigreaZ3JOTnww7QexwZM7P5J7-m8pNDX5sp/s320/BF1.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The seat tube is the first thing that caught my eye. Rather than a straight tube like most others, this one is made up of 2 parts. Why? This arrangement creates a steeper angle for the seat tube and at the same time, actually shortens the chainstay so that the wheel is more directly underneath the rider. Makes sense but only saddle time will tell.</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHNkD96DKheW-wvAGLAXAaq3TCX4RN26MHm1w9arkzS3UEf9OxO0awR4-AvWVxSH7BABYEA0AiQDvcq5t-fYkCC1yzLrA7CeOreZqlb5znPMmd8QW7qyyvFhZyCxoTSvtEAuu5gdDGNvnf/s1600/BF2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHNkD96DKheW-wvAGLAXAaq3TCX4RN26MHm1w9arkzS3UEf9OxO0awR4-AvWVxSH7BABYEA0AiQDvcq5t-fYkCC1yzLrA7CeOreZqlb5znPMmd8QW7qyyvFhZyCxoTSvtEAuu5gdDGNvnf/s320/BF2.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Look at the reinforcement on the head tube. This frame is definitely designed to take on a lot of punishment and with Christian's background in downhill racing, this is not surprising. </span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii7t_Omkimf6Vdk11T7n83DdVF6p4fibmTm_F6bnoMcgEWyANb1DEXU4EKGXKciYEMvQRfuohPmxBn2-m7abFJyc58HVqke71SZJHiPjj7aqJiP-v2NE8FS7xRl_lN5o7WSf9yhS9dSHcx/s1600/BF3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii7t_Omkimf6Vdk11T7n83DdVF6p4fibmTm_F6bnoMcgEWyANb1DEXU4EKGXKciYEMvQRfuohPmxBn2-m7abFJyc58HVqke71SZJHiPjj7aqJiP-v2NE8FS7xRl_lN5o7WSf9yhS9dSHcx/s320/BF3.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The frame takes a standard 68mm bottom bracket. </span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ358MYHy00auXqduuqr5_vU6fJBFD_1_G-Kzb3zSvgRIYxN4vPBCSV71y2vJcEeM8h_DcTRzON9ietVAyVG9qlxSXUQ7o3nnPP_xA400bqIYqTLYjnFG-vbB_TKfk5IqJHbPsFYG0K4ga/s1600/normal_Vitus_Taillefer-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ358MYHy00auXqduuqr5_vU6fJBFD_1_G-Kzb3zSvgRIYxN4vPBCSV71y2vJcEeM8h_DcTRzON9ietVAyVG9qlxSXUQ7o3nnPP_xA400bqIYqTLYjnFG-vbB_TKfk5IqJHbPsFYG0K4ga/s320/normal_Vitus_Taillefer-2.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">One variant.</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU48zvchL6zGPEnEXKBOTufAqWBYxjASxJebLS1LcDZzXVzU-XLRHSw_m45Kes023DL5bmbDbfexAesnZysnSEZtK9ctDgkHmeRiH7mkyXqrDb99sl2GQEEqOr6HZvAEeBKAEa5X_KlNIM/s1600/normal_Vitus_Taillefer.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU48zvchL6zGPEnEXKBOTufAqWBYxjASxJebLS1LcDZzXVzU-XLRHSw_m45Kes023DL5bmbDbfexAesnZysnSEZtK9ctDgkHmeRiH7mkyXqrDb99sl2GQEEqOr6HZvAEeBKAEa5X_KlNIM/s320/normal_Vitus_Taillefer.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Another variant. </span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG6H_knc9h3UsOgylg08tsBAvV3inhPICSOGJJXhZ_HLct5TYjIFCrei2PLyf0CrQjQDkKoG16rSypxeGN09wi__nB3PDGVaiF2sSqXGXQairOicub31F2TELH9AXxezQ1emyq2Zivzv9W/s1600/vitus_taillefer_frame_brand_new_1443693138_5bbf2b94.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG6H_knc9h3UsOgylg08tsBAvV3inhPICSOGJJXhZ_HLct5TYjIFCrei2PLyf0CrQjQDkKoG16rSypxeGN09wi__nB3PDGVaiF2sSqXGXQairOicub31F2TELH9AXxezQ1emyq2Zivzv9W/s320/vitus_taillefer_frame_brand_new_1443693138_5bbf2b94.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Cable holders are placed in unexpected places on the frame.</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXor8Sd4E6cnhiKOHRMyNqpBhxT6ZYuZvcizfIv0yGw1kC6tAdn4fEDq4RG_vszmjznwqtcThsz0MuhH4N4uAzPehB9nhT9MkMPGFcBKnbXoYclBjEYX5hs814goQiFqvLc-2YaV0t4P_s/s1600/vitus_taillefer_frame_brand_new_1443693138_83309e23.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXor8Sd4E6cnhiKOHRMyNqpBhxT6ZYuZvcizfIv0yGw1kC6tAdn4fEDq4RG_vszmjznwqtcThsz0MuhH4N4uAzPehB9nhT9MkMPGFcBKnbXoYclBjEYX5hs814goQiFqvLc-2YaV0t4P_s/s320/vitus_taillefer_frame_brand_new_1443693138_83309e23.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Have you ever seen a rear hanger arrangement like this before?</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs4r3acLAwb95nRTv-SGqHnr2Qiqd9E9VhYncO2qDHzPpymNKhYiIxERhdj8bseTFARdwe3DJiBNAG8GkaKo450pdTsshhTIUkefLhar9F3caEMedk4eT0D1KmXFRyK4a0bkLuYunkvXnh/s1600/vitus_taillefer_frame_brand_new_1443693949_39a37233.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs4r3acLAwb95nRTv-SGqHnr2Qiqd9E9VhYncO2qDHzPpymNKhYiIxERhdj8bseTFARdwe3DJiBNAG8GkaKo450pdTsshhTIUkefLhar9F3caEMedk4eT0D1KmXFRyK4a0bkLuYunkvXnh/s320/vitus_taillefer_frame_brand_new_1443693949_39a37233.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Vitus did the right thing!</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6CYpADILVLOsEUQwxdowQVshy8lxGdTyxXgR1EbPoWTKUUNDeIiGTSC-S73n4ZbN1YqOf5l7k0WPfvPrghgtoXnO2FXbQVtYaKGqzj0itxzjss23EkgrH_nmyGFKu3K1gjj9XJdJXDSEB/s1600/vitus_taillefer_frame_brand_new_1443693949_e8d1a177.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6CYpADILVLOsEUQwxdowQVshy8lxGdTyxXgR1EbPoWTKUUNDeIiGTSC-S73n4ZbN1YqOf5l7k0WPfvPrghgtoXnO2FXbQVtYaKGqzj0itxzjss23EkgrH_nmyGFKu3K1gjj9XJdJXDSEB/s320/vitus_taillefer_frame_brand_new_1443693949_e8d1a177.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">This is just the beginning. The process is going to be an exciting one when part by part, they make the bike whole. This one is going to be really special. Stay tuned.</span><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">Features: • Standard 1 1/8” headset • Replaceable mech hanger • Seatpost – 30.9mm • Seatclamp – 35.8mm • BB Width – 68mm • Brake Type - Disc and V-Brake Tabs • Headtube length – 125mm • Toptube length c/c (40cm frame) – 55cm • Weight (40cm Frame) – 2.44Kg</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrq5fvsDZeTGd9JJGoMW-noLaGVox9-saxT4Q1ixVrx3bBC5UEoy1XYahj8BRRc6bkdqoyQXpcbMx2w8l9hwZBELlmKzA6XfpnMYOXsHQeCJJaNtYo4D5Zb5bkJFY8gugrBQnpsvG32sKc/s1600/DSC_0064.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrq5fvsDZeTGd9JJGoMW-noLaGVox9-saxT4Q1ixVrx3bBC5UEoy1XYahj8BRRc6bkdqoyQXpcbMx2w8l9hwZBELlmKzA6XfpnMYOXsHQeCJJaNtYo4D5Zb5bkJFY8gugrBQnpsvG32sKc/s320/DSC_0064.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Finally, after months of sitting in the room, the bike was taken out for its first ride. One word, awesome! While the central idea for the bike was for DH purposes, it was a breeze to ride on the road. The long top tube provided space to stretch out and hunkered down. With a short stem, the riding position suited my style of riding. This is one bike you can ride around the whole day and not feel tired. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHgumaezqW6eJWynfwgMqdZgRYWwBukO4AH4gKrF8AMQVHt35_x1yMELSFzPb9T1F_v4cLZZ8Urqy16qXZXkDt0M7Po-soFbYeu79dbwvArUdMlRU-ULjGdj4aML60kExZVe170rSz-nIE/s1600/DSC_0065.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHgumaezqW6eJWynfwgMqdZgRYWwBukO4AH4gKrF8AMQVHt35_x1yMELSFzPb9T1F_v4cLZZ8Urqy16qXZXkDt0M7Po-soFbYeu79dbwvArUdMlRU-ULjGdj4aML60kExZVe170rSz-nIE/s320/DSC_0065.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I might replace the 1 x 10 Shimano Zee drivetrain for a 2 x 10 Deore drivetrain. That will give me a higher gear ratio for road riding and with the smaller chain ring, I can hit the trails without any problems.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUi0yQQfdzkBGLniqcSikdgdA2SADbjbvij3igjAf43RyjgcFOe10S-2cPKaLDlza0d_KAlXiB8DsJXpPkFRNV2r_VPF0ONl3qCPuLa28kI6xP-mZ-sjpirQFbOrHFW69hemtW2fKPwPmg/s1600/DSC_0068.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUi0yQQfdzkBGLniqcSikdgdA2SADbjbvij3igjAf43RyjgcFOe10S-2cPKaLDlza0d_KAlXiB8DsJXpPkFRNV2r_VPF0ONl3qCPuLa28kI6xP-mZ-sjpirQFbOrHFW69hemtW2fKPwPmg/s320/DSC_0068.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The only complain is regarding the brakes. For some strange reasons, there is a 'wavy' sensation on the brake levers. The rotors are probably bent. Simple fix.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4xEymz0DXDAxQKX0M6xAJi7rA5kPpqZLOH_YpVFqH4fj6_GYPd-E2FBEtOdM1mU9xaNsEa2hZLbJfDQxhjfMw9aNwHsiqLpKhxAMjGsI6RkQoLerkkmS1IoY6n-PwoqoNDx0V-2HMLtm_/s1600/DSC_0070.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4xEymz0DXDAxQKX0M6xAJi7rA5kPpqZLOH_YpVFqH4fj6_GYPd-E2FBEtOdM1mU9xaNsEa2hZLbJfDQxhjfMw9aNwHsiqLpKhxAMjGsI6RkQoLerkkmS1IoY6n-PwoqoNDx0V-2HMLtm_/s320/DSC_0070.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Never for sale....</span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4889774440129759003.post-89707838535015310582015-08-25T22:31:00.001-07:002018-02-09T19:59:04.623-08:002015 Marin Fairfax SC2 IG (Sold)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJK-wMBcq-vKGOqxYjF7IwjZtvsyMb0bHpjYaES9_bui5acefCKV7BOh8YHpQXCf28uJ4NooRygpoysuQX-fg-0jYNNfUnTOezrUgfqDS5CcE6jgnK7PXe_-0nPd7utENBgrGgxtLiiU_G/s1600/2015-08-07+10.36.16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJK-wMBcq-vKGOqxYjF7IwjZtvsyMb0bHpjYaES9_bui5acefCKV7BOh8YHpQXCf28uJ4NooRygpoysuQX-fg-0jYNNfUnTOezrUgfqDS5CcE6jgnK7PXe_-0nPd7utENBgrGgxtLiiU_G/s320/2015-08-07+10.36.16.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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There is a saying that goes like this; what goes around comes around. One of the first bike I owned was a Marin Fairfax. As it was too big for me, I had to sell it as much to my reluctance but it was no point keeping it since I was not comfortable with it. That was 2 years ago. One day, while browsing around at the LBS that I patronized regularly, there stood the reincarnation of my Marin Fairfax.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxLRPOJhMkxjPVoW4qwKCy4SIshzZ2gQwghVfa0j1kgP_n3-29MORskvCFws0LEvNIBanAB6Yr67QzlAFEEkim0Ggw3kzWmEkZC2Pu7kUOb34nR4of4nP8hnvgAWYUEpGoLRzR3cMI1Vxb/s1600/2015-08-07+10.36.51.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxLRPOJhMkxjPVoW4qwKCy4SIshzZ2gQwghVfa0j1kgP_n3-29MORskvCFws0LEvNIBanAB6Yr67QzlAFEEkim0Ggw3kzWmEkZC2Pu7kUOb34nR4of4nP8hnvgAWYUEpGoLRzR3cMI1Vxb/s320/2015-08-07+10.36.51.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Instead of the usual derailleurs and cassette, this one came with Nexus 8-speed internal hub. With my experience using the Alfine system, I wanted to know how the lower-specced Nexus performed. Frankly, you would find it difficult to distinguish between the 2 systems. Outwardly, the Nexus does look a bit plasticky but where performance is concerned, it is hard to tell them apart.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOXCnFnh8imsqNe4aTeq7UNeNjNitI4Wa44Ps91SfoyRbzmN35h6ujAJ7CBgWKC8mIU4pgNq5m9JdkKxwJY3E-lKaF57m65hb-mN3-PGLgTABKrOd_ytkqmpfiAV4zgiMVusgz3uiXx6ef/s1600/2015-08-07+10.37.18.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOXCnFnh8imsqNe4aTeq7UNeNjNitI4Wa44Ps91SfoyRbzmN35h6ujAJ7CBgWKC8mIU4pgNq5m9JdkKxwJY3E-lKaF57m65hb-mN3-PGLgTABKrOd_ytkqmpfiAV4zgiMVusgz3uiXx6ef/s320/2015-08-07+10.37.18.