XC Racing on a Budget. Will I Blow the Budget?!?
By Rally_KiaFirst splurge might be a nice Mavic wheelset I just discovered. Crossride UB. Just need a spacer to throw on my 7 speed cassette. Wait. Speaking of 7 speed, I might even forgo that altogether and get the bike geared up 2X10 with full SRAM X5 or X7 ten speed with an X9 on the back end. And maybe gear up some v-brakes for it. I looked at Avid Single Digit Ultimate brakes, all CNC'd with pivot bearings, but for waaaay less money and even less weight, there are better options out there for brakes. I also scoped out a nice non-suspension corrected carbon fork. Which will dictate going to a threadless headset. And then maybe a carbon stem and bar. Carbon seatpost, if I can find one in 26.6mm. SRAM 2 speed crank with 28/36 tooth rings. Ceramic BB. Ah, the temptations of working at a shop...
Maybe just the wheelset and a fresh BB for now. It's going to be a fun summer. We are looking at buying a house very soon, so just having less bikes to drag around will be nice. So, it looks like the Concorde will soon be my only mountain bike. Going to kick it old skool full time. Maybe just upgrade things as it's needed. Either way, keep an eye out for the green machine this summer. And by the looks of the BNS calendar so far, it is shaping up to be a fun summer. I'll be dummy riding the antique.
Until next time,
Aaron "Era Technology Blender" Perrott
The No-Name Chinese Carbon Fiber Winter Build - Final Report
By presspicsOn the road!
By William Clarke
The No-Name Chinese Carbon Fiber Winter Build - Part 3
By presspicsPart 3
By William Clarke
Many parts arrived last week
from China, the UK and USA and if you jump back to Part 1,
you’ll notice I plainly stated my goals with this project. I
have no interest in owning another super racing bike when my
requirements are for adequate performance as a sports cyclist
– and most racing cyclists at the non-national level don’t
need a lot of the components they want. It’s the levels above
that where equipment really does begin to
matter.
The No-Name Chinese Carbon Fiber Winter Build - Part 2
By presspicsPart 2
By William Clarke
- Carbon frame arrives!!
My no-name carbon frame
arrived as I was out riding the morning of Oct. 5. The first
comment from Madeleine was that she couldn't believe the
almost-weightless cardboard box contained a bicycle
frame.
I was equally surprised at how light the box was, but it
didn't take long to begin assessing.
Yes, shipped by EMS from Hong Xing's Pet Products Ltd. in Shen
Zhen, China, the carton was a standard corrugated cardboard box
sealed with packing tape around all of the seams. It
contained no markings (like 'fragile') and gave no clue to its
contents. The total weight was marked as 2.9kg with the
frame itself supposedly weighing less than half of that total
at 1.2kg.
The No-Name Chinese Carbon Fiber Winter Build - Part 1
By presspicsPart 1
By William Clarke
-
- From Hong Kong, With Caveats
You may have seen these offered for sale or auction in different places on the net; stupid cheap carbon frames shipped from Hong Kong. I was intrigued by the different styles and couldn't believe the prices - so I went ahead and ordered one, without the fork, for a grand total of CDN$386 including shipping.
Was it a wise investment or a waste of money?
