Highball Converted to SS

On Friday last week I received the final parts to convert the Highball to single speed.  The dropouts arrived from Santa Cruz and the chain and 19 tooth Surly cog were waiting for me at Peninsula Bike Works.  I had planned on just picking up a Shimano SLX or Deore chain, but Sean hooked me up with a SRAM PC 1091.  Who am I to argue with such kindness?

SS parts and a new dinger.

 After attending an event with my wife for her work, I stayed up way too late (for a father of two children who don't understand the concept of sleeping in on weekends) to complete the conversion.  The most time consuming task was to file and sand the inside of the Gusset cassette spacers to fit on the DT Swiss 350 cassette body.  I couldn't find the Gusset lock ring, so I just used the one from the XT cassette.  Since it is for an 11 tooth cog, the diameter is a bit small so I'll be on the lookout for an orange 12+ tooth one now.

Saturday afternoon I was able to head out to the other side of Fort Ord to test it out.  It was nice riding over there since I hadn't been on that side in over a year.  Flogging a single speed on that side is a little easier since it has more of a rolling terrain with fewer extended steep sections.

 

Scammer Poses as Editor to Steal Bikes

This is a crazy story.  Be on the lookout for these bikes, especially in Southern California.  Sadly, I can only assume they have been stripped and the parts sold off to unsuspecting buyers.

Click here for the Bicycle Retailer article

Photos and Specs of the Completed FSR Rebuild

I finished the build a couple weeks ago and am now getting around to posting some photos here.  The bike rides surprisingly well and is not terribly heavy.  The final weight is around 26.5 pounds.  I'm planning on sending the fork to Risse Racing for a Gem cartridge and overall rebuild.  The Sped Springs that are in the fork now have no rebound dampening and come up way too fast.

Current build list as of this post:

Frame - 1994 Specialized StumpJumper FSR with Fox Alps 4 shock
Fork - 1995(?) Judy SL with Speed Springs
Headset - Crank Brothers Sage
Seatpost clamp - Control Tech bolt
Seatpost - Stock Specialized with J&L yokes
Seat - Selle Italia SLK
Stem - Thomson X4
Bar - FSA SL-K carbon 18mm riser
Grips - Oury
Bottle Cages - King Cage stainless with alloy bolts
Outer Cables - Shimano with Jagwire ferrules
Inner Cables - Shimano
Brakes - Shimano XT T780 V-brakes
Brake Levers - Shimano XT T780
Front derailleur - Shimano XT M781
Rear derailleur - Shimano XT M786 Shadow+ 10sp
Crankset - Cook Brothers E-Crank
Bottom Bracket - Shimano BB-UN51 (Original BB)
Chainrings - Vuelta 30 & Real 42
Chainring bolts - Green alloy
Chain - KMC X10-93
Shifters - Shimano XT M780 I-Spec
Cassette - Shimano XT M771 11-36
Hubs - Circus Monkey 28h F&R
Rims - Stan's ZTR 355
Spokes - Sapim Laser
Nipples - Sapim
Skewers - Salsa stainless
Tubes - Standard butyl (will probably switch to tubeless)
Tires - Schwalbe Racing Ralph 26x2.25
Pedals - Crank Brothers Candy
Computer Mount - K-EDGE Stem Mount for Garmin
Other - Third Eye chain guard

Video - 2015 Rumble in the Ranchlands

This past Saturday, I rode the Rumble in the Ranchlands with my friend, Mark.  Starting in Catheys Valley, Ca, the ride was on mostly gravel and dirt roads with some terrible asphalt and a small amount of good asphalt.  78 miles with 7800 feet of elevation.  Both of us being fathers of young children, we were just happy to complete the ride in time for the tacos, beer, and awards ceremony.

Thanks go to Murphy Mack of SuperPro Racing for organizing this, Oskar Blues Brewery for providing beer, and to all of the wonderful volunteers for their enthusiasm and support.

The video was shot with a Garmin Virb Elite that was mounted under my handlebars.  The photos are a mix from the Virb and my Samsung Galaxy phone.

New Wheels - Stan's / Circus Monkey / Sapim

This week I finished building a new set of wheels for the vintage FSR rebuild, and they are surprisingly light.  I found NOS Stan's ZTR 355 non-disc rims on ebay and snatched them up.  I would have preferred 32 hole rims, but they are 28.  I can live with it.  Next ordered was a set of Circus Monkey hubs in green, Sapim Laser spokes, and Sapim geen aluminum nipples.  For the lacing, I went with two cross front and rear.

The wheels were weighed individually and together on a Feedback Sports Alpine Digital Scale.  I like the scale, but it rounds out to the nearest 10 grams.