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The original brakes were replaced with Tektro Mini-V brakes simply for looks and performance. Bike manufacturers have a tendency to cut corners when it comes to certain components and I do not blame them. It is all about maximizing profits by using cheap parts that work. My preference is for better quality stuff that I know can withstand the abuse and gives me peace of mind when I ride.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivJWNAzA_SRrZhyphenhyphenH7FuKHA5HLQGjnKyRfkjglypMqLhcdZXssfuZq2AWOreij0mxIs7KtnlWzsnotDa_qQeBfFCGIszyA0mEP6Ov7JNhUVTIo6DcH5couzP72NobPrKBngu5_D-Pt7lg3i/s1600/2015-08-07+10.37.32.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivJWNAzA_SRrZhyphenhyphenH7FuKHA5HLQGjnKyRfkjglypMqLhcdZXssfuZq2AWOreij0mxIs7KtnlWzsnotDa_qQeBfFCGIszyA0mEP6Ov7JNhUVTIo6DcH5couzP72NobPrKBngu5_D-Pt7lg3i/s320/2015-08-07+10.37.32.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The original saddle is really comfortable. This is one place Marin did not make any compromise.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji9TBDiRges0YqbUF17ka2jgemDBUKub6hFHC-LnKWpOzfIDT30vdxBatDcaY-EzCDS9hVh6Z943wB-7CM5SXZbmbxIvfpGvLDcd9cgIgcYlek-pJLwn9RRBEdeoJCI9Nnhqx6WxHCmVW1/s1600/2015-08-07+10.37.52.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji9TBDiRges0YqbUF17ka2jgemDBUKub6hFHC-LnKWpOzfIDT30vdxBatDcaY-EzCDS9hVh6Z943wB-7CM5SXZbmbxIvfpGvLDcd9cgIgcYlek-pJLwn9RRBEdeoJCI9Nnhqx6WxHCmVW1/s320/2015-08-07+10.37.52.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The original crank has since been replaced by an Alfine 39T crank.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYgak7nA7KAf_fVHb1i6eBFHxO5EikzRqxPKbsMvca9cWSXLM5qWgi5HFpqHCg_2sUYPJhzhgqU7l7LiSFQkvlE0-tevzvyoukYaa9lwPecS0p0Js-EmxgIEPzqQmPuBppaVX2ToPMOG6O/s1600/2015-08-07+10.38.43.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYgak7nA7KAf_fVHb1i6eBFHxO5EikzRqxPKbsMvca9cWSXLM5qWgi5HFpqHCg_2sUYPJhzhgqU7l7LiSFQkvlE0-tevzvyoukYaa9lwPecS0p0Js-EmxgIEPzqQmPuBppaVX2ToPMOG6O/s320/2015-08-07+10.38.43.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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The Rockshox I-ride suspension fork was transferred from the Carver 96er to the Fairfax. It made alot of sense to do that. The I-ride fork was designed for 700c wheels which the Fairfax is running instead of 29er wheels. And since the Fairfax was designed as a hybrid right from the start, the I-ride fitted nicely in the steerer tube. On the Carver, I had to add a few spacers to get the correct fit and it certainly made the bike look bad. The other reason for transferring the fork over was that the I-ride uses V-brakes which is in sync with the Fairfax braking system.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn0JNQzFm54p8V0Yel2LbYzUnGzm7Erq2Y_shmCu4sjMAM4dxpZvKpTt7hgwKuVncSHFw0RWkxQUtYNIx9JythfR4PtdJUCu_Li7ri3hLyVvsmdO0lEvY6Rv3b__BiP-FL239emYCB_pQv/s1600/2015-08-07+10.38.58.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn0JNQzFm54p8V0Yel2LbYzUnGzm7Erq2Y_shmCu4sjMAM4dxpZvKpTt7hgwKuVncSHFw0RWkxQUtYNIx9JythfR4PtdJUCu_Li7ri3hLyVvsmdO0lEvY6Rv3b__BiP-FL239emYCB_pQv/s320/2015-08-07+10.38.58.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Shimano brake levers replaces the unbranded original brake levers. More than looking good, the Shimano brake levers gives better feel and definitely, more comfort.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpJGxRZJ-2pCG9jidor2xSfYPrh7br3ySPeDbRTau8htbvmvmeTyv34WdeZIRnsG1LLcLYLkU0FOWS16_MZp3i345qOsJp0aAw1qjSjF7p91wdhtz8Kz8rqFfBqXVMturBIIeHiz2Q-6Kv/s1600/2015-08-07+10.39.20.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpJGxRZJ-2pCG9jidor2xSfYPrh7br3ySPeDbRTau8htbvmvmeTyv34WdeZIRnsG1LLcLYLkU0FOWS16_MZp3i345qOsJp0aAw1qjSjF7p91wdhtz8Kz8rqFfBqXVMturBIIeHiz2Q-6Kv/s320/2015-08-07+10.39.20.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The handle bar was replaced by a On One Fleegle bar. The handle bar sits slightly lower than the stem and improves aerodynamics slightly. I think it is also more comfortable.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzmQIMLVDToe37Uan6huGUfezIPkdmr-GHA1fWwSHdbrzrPwfqC6nshKq0sxUQKuUFwWu4yhI_fIEYbq62v9dxTPZ4H_X4-QGJm-Ye1NVaRWnxG-W66BEtcFSiSfgCrSKqhcBp9Wv2XKHM/s1600/2015-08-07+10.39.47.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzmQIMLVDToe37Uan6huGUfezIPkdmr-GHA1fWwSHdbrzrPwfqC6nshKq0sxUQKuUFwWu4yhI_fIEYbq62v9dxTPZ4H_X4-QGJm-Ye1NVaRWnxG-W66BEtcFSiSfgCrSKqhcBp9Wv2XKHM/s320/2015-08-07+10.39.47.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="240" /></a></div>
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The shorter arms of the Tektro Mini V means braking is much more effective and powerful.<br />
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The Marin logo on a matt black frame makes the bike look rather good.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqzKo275GYYHGWExSprYlwFB9j0YwzKJVK5A7qepXM3Xm3fNPJvkz_fYzFo8KggbIqf_70xqOV3KmrDxfd5HA4EQpZHIb6YFqyPFN5ImfA08ytiQ2tW2-V33TEJyU1FWN3pOXvZB0nuc1m/s1600/2015-08-07+10.40.04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqzKo275GYYHGWExSprYlwFB9j0YwzKJVK5A7qepXM3Xm3fNPJvkz_fYzFo8KggbIqf_70xqOV3KmrDxfd5HA4EQpZHIb6YFqyPFN5ImfA08ytiQ2tW2-V33TEJyU1FWN3pOXvZB0nuc1m/s320/2015-08-07+10.40.04.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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We live in a strange world. What goes around really does come around.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4889774440129759003.post-77609922906261974602015-08-10T21:11:00.004-07:002018-02-09T19:55:55.269-08:002015 Focus Planet 1.0 Alfine (Sold)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNKWqr8WQHQHtz25EuwKhYIE34jieF_COT2KueAHDzdkwLzvThV-GCBDfRWtYgOfNeyB6ccT9mWXEhEKTbvot5Co3hz_IBynPqyRRahdj79-3PwcNUBeHKwkGzm2CQDT3UaAQOYbQIyuY_/s1600/fo14_planet_tr_2-0_3D.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNKWqr8WQHQHtz25EuwKhYIE34jieF_COT2KueAHDzdkwLzvThV-GCBDfRWtYgOfNeyB6ccT9mWXEhEKTbvot5Co3hz_IBynPqyRRahdj79-3PwcNUBeHKwkGzm2CQDT3UaAQOYbQIyuY_/s320/fo14_planet_tr_2-0_3D.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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I normally do not buy complete bikes off-the-shelf. It is probably because a complete bike never have everything I like. And if it has everything I like, it would probably be too expensive. I saw the Focus Planet at a local bike shop that I visit during my lunch hour. This is a rather unique bike shop run by a senior gentleman who can be rather cranky at times. He sells a vast range of bikes, parts and accessories that ranges from $2 lights to very expensive carbon fiber bikes. Like most bike shops, it is messy with parts strewn over the floor, bikes hung here and there and well, you get the picture. So, it was with a big surprise that I found the Focus Planet hanging on the wall. </div>
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The first thing that I noticed was that it was belt-driven using Gates carbon belt drive and it was mated to a Shimano Alfine 8-speed internal gear hub. I always believed the 2 most important components on a bike are the frame and the drive train. Closer inspection showed that the frame was German engineered. The matt black paint job with blue criss-cross lines made the bike looked subtle but modern. It was love at first sight. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc3DKh7I0iOJK8usRyxImw6IXGRZDJCjXtYd1gEknRSym_eJ8d5ZdQuaPxjol3SMKT1Xou2pVWO6NRswiJZnTKQ1pDZLp0tbxQvDLyOEA1VeGvII4WpzHOwREdd_xM587JigwlFzkvmG_n/s1600/FO15-Planet_1.0-Detail_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc3DKh7I0iOJK8usRyxImw6IXGRZDJCjXtYd1gEknRSym_eJ8d5ZdQuaPxjol3SMKT1Xou2pVWO6NRswiJZnTKQ1pDZLp0tbxQvDLyOEA1VeGvII4WpzHOwREdd_xM587JigwlFzkvmG_n/s320/FO15-Planet_1.0-Detail_1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Specification</h2>
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<table><tbody>
<tr><td class="td-red"><i class="papicon_id_2"></i></td><td>Frame</td><td>Trekking 2.1 Focus Belt, alloy triple butted</td></tr>
<tr><td class="td-red"><i class="papicon_id_3"></i></td><td>Fork</td><td>Planet alloy, 9 mm QR</td></tr>
<tr><td class="td-red"><i class="papicon_id_9"></i></td><td>Brakes</td><td>Shimano BR-M396, 160 mm/160 mm</td></tr>
<tr><td class="td-red"><i class="papicon_id_6"></i></td><td>Shifter</td><td>Shimano Alfine 8-speed</td></tr>
<tr><td class="td-red"><i class="papicon_id_23"></i></td><td>Crankset</td><td>Truvativ Firex, Gates Carbon Drive CDC Chainring</td></tr>
<tr><td class="td-red"><i class="papicon_id_7"></i></td><td>Gear ratio</td><td>Front: 46, rear: 22</td></tr>
<tr><td class="td-red"><i class="papicon_id_15"></i></td><td>Handlebar</td><td>Concept EX, 640 mm</td></tr>
<tr><td class="td-red"><i class="papicon_id_14"></i></td><td>Stem</td><td>Concept EX, 90 mm</td></tr>
<tr><td class="td-red"><i class="papicon_id_16"></i></td><td>Saddle</td><td>Concept Cross</td></tr>
<tr><td class="td-red"><i class="papicon_id_17"></i></td><td>Seatpost</td><td>Concept EX, 31,6 mm, 350 mm</td></tr>
<tr><td class="td-red"><i class="papicon_id_11"></i></td><td>Hubs</td><td>Front: Concept, 9mm, rear: Shimano Alfine 8-speed</td></tr>
<tr><td class="td-red"><i class="papicon_id_12"></i></td><td>Rims</td><td>Concept SR 300</td></tr>
<tr><td class="td-red"><i class="papicon_id_13"></i></td><td>Tires</td><td>Continental Urban Focus, 622-35</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Shimano Alfine 8-speed internal hub are amazing. The gear changes are so smooth, its unbelievable. You can even change gears while stationary unlike derailleurs. Well, you can do that on a derailleur system too but the noise of gears and chain mashing against one another is not something I like. The rear drop-outs are the sliding type with double bolts to ensure nothing moves even under high load. Adjustments is also easy. Coupled to a carbon belt drive, the rear transmission is so quiet, nobody can hear you coming from behind. The only drawback of the Alfine is the weight of the hub compared to regular derailleurs. But, there is always a price to pay. The 11-speed Alfine rear hub is reported to be lighter. That might be a future upgrade.<br />
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The Gates carbon belt drive system is another amazing piece of technology. The belt is guaranteed to run thousand of kilometers without having to worry about stretching. And it is oil-free meaning no black stains on the pants. It is a bit tricky to get the correct tension but once tuned, you need not have to worry about it anymore.</div>
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The 22 'teeth' rear sprocket. I was thinking that 22T may be too many teeth but when coupled to the 46T front chainwheel, it provides effortless pedaling and when speed becomes a necessity, be assured the bike will be rather rapid (relative to the power input).<br />
