Upgrades

Finally finished, new wheels, tires, seat and post


Easton Haven wheel set with Hope Floating Rotors

So the new wheels for the 29er turned up last week, along with the other bits to get them up and running however the tires I was sent were 26" not 29" so I had to send em back. I had abit of think as to where I could get tires on short notice and ended up heading into Lonsdale St Cyclery during my lunch break.

There on the wall they had a number of the new Specialized 2bliss tires in 29" so after steering at them for about 5 minutes pick them up and putting them down I grabbed a Fasttrak for the front and a Renegade for the rear. I was tossing up whether the Renegade would have enough grip for the front and hence ending up mixing the two.


Specialized 2Bliss Renegade


Specialized 2Bliss Fast Trak

Also the new seatpost and seat arrived so it now matches the saddle on the roadie. I opted for a Prologo Scratch TR again, it's not the lightest but it is comfortable.


Prologo Scratch TR

Also on the weekend I finall got around to applying the frameskins to the bike...well kinda. I started, got air bubbles in the first one before wifey took over and finished the rest for me. I figure its not a boy job...requires to much patience. The end result is fantastic, you can't actually tell its there in most cases.


Installed FrameSkin Protection with no air bubbles thanks to Wifey

Side Project

Over the last couple of weeks I have had a steady follow of packages arriving thanks to my little Brother. A while back I offered to build his bike up for him once he got all the pieces sorted. So on Sunday I finally got it all assembled and boy is it something different.

My brother opted for an all-mountain build based around a GT Force frame. When this turned up I had to throw it on the scales and I couldn't believe it when they read 3.0kg including the shock.

From here it's been XT parts and other suitable items, thomson, easton, dt swiss, White Industries. Alot of it is brand new but about 1/3 was stuff I had laying around.

I set it up to initally to weight and measurements and took it for a quick spin on pavement. And all I can say is different..... 150mm travel, slack angles, and a more up-right position is totally removed from what I'm used to.

He flies into the country tomorrow, and we're supposed to be riding Friday so I should get a chance to have a play with it then off road.


Little Brother's All-Mountain Bike/Tank