Category: acquired things

Earlier today I purchased the parts pictured above to build up into my next bike. They are used, but this seems like a decent deal on what should become my next bike building project. I rather like my VooDoo Dambala, but I’ve had my eye on the Salsa El Mariachi frame for a while now, particularly because of the swinging dropouts. When a deal offering a slightly used frame, matching rigid fork, Rock Shox Reba suspension fork, and headset appeared on the MMBA forum in my size I jumped on them, and soon I hope to rebuild the VooDoo’s parts (including the new wheels that I built) on to this frame.

For a total of $730 I ended up getting the following parts:

· Salsa El Mariachi Frame, 18″ / medium; very well cared for (only one small scratch in the top tube).
· Salsa CroMoto Grande 29’er Fork, a rigid fork designed to be used with the El Mariachi.
· Cane Creek 100 Headset, a standard, high-quality cartridge bearing headset.
· Rock Shox Reba Team 100mm travel fork, a perfect squishy fork for this frame.
· Bontrager Duster Wheelset
· 2009 SRAM X-9 Derailleur

The price for the frame+forks+headset was $650, but I also ended up with the derailleur and a used wheel set (another $80) that I’ll put on the VooDoo before selling it. I’ve also got a set of Race Face Deus cranks and bottom bracket en route via a super deal at Wickwerks. I’ll be setting the rings aside for later use on the Titus and using the cranks+bb along with parts from the VooDoo to build up the frame. I’ll then find parts for the VooDoo and build it into a bike to sell.

For most of last year I rode wearing a pair black Giro Rivet gloves in size XL. These unpadded and super-vented (note the mesh along the sides of each finger?) gloves are what I prefer for warm weather riding. Last year after setting up for the Addison Oaks Fall XC Classic I left them on my bike rack and drove off, losing them. They were a bit worn at the time and I figured that other gloves could replace them, but with it getting warmer here I missed them and swung by RBS yesterday to pick up another pair and I’m quite glad I did. They fit just like I’d remembered and left my hands comfortably cool while riding Stony Creek last night.

Speaking of Stony Creek, a week ago while riding with Kristi I stopped along the paved path on the east side of Sheldon just north of Stony Creek High School and trimmed back the shrub which normally overhands 40% of the pavement. As the nice weather rolls on the shrub seems to get larger and larger, resulting in a need to swerve around it while riding past. It appears to be located at a relatively unmaintained section of land, so I figured that cutting it back wouldn’t upset anyone. A photo of it from a week ago can be seen here.

My current bike shoes are 2.5 years old and getting a bit stretched and beat up, so I’ve been thinking about replacing them with a pair of Specialized-brand shoes because I’ve heard good things from a number of friends about how well their Body Geometry products fit. (I’ve also been very happy with their Phenom saddle, another BG product.)

On Friday I stopped into Fraser Bicycle and Fitness to pick up another Feedback Sports RAKK and while there I noticed that they had a number of last year’s shoes on clearance, including a pair of Specialized MTB shoes in my size for 50% off. Being ~$70 instead of ~$140 made it an easy choice. The shoes I ended up with are 2010 Comp MTB Shoe, in brown, size 46. They can be seen above fitted with toe studs, brand new Crank Brothers Eggbeater cleats, and Crank Brothers Shoe Shields.

As part of adjusting them I removed the toe studs and moved the cleats up about 10mm, roughly two marks on the bottoms of the shoes. While I like the idea of the toe studs they make walking prohibitively difficult and I don’t think I’m likely to find myself in a situation where they are needed. I might install them for a cyclocross race in the fall, but otherwise I think they’ll stay off the shoes.

Hopefully I’ll have a chance to try them out for actual trail riding and see how they work. The uppers of these seem quite a bit stiffer than my previous shoes so hopefully that won’t be a bother. I don’t remember what the Sidis were like when I got them, but I don’t remember them being quite this stiff. Hopefully this won’t be a problem.

For my first lesson in wheel building I’ll be following Jobst Brandt’s book The Bicycle Wheel and building up the following parts into what are hopefully a good set of single speed wheels. I’m intending to use basic motor oil for spoke/nipple lube and no locking compound. Hopefully with sufficient attention to detail I’ll be able to build a solid, true, appropriately tensioned, and very reliable set of wheels.