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The frame is well engineered. As usual, each bike company will have their own version of frame geometry but nothing beats climbing on and riding the bike to find out whether it works for you. This frame definitely works for me.<br />
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The psychedelic graphics add some flair to the frame which would otherwise be quite boring. This is a great bike to ride when you want comfort and speed. There was nothing much I needed to do on the bike except for the change of handlebar and stem to suit my riding style. Even the pictures were taken off Focus website! How's that for continuing the 'I did not have to do much' statement.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4889774440129759003.post-32920315591968510052015-08-07T10:05:00.000-07:002018-02-09T19:56:10.399-08:002015 Vitus Dee Alfine (Sold)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiILYsCYn2Y6ILP0NYlEhLZ0upkwpk1gpDeSX6dQ7uPsaQzL7M5xZLbrvoF3llBVcEqzfXSvugJNloTi4Ob081AwggMFkt4fiFj5HcXqPGWJL22HYvvuxDg9ulhqwbE91xn-nd-ONlIf__2/s1600/P1050276.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiILYsCYn2Y6ILP0NYlEhLZ0upkwpk1gpDeSX6dQ7uPsaQzL7M5xZLbrvoF3llBVcEqzfXSvugJNloTi4Ob081AwggMFkt4fiFj5HcXqPGWJL22HYvvuxDg9ulhqwbE91xn-nd-ONlIf__2/s320/P1050276.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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The wonderful thing about custom building your own bikes is that you get to choose what you want. It is about experimenting and experiencing the different type of technology available so that you can appreciate what it can do for you. More importantly, it gives you a chance to compare and conclude what really works for you instead of just settling for whatever the bike you bought came with. The Vitus Dee started as a single-speed 29er city bike. However, I knew it had the potential to be enhanced further.<br />
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For a start, the original cockpit was replaced by an On One Mary handlebar. With its swept back and slight riser, this handlebar proves once again that looks is not everything. The retro looking bar is really comfortable. Mechanical disc brakes were replaced by Shimano hydraulic disc brakes. The stem is a Kore 80mm fitted in a flipped-over position so that the front end is not so high.<br />
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Brand X headsets are cheap and good. The golden handlebar gives some colour to the bike which would otherwise by blackish all over.<br />
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Shimano Alfine generator front hub provides constant power to the headlamp. The lamp is made by B+M Lumotech. It is really bright and provides illumination without being glaring.<br />
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The carbon fork is light and strong. It is not anything branded but it does the job.<br />
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Shimano Alfine 39 teeth crankset is simple and elegant.<br />
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Shimano Alfine 8 speed internal hub are amazing. Changing gears is almost instant and the smoothness of the change is incredible.<br />
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Shimano disc brakes never fails to impress me no matter what grade they are.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjcufmvjlCUzGYybR7depiAqcy_ooFkP6gQht9JRuiYPfVOz_lpDjyWLBwCk-jHdHaiE-Lt76XR15wbHfK_Ktxte9kQ4SO2fWPEoq_DhMQUeRz-D1eifwyff1Le-xxiqR_Z_28eImINZh1/s1600/P1050300.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjcufmvjlCUzGYybR7depiAqcy_ooFkP6gQht9JRuiYPfVOz_lpDjyWLBwCk-jHdHaiE-Lt76XR15wbHfK_Ktxte9kQ4SO2fWPEoq_DhMQUeRz-D1eifwyff1Le-xxiqR_Z_28eImINZh1/s320/P1050300.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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A Fireeye seat post is mated to the original Vitus saddle. This is probably the sole item that was retained. The rest have all been replaced.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgegRcELlerJEu0sTz-rsSu7CKE52CNK1kZyf2ftXxFybFhpKHt59AtOORu2R7alKFSQdlEqEAWtBwbE4ksM6hERcHHyRcNR_0T_l9ZzSO4I0LiCRWKEbQYPtCAuO3jSJaZV_ce5Q0WDtYp/s1600/P1050303.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgegRcELlerJEu0sTz-rsSu7CKE52CNK1kZyf2ftXxFybFhpKHt59AtOORu2R7alKFSQdlEqEAWtBwbE4ksM6hERcHHyRcNR_0T_l9ZzSO4I0LiCRWKEbQYPtCAuO3jSJaZV_ce5Q0WDtYp/s320/P1050303.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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It says hand crafted on the seat tube. Whether it is or not does not really matter, the bike looks and feel handmade.<br />
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Vitus makes great bikes. The finishing is very good and no flaws or unsightly welds can be seen.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOR9_CPGLjlebPCclS7Tl0uBSEkhTeI87B-BFOiTBKvq0eyv8Nrftpj1QaFEu6buaM3qViamnSewRkttViVwbzrHGLerDZxtsCkfQ0IMAY0xHu9xmJc7vzY7LYib8lEoy5tWES2nYpJQhx/s1600/P1050307.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOR9_CPGLjlebPCclS7Tl0uBSEkhTeI87B-BFOiTBKvq0eyv8Nrftpj1QaFEu6buaM3qViamnSewRkttViVwbzrHGLerDZxtsCkfQ0IMAY0xHu9xmJc7vzY7LYib8lEoy5tWES2nYpJQhx/s320/P1050307.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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This bike rides really well. The 29er custom-made Spank wheels matched to Freedom Thickslick tyres provides plenty of go. While you need to be a strong rider to get this thing going fast, you have the option of kicking back and enjoy a leisurely ride without much effort thanks to the Alfine gear system.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAm7LbHLTH6TE4XyA38j513zXay4kIuti2eEVDf1NC8mUO-0pf_X5RGh94DnVAgIua6hh9aOPfWI3rD4an6hRKF9ZRq7sC5trExWOxHNyS76JTWI_nRr2JLlN3bnvShUwtSrO7hNkIFfq8/s1600/download+%25281%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="157" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAm7LbHLTH6TE4XyA38j513zXay4kIuti2eEVDf1NC8mUO-0pf_X5RGh94DnVAgIua6hh9aOPfWI3rD4an6hRKF9ZRq7sC5trExWOxHNyS76JTWI_nRr2JLlN3bnvShUwtSrO7hNkIFfq8/s320/download+%25281%2529.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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This is the bike in its original configuration.</div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4889774440129759003.post-59793838532315459722015-08-07T09:26:00.002-07:002016-07-27T19:01:16.588-07:002015 Single Speed Stallion (Sold)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The following text is taken from Sheldon Brown (http://www.sheldonbrown.com/singlespeed.html):</div>
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"Modern 24-27 speed bikes are marvels of technology, and allow a cyclist to select the gear ratio that will make the most efficient use of his/her energy. If what you're after is getting the maximum possible speed/distance for the minimum effort (and there's nothing wrong with that!) you need a multi-speed bike...but, efficiency isn't everything!</div>
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If you're riding for sheer pleasure, or for exercise, you don't necessarily place that high a premium on output results, as measured in speed, distance or vertical climb. Instead, you may care more about the actual experience of riding your bike. In this case, you may be a candidate for a singlespeed bike.</div>
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Riding a single-speed can help bring back the unfettered joy you experienced riding your bike as a child. You don't realize how much mental energy you devote to shifting until you relinquish your derailleurs, and discover that a whole corner of your brain that was formerly wondering when to shift is now free to enjoy your surroundings and sensations.</div>
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Paradoxically, a single-speed is, in another sense, <b>more</b> efficient than a multi-speed bike! While the single gear ratio will not be the "perfect" gear ratio for all conditions, in the conditions which fit the single gear, it is considerably more efficient mechanically than the drive train of a derailleur bike.</div>
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A single-speed bike dispenses with the weight of the derailleurs, shifters, cables, extra sprockets and longer chain. In addition, a single-speed gear train runs the chain in a perfectly straight line from sprocket to chain-wheel, and avoids the serpentine wind through the pulleys of a derailleur. You can really feel the difference! A single-speed is noticeably quicker and easier to pedal than a multi-speed bike in the same <a href="http://www.sheldonbrown.com/gain.html" style="color: purple; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">gain ratio</a>.</div>
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Single-speed bikes are also considerably more sturdy and reliable than multi-speed bikes. There's no derailleur to bash if the bike falls over, catch on the underbrush or get over-shifted into the spokes. The rear wheel itself is a lot stronger than one made with off-center (dished) spoking to make room for a whole bunch of sprockets on one side."</div>
