Santa Creme w New Wheelset and Fork

 So here she is, updated and back from a second successful test ride. 

The new wheels are definitely lighter, but not as burley going down - the tires are forced to work more, so testing air pressure and suspension will be required.

I also have not cut down the fork steerer quite yet - maybe we'll be getting something better.

I have the pack of fresh Fox stickers too, not sure how urgent that upgrade will be given the Meta HT project.

Growing Boy = Next Build!

 Oops I did it again!

M has been growing and growing during the pandemic, his 26er just finished is already small. He's been taking control of his brother's bike with me and his Mom's rarely used 29er when there are 3.

Those days of 3 are my favorite, I am Darth Vader with my 29er Tie Wingmen.

Anyway, I just sold a very nice 29er. Doh! Kick. I did some frameset hunting, sold out or expensive. I started looking for bikes "like a Nukeproof Scout 29er" or "like a Santa Cruz Chameleon" and guess what happened?

Commencal Meta HT!

The last 2020 in the country, in the Colorado facility. XL in size. Somehow the American public didn't know where to look for this French beauty or lacked the imagination, but I am not completely American now am I?!!

So its mine, er, ours. 

Do I do a video series?

I am moving fast on this - I tore down M's NSBikes Clash fast, ordered a new set of XT brakes, got a 210 mm One Up dropper which I installed onto my rig already, the older parts going here along with the very big carbon wheels from Santa Creme. New DHF goes  on the old front for this project!

Z will ride this (I will of course be required to test often), M gets Z's, and we'll have 2x 26er framesets and one set of wheels 4sale.

Build Video Series Attempt

So rather than continuing to write dead blogs, why not go YouTube? My social-media savvy children encouraged it like I them and suddenly it takes me a week to build a bicycle wheel.

That is the worst part about demonstrating a build, is that it slows down the quiet flow of actually just doing the work. Its why I think I never quite enjoy teaching, coaching and maybe even (gulp) parenting. Well, the last cannot be avoided, but teaching and coaching and managing have always been second for me to the work itself.

Here is the link. Its not as instructional as inspirational.

Wheelset 2020: Spoke Length Calculations

Rim: RM29C19

ERD: 589 mm

Front Hub: Shimano XT: HB-M-8110-B Front Hub, 32h Boost

Left : 287.50

Right: 288.18

Hub width: 110

Left Flange Diam: 44

Left Flange Off : 21.1

Right Flange Dia: 44

Right Flange Off: 15.7

Spoke Count     : 32

Spoke Hole Diam :  2.6

Rear Hub:  Shimano XT: FH-M8110-B Rear Hub, 32h Boost

Left : 285.37

Right: 283.68

Hub Width: 148

Left Flange Dia : 60

Left Flange Off : 37.82

Right Flange Dia: 61

Right FLange Off: 51.02

Spoke Hole Diam :  2.6

https://spokelengthcalculator.com

-x-

https://www.prowheelbuilder.com/spokelengthcalculator

Front:

- 110 - 5.7 - 49.3 to center

- 70.2 - 49.3 - 5.7 = 15.2 = flange to center = result 39.8

Measured by Todd:

- L Diameter         : 44 mm

- R Diameter         : 44 mm

- L locknut to flange: 27 mm

- flange to center   : 28 mm

- flange to center   : 39 mm

- R locknut to flange: 16 mm

L: 284.5: 286.9 -> 286 (-0.9)

R: 288.4: 288.1 -> 288 (-0.1)

Rear:

Measured by Todd:

- D Left             : 60 mm

- D Right            : 61 mm

- L locknut to flange: 39 mm

- flange to center   : 28 mm

- flange to center   : 39 mm

- R locknut to flange: 53 mm

L: 285.2 -> 286 (+0.8)

R: 283.7 -> 284 (+0.3)

FL: 287 -> 286

FR: 288 -> 288

RL: 285 -> 286

RR: 284 -> 284

Catch up. Wheel Project, New Fork Via PinkBike, More Magic Shine and Hydraulic Cable Replaced

Picking up where we left off, the Hydraulic Cable replacement for the Ridley Road bike showed up today. Amazon had given up, offered me the option to cancel the order as it had gotten lost in the USPS chaos during pandemic. But show it did the day after.

I spent the time in the shed installing it tonight, before getting the Hightower ready for WMD. Wednesday Morning Dirt. I am in a hurry to get to bed to wake up at 5 to make it so. The new cable went on without much fuss or mess, I listened to the radio talking about movies that were not being screened due to, yes, the pandemic. The tight arrow of a cable is now a graceful loop following the shift cable. It could scratch the headset, might need to put some frame protection on.

