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- Sep 17, 2013
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I have been building this bike all summer. I would make an improvement and then ride that to see how it worked, iron out the bugs in each improvement before deciding if it was worth spending more. I started out with an all new drive train including a Shimano Exage medium cage derailleur, new BB, new crank with a 20 tooth chain wheel, new chain and new freewheel (11x34). I like to spin and our trails have some hellacious hills. I still can't climb all of them but in a race of several hundred only 4 made all the hills so I don't feel too bad. The bike originally weighed 26 pounds but the new crank, chain wheels and big tires added weight. I added a lighter Ritchey seat post and carbon fiber bars. The bike frame is all double butted chromo and the fork is butted chromo. The stem is chromo. I put on
Schwalbe Hans Dampf 26 x 2.35 tires. The diameter of these tires is 27 inches so they should help with rolling over stuff, absorb some shock and still have the acceleration and more responsive handling of a 26 inch tire. It currently weighs 26.5 pounds. I would like a carbon seat but according to my web research the rails all seem to break. Two of my buddies broke carbon seat posts so I avoided that. This bike fits me well, has a steep 73 degree head angle, light weight, responsive steering and with 15.9 gear inch it really climbs. On steep sand hills I usually bog down near the top even with this gearing. I kick up sand but the bike stops and I fall over like the guy in Laugh In. It works better on some trails than the new full suspension 27.5 bikes I demoed. The steering for me was too vague with the lazy head angle and big wheels of the new bikes. The brakes are weak compared to what are on new bikes. On several of our descents I have both the front and rear breaks jammed on as hard as I can and I am still rolling. You are only susposed to use the rear brake in these situations but it goes way too fast with only the rear brake on. On rough rocky trails the full suspension is way, way better. I need to build a good carbon 26 inch full suspension mountain bike for that stuff.
Schwalbe Hans Dampf 26 x 2.35 tires. The diameter of these tires is 27 inches so they should help with rolling over stuff, absorb some shock and still have the acceleration and more responsive handling of a 26 inch tire. It currently weighs 26.5 pounds. I would like a carbon seat but according to my web research the rails all seem to break. Two of my buddies broke carbon seat posts so I avoided that. This bike fits me well, has a steep 73 degree head angle, light weight, responsive steering and with 15.9 gear inch it really climbs. On steep sand hills I usually bog down near the top even with this gearing. I kick up sand but the bike stops and I fall over like the guy in Laugh In. It works better on some trails than the new full suspension 27.5 bikes I demoed. The steering for me was too vague with the lazy head angle and big wheels of the new bikes. The brakes are weak compared to what are on new bikes. On several of our descents I have both the front and rear breaks jammed on as hard as I can and I am still rolling. You are only susposed to use the rear brake in these situations but it goes way too fast with only the rear brake on. On rough rocky trails the full suspension is way, way better. I need to build a good carbon 26 inch full suspension mountain bike for that stuff.
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