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The initial purpose of building this bike was to use excess parts lying around built around a cheap frame and sell it as a complete bike. The frame was a refurbished Merida 29er. The wheels came off the Vitus Dee 29er and most of the other parts as well, e.g. fork, crank, chain, stem, plastic pedals, brake levers. This is a single speed bike with a 14 teeth rear freewheel and 38 teeth crank.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7vEoUW5g_6hEaaSDg01AgcJVay3-OSZOa8z87Fgcq7PcFbmHKlUt6zoBNdBHlFwRoJv8VTEc-6NTN4lfHwjAU37xMMYH7pJE1GgaPI6wYHnmARKRn_uHI_44Ke3KUWHDO6D8kf95zjpIt/s1600/P1050252.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7vEoUW5g_6hEaaSDg01AgcJVay3-OSZOa8z87Fgcq7PcFbmHKlUt6zoBNdBHlFwRoJv8VTEc-6NTN4lfHwjAU37xMMYH7pJE1GgaPI6wYHnmARKRn_uHI_44Ke3KUWHDO6D8kf95zjpIt/s320/P1050252.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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The handlebar is by Ragley; a swept back old-school retro looking thing that most people would associate with vintage bikes. Unknown to those who scorn about its looks, this is about one of the most comfortable handlebar. The reason is because it conforms to the angle of the wrists due to the swept back and the little rise ensures a straight-up riding position. You could never feel any stress on the hands with this handlebar.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghTxM2SK8DcJQ7ZPeKfon6Ha6TrDQlUplc-Gm_Ai9An0oV99GqNXDYydvM2u8L0zRXwCD0tDK_qM1XcBDNhkEjZBJyC_gFgiLlHWGmET8tD5ycFmt1VRX_g5MR-bq987e89WaEqQcmIDRh/s1600/P1050254.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghTxM2SK8DcJQ7ZPeKfon6Ha6TrDQlUplc-Gm_Ai9An0oV99GqNXDYydvM2u8L0zRXwCD0tDK_qM1XcBDNhkEjZBJyC_gFgiLlHWGmET8tD5ycFmt1VRX_g5MR-bq987e89WaEqQcmIDRh/s320/P1050254.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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The fork is taken from the Vitus Dee 29er. It is not suspension corrected and so the bike looks a bit hunched. Being made of steel, it is also rather heavy.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwha2AChfhrmDDL3Li79Hj8OaaLNrBIT_-xNXkxXfHK1q7F_PYW76KVw36EOWMgt5x7EDD6pV2H8xd50ZshreYjt75VgaCzR0koHGO05yUoe9jF1SoDALj8f4N-1515HhGJylykvTsK1I8/s1600/P1050258.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwha2AChfhrmDDL3Li79Hj8OaaLNrBIT_-xNXkxXfHK1q7F_PYW76KVw36EOWMgt5x7EDD6pV2H8xd50ZshreYjt75VgaCzR0koHGO05yUoe9jF1SoDALj8f4N-1515HhGJylykvTsK1I8/s320/P1050258.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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As usual, the Ferrari leather seats provides the comfort that most saddles cannot match.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-u15Hiy8Mu6Qcn3tEo8X06X_iBS3jkoPGzJyBx4kBS70c8KV7tRNX3vrtLpLJJPu-TcFW0Xv7bt6CzO6097bEjb5jEomYmKTxSRuiWF2kDB5Py4Fs7Rg8G85F0QHCFWUUawVPL5rVVhKA/s1600/P1050259.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-u15Hiy8Mu6Qcn3tEo8X06X_iBS3jkoPGzJyBx4kBS70c8KV7tRNX3vrtLpLJJPu-TcFW0Xv7bt6CzO6097bEjb5jEomYmKTxSRuiWF2kDB5Py4Fs7Rg8G85F0QHCFWUUawVPL5rVVhKA/s320/P1050259.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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The 38 teeth crank is a simple piece of machinery. It does the job without any dramas.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2iww0FjASvcm8EgtxJKRCMyldqG4KlQduIpJOYYwX34Yzkcr5csqBSp-cpUYJ8Sg7G0sG2tMf98WWfdbF62IyooaHTj4ackSwYiGHZwo1bLVG28uBA7QthEcQ8BIMiPKa6ln4JDp3wVFS/s1600/P1050261.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2iww0FjASvcm8EgtxJKRCMyldqG4KlQduIpJOYYwX34Yzkcr5csqBSp-cpUYJ8Sg7G0sG2tMf98WWfdbF62IyooaHTj4ackSwYiGHZwo1bLVG28uBA7QthEcQ8BIMiPKa6ln4JDp3wVFS/s320/P1050261.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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The chain tensioner from OnOne was necessary to maintain the chain at the correct tension since the bike had vertical drop outs. The original 16 teeth freewheel was replaced by a 14 teeth freewheel and the result was obvious. The bike moves faster and climbing slopes is not a biggie unless it is really steep.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDike2ePGxXPcnolFQ5LtzV7Qd6oJcK8ssVpUMtq56HrO2TmiqKgBxvnqj5u9ot3mJ_cAckjqyDUC44VHj_KzdtHaazCJ78YtDkFgXDXO9SUDpvvxn2yJ_wBx57a6cHuFaABUV4yftABZ4/s1600/P1050265.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDike2ePGxXPcnolFQ5LtzV7Qd6oJcK8ssVpUMtq56HrO2TmiqKgBxvnqj5u9ot3mJ_cAckjqyDUC44VHj_KzdtHaazCJ78YtDkFgXDXO9SUDpvvxn2yJ_wBx57a6cHuFaABUV4yftABZ4/s320/P1050265.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Avid BB5 mechanical disc brakes do their job well. They can be quite irritating to install and tune but once you get it right, they are wonderful.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0Ncufu8DKB9Tx_d_oj9wNIjazIEVBiZ_Uk5ZfZ-MqKcW9cZyTartkFDA9T7CcFfwYnVKlNu-v_pEOABxpfDU8FbNifX4yL4x23nLY0QyfqyaisUia8nkcuUeiUHZFR_M-OAqFJU7YhOGm/s1600/P1050271.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0Ncufu8DKB9Tx_d_oj9wNIjazIEVBiZ_Uk5ZfZ-MqKcW9cZyTartkFDA9T7CcFfwYnVKlNu-v_pEOABxpfDU8FbNifX4yL4x23nLY0QyfqyaisUia8nkcuUeiUHZFR_M-OAqFJU7YhOGm/s320/P1050271.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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The frame comes from Merida. The previous owner spayed it with a matt black paint scheme. To give some highlights to the blackish frame, I added a Crank Brothers sticker to make it look like it had lights in front. The plan to sell it off has somewhat been put off. This bike is a real blast to ride, no worries about shifters and derailleurs; you just put power to the pedal and off you go. Want to go faster, pedal faster or else, just enjoy the ride at your comfort level. The big 29er wheels really transmit your efforts into motion. The simplicity of this bike makes you want to ride it all day long. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZGwpdMOoG2kAHJ9QJF9jXdhyphenhyphenNG7rNHPRerPwzgPu73-NtYhUDwTDGZjdUwYNYQ3L6P2Ua9ylV8EuU6riPkHVTTW0M0065Rk9tosRDgTOaks6H-n2nstuZfhW-jIyXNejtxeO2hofrROXP/s1600/DSC_0412.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZGwpdMOoG2kAHJ9QJF9jXdhyphenhyphenNG7rNHPRerPwzgPu73-NtYhUDwTDGZjdUwYNYQ3L6P2Ua9ylV8EuU6riPkHVTTW0M0065Rk9tosRDgTOaks6H-n2nstuZfhW-jIyXNejtxeO2hofrROXP/s320/DSC_0412.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Never settle. Always experiment. A Suntour M3030 fork was added to see if it made a difference to the ride. Of course, it did. I found myself jumping over kerbs and riding down short flight of steps when I would usually avoid them. I'm beginning to like this bike more and more. Noticed the height of the front end has increased significantly? While the increased height makes riding more comfortable, it actually slows down the ride. Aerodynamics play an important role in determining how fast you can go on a bike. However, speed comes with a price and that is comfort. Unlike the professional riders who are used to the crouched or hunched over position, casual riders will not appreciate it. Its best to know your preference or like me, have a few bikes for different occasions.<br />
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This bike was sold. Prior to the sale, a 3 x 9 transmission replaced the single speed configuration. The wheels were refurbished Merida 29er with Deore hub. The crank was replaced by a Truvativ 3-chainring crankset. I still get to see the bike since my friend was the one who bought it for his son.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4889774440129759003.post-70658576552177502502015-08-07T08:41:00.000-07:002017-08-10T23:35:43.098-07:002005 Voodoo Hoodoo Mystical Folk Magic<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJb-UUDmz-f0gY1cv0KxR5TOvWsxSoY8EQeSFu_1UBlCCz8oI24XQIsePmdyAyeamjkMlPjBWSkXZ-wOqzXgGrsyxp33I_9cEfevR39yVld4zZ-zoA7BleUDqjQ_2InUmPjwvSnUGKl0Wp/s1600/P1050174.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJb-UUDmz-f0gY1cv0KxR5TOvWsxSoY8EQeSFu_1UBlCCz8oI24XQIsePmdyAyeamjkMlPjBWSkXZ-wOqzXgGrsyxp33I_9cEfevR39yVld4zZ-zoA7BleUDqjQ_2InUmPjwvSnUGKl0Wp/s320/P1050174.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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I found the frame of the Voodoo Hoodoo Mysrtical Folk Magic hanging on the wall of my local bike shop. According to the owner, he had it for the last 8 years. He had wanted to build it up and sell it as a complete bike but never got down to doing it. Talk about procrastination! It was all dusty and unless you had a keen eye, you would never know that such a valuable bike was hanging there. After a short round of negotiation, I took the frame home and the magic began. I knew I had to have it because Voodoo bikes are quite awesome. They are famous for their steel bikes so an aluminium Voodoo is certainly a rare find. Even Google did not turn up much information about this model. After hours of washing, compounding, waxing and polishing, the frame was reinstated to its former glory. Hard work, no doubt but well worth the effort.<br />
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Now that the magic has been restored, the dilemma began. As there were no references I could find regarding the set-up of the bike, I decided the bike should have a mix of old and new. As usual, my parts bin never failed me and I was able to dig out some 'old' stuff like the Deore 9-speed brake and shifter combo. They look old-school with the big brake levers.<br />
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Next decision; rigid or suspension fork? I decided to go with suspension as the bike seems to be built with suspension in mind. The frame also had disc brake mountings and so naturally, disc brakes were used instead of V or caliper brakes. However, mechanical disc brakes by Shimano was used instead since hydraulic brakes might not have been invented at that time when the bike was build.<br />
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A Suntour XCR fork was selected. It is not high-end stuff but it does it job. Besides, this bike is not going to see much trails or downhills!<br />
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The Voodoo logo is so enchanting and gives character to the bike.<br />
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The handlebar is from Concept and it came off the Vitus Dee 29er. The straight handlebar somehow looks right on the bike. The Cannondale C1 stem matches the handlebar nicely and again, makes the bike look right.<br />
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Voodoo has a way of naming their bikes. Mystical Folk Magic is certainly a mouthful and the wordings looks a bit evil but again, this gives character to the bike.<br />
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Voodoo is owned by Joe Murray who used to race ATB (all terrain bicycle). I actually dropped him an email to get more information regarding the frame but I did not hear from him.<br />
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Deore 3-speed cranks and Deore front derailleur takes care of the front transmission. Again, these are not high-end stuff but they do their job efficiently and effectively.<br />
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Matching the front transmission is the Deore rear derailleur coupled to a 9-speed cassette. I think an 8-speed rear cassette would be more period correct but it would mean lots of sourcing for the various parts. As you know, anything less than 10 speed nowadays are hard to find.<br />
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Deore XT hubs provide smooth running and little problems. Some people mentioned that the bearings need to be taken out after some time for maintenance.<br />
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What else but a Ferrari leather seat for the comfort zone. This has to be one of the most comfortable saddle and my only regret is that I did not buy up the whole lot of them when they were on sale.<br />
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So, there it is, the Voodoo Hoodoo Mystical Folk Magic. A very special bike with plenty of character. Its not a 'hey look at me' kind of bike but real bike folks will appreciate the heritage of the brand and the man who build and design it.<br />