Front: 560g
Rear: 740g
Pair: 1290g

Photos of the FSR from 1995

Yesterday I called my Mom and asked if she could find any old photos of the 1994 Specialized Stumpjumper FSR.  She found and scanned six for me, all taken in 1995.

In all her glory.

Jack in the Box head for extra mojo.

Downhill race at Donner Ski Ranch, 1995

Downhill race at Donner Ski Ranch, 1995

Downhill race at Donner Ski Ranch, 1995

Mike Skuce, Me, Neil Jost.  I was 17.

1994 Stumpjumper FSR Revival

The story of my 1994 FSR started long ago when I bought it new while working for a Specialized dealer in high school.  I rode and raced it for a couple years, sold it to my dentist/neighbor (Chuck), and moved on to a Mrazek hard tail.  A couple months ago, I decided to contact Chuck and see if he would be interested in selling it back to me.  We agreed to meet next time I was in town to visit my parents.  Last month I met with Chuck to see the bike, and he gave it to me.  Free.  In return, all he wanted was for me to tune up his (freaking amazing) 3Rensho mountain bike and send him a photo of the bike restored.  The FSR had been ridden hard and put away wet and needed a lot of attention.  I decided to completely strip it, apply frame saver, rebuild the shock, and will be slowly building it back up.  This might irk some retro grouches, but I'll be rebuilding it with modern components since I plan to actually ride it frequently.

This is how the bike looked when I picked it up from Chuck.

The seatpost was very stuck.  I inverted the frame and poured white vinegar through the bottle boss and let it sit overnight.  Since the seat was already trashed, I wedged a long aluminum tube in the rails and twisted the post free.  Surprisingly, it buffed out very well and will stay with the frame since it is an odd size - 29.2mm.

Here is the bottom bracket.  I'm pretty sure it had never been removed.

Fox Alps 4 rear shock, freshly rebuilt by Risse Racing.

Cleaning out the threads.

Here is the bare frame.  Without the shock, it weighs 6.19 lbs / 2810 grams.  Portly.

As for the rebuild, I will go with either XT or SLX parts for the drivetrain.  The fork is a 1996? Judy SL Ti in yellow with speed springs, which might get the Risse Racing makeover after I ride it a bit.  It spins on the frame with a Crank Brothers Sage SL headset.  For wheels, I found NOS Stans ZTR 355 rims, have ordered green Circus Monkey hubs (really want green but don't want to pay for King), and will use (probably) silver Sapim Laser spokes with green alloy nipples.  I'll run Schwalbe Racing Ralph tires because I love them and the other bits are TBD, but will be silver to keep the retro feel.  Oh, and I found a NOS Control Tech seat binder bolt in silver to replace the stock quick release.


I'll post progress photos as I get on with the rebuild.

Video: Cross Conversation with Emily and Chris

This is a great video with Emily Kachorek and Chris Namba talking about cyclocross and SRAM CX1 components.  I trained, traveled, and raced with Emily when were on the UC Davis Cycling Team.  She is simply an awesome person.  Check out Squid Bikes, her little bike frame company out of Sacramento, Ca.

Keirin is a Star

Wednesday's post on All Hail The Black Market was a pleasant surprise for me.  The day prior, I sent Stevil a link to a video I took of Keirin's first bike ride and he chose to add it to his post.  I set up the iBert on a townie bike and took her for a spin around the neighborhood.  It was a short ride, but she was thrilled.  There will be many more adventures for her and her sister by bike.

I'm especially grateful for Stevil's Photoshop skills.

http://www.allhailtheblackmarket.com/2014/11/bottoms-up.html

Arrived: Selle Italia SLR Kit Carbonio 2 Saddle

A new Selle Italia SLR Kit Carbonio 2 saddle just arrived and I'm pretty excited to test it out.  It is replacing an Ergon SR3 Pro Carbon saddle that I found to be pretty terrible.  Because of the shape of the Ergon, the front wings dug into my hamstrings with each pedal stroke.  I've been happy with Selle Italia saddles in the past, with similar shapes to this one, so I'm hopeful it will be a good fit.

 

Video: Lego Mountain Biking (Feat. Portugal. The Man)

This is a great short video of two of my favorite things: bikes and Legos.



Video credit goes to Oxburger Studios.

Current Emonda Build & Weight

This is the current state of the Emonda:

The current weight is 6.71 kg / 14.79 lb.

