Third hand American wonders

i’m personally not the biggest fan of the paint, but can see it losing some of the value. don’t think it had ever even been assembled or at least ridden when i bought it. we’ll see when i’ve managed to destroy it a bit by riding.

i did the same research and ended up getting 48s. there’s still a bit of room to go larger but i’ve set them up tubeless, which makes it a tad more cumbersome to switch around.

got any photos of yours in 650b mode? would be keen to see.

Panasonic is 10/10

Vualia

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damn, looks like business. well done!

I love that panasonic! Looks really classy.

Re the Spezialized: I looked at Ronnies Bike too and I was wondering if that actually is a 650B setup. I don't think so tbh. The tyres in that colourway look like the 650 x 2.? MARS Race edition but the frame is for 26" wheels, there is no sign of moved brake bosses, the rims he is riding (Weinmann/Bontrager B2C src ) only exist in 26" afaik and those Paul cantis don't have enough adjustment to make up for the different rim sizes I suppose.
It seems like he is riding some old prototype of the 26" MARS tyre in a colourway not available to us "mortals" ;).

All of that aside. I think the Specialized is going to be a sick bike. I would keep it as a 26" bike with some fat rubber. Moving brake bosses is not that simple on an aluminium frame I think.

P.S.: Rons bars are "available" now https://theradavist.com/2022/01/uncle-rons-orthopedic-back-bar-is-in-stock-now-at-crust-bikes/

thanks! might need to upload more photos of it now. the aero rims are kind of growing on me after initial ashamedness.

i was looking at these same indicators when figuring it out lol. pretty sure prolly would've hyped it as a conversion if it really was one, like he did with the previous trek build. highly relevant ponderings anyway haha.

the frame is of this special ceramic-infused m2 alloy, which is apparently even harder to weld than normal alu. so moving the bosses is out of question. this shouldn't slow me as there are an abundance of compatible brakes which have enough vertical leeway to accommodate the 12.5mm jump. here's the best list i've found. started with the cheapest canti option, the tektro cr720, as i had a compatible paul lever in the bin. we'll see how it goes, might need to switch to vs later on.

ironically they restocked the bars right after my cries of our mortality lol. very tempted but not sure if the hallway/stairway in our old townhouse flat can handle the 690mm. if someone's afraid of the customs fees, i'm happy to report i've never paid any when ordering bars from riv. assuming crust is the same. the shipping is expensive though.

this shouldn't slow me as there are an abundance of compatible brakes which have enough vertical leeway to accommodate the 12.5mm jump

Off course! In my head I was comparing 26" to 700c adjustments. I looked into that once and I think the Bombshell V brake you are running on the Klein popped up as on the of brakes with the widest range of adjustment.
There are off course Paul Motolites but they are damn expensive.

There are off course Paul Motolites but they are damn expensive.

To be fair to @launchpadboi, they get 50% off all brakes

As an aside, do you still have those Easton bars in your parts bin @launchpadboi ?

yes, i was looking for my vintage [redacted] skewers yesterday and there they sat. you want?

I wouldn’t mind giving them a spin in the not so distant future on my langster, once I find a new stem or shim for an old one

Hope you found your skewer too

trek build

What on earth is holding that pump in place?

Phwoar

To be fair to @launchpadboi, they get 50% off all brakes

Out of interest did you ever try one of these dual brake levers @launchpadboi?

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I set one of these up for someone who only had use of their right arm/hand. It worked very well, lever at the bottom/3rd pic.

Really though, what's going on here 🕵🏽‍♂️

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i haven't. i was planning to try the hope ones for a disc project which never happened. my impression is they'd be hard to keep in adjustment but i'm probably wrong. the first one looks like paul but isn't?

with good v brakes and kool stops, i've never felt the need for better braking, not even in the wet. light bikes brake well loll.

the weirdest bodge ever or photoshop? looks like the tt has been too long for the pump and a standard pump stud hasn't worked or something.

found some detail shots of the VCR on my phone. featuring the 70 quid half price hubset. the tallux stem isn't going any lower than that which bugs me a bit, but it'll do for long distance riding. the deluxe version (a must) comes only in 26.0, hence the shim. someone's going to ask anyway so the paul lever is upside down because the real left side is in use on another bike. low key theft deterrent as is the beater concor.

cassette is a campag 11-32, which "shouldn't work" but actually shifts well and stays in adjustment. swapped to the challenge stradas recently after getting daily flats on gk slicks. not tubeless yet but feeling more secure already. not as supple as the gks though lol. if i lived in northern california with henry wildeberry i'd keep the gks.

low key theft deterrent

Looks great, would steal.

Ah look like the Kinlins? Nice wheelset and gorgeous bike!

not as supple as the gks though

Haha I had a set and actually found them too supple sometimes!? Gave me the heebie jeebies going round roundabouts at speed. Super comfy tho the rest of the time ;)

yes, they are them, thanks again! it's a banger for a budget wheelset. not sure if too aero for this bike but works.

back to the wagon... mounted the wheels for the first time today and went to chase the sun. long boi looks alright. measured the bb height as 300mm, which felt and should be fine. could be less too. the tt is already almost horizontal, which is the aim. the low trail fork should sort the rest. this fork looks nice too tbh but there obviously isn't enough steerer.

these photos brought the new pedals and seatpost out of the christmas calendar, too. the simworks bubblys don't need much introduction. the seatpost is ritchey by nitto, which is a cheaper way to the supple club. i have also added a dropper of a desirable colour on my watchlist lmao. oh yeah and the king cages. the position of the bolts leaves a decent space for a half-frame bag, which is on order.

first impressions after kicking and rolling on the quiet residential street were: the cockpit needs to come up some centimetres. the switchback hills set as tubeless are smooth. the ck classic freehub isn't as loud as feared, rather quiet i'd say. the 8-speed chain doesn't really like the 11-speed cassette, hence the kicking.

the deluxe version (a must) comes only in 26.0, hence the shim.

Does that work out alright with the shims? Looking at the same problem right now.

in retrospect it wasn’t the best idea. the shim is somehow very hard to slip in, albeit being from nitto too. i obviously couldn’t get it on myself, then had a shop refuse the job as they couldn’t do it and another shop scratching the bars when they succeeded.

maybe a non-nitto shim or a coke can ting would be easier. i’d get this in an instant if it was a bit taller.