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After months of sitting around looking good, the bike went for its first maiden ride. As you can see, the fork, stem and handlebar has been swopped for lighter components. Its a real joy to ride. Effortless, smooth, predictable handling, nimble and all the other nice things you can think of. This is one bike to keep for life.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4889774440129759003.post-90610696903173698902015-04-03T22:07:00.003-07:002018-02-09T19:56:26.010-08:002015 Java CL Limited Sports Bike (Sold)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The thought of building a 20er has been brewing for a long time. However, I wanted it to be a bit special. Unlike the Vert commuter bike, this one needs to be a bit more serious; it should be an alternative to the bigger bikes with minimal differences in feel. To make a 20er feel like a 26er or 29er is not an easy task but with the Java Sports bike, I think I did not missed the mark too much. While the wheels may be smallish, the frame is actually not very different from a standard 26er. Tubes are extended where necessary to suit the geometry. Standing over the bike, you will not notice much difference when compared to the bigger bike.<br />
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The cockpit area is purposely kept simple. An 8-speed Shimano Alivio rear shifter changes the gears effectively. The initial build had a 10 speed transmission with Shimano Tiagra flat bar shifters but the chain line of a 10 speed derailleur was too wide to complement the front chainring. Shifting was very poor and luckily, there was a spare 8 speed set-up in my parts bin. The brake levers are Shimano Tiagra brake levers designed to complement road bike brakes. Lest you think any brake levers can be used with any brakes, you are wrong. If you want your brakes to work efficiently, always use the correct brake levers for the brakes on your bike.<br />
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The wheels are 406 Xero shod with Schwalbe Marathon Plus 1.75 tyres. I could have gone with 451 wheels with skinny tyres for better speed but since the bike is also designed for long distance rides, comfort was important. The Schwalbe tyres have a layer of foam for protection against punctures and provide some cushioning but it also slows down the bike considerably. The feedback is also not great and you can feel the drag as you move along. I would have them swopped for racier tyres later but for now, they serve their purpose.<br />
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The NESS carbon fibre integrated stem and handlebar is light and strong. It looks a bit weird but somehow gives the bike some personality. The problem with such handlebar is mounting lights onto it.<br />
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The crankset is from a MIT V8 folding bike. I bought it from a guy who removed it the day he bought the bike so its virtually brand new (you can still see the plastic wrapping). It was for an 8-speed transmission which may account for the reason why it did not work well with a 10-speed rear derailleur. The pedals are from Shimano with a flat side and SPD on the other side. They work great and I will probably replace some of my utility bikes with these pedals.<br />
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Microshift rear derailleurs are understated compared to Shimano and SRAM. Fact is, they work very well actually at a fraction of the price of Shimano and SRAM parts. They are still making 7-8 speed derailleurs and thats great if you need a replacement for your old bikes. The shifting is smooth and never skips a beat.<br />
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The comfort zone comprised of a Kore 27.2mm I-beam seat post coupled to a SDG saddle. The I-beam system gives good adjustment and saves much weight but saddle selection is rather limited. The SDG saddle is light and comfy.<br />
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While others are using multiple small spacers to achieve the length required, I managed to find a 1-piece carbon fibre spacer. It makes the front end look tidy and gives rigidity compared to the multiple spacer configuration.<br />
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Hayes mechanical disc brakes looks great in shiny silver. Besides the look, it provides enough braking power. Its not as powerful as Shimano which I used on most of my bikes but I like the look of it.<br />
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The rear disc brake was a real pain to fit. The supporting posts on the bike was not aligned and thanks to my own creativity, I was able to solve the problem with half a washer. I am actually quite proud of this!<br />
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How many iterations can you do to one bike? Plenty. I have lost count of the number of changes made to the Java and I hope this will be the last. The single speed has been replaced by a 2 x 10 drivetrain. The front crank is now a FSA compact 50/34.<br />
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The seat has been replaced by a WTB for weight saving purposes without compromise to comfort.<br />
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I put on the front rack to give it some practicality. Besides, the rack was just being wasted in the corner.<br />
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I like the new look. It screams, "get out of my way." The only niggle about 20" wheels are that they carry very little momentum and once you stop pedalling, the bike slows down very quickly.<br />
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Its a rocket to ride and with its smallish wheels, you can chuck it around. Its a great bike to ride to the hawker centres along the paths.<br />
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The Shimano LX brake-shifter combo is finally put to good use. I should have done this much easier because this stuff is great. Smooth, light and the braking is oh so sweet.<br />
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In spite of having two chain rings, the crank is actually lighter than the single speed crank it replaced.<br />
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As usual, new used components were installed. I firmly believe that you should never have to spend more than necessary to achieve the results you want. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4889774440129759003.post-27497213263983013372015-03-25T22:23:00.004-07:002018-02-09T19:56:39.485-08:002006 Carver 96er (Sold)<br />
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This is my happy bike. Riding it reminds me of my childhood days growing up in a village where houses have no fence, everyone knows everyone, kite flying, football games in the evening and the most exciting thing of all, damming the washing point so that we can have our very own swimming pool. It reminds me of how I first started learning how to ride a bike. Grandpa had an old bicycle but as I was not tall enough to reach the seat, I rode it with my right leg straddled through the main triangle, hands on the handlebar and pedaling like mad to keep the bike balanced. Obviously, I fell many, many times but the thrill of moving the bike forward a few feet was the most thrilling experience I ever had.<br />
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This bike is a tribute to my childhood, to remind me of the simple things in life where worries are virtually non existent and having fun was the mainstay. The frame is a Carver 96er. Its designed to have a 26" wheel behind and a 29" wheel in front. The logic was quite simple; 26" wheels are easy to move, 29" wheels have better rolling and absorption. Put it together and you have a bike that gives you the best of both worlds.<br />
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However, my intent was not to make the bike look old. I wanted it to look like a classic but with modern touches. </div>
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The On One Mary handlebars with its swept back ends are really comfortable because they conform to the natural angle of the wrist and arm. Its also quite wide and coupled with the Truvativ stem provides a nice upright riding position. Comfort is the first priority, not speed. </div>
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A single speed 18T rear sprocket is used instead of the usual multi-speed cassette. The Carver has an eccentric bottom bracket which helps to maintain the necessary tension on the chain without the need for an extra chain tensioner. It is matched to a 39T Alfine crankset. The ratio seems to work very well; there is no real strain climbing a slope and an average speed of about 20 km/h could be maintained quite easily without breaking much sweat. But like I said before, this bike is not about speed. Its about enjoying a comfortable ride.<br />
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To maintain the classic feel, I chose a vacuum flask-type water bottle with a side-loading carrier.<br />
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Finally, the Rockshox iRide was put to good use. It looks nicely blended with the frame and gives extra comfort on small bumps and road irregularities. It would have been nice if there was a disc brake mounting to make the look more complete but I am not complaining about the V brakes. </div>
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As always, comfort is synonymous with the Ferrari leather seat. It is matched to a seat post with a classic mounting head.<br />
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This is the ball burnished version of the Carver frame. I am tempted to use this as a basis for an Alfine drive train.<br />
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Some upgrades to the Carver to bring it from good to great. The short Truvativ stem is replaced by a Kore 80mm stem. Flipping it over to the negative side, the handlebar sits slightly lower than before. Not only that, the reach is increased which means the riding position is no longer as upright as before. While the bike was designed more for cruising, a little aerodynamics helps to move the bike forward briskly. The 18T rear sprocket was also replaced by a 16T. The gear ratio is now much nicer for faster rides.<br />
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Soft foam grips replace the hard rubber screw-on grips. Gives the bike more character and reinforces the cruiser theme.<br />