Its only been a month, but lots going on in the fleet. I am trying to ride more, feeling out of shape doing so especially on the road. Ben Swiggett, recent ex-president of the club and part of the Vine St gang ride series I was on a few years ago, died about 2 weeks ago on a ride, right on Skyline/Grizzly. So sad, just one more blow from left field. Despite pandemic, the BBC gathered for a socially distanced tribute ride to his families house from Strada Cafe. Then we went East, and North through what was Planet of the Apes, now a very civilized walk/bike path overrun with Saturday walkers. About there I started to feel weak, the group seemed to be speeding up through the dogs and old people surprised to see a group of cyclists. I mean, its a pandemic after all.

Bonky, I was happy to help Paul try to find more comfortable gears when his rear derailed cable broke. So rather than the bears, bonky Josh came along and we did the route backwards. It was nice. Got sunburned on my neck despite my pandemic mask. Yes, you must drink every time I say pandemic.

The rims from China, maybe the last, arrived. I measured carefully to confirm ERD, and then the hubs with the caliper, and then ordered $95 in spokes. Building cool wheels ain't cheap.  

Using the Boost front hub means I need a fork, and so I've been shopping hard on Pinkbike looking for a deal. I finally jumped at a "2017" Fox 34 with a Fit 4 Damper, which upon code check is actually a 2016. The offset might be a bit much, and its not "Factory" like my current Fox, which also has real Kashima. Even for $350, I have buyers remorse, and it hasn't even showed up yet. Maybe I'll flip it. I even ordered new blue decals for it from Craigslist from a guy who only used a few for his rear shock, so maybe I can love it. Dunno. A nice big 36" has an appeal to it. Maybe flip the Rockshox or the Fox and the new Fox and buy us a ZEB 160, sort of goes against the lighter weight thing I am trying out. 

Too quick to be cheap sometimes there buddy.

How a Simple Handlebar Adjustment Leads to New Brakepads on the Roadbike

11pm and I am in the garage getting the road bike ready for the mornings early departure. Pump up the tires, check the chain lube, collect the helmet and shoes. Then I notice the pattern of spacers above and below the stem. My back winces a little, maybe its time to raise that a bit? Its only a simple "swap" of spacers, put the big one below and small one on top by the cap.

5mm wrench on the cap, 4mm on the stem, this will take a second. Then I notice something is stopping me from removing the stem? This is a single bar+stem combo, it all needs to come off but it won't go more than a half inch - about 1 cm for you euros out there. Then I see it - my hydraulic brake hose is at its max extension, tight as a guitar string. How did I ever get this on here? Why is this cable so short? After some untaping, I find the hose is NOT being held up by the bar wrap. A solution - loosen up the brake caliper! 5mm wrench and the caliper is off. The bar soon follows, spacers get swapped, 5mm to tension, 4 mm to tighten.

A very tight front brake hose

Then time to put the caliper back on. The already too-short hose before the swap is 1cm (lets just make that the unit) but the bolts do tighten down. Time to spin the wheel - clankity clank the rotor hits. Tighten-spin-loosen-adjust, trying to peak the pads vs disc spacing, nothing is working. Lots of guck in that caliper. Maybe take out the pads?

One flat-head driver later the pads are out. Brake cleaner out, clean off the pistons, plastic tire lever to push the pistons in. Lots of wear, old alloy backed Truckerco pads. I spin the wheel, more noise even without pads. I visually realign the accumulated error. Then I take the last clean yellow set off my pegboard. Pads inserted, bolt and flat-head, find the tiny clip, some more adjusting and a few twists of the 5m and spin and...silence. Boom, done!

Fresh Truckerco Metallic Sintered, My Favorites, Sold Out

Turn off the power, lock up the shed, wander into the house. 12:20am, I am to wake up in 5 and a half hours to ride. I do a quick check for more TruckerCo pads (sold out! damn you Covid-19 sucking up bike parts!) but the RS685 replacement hose exists for $29.95 plus shipping on Amazon.

So I am buying a serious brake bleed event, always good for pictures and stories of frustration! Stay tuned!

The Hightower Update - Chesters in Blue!

So if you are following along in the Covid Blog Rot catchup, we have a renovated bike cave, less stuff in the cave, and one less bike in the fleet, but alas not as much cash as hoped for in the exchange. Watch out Old Blue (CX bike), I am looking at you next!

