Friday, March 16, 2007

More Choices, Second Thoughts


I felt settled with my parts list for the bike build but as time goes by I start giving second thoughts to some of the choices. I had originally chosen a Thomsen Elite seatpost but then I noticed that Matthew Lee uses a cane creek suspension seatpost. With three finishes on the GDR I am not going to doubt his logic. Cane Creek now makes a ST version of their linkage post. 100 grams lighter, 1.5 inches of travel. It could be the trick to dealing with endless miles of washboard roads with a raw and bruised backside.
Dave N mentioned that he has fallen in love with his Dangerboy Levers so I checked them out. I had picked Paul Component Love Levers but the dangerboys have a nice shape and are actually cheaper. This will help make up for the substantially more expensive seatpost.
The white Industry Suspension Fork was not a well thought out choice. I know nothing about suspension and I did not ask anyone about good options. I thought they were bling and I wrote them down. NOw I thinking that the Marzzochi Marathons I have been riding for three years have been solid performers so I should not overlook getting another one. This time I will get a lock-out. I also want to do more investigation into the REBA by Rock Shox. There seems to be too much adjustability for my simple minded brain.
Finally, I choose a Surly Torsion bar because it is wide, strong and the steel should help absorb the bumps. I thought about bars like the unique set-ups from On-One but this is not the bike for that. I want mtn bike brake levers and I want to be able to use ergon grips. I came across the Black Sheep Ti Bar. The titanium would provide good absorption and some bar ends placed in towards the middle could provide a multitude of hand positions. The 175 dollar upgrade is an expensive experiment but I am having a hard time not thinking of giving them a try.

2 comments:

Unknown said...

What's your thoughts on tires? I believe you said that you were thinking of the Nanoraptors...

David Blaine said...

I have ridden alot with mutanoraptors and think highly of WTB from that experience. I had some 26" nano's on a ss bianchi and know that thy roll well. I use to ride Continental Town and Country tires with inverted tread and found them to be unbelievably durable mixed use tires. I think the nano's have a similar concept with less weight. I have never ridden schwalbe Marathon's but many people speak highly of them for this type of riding. I may put the nano's on and never give it another thought, but that doens't mean that I wouldn't give something else a try.