I was unable to use the 25c Continental Grand Prix 4000s tires on the Pacenti rims because the top of the tire hit the bottom of the front brake.  There was plenty of clearance in the rear.  My main complaint about this bike is the angle at which the front brake attaches to the fork.  If it were kicked back a bit, there would be loads of clearance.  As it sits, the brake extends more toward the tire than over it, creating less space for the tire.  I know that the issue is not just because of the TRP brakes.  I purchased (and returned) a new set of Campagnolo Chorus brakes and the fit was no better.  Luckily, I had a pair of Continental Ultra Sport 23c tires hanging in the garage.  I'm not terribly fond of the red, but will ride them until I decide on a new set of tires.  About a week ago, I sent an email to Jason Schumacher (Customer Service Manager) at Trek about the brake clearance issue, but haven't heard back yet.

I've only been able to get out on one ride so far with the new wheels, but they are fantastic.  They are more stable in crosswinds than either the Boyd 38 or Mavic Ksyrium ES wheels and the wide profile really allows the tire to fill out and provide a nice ride on the crappy farm roads around Salinas.

The other new addition is the Ergon SR3 Pro Carbon saddle.  It has a bit of a funky shape, so I need to play around with the position a bit before offering my opinion of it.  The boxy shape at the front of the seat area pressed my hamstrings on each pedal stroke if I sat where I wanted to be.  I'm going to move it back a little and drop the nose a little for my next ride on it.

Now that I'm just about done with this build, I need to figure out what other bike needs my attention.  New wheels for the CX bike?  Gearing change for the XC bike?  Hmm...

-----   -----   -----   -----   -----

Update - October 23rd, 2014 - I have not heard back from Jason at Trek.  By this point, I'm guessing I won't.

New Wheels - Pacenti / Circus Monkey / Sapim / DT Swiss

Today I picked up my new wheelset from Peninsula Bike Works.  The 20/24 wheels are built with Pacenti SL23 rims, orange Circus Monkey hubs, black & white Sapim CX-Ray spokes, and matte silver DT Swiss alloy nipples.  I ordered the Circus Monkey hubs directly from the supplier and had Sean order the rest of the parts.  Pacenti recommends using nipple washers on the rear drive side when building a 24 hole rim as a safety precaution, so I had Micah add those when he laced up the wheels.

I didn't weigh all of the parts individually, but the rims were 450g each (as advertised), and the hubs were 70g front and 230g rear.  Total wheel weight on the Feedback scale is 1430g.  Not too shabby.  The sale of my Boyd 38 carbon wheels paid for this wheelset and left some change in my pocket.  I had a bit of a freakout moment with the Boyds when descending Fremont Peak several weeks ago.  After that, I decided to go back to aluminum wheels and see what all the buzz is about with wider rims.  For now I'll be wrapping them with Continental Grand Prix 4000s 25c tires.  Depending on the shape and feel, I might go back to 23s.  TBD.

Built & Ridden: Trek Emonda SL Frameset

I finished the Emonda build yesterday afternoon and took it out for a windy 20 mile shakedown ride. The bottom bracket is stiff. Surprisingly stiff in a good way. As for stability, I feel this frame is more stable than my previous one, which was an open mold Chinese Flyxii FR-303. It rode well, but was just a bit twitchy at higher speeds. It has some toe overlap, but I'm used to that with this frame size. For the record, I wear size 43 Sidi Wire shoes and it scuffed it during a track stand about 18mm in from the toe.  One thing I am not used to is having a huge top tube to seat stay junction.  I have fairly large legs, so my inner thigh will easily press against the junction, but not while pedaling.

 
I'm not sure what's going on in the top tube, but when I pull the rear brake I can hear the cable rub.  I decided to pull the line and put a sheath over the cable to prevent any possible damage to the frame.  The strangest thing about the build is the minimal clearance at the front brake. I'm using older carbon over aluminum TRP brakes and running Continental Grand Prix 4000 S 25c tires that are still pretty new. When I fitted the front wheel and spun it, the little nubs rubbed the bottom of the brake caliper. This could totally be because of the brakes, but I did not have the same clearance issue with the Flyxii or on a Colnago CLX.  Maybe I'll just have to save up for some EE Brakes.

As for weight, it's nearly identical to my previous build on the Flyxii. As shown here, it is set up the same. The frames both have tapered head tubes and forks, but differ in bottom brackets and seat mast/post setup. The differences are a Thomson Masterpiece seatpost and Woodman collar to the Emonda seatmast, different brand headset and spacers, standard to BB90 bottom bracket, and different brand cables and housing. The Flyxii was 15.96 pounds (7239 grams), and the Emonda is 16.01 pounds (7262 grams). Please take note that this weight is with the bike set up to ride, as shown, with bottle cages, Garmin Edge 200 & Bar Fly mount, under-seat tube and tool bundle, and mini pump, but no water bottle. I haven't weighed it without the full riding gear attached.

For size reference, I'm about 5'-8" (172 cm) tall.  The bike is set up with a 10 cm -10 degree stem with a saddle to bar drop around 5.5 cm (I might drop another 5 mm).  The saddle height is about 69 cm from the center of the bottom bracket spindle to the top of the saddle, along the seat tube.  The direct distance from the nose of the saddle to the top center of the handle bar is about 50 cm.

