So, today i have started by changing the fork, polishing it, then cutting the steerer tube. I also had to change the crown race, since the one from this headset was somewhat thinner then the normal one.
For sure while working on that bike my aluminium polishing skills grew a lot! This fork was sanded by hand without using a drill because of a complicated shape, from grit 400 to grit 2000.
Here how the bike sits on that fork now.
While putting it on one of the bolts on the stem have failed, destroying two loops on the thread. Probably the bolts were changed, so i have put the longer ones instead.
This is the shifting cable i am using.
I was worried that i won't have any bolts that tighten the cable of the shifter and then lock into nexus hub. This was what i was thinking about for few days. And when i started to work on it i could not find any for like 20 minutes. But then i have relaxed, changed my activity, got some refreshing drink and voila! Found 4 of them in 4 different places, including one that was sold with the shifter. That reminds once again how important it is never to let yourself be stressed or worried!
And here is the shifter i am using. It is the first time i am using something like that, so it would take time to get used to it. And obviously machined alu grips!
Here is the cable laid down. Could not find transparent cable guides, but looks okay the way it is too.
What valve caps to expect on a build named silver bullet?
So, finally, the time to test it well! The front lamp is temporary too, just for the safety. I am planning to put something more sporty here.
And here is the bike after the ride around the block.
Sorry, forgot to take a pictures of the seat post i told about last time.
The results of the test-ride are not that blameless. First is i probably would need to make the seat post again, to have even deeper insertion. Second is even with the smaller wheel it still is quite close to the pedals. Third is that the bars are a bit too far from me, so i am not riding it perfectly straight. But most importantly the bike sits very very low, it scratches the ground with the pedals all the time, even once it touched the ground with the cable guide bolt on the belly. So i am definitely not making cranks even longer.
The good thing is that the bike is really very light, probably the lightest one i have. I'd need to measure it some time, but for sure it is under 20 kg. Overall its quite comfy and handles nice. And even without a fender on front i was not covered with mud.
But it is definitely too low for an international trip, where i have to sometimes go by country roads, it would be impossible to make something like that with this bike. For a daily rider it is also a little too low. And it feels a bit too small for me. I do not know what to do with it now. The worst case scenario is i sell it in the end.
I could put the shorter cranks, but then there is no reason for it to be so light if i can not pedal hard on it anyway. I could put one of those beautiful 3g triple tree forks to make it sit higher and fix the cranks clearance, but then it won't have this sporty look any more, i'd need even longer and higher bars, and it would increase the weight too.
So, for sure a lot to think about. For now i have decided i need to ride it more to understand what do i want to do with that bike, so i took it for the ride home.