My "only" remaining MTB that is actually mine, is now the Santa Cruz Hightower, affectionately if not infamously known as "Santa Creme". We last left Santa at the 12 speed conversion, which has worked out well - the 30x50 option has made climbing a breeze as long as I avoid the KT gang, and Covid is doing that well. I ran clipless with the Sidis, but given the 3 month long 30 day wheelie challenge and constant joy I get out of Z's Scout 29er HT, so I found a set of Raceface Chester Flat Pedals (in Blue this time) in exchange for some of my REI credits.

The big Diety alloy pedals, though cool, just did not provide joy - read other entries to find out their destiny! I assumed the Chesters were smaller, but no side by side they were very similar - the Dieties just felt larger. Maybe the metal? I don't know. 

I wanted to include an Amazon Affiliate link to the Chesters, but found/recalled I was removed. Hmmf, another blog entry coming on that.

Okay, so the Chesters. Put them on, tried them on a glorious am ride, so glorious I took pictures in a last attempt to get into the GMBN Bike Vault (look it up ;) ). Santa will not get any prettier.

I've been watching GMBN Tuesdays looking for my entry above, let me know if I missed it somewhere.

Oh, and Scott was a back biter, Chester has teeth too - I just touched my calf to the pedal, whilst standing and got this:

Back to the calf guards?! Moo!

 

Scott Scale 29 Expert For Sale and Sold

So its all linked - from the bike cave reorganization, to selling stuff on Nextdoor, to Covid driving a 40% in bikeshop business.

Wha? This is great news, maybe a sliver of good news in these times. People trying to exercise on bikes and do some commuting to avoid the plague.

During the bike cave renovations,  someone on the KT list was looking to see if anyone had a bike to sell to a friend with a $1200 budget. Demand in the industry and trashed supply chains have led to shortages and right here was an example. I volunteered my Scott Scale, and only for $1000. The friend of the KT bud moved on after finding the last L bike at Chain Reaction for $1099, but I was
already cleaning up Scott and making it the race machine it always was.

Original stem, narrow carbon Thompson bars back on. Trail fender off, DHF swapped out for the Ardent 2.4, cleaned up. So I took it for a blasting ride through the Berkeley Hills and San Pablo ridge trail in Wildcat Park. I went fast, the bike does this, and as it does, it often bites back and hurts me. Again, the back. Again not walking well and back to the PT moves for 2 weeks. Enough already, Scott has been biting me for way to long, time to move on!

Bicycle Blue Book is offering like $300-$500. Nope, nearly every part on this thing has been replaced.

I take pics and send to Pro Closet. $820 cash to $940 credit, but I need to pack and ship to Boulder. Maybe, but its work.

THEN I check Craigslist. Plenty of carbon bikes out there for over $3K. So I post for $1250, and the bike is gone 2 days later to the first visitor,  big guy (6'5") who knows what he wants and almost fits it - more stem, and a 800mm riserbar is what I recommended. In my mask and nitril gloves and a pile of Benjamins, I watched him ride Scott away - actually on the big Diety flat pedals I couldn't quite ever get right for me.

SO I maybe lowballed the price - it was thebest deal on CL, except for a Cannondale Scalpel for $900 that moved instantly from what I could tell.

Rather than a new shock and wheel project for the Hightower, the cash from the sale immediately went into new tires for the Nissan Leaf after a father's day scare.

More coming soon on the Hightower...bye Scott!

NSBikes Clash for M

Did I mention the NS Bikes Clash frameset?

The recovery of the M8000 XT crankset was key to getting the parts moved from M's little Trek 4000 frame moved to the last of the 26" MTBs.

The result is pretty sweet, though M has barely used it, and might well outgrow it before he does.

<insert pictures here>

Fathers day has come and went without our yearly ride, mostly due to injury from Scott, but its hard to force them to ride. Just weird times.

Another result is another bike project - getting the Trek 4000 rolling for a kid to be determined.

Bike Shed Update!

The bike shed has been running 3 years with good result. This said, its clear there were changes pending to make better use of space, organize, remove and fix various things.

The first issue was the very high position I hung the bikes from. Maybe I got weaker of the last 3 years (no shock there) but lifting the bikes over a pile of rarely used boxes of bike and house hardware was getting ridiculous. The wall mounts were staggered, but this only put some bikes higher than others. Also, the hooks on the wall mounts were not friendly to MTB's, so they just hung on some hooks anyway.