Weighed: Trek Emonda SL Frameset

Today I rushed home at lunch to weigh and photograph the Emonda.  The weights of the seatmast and stem should be taken with a grain of salt, as the scale rounds to the nearest ten.  I didn't bother to weigh things like the headset bearings, compression plug, headset cap and bolt, carbon spacers, chain catcher, aluminum bottle bolts, etc.  I don't have a scale for the small stuff, and I don't really care.

Frameset, as it comes out of the box with all the bits attached.  1790 grams.

Frame alone, no bolts, chain guard, bearings, etc.  I did leave in the internal routing guides and the derailleur hanger is on.  1040 grams.

Fork alone without the headset bearing or compression plug.  360 grams.

Seatmast.  130 grams.

Stem, Bontrager RXL 90mm.  130 grams.

Adding everything up puts the weight at 1660 grams, so the little parts I took off together weigh around 130 grams.  I'm only doing this for those weight weenies out there.  You know who you are.

Little bolts that could be replaced, if one cares, for a little weight savings are the seatmast clamp bolt and the bolt that attaches the chain guard to the frame.  They're both steel.  I'd go with titanium for both or aluminum for the chain guard.  The stock bottle cage bolts are black aluminum.

Tonight I should have a little time to start building it up, starting with prepping the BB90 Campagnolo adapter with the special Loctite.  I do really miss a nice threaded bottom bracket.

Arrived: Trek Emonda SL Frameset

Yesterday my new Trek Emonda SL frameset arrived at Carmel Bicycle.  As soon as I got the call from shop owner Rob, I hopped in the car and headed over.  We pulled the frameset from the box, unwrapped it, and threw it in a stand to look over.  The first thing I noticed was the massive downtube, especially as it blended into the BB90 bottom bracket shell.  Massive.  We chatted a bit, showed it to other customers, and I then wrapped it back up and headed back to work.

When I got home I put it on my Feedback Sprint work stand to look over.  I have to say the finish of the frame is a 7.5 out of 10.  Just a bit disappointing.  There are two small partial finger prints on the R in TREK on the downtube, and of course under the clear coat.  Next, I noticed some excess carbon fiber in the bottom bracket shell.  I was able to flex it with light finger pressure, and it peeled out.  It won't affect the frame at all, but is a finishing touch that should not have been overlooked.  The paint was mostly good, but there are a few little "blips" and one small "wart" that are pretty easily found when within a foot of the frame.  The last little annoyance might only be noticed by me, but I might as well mention it.  On the back of each seat stay is a decal that reads, "DESIGNED IN WATERLOO WISCONSIN."  The drive side one is a bit off-center.  I know, nit picking, but I do computer graphics for a living, so I notice these things.  Anyhoo, none of the issues are enough for me to take it back to Rob and ask him to have Trek replace it.

As for weight, the frameset as shown weighs 1790 grams (3.95 pounds).  That includes frame, fork, seatmast, Bontrager RXL 90mm stem, FSA headset, expander plug, carbon spacers, bottle cage bolts, chain guard, and the internal cable routing guides.  I will weigh the individual pieces later.  The complete build will be with 11 speed Campagnolo Chorus and will ditch the Bontrager 90mm -7 degree stem in favor of my Thomson 100mm -10 degree stem.

On to the photos.  The complete set can be viewed on Flickr.

Massive downtube / bottom bracket junction

Excess carbon in the BB shell that should have been cleaned out

Hard to see in the photo, but there are a couple smudges in the R

Ordered: Trek Emonda SL Frameset

Today I handed Rob at Carmel Bicycle a small envelope with five crisp new Benjamins, freshly plucked from my bank account, as a deposit.  He is ordering for me the just-released Trek Emonda SL frameset, and I'm stoked.  Since I use Campagnolo, he also had to order the adapter kit for the BB90 bottom bracket shell.  If anyone cares, the part number is 407383 and they spec the use of Loctite 638 (retaining compound) and 7649 (surface primer) for the adapter installation.

I've never been a huge fan of Trek, nor have I been opposed to them.  I briefly considered a Madone frameset based on the near-perfect geometry for me, but didn't really like the $2k price tag.  The Emonda has the right combination of price, geometry, visual simplicity, and weight that caught my attention.  I was very close to purchasing a Ritchey Road Logic, and would have if this bike didn't exist.  The frameset is supposed to arrive in about a week, and I'm incredibly excited for my early birthday present to myself!

Soon, this will be mine.  Trek Emonda SL frameset.

Carmel Bicycle - Next to the Barnyard Shopping Village