PedalTrout

With snow arriving in Moncton on December 6th the timing of this tear down couldn't of been better.  Parts have been arriving an other parts have been cleaned up.  Today I started putting things back together.


Some updates in this photo are the new WTB Devo saddle, White Industries rear hub, XT front hub, and it is hard to see but the brake hoses are now held on using Jagwire C-clips instead of zip ties.

A box of double butted spokes and nipples and a pair of Sun Equalizer 23 rims.  Hubs, rims, spokes, and nipples are going to the wheel builder next week.

New red bottom bracket, the color is very close to the red on my fork, it makes me want to add some other red accent parts like front skewer, seatpost clamp, and headset, but these are not priorities.

The only parts I currently have on order are a couple of freewheels.  Once they are in and the wheels are built I will have the bike up which will hopefully be before the end of January....just in time for it to sit in my basement for 3 or 4 months til the snow is gone.

On a ride on December 5, 2009 (which was a day before we got our first significant snow fall) in Hillsborough I noticed my cranks had some movement in them.  Nothing major, wasnt going to stop me from enjoying the ride.

When we got back we tourqued everything to spec, still movement.  Well looks like time for an over haul.  I already had some parts on the way, lets strip it and build it back up lighter and faster.  When I was removing the drive side bb cup disaster struck, the bb cup was very hard to turn in both directions, it went on ok originally.  I muscled it off and looked at the cut, threads were missing from the bb cup and the bb shell didn't look so hot.  Would I be shopping for a new frame?

I called the lbs and they had the tools to chase the bb shell.  I gave the frame a good cleaning and dropped it off the next morning and 2.5 hours later my phone rang "All done, came out nice" SWEET!!!!



Frame issue resolved time to continue the rebuild.  I will be making a few minor changes to the bike, a new bb of course, a WTB Devo saddle is on the way to replace the WTB Speed Comp V, and the fork is getting an oil change and possibly the 2010 Absolute damper assembly which from reviews I have read seems to be a pretty good upgrade from the 2008 Absolute damper assembly.

I plan on making one bigger change, the wheelset and tires.  I scored huge on ebay and ended up with this



My old wheelset was Deore hubs laced to Mavic A317 rims with straight gauge spokes.  The new wheels will be WI Ecc ENO Disc hub in the rear, XT in the front laced to Sun EQ23 29er wheels with double butted spokes.  This should result in a significantly lighter wheelset.  For tires I plan on getting a set of 1.9 Kenda Karmas.

This bike will be ready to rock and roll come spring...but will I.  I have started to fall back into my old ways since the Elgin event, work has gotten busy, Thanksgiving, Halloween, and XMas don't help anything.  I have given myself til after the holidays, once they are over it is game on, back on the diet and getting more exercise in anticipation of another great season or single speeding.

The beginning of the NSMTBTA as captured by Sue Earle's laptop

Twenty passionate people gathered in Truro on December 5th to discuss the state of mountain bike trails in Nova Scotia. The public forum led by Garnet McLaughlin of the Cobequid Eco-Trails Society and Sherry Huybers started as an information and idea session and ended with the committment to organize a non-profit association with the mandate of advocating for mountain bike trails across the province.

Along with providing useful information on everything from land access to funding to cooperating with other user groups, Garnet made a very poignant observation - that mountain bikers in this province have lost out time and time again when trail use is discussed between builders and governments. The problem is that we've never had an organization to represent us, therefore we're frequently overlooked.

The Nova Scotia Mountain Bike Trails Association (NSMTBTA)will be the answer to that problem. As soon as the association is registered we will hold our first AGM to elect directors, establish a plan of attack and begin our work of securing land and developing trails that mountain bikers in Nova Scotia will be able to ride for decades to come.

If the positive energy present at yesterday's meeting was any indication, great things are about to happen. Want to get involved or be kept up to date? Send an email to NSMTBTA@gmail.com and we'll add you to our mailing list. Things are looking up for mountain bikers in Nova Scotia.

What can I say that you don't already know about this guy? Tom IS mountain 
biking in Nova Scotia! Former proprietor of "The Bike People" bike shop in 
Halifax, ex-cross-country racer, ride promoter, master trail builder, crazy 
bike handler, friend to every cyclist in the province no matter what shop they 
are loyal to, fun-loving Irishman and all-around great guy! Tom can barely be
squeezed into one month, he's the rider of the decade!

I have had the pleasure of riding with Tom on a regular basis for the 
last three years, and I know we'll be riding buddies for the rest of our 
lives. He lives and breathes biking! He is an active member of Bicycles 
Plus Cycling Club and not only runs their weekly mountain bike rides, he 
also puts on their points series race, A-GORE-Aphobia in Gore every year 
and does a heck of a job!

Only getting his driver's license when he turned 40 to be better able to 
drive his new daughter around, he has lived on his bike for most of his 
life. He is connected with every generation of cyclist in the province, 
from senior racers and enthusiasts to children of all ages. He is a 
certified commissaie and routinely volunteers his time to officiate at 
local cross-country and downhill races. He has been a card-carrying 
member of IMBA for many years and is an experienced trail builder. One 
of the few 'Master" trail elves we have here! He is also the mastermind 
behind the Shubie Park Ice Races held every year on Lake Charles, 
getting cyclists of all ages out and riding even when the weather is 
miserable!

Tom loves nothing more that to bring his faithful dog, Fergus, out to 
Spider Lake any evening of the week and hammer the young bucks into the 
ground for hours. We call him "Mad Skillz" Kavanagh for his abillity to 
stay upright and pedaling through the gnarliest terrain! You can always 
count on him to join you for a post-ride "beverage" usually in the Irish 
Ale variety, and keep the conversation bright and filled with 
bike-related ideas!

I could go on and on and still never come close to covering all that Tom 
has done for the sport in Nova Scotia. Someday he'll receive a lifetime 
acheivement award for his contributions, but for now, I'd like him to be 
the December "Rider-of-the-Month" on PedalTrout.

Thanks for the submission, Geoff, we'll be sending Tom some Propeller Beer
and if you're lucky he just might share it with you!
Know somebody who you think should be Rider of the Month? Drop us a line
and tell us why. Include a photo if you can!