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The saddle was also replaced with a darker coloured saddle. The colour of the Ferrari saddle was a bit too loud for the bike. With these enhancements, the bike is more or less complete. A Brooks leather saddle would be a nice upgrade but not sure whether its worth all that money.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4889774440129759003.post-79771542323859089952015-03-03T19:19:00.000-08:002018-02-09T19:56:54.053-08:002012 Cannondale Tango SL 29er (Sold)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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29ers are massive bikes. When you put a 29er side-by-side with a 26er, the latter looks like a BMX next to it. This is precisely the case of the Cannondale Tango. It is massive! Cannondale designed this bike for ladies. I think you need to be a really big lady to be riding this bike!</div>
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To start off, the head tube is not the regular 1 1/8" but 1.5". Obviously, parts are hard to find and luckily, I was able to grab hold of the stem and fork to match.<br />
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Cannondale coined the term V-frame and rightly so, because there are more triangles on the bike than usual. It helps in this bike because it allows the top tube to be lowered for better standover height but in the process, there is not enough space for a regular water bottle to fit inside that little triangle above the bottom bracket.<br />
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Shimano Zee rear derailleurs are becoming my favorite. They are easy to install, tune and never gives a problem.<br />
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Shimano disc brakes provides the stopping power. The handle bar is also from Cannondale to complete the cockpit.<br />
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Little touches of feminity can be seen on the bike.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq2JgipCVti7gFO-VzVOXwIIIbKzE173RiyEOdat27xPKHXgeDxrrIkxgL7fyQ48ikCsOFtBOjlNKE2_5_Gjomr8sjWrHFbhC3FW0rvCGvLc_mhUWXEiDAuunjQvxkNtBfCWaB9JNSqL6f/s1600/11018905_10153581255413368_7926333527858329587_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq2JgipCVti7gFO-VzVOXwIIIbKzE173RiyEOdat27xPKHXgeDxrrIkxgL7fyQ48ikCsOFtBOjlNKE2_5_Gjomr8sjWrHFbhC3FW0rvCGvLc_mhUWXEiDAuunjQvxkNtBfCWaB9JNSqL6f/s1600/11018905_10153581255413368_7926333527858329587_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Shimano Zee 36T crankset. Simple. Effective. Efficient.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZl3LkEYbTYcrZF7PnLTmMpYdA8HmkU9PvwWq0ZGue361LTKgD96vZLOYx8C_ze8Yi08HPsSrPUIOdyzHFuZlOP4eoqGEuM29ofB_pG3PWHDNyXRkw_9KpTc09YrWM3VTCr4WuhjO9L9Rc/s1600/11025793_10153581254608368_7582869325979842671_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZl3LkEYbTYcrZF7PnLTmMpYdA8HmkU9PvwWq0ZGue361LTKgD96vZLOYx8C_ze8Yi08HPsSrPUIOdyzHFuZlOP4eoqGEuM29ofB_pG3PWHDNyXRkw_9KpTc09YrWM3VTCr4WuhjO9L9Rc/s1600/11025793_10153581254608368_7582869325979842671_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Selle Royal Yak saddle is real value for money. It is matched to a carbon fiber seat post.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiofhbrm7QhQtwAK-Dxh4O9KQvKLYDir626zv25lQZX12Bzk-rAmJDc7eg-EOEwhPVHaoZQMBl6BsXPETzAaeSHvLnBBw_lqipB6FmgpRFt8xyu2dZNmmgbGtOjJbSSjReTc1ouE9op8ciU/s1600/10993414_10153581253973368_4678156502195122892_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiofhbrm7QhQtwAK-Dxh4O9KQvKLYDir626zv25lQZX12Bzk-rAmJDc7eg-EOEwhPVHaoZQMBl6BsXPETzAaeSHvLnBBw_lqipB6FmgpRFt8xyu2dZNmmgbGtOjJbSSjReTc1ouE9op8ciU/s1600/10993414_10153581253973368_4678156502195122892_n.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
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The biggest headache came from the front wheels. The hubs are 15mm through axle. The Rockshox Revelation fork was a very good find and completes the front end beautifully. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggyLxJWZ_sODRLEDj4nIAyae8N3vHHZrrEh_G7tUvW1Hx2ZZrfX6uhuOmovWluyqy1VdJwZ99Qnoj_vnw1uXbLKlJQ08D2y6uXPFofeAxkc-GmFg7EPIZ00vCQ1a5HALyNqtYkrWiG-vr6/s1600/10417497_10153581255213368_5705869793932805160_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><br /></a></div>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4889774440129759003.post-54991982152586937312015-02-15T23:12:00.000-08:002015-09-29T19:23:57.990-07:002005 Little Monster Monotine Bike<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig1EfbxMSSLgt0x20y2OycbE3O8UB9SpM23fE3aazhxMrPaPCapOSy2mJomsZ69G1zcKatL-LLg4s0cX7D2XST69Ll4Mx_twcYCy8l_dtYLxSZprwWmjOcSh-20aA75Af9koiG_3r8fAuy/s1600/11001732_10153544666058368_2467142064808593827_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig1EfbxMSSLgt0x20y2OycbE3O8UB9SpM23fE3aazhxMrPaPCapOSy2mJomsZ69G1zcKatL-LLg4s0cX7D2XST69Ll4Mx_twcYCy8l_dtYLxSZprwWmjOcSh-20aA75Af9koiG_3r8fAuy/s1600/11001732_10153544666058368_2467142064808593827_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Size isn't everything. Believe it. And here's proof. This little Monotine bike can reach speeds up to 25 km/h without breaking a sweat. Thanks to its smallish 16" wheels, moving off and maintaining speed is really easy. However, it did not started off this way. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxIw-AKmL6a7QPQH4yDGX6R73SdmKemKvtmV52xstdDoBp959oo0sbzWdly4-xkHDEZwok6eYZifHaOTnKbnngjTAzoQbyo0xP_sKKDmqGQJ4UmPmOEtQEuxgFGm9CXdhDLq_P6W12UHHz/s1600/10343519_10153544665793368_3312855398142893784_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxIw-AKmL6a7QPQH4yDGX6R73SdmKemKvtmV52xstdDoBp959oo0sbzWdly4-xkHDEZwok6eYZifHaOTnKbnngjTAzoQbyo0xP_sKKDmqGQJ4UmPmOEtQEuxgFGm9CXdhDLq_P6W12UHHz/s1600/10343519_10153544665793368_3312855398142893784_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The original 44T was swopped for a 53T crank and matched to a 6-speed rear cassette. The shifters are Shimano Revoshift twist grip shifters.<br />
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The stem was lowered and the handlebar twisted forward for a more 'aerodynamic' riding position.<br />
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This is the original look. Notice how subdued and docile it looks, the kind of bike you take to the shop or hawker center. Well, you can still do that on this bike but chances are you will get there faster.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj523D4bOib8Xg23jT76Q2sHm6ywPhVwU8gsC2bBtBsGmJrqDx96oCNvNJdaaCBPDsnS91G0F7RKQUIkwhWIn5fUhg06BdfMZ2jMJPm6xfLJODQXkP_pWYzSnOkE66dmVrUoOHaxEdgSeK6/s1600/P1040960.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj523D4bOib8Xg23jT76Q2sHm6ywPhVwU8gsC2bBtBsGmJrqDx96oCNvNJdaaCBPDsnS91G0F7RKQUIkwhWIn5fUhg06BdfMZ2jMJPm6xfLJODQXkP_pWYzSnOkE66dmVrUoOHaxEdgSeK6/s1600/P1040960.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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Front disc brakes and suspension. Nothing much to crow about but its enough to take small bumps.<br />
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Simple folding mechanism.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiCWLp-PbyRD2z0CdPReAtJvoGql494MQhkNzYfC4er_-BydYzsH79Rl7rgXNTfCNiUuMsVUUf77RPlI6-NFzEfH0VCt-nrsF-s-98IdsihnUz9m30mDLmGsnxhIPboPJ2p2yej7Hxh3Cc/s1600/P1040965.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiCWLp-PbyRD2z0CdPReAtJvoGql494MQhkNzYfC4er_-BydYzsH79Rl7rgXNTfCNiUuMsVUUf77RPlI6-NFzEfH0VCt-nrsF-s-98IdsihnUz9m30mDLmGsnxhIPboPJ2p2yej7Hxh3Cc/s1600/P1040965.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Tektro brake levers.<br />
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The rear suspension is a bit soft which limits the maximum speed. Going fast means bobbing up and down and reminds me of sea sickness. I'm going to find a replacement for the rear shock that is stiffer.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlmp8yYUbW2fDq_vssdDJFZld7INuB4K1efU_ZZxFeOyZ2eTzw3r3_eRSEWDclj3daZlgvhAdXMi_jf5DSuicfafDy7Xh-wj2svUli14iJmOJDAzUEu5t_tacSqEkmslqVUKX49TLhJzyt/s1600/P1040969.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlmp8yYUbW2fDq_vssdDJFZld7INuB4K1efU_ZZxFeOyZ2eTzw3r3_eRSEWDclj3daZlgvhAdXMi_jf5DSuicfafDy7Xh-wj2svUli14iJmOJDAzUEu5t_tacSqEkmslqVUKX49TLhJzyt/s1600/P1040969.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Shimano 6-speed non-series rear derailleur.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6Muh7th2AjPUhO1NXVSfIV9FgtcSXF2-PecfUIsXmUH6pqZibfK8upkowCght0Y4FfoNHO76q7b6Hc77R6PJejziLJr9aLanKbsWDUK6rwMMvyF69-7LEvQzTgRjW35AXiPNFVLqk8UTm/s1600/P1040972.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6Muh7th2AjPUhO1NXVSfIV9FgtcSXF2-PecfUIsXmUH6pqZibfK8upkowCght0Y4FfoNHO76q7b6Hc77R6PJejziLJr9aLanKbsWDUK6rwMMvyF69-7LEvQzTgRjW35AXiPNFVLqk8UTm/s1600/P1040972.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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This was the original seat but now replaced by the good ole Ferrari seat which is so much more comfortable,Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4889774440129759003.post-84443802241079607042015-02-15T21:55:00.001-08:002016-07-27T19:01:38.175-07:002011 Louis Garneau MVE (Sold)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg81q_xUHX3m2jm71sf_fCpbw8lJvozohW8dArsoP3lbYyqLvtOfMt-7xmLfn3227R8Kt6NJUisw_iPADecJqmGaY3yIcuXwVhaaWxFm5V_TAslFzR4R5gyqycw9AxkCL13BfRj3pfdME0L/s1600/10942608_10153544629533368_1959514129720031305_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg81q_xUHX3m2jm71sf_fCpbw8lJvozohW8dArsoP3lbYyqLvtOfMt-7xmLfn3227R8Kt6NJUisw_iPADecJqmGaY3yIcuXwVhaaWxFm5V_TAslFzR4R5gyqycw9AxkCL13BfRj3pfdME0L/s1600/10942608_10153544629533368_1959514129720031305_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I have a confession to make. The first time I saw this bike was about a year ago. My friend who runs the LBS brought in two pieces and told me to give it a try. I laughed and said this is not my kind of bike because its for softies. Nevertheless, I took it for a spin and to reinforce my 'dislike' for the bike, the chain fell off and got jammed in the gears. I had to dirty my hands to put the chain back and swore I will never buy anything like this. Fast forward to the present day and surprise, surprise...there is one in the stable. Surely, there must be some compelling reason(s) for me to buy one. So, here goes my justification. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieGlRIqkfdhqfhAjJu9Xb0PGaQn0iK3eFShbmwARKoohyX3lLqxPdVU6AW4ovQvXLRq8OZOITpWodI15neikt6X6Fzb6kgQIvv56pXnH83I-Vs352ACyAJYBTlIVL2U6Lrb9sdIfwYA7Gd/s1600/10993407_10153544632153368_7601408755832287134_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieGlRIqkfdhqfhAjJu9Xb0PGaQn0iK3eFShbmwARKoohyX3lLqxPdVU6AW4ovQvXLRq8OZOITpWodI15neikt6X6Fzb6kgQIvv56pXnH83I-Vs352ACyAJYBTlIVL2U6Lrb9sdIfwYA7Gd/s1600/10993407_10153544632153368_7601408755832287134_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">This bike is a 2013 Louis Garneau MVE. It is a pedelec bike or what we call, a pedal-assist bike. Powered by a battery, the mechanism is connected to the crank and torque sensors measures the 'effort'. It has three settings to match cyclist condition ie. the more effort you put in, the more the pedal assist depending on the setting. Its not an electric bike per se because nothing happens if you do not push the pedals. There is no throttle to control the speed. As such, you still need to put in some effort to get the bike going. Therefore, softies most likely will not appreciate a bike like this. I hope this justification is good enough. </span><br />
