The "do everything" tank - Surly LHT

And the wheels.

I spent a couple of months contemplating making my Cross Check lighter, now I just enjoy riding it places.

Thinking of going for a 2x8 set up like Ed's been talking about, and Straggler fork/disc front as being discussed in current projects. Makes sense mechanically, practically and most importantly financially in the long run. Good excuse to have matching Middleburn cranks on all my bikes too.

yeah the wheels ain't that light! 3.71 kg (2.10 kg+1.61 kg) for the wheels (rims, hubs, QR skewers, spokes, nipples, rimtape, inner tubes, tyres @ 60psi)

but this is far from a ww project (duh)

Funny thing is, that frame will be just as stiff as your Somec.

It's certainly no noodle :-)

Maybe a slight change of plan due to winning a badly listed Sram Force chainset for £45. It's not compact and comes with 53 39 rings.

You've "done an amey" and bought a pretty thing, rather than the right thing.

If this was my bike I would do the following:

• Shimano Alfine Di2 group £455
  
• Shimano CX 77 disc brakes £125 the pair (I know a man who has a pair for sale BNIB)
  
• Shutter Precision disc hub front ~£100
  
• Mavic TN719 rims, double butted spokes
  
• Bang a 44T Thorn ring on that SRAM crankset
  
• Wallop.
  

^

This frame doesn't have disc mounts. Nice idea though.

=Stop fucking about with half measures.

Ha! Now that I've experienced disc brakes I have to agree. Discs all day every day...

Nerg's self for selling apollo a frame with no disc mounts

god BN, what were you playing at

i vote stick with the canti's/miniv's

You've "done an amey" and bought a pretty thing, rather than the right thing.

Dang son, that is harsh.

Right down to getting a bigger cassette to compensate.

Disc upgrade (esp the front) is not off the table per se, but maybe just a stage 2 upgrade...Also its gonna be easy to sell the cheap Force chainset and get a compact...

This project is now basically on hold as I'll be in Serbia till the 21st.

Already looking forward to coming back and riding the shit out of it and not selling it.

I.e. not "doing an amey".

;)

Huge road crankset on a heavy touring bike qualified an amey Apollo, don't sell yourself short.

lol

You could use that nice Force crank with a single ring.

I was thinking that, 1x10 with a wolftooth, long MTB rear derraileur for the big cassette and the choice of the sram range for shifters? Rival can often be had cheap on eBay

i am afraid miro is right :P I am now compact 11-25 on everyfing; i no care i lov it

I came very close to 'doing an amey' with dammit's alfine suggestion above a month ago but then a lot of ppl told me alfine is absolute shite and if you look at the money its not a lot less than a rohloff; it is also stupid design tbh; same hub but just an electronic motor on the outside.

sell that force crankset on bikeradar and get a modular compact like middleburn (I could suggest rotor but there could be buyer/witch burning) if you can; ebay has them

Square taper last forever, unless someone know of a decent external BB that'll last just as long.

I have sora compact cranks. Feel just as stiff as my force ones, will last for longer as they're alloy and not crabby aaaaand they're disgustingly cheap. Apollo have you decided what to do for a group yet? I'd just buy sora, sell the brakes and shifters, buy barends and get mini vs or cantis. Job done.

JB let me know how the BB is after a while.

Why the (fresh) obsession with how long a BB lasts?

Fine I don't want to change one a month, but it's not going to upset me greatly to "only" get 12 months out of a heavily used one- which external bearing BB's will more than deliver.

Seems to me you are looking for a justification for a decision you have already made.

Square taper last forever, unless someone know of a decent external BB that'll last just as long.

A shimano one fitted properly on a well faced frame by a trained mechanic at a good LBS.

Know any?

;-)