Well, not exactly. This will be the last outdoor build of the season for me, and I think it is the best MTB build I've done this year. The rest of 2022 will be taken up with indoor builds of various 650b projects I've had in the works.
Some of you may remember this bike, which put in an appearance last Spring:
My 1984 Trek 850 was sold to me by its original owner. The red 1983-84 Davenport, Iowa bike license sticker is still on the bottom of the downtube. If I ever decide to repaint this bike, that has got to go, but for now it adds character.
Two things I didn't like about this initial build were the skinny tires and the stupid mirror. I had to use that mirror because the handlebar tubing is tapered on the ends for whatever reason - and it kept spitting out the expander on my usual Mountain Mirrycle rearview. So when my last pair of Eastern Growler tires were delivered on Friday night, I used that opportunity to take an angle grinder to the handlebar and
persuade it to take the mirror that I prefer. Then I mounted the new tires, added a tweak here and there, and now I have the bike I always intended it to be.
Mods include:
- Full Deore XT 3x7 drivetrain with proper top-mount thumbies
- Cardiff Mercia saddle (superior to the Brooks standard B17, IMHO)
- Generic alloy pullback handlebar in black, mounted on the stock slingshot stem
- Eastern Growler tires - 40psi front and 55psi back for comfy, smooth cruising on city streets and paths of all sorts
- Woodie's anti-skunk-stripe rear fender
- Ostrich (Think Japanese Carradice) saddlebag
- Coming soon: red SE beartrap pedals
This is a very comfy ride, and I intend to photograph it in the wild as soon the weather cooperates, and the sun shows up again.
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