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Here you can see the motor mounted at the bottom of the bottom bracket and the battery pack. Torque sensors are mounted around the crank to measure (probably) the rotation rate of the crank and based on the setting, the motor will react accordingly to provide the 'boost' required. Honestly, it is quite fun. On a smooth and flat road with setting set on low, you don't really feel the effects but when you switch it over to high, the bike moves at quite an incredible speed (up to 35km/h). The disadvantages of such a system is firstly, battery replacement is expensive and secondly, no modification is allowed unless you want to mess up the system.<br />
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The front end has connectors for a L rack. It makes the bike look very city-like but I prefer a clean look.<br />
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The controller to turn on the system and choose the 3 settings for the pedal-assist. There is also a battery indicator so you know when you are running out of juice. According to the brochure, the battery can last for 20km on high setting. I keep it mostly on eco mode most of the time except when I hit a slope.<br />
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Shimano V brakes takes care of the stopping.<br />
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An adjustable stem allows you to choose a comfortable height.<br />
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The wheels are 406 20" Alex wheel set shod with 1.5" tires.<br />
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7-speed cassette matched to a Tourney rear derailleur and Shimano Revoshift twist grip shifters.<br />
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Shifting is relatively smooth although engaging the 7th gear is quite iffy at times.</div>
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A nice comfortable saddle makes long distance riding a real pleasure.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4889774440129759003.post-17040631975269879772015-02-15T19:32:00.002-08:002016-10-13T17:23:05.113-07:002015 Bike Kal Lang (Sold)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCVhhyzYnaFEh_8hr7rrnkWP50nGNdMGA9Kh5FL-QozkL-RoivhV6HTI0ubAqe6MmYzOwVVuhJjXvydQkPfSgJKj_HEmna0BbGuVhvn2aESI2_JjZ6f4xf1vrpK9KJH_L0eHvMVq-FNCLK/s1600/10450154_10153544617168368_2145904346297589349_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCVhhyzYnaFEh_8hr7rrnkWP50nGNdMGA9Kh5FL-QozkL-RoivhV6HTI0ubAqe6MmYzOwVVuhJjXvydQkPfSgJKj_HEmna0BbGuVhvn2aESI2_JjZ6f4xf1vrpK9KJH_L0eHvMVq-FNCLK/s1600/10450154_10153544617168368_2145904346297589349_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I named this bike, Kal Lang in honor of the last ship I commanded, RSS KALLAN<span style="text-align: center;">G. RSS KALLANG is a mine countermeasure vessel or MCMV for short. As its task was to find and neutralize sea mines, it was specially constructed with a material called FRP (fibreglass reinforced plastic). The reason for using FRP is so that the ship is 'invisible' to sea mines who are normally programmed to detonate upon sensing 'metal' ship passing by. I've always wondered what's it like riding a full carbon fiber bike. I was told it had better shock absorption but most of the time, I only hear about the weight saving feature. As always, I needed to know and so, bike Kal Lang was built. </span></div>
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Being unfamiliar with carbon fiber parts, I ordered a package which consisted of the frame, seat post, fork and headset. I only had to decide what form the bike is going to take. There were a few options I considered; firstly, a regular road bike with drop bars, secondly, a hybrid with straight handlebar, thumb shifter and thirdly, a time trial type of bike. Since I had the first 2 options already in the stable, I chose the TT styling and considering that this is a lightweight bike, should fit the build nicely.<br />
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The Vision TTiMax crank was left over from the Raleigh Ultra Race project. It runs on a BB30 bottom bracket. Not the lightest crank for a TT bike but since its my first TT bike build, I did not want to spend more money buying another one. At least the color scheme matches the frame. One thing about the way I build my bike is the appearance. The bike needs to look coherent as much as possible. </div>
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Elements water bottle cage was 'pilfered' from the Klein Quantum bike to complete the carbon fiber theme. </div>
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I had a good experience with the Campagnolo road brakes on the Raleigh. Besides being effective, they were relatively inexpensive too.<br />
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A Scott stem holds the Ritchey bullhorn handlebar. I could have gone with a carbon fiber stem but decided not to due to cost reason. Besides, the length of the stem fits the bike nicely.<br />
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The Fulcrum Racing 7 wheel set was also carried over from the Raleigh build. These wheels are not the best but they do the job efficiently.<br />
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The FLK XVR saddle was passed from bike to bike because it had a color scheme that was difficult to match. I think it has found its place on the Kal Lang bike.<br />
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The Ritchey bullhorn handlebar is 25.4mm, non-oversized. While the trend has been moving towards using OS handlebar, stem, etc, I chose to stick too traditional sizes.<br />
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Brake and shifter cables are all internally routed. For those of you uninitiated with installing internal routing cables, here is a piece of advice: avoid them as much as possible if you can. Yes, it makes the bike look much neater but you are going to curse and swear when the time comes to replace those cables. It takes too much time and effort.<br />
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Shimano 10-speed bar-end shifters takes care of the rear shifting. It takes some getting used to but once familiar, they are quite easy to use. I realized that on a TT bike, shifting gears is not so frequent because once you hit the sweet gearing, there is nothing else left to do except pedal your heart out.<br />
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Shimano 105 rear derailleur takes care of the gearing. Nothing fancy, just effective and efficient.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4889774440129759003.post-39406962702632660872015-01-31T06:26:00.000-08:002018-02-09T19:57:12.158-08:002015 Ridley Blast 29er (Sold)<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">2015 Ridley Blast 29er</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqE48FPf0Mjyq2BlibtM393M_gmMji8eXciQJVeLGox0HlLjVk6LGvDl4CGwBYqrypzvjkexnPkjQa910v-vmmbjzT7yE9Gp9eTOyfH2-4TP7gH3OBHU9d79O0bMP5lqh34iiMp455c_0_/s1600/DSCF7052.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqE48FPf0Mjyq2BlibtM393M_gmMji8eXciQJVeLGox0HlLjVk6LGvDl4CGwBYqrypzvjkexnPkjQa910v-vmmbjzT7yE9Gp9eTOyfH2-4TP7gH3OBHU9d79O0bMP5lqh34iiMp455c_0_/s1600/DSCF7052.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 19px;">As part of the ongoing experiment to experience the different effects of bike size, the Ridley Blast 29er was built. 29er are big bikes but that does not mean you need to be a big person to enjoy it. With the correct gearing, you will not feel the mass of the bike and once it starts rolling, it moves really fast thanks to the big wheels. However, it is not as nifty as a 26er and once you learn to manage the bike, I think most </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 19px;">people</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 19px;"> will not move back to a 26er. This build took almost 3 months to complete because I adopted a no compromise approach. It could have turned out differently with disc brakes, suspension fork, etc but I stuck to the plan to keep it simple, effective and efficient.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #141823;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">Notice the seat is slightly lower than the handlbar. This is due to the long fork in front that needs to accommodate the 29" wheel.</span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigxRYjUtIj5w3O3QuYLKqgb2pNQSwtzBvC4ZIevsamwDg1vbQ1TwWdc7B9LCs0pxOGpGaEBLtD-9_VaWJPeXDkJxJdbpxBNCCDr5G1g8uy2xr9dx93xJaVjtoCD4n3N28guzA3YIKSfjnj/s1600/DSCF7059.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigxRYjUtIj5w3O3QuYLKqgb2pNQSwtzBvC4ZIevsamwDg1vbQ1TwWdc7B9LCs0pxOGpGaEBLtD-9_VaWJPeXDkJxJdbpxBNCCDr5G1g8uy2xr9dx93xJaVjtoCD4n3N28guzA3YIKSfjnj/s1600/DSCF7059.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; line-height: 18px;">The higher handlebar means a more upright riding position which is more comfortable for most people. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; line-height: 18px;">The stance of the bike is rather intimidating. A small frame with big wheels makes all the difference. </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">The sloping top tube provides some space between crotch and bike when you get off. Even with a small size frame like this, one should be careful when getting off for the sake of the family jewels.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9sQQsAm-w16Vu191uenay5DTT56lHoe8rw5ZhlbXxWlA-oIGCitFpPw2ObXiBF-R2W7i_CyaZ03C37DNdcp7y-tPnCYKHDKUiNSiWABSjGEjrZR1m6v-dxgjC3JYV3Wmd8q3QN6SN5qd-/s1600/DSCF7061.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9sQQsAm-w16Vu191uenay5DTT56lHoe8rw5ZhlbXxWlA-oIGCitFpPw2ObXiBF-R2W7i_CyaZ03C37DNdcp7y-tPnCYKHDKUiNSiWABSjGEjrZR1m6v-dxgjC3JYV3Wmd8q3QN6SN5qd-/s1600/DSCF7061.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">The matt black theme was carried through to the cockpit area also.