You are reading a single comment by @Arnomatic and its replies.
Click here to read the full conversation.
London Fixed Gear and Single-Speed is a community of predominantly fixed gear and single-speed cyclists in and around London, UK.
This site is supported almost exclusively by donations. Please consider donating a small amount regularly.
@Arnomatic
I bought this Giant a few months ago for £70 on Facebook to commute on, and to have a bit more fun with. I liked the name Boulder, and imagine it pronounced 'boldoor', like I am in an American movie. I moved to Bristol last year and there’s a big grav/off road scene here that I wanted to get in on, so this seemed like a good starting point!
The bike was in amazing condition when I gave it a better look at home. Everything ran smooth and was clean, the brake pads and tracks looked like they’d barely seen action, definitely got this for a bargain. After a couple of weeks of commuting I wasn’t really clear on what I wanted to do with the bike, other than going 1x something. I changed the tyres to something more city friendly (although I really miss the grey of those Kendas (maybe get some booze lights in the future), added a basket and found a rear wheel with a 9 speed free hub on eBay for £15 including postage. No prizes for guessing the state of the bearings!
A few weeks later and I’ve managed to source some more reliable parts, and the bike is running really nicely! Basket has gone, stem is back to original and I’m enjoying the more simple bar set up (one less shifter, a bell and some second hand Burgtec grips). There’s not a lot I need to change right now, and not too many funds to do so anyway, but it’s definitely still a work in progress. I’d like to get:
-More suitable MTB cranks as the 5 bolt looks a bit off here
-Maybe some nicer pedals
-Some less flappy guards with more coverage
-The brakes need fine tuning, better pads
-Ano something? Didn’t think I’d ever say that. Definitely not needed but finding it hard to resist
-Slimmer, light coloured saddle with matching grips. Inspired by @ectoplasmosis stumpjumper
-Is it wrong to want a front disc? Just for fun
Here it is currently:
I’ve taken it around some local trails and most recently on Bristol’s Routingforya weekly mixed terrain group ride. It’s hard to imagine taking my road bike out on such a chilled social ride, so I’m really happy to have a bike that allows me to slow down and have fun. The Giant is definitely fun to ride. It’s good to be able to hop curbs, and descend without too much caution for potholes. Even though 1.9 isn’t massive wide, it’s so much more forgiving than what I’m used to!
Hope you like it, stay tuned.