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">Good old V-brakes. They are easy to adjust, service and they always make you stop.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">See the length of the fork? A rigid fork was chosen over a suspension fork because I wanted to keep the weight down. Besides, with the bigger wheels, there is a certain amount of comfort that comes with it.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">Seats are important because they are the only contact point between your butt and bike. This is one of the most comfortable seat that cost less than $20. So, its a little heavy compared to some titanium or magnesiumm models but on a long ride, you will appreciate comfort over weight.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , "tahoma" , "verdana" , "arial" , sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">The sloping top tube provides some space between crotch and bike when you get off. Even with a small size frame like this, one should be careful when getting off for the sake of the family jewels.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">A short stem was necessary to compensate for the long top tube.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">Shimano Zee cranks are awesome. They are not expensive and they do the job. The 36 teeth is just nice for a bike like this.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">A 10-speed rear gearing also from Shimano Zee series keeps the transmission simple and effective. There are more than enough gears to go from fast to uphill.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfvhAxAwU2v_FQ6eZoD0zZhKnDltYkRpdzKPTQjSXqFrFlOHU2A1ODXZGpU3TdVYwYVNf2bxKKAm1ykQyqOiLfttHEDnz6ziAbIrFvykLPw7fmbZSt8PvL1A2q0BPY4QpAP8_ZHAe6mUkU/s1600/DSCF7084.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfvhAxAwU2v_FQ6eZoD0zZhKnDltYkRpdzKPTQjSXqFrFlOHU2A1ODXZGpU3TdVYwYVNf2bxKKAm1ykQyqOiLfttHEDnz6ziAbIrFvykLPw7fmbZSt8PvL1A2q0BPY4QpAP8_ZHAe6mUkU/s1600/DSCF7084.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Shimano Zee cranks were designed for downhill usage. The simplicity of a single crank system far outweighs the traditional 2 or 3 front chainring system. Unless the bike is a true-blue touring bike whereby you never know what the terrain holds, a single chainring crank is probably the best way to go. Here in Singapore, the hills and trails are being mowed down for 'development' and all that's left are the park connectors. Its unlikely you need a granny gear to cycle along the PCN.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8rBy4ETrepjHJ7lugcvaE_4Sv5sSWw3pDPJWi6t2etZm6vusqMv_jBAQhBIk9SmXMCUfKOkHQnhdg0FgjKDeQpmFIvH7c-XDoio72bpNuxnq-rtM5t75iuoy_1skTKdCCRZnUHTMuq9aY/s1600/DSCF7086.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8rBy4ETrepjHJ7lugcvaE_4Sv5sSWw3pDPJWi6t2etZm6vusqMv_jBAQhBIk9SmXMCUfKOkHQnhdg0FgjKDeQpmFIvH7c-XDoio72bpNuxnq-rtM5t75iuoy_1skTKdCCRZnUHTMuq9aY/s1600/DSCF7086.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">Once again, traditional V-brakes were used.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">As you can see, much has changed since the initial build. </span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4889774440129759003.post-33043630837026839112015-01-25T23:34:00.001-08:002016-07-27T19:01:56.160-07:001996 Haro Basher BMX (Sold)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBuw8lU0ge3FKOUXHTZ1FyzscIb-icsvxntkfC1_8WVoXqArrCfyIxwMIq_ID661Kp1b05V-IKhspNgM2SnQ_xxSg4L99SHQ-47fuJrKBlHe9Yx1P_L2vBJEh2sY11RmI4a8Or3i4CvIsh/s1600/Basher01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBuw8lU0ge3FKOUXHTZ1FyzscIb-icsvxntkfC1_8WVoXqArrCfyIxwMIq_ID661Kp1b05V-IKhspNgM2SnQ_xxSg4L99SHQ-47fuJrKBlHe9Yx1P_L2vBJEh2sY11RmI4a8Or3i4CvIsh/s1600/Basher01.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I have never owned a BMX. Its one of those bikes that I never thought of acquiring. I have nothing negative against it and in fact, I am quite fascinated by the tricks performed on a BMX. Perhaps this is the reason why I never owned a BMX; knowing that I am most likely incapable of performing all those spins, turns and jumps! When I got a message from an old friend that he has one to give away, I jumped at the chance to get it off his hands. The bike would have ended up in the dumpster if there were no takers and for a good reason; the bike was covered almost entirely with rust. There was rust everywhere; frame, fork, spokes, seat post; as long as a part of the bike is made of steel, there rust will abide. This is no ordinary BMX though. Its a 1996 HARO Basher, one of the best BMX produced by HARO. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUNuhCVYMLflV8bXTjfd_z0ra_OVLja9D94qmor-2JZlqFjKC62QGOK2WwT4EPt0rJChIUJCYCEvP-1io0__AKmt1Mej9K823JnZh2oNgXTj1E9FNezPQdGEqwMfZZoeFcWJjbkANIdPbO/s1600/DSC_0700.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUNuhCVYMLflV8bXTjfd_z0ra_OVLja9D94qmor-2JZlqFjKC62QGOK2WwT4EPt0rJChIUJCYCEvP-1io0__AKmt1Mej9K823JnZh2oNgXTj1E9FNezPQdGEqwMfZZoeFcWJjbkANIdPbO/s1600/DSC_0700.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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It looks really nice actually when the chrome is new but when rust attacks it, the nightmare begins. The following pictures will explain what I mean. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRYoEO69ErL81UIQQP2_rGghoMuGt1e2D4ZBVmJIDXUhNE8CNkWWDK3w1BAXmIFrrScOlswZ2eA9N05q2hjfPm8_SK2qTQPr3IE-TTL8l5t2grEfiqztYZICIUCJExYM7m7TLPo-OFtNT3/s1600/DSC_0711.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRYoEO69ErL81UIQQP2_rGghoMuGt1e2D4ZBVmJIDXUhNE8CNkWWDK3w1BAXmIFrrScOlswZ2eA9N05q2hjfPm8_SK2qTQPr3IE-TTL8l5t2grEfiqztYZICIUCJExYM7m7TLPo-OFtNT3/s1600/DSC_0711.JPG" width="179" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj45SdqBAsXxMddAsaqMvp_m9bXnAm_okicUjZvZZ6kfc-jWD5AiyF8R3W7egagod026iOj4T_dWbibZsBsTl2CE_8rqde8G9Z8epDRxIcT9DQVGbo43enKKLUe8Vp3G0NqIjxthuX4apHL/s1600/DSC_0703.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj45SdqBAsXxMddAsaqMvp_m9bXnAm_okicUjZvZZ6kfc-jWD5AiyF8R3W7egagod026iOj4T_dWbibZsBsTl2CE_8rqde8G9Z8epDRxIcT9DQVGbo43enKKLUe8Vp3G0NqIjxthuX4apHL/s1600/DSC_0703.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGGHqvmqseeZxU_xvtsc6xDBnHMMcVcDfbAOoUUEUa-4nWqbQ_dwOaRABRZEMxZcWRuHcJ_i3Ygg9Qip7oQCS6eIb_A6cQwkYegXJbg-i6rYEgVJJyL0zAdMI9DfARiEBSOBl63GOSbc8e/s1600/DSC_0704.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGGHqvmqseeZxU_xvtsc6xDBnHMMcVcDfbAOoUUEUa-4nWqbQ_dwOaRABRZEMxZcWRuHcJ_i3Ygg9Qip7oQCS6eIb_A6cQwkYegXJbg-i6rYEgVJJyL0zAdMI9DfARiEBSOBl63GOSbc8e/s1600/DSC_0704.JPG" width="179" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWbPJyk7KOir1RJdbL0x1v45wp6_8aRQ4P9Ke9Y2mOB21_5XjS-1pKMRWT5jkDAdN8jTkbOmEq0XnJMBfgW3eqo8BdiMNxm8pITEBJ2pcrcvpiVc61fvDFzn6nnYo58QC1-Q-x96eljIQv/s1600/DSC_0706.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWbPJyk7KOir1RJdbL0x1v45wp6_8aRQ4P9Ke9Y2mOB21_5XjS-1pKMRWT5jkDAdN8jTkbOmEq0XnJMBfgW3eqo8BdiMNxm8pITEBJ2pcrcvpiVc61fvDFzn6nnYo58QC1-Q-x96eljIQv/s1600/DSC_0706.JPG" width="179" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzmYG-X7M1rliHJ8KzouBUnOo9HBVl-RfC3splPimc3mzCUzEm-ggedEkGpBvaOuiz4WwGBZFhyphenhyphenTPiR5Vw3Q2gIveAAKhwgy2bEkpBBzEXlmW9KAmUgRaSOORIws5XBBto97nedUTTnGRb/s1600/DSC_0702.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzmYG-X7M1rliHJ8KzouBUnOo9HBVl-RfC3splPimc3mzCUzEm-ggedEkGpBvaOuiz4WwGBZFhyphenhyphenTPiR5Vw3Q2gIveAAKhwgy2bEkpBBzEXlmW9KAmUgRaSOORIws5XBBto97nedUTTnGRb/s1600/DSC_0702.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvSsql_8X-0xEN7SJC_mB8YXbX8C6SNZtyS-FtuGsKuixehcMpodOborp8VUXh7fU8YfW5oYl067vLTOVMFcNocBquec8EdqomftOziB9g7znQxgOlngthyNnCC6yhPMVV2brvIzC7dTh7/s1600/DSC_0701.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvSsql_8X-0xEN7SJC_mB8YXbX8C6SNZtyS-FtuGsKuixehcMpodOborp8VUXh7fU8YfW5oYl067vLTOVMFcNocBquec8EdqomftOziB9g7znQxgOlngthyNnCC6yhPMVV2brvIzC7dTh7/s1600/DSC_0701.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC_MPqv-wGWMiuqR-tlx0iaR1KyXLSYsILd0PRLXR_ccUNPFa8cq3_FbYoDCIALwuZFQHK8DsnEax5QeZLCssIu3DAmLZFvw0rgJthql_8pVx5mA9EXCILHZFy5WdU9SLI_n5Zntgr0PQU/s1600/DSC_0709.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC_MPqv-wGWMiuqR-tlx0iaR1KyXLSYsILd0PRLXR_ccUNPFa8cq3_FbYoDCIALwuZFQHK8DsnEax5QeZLCssIu3DAmLZFvw0rgJthql_8pVx5mA9EXCILHZFy5WdU9SLI_n5Zntgr0PQU/s1600/DSC_0709.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAB-2yg3ujU5leucKViHMUEnTldXcT276hsHOUpc4QZfyciD0iP2V0bAZW0e2rKqoNa1hbgYaAHz3pFOhK3iR7j3YT5UcuOXPbPk4HimBErNWehjgX_Zk6lx75mpzpInyDU1AVQ_PWjgbB/s1600/DSC_0710.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAB-2yg3ujU5leucKViHMUEnTldXcT276hsHOUpc4QZfyciD0iP2V0bAZW0e2rKqoNa1hbgYaAHz3pFOhK3iR7j3YT5UcuOXPbPk4HimBErNWehjgX_Zk6lx75mpzpInyDU1AVQ_PWjgbB/s1600/DSC_0710.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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A sane person would walk away but since I am a little insane, the challenge was accepted. How it will turn out is anybody guess, I am not sure myself but watch this space to see the final result.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGxjOMLxwegnWlrtMc9tXLKE5MB4taCArAO1oYBw8a98aKQHZEeHL88VrzR_N02XmzS3hbLUVj7ycAsXejpIf0feDZjHhAXFooMi5XXmiGicShALT2IOX84Tte4faqgtYZA0lieuHteB3v/s1600/1503286_10153489689313368_168182632899469981_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGxjOMLxwegnWlrtMc9tXLKE5MB4taCArAO1oYBw8a98aKQHZEeHL88VrzR_N02XmzS3hbLUVj7ycAsXejpIf0feDZjHhAXFooMi5XXmiGicShALT2IOX84Tte4faqgtYZA0lieuHteB3v/s1600/1503286_10153489689313368_168182632899469981_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The outcome after a first pass with sanding blocks. Most of the rust were on the surface and it came off quite easily but the pit marks could not be removed. Furthermore, the stains were also etched in quite deeply and there was no way it could be polished off without damaging the chrome.<br />
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There are 3 options available; one, live with the stains; two have it re-chromed but that will cost alot of money; three powder coating but lose the original look.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4889774440129759003.post-45539502489941103682014-11-22T01:07:00.001-08:002014-11-22T01:07:48.932-08:00Commuter Bikes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcGtMeQV12U2xM2tazis6cYyXerRK7_HWxt94785muZk7R-5vf9r40BMr5YP1PeR6qQsDYto0quJAuZQQDEO-BtVdla7ZFm6U3RLVnHtH6LVcx1GX1eIg60fD63w5NBu9Ygaaul0o10k8Z/s1600/P1040955.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcGtMeQV12U2xM2tazis6cYyXerRK7_HWxt94785muZk7R-5vf9r40BMr5YP1PeR6qQsDYto0quJAuZQQDEO-BtVdla7ZFm6U3RLVnHtH6LVcx1GX1eIg60fD63w5NBu9Ygaaul0o10k8Z/s1600/P1040955.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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