Removing Wall Mounts

A vision from my younger son was to add a second floor to the shed, Lego-Movie dual level couch style. Some inspiration from GMBN videos too added to a "pro-hook" vision. The combined result was a serious 2x6 beamed "floor", at a height supporting the SC Hightower and Scout 290 - each about a foot LONGER than the road bikes.

We were able to purchase lumber during the plague, thank you Ashby Lumber and get lots of big hooks from the re-opened "Osh", both oh so essential businesses.

I also started collecting miscellaneous bike parts and hardware to sell on Nextdoor. My Covid-Safe(?) process was to put stuff out on the porch to air, let people pic up the loot and put money through the mail slot or Paypal.

Sort of an eclectic list, here mostly for my own documentation.

• Ultegra Crankset
• Electric weed whacker
• Kids Bike Helmets (free)
• Small shop vacuum
• 10 wall mount bike hooks
• 9 Speed SRAM cassette, once intended for B, its own tail to write about someday
• Shimano 10 speed bar-end shift levers
• A commuter fender (still avail)
• A 20mm Yakima Bike adapter (still avail)

No one broke the process or promise, not that I cared, it was sort of exciting and lightening to see some of this stuff go away.

Blog Rot Catch Up in the Times of Covid

Circa 2000 in Bratislava, Slovakia, proof I maybe did wheelies 

before Ryan Leeches 30 day wheelie challenge...

Nearly July, about right for the gaps in coverage of "BikeFleetNews". The lack of blogging audience followed by the Plague and now "summer" have all conspired to result in a gap, just when it really should have been a time of deep and constant coverage; though the Blog may stop, the bikes and their needs go on.

On to some white guy problems and riding. Able to work from home, still having a paycheck (runway is short however), everyone staying healthy in my family and circles, I have little to complain about personally, though horrified by the general failures and revelations like everyone else. with a heart. But that can be a different set of blogs, lets talk riding and bikes.

The riding has sort of "sucked" for me in Covid times. Everyone with a dog or gym membership has decided to crowd the parks, a whole new layer of people untrained in the ways of dodging and fearing a bicycle on the dirt - imagine! You can't do that! But I am - oh, and stop breathing on me.

The social side of cycling has taken a hit - the social is clearly all thats held me on the road bike, I begrudgingly use it. When I get in a familiar pack of 1 or 2 or 3, its tense. People are driving badly too, BBC email list of stories of people getting hit by cars on normally quiet routes, or others running into pedestrians wandering in the middle of the streets, likely avoiding yet others clogging the sidewalks.

And social of MTB, trying to get out of town for a ride has not happened since Feb. No Taco(ama) days with the G crew. No Tamarancho, and China Camp parking all closed to keep outsiders away. Bridge rides, bike paths choked with walkers wandering, its a race to wake up and ride before its all clogged, in a household where waking hour is now 9 to 11am.

I do come off as whiny, but lets call it my expression of stress - what was my escape and fitness feels crowded out and dangerous.

But the fleet lives on, I will create a bunch of update posts rather than drag on here...

Boost Test - 11sp shifting problems confirmed fixed, rebuilt wheel is solid!

Since I did NOT tear apart the wheel, I took off the 12 speed cassette and put the old 11 speed back on to try out the wheel, and entire bike itself.

I missed the bike - its big but light, awesome downhill but not quite right when climbing.

The rebuilt wheel worked perfectly - not a ping out of it, spokes seemed good after the ride.
The shifting was also perfect, no holding down the lever to keep it in the biggest ring - turns out
an adapter, maybe at the crank? is needed to account for the missing 3mm. Yes, the tolerances are that tight.

Next step is to put on the 12speed shifters and rear mech, lets see what 50T feels like.

A 12-Speed Solution? SRAM NX 12 Speed 11x50 Cassette on Shimano 11sp

A riding buddy made comment last night that has led to solution on the 12 speed hub issue - use a NX 12 Speed SRAM Cassette on the 11 Speed XT Boost Hub. Not only the idea, but he had the actual part and wanted to sell it bad.

So 24 Hours Later:

and then

Turns out online peeps have been running all sorts of 12 speed combos between SRAM, Shimano and upstart SUNRACE. Apparently the proprietary 12 speed by Shimano has only been licensed by DT Swiss so far.

The downsides?

• 11 speed is the smallest gear available, 
• The NX is relatively heavy - well, really heavy at 679g, all steel I suspect - for comparison, the XT 12 is only 470g and SLX, 470+67g = 537.
• The chain and/or links. I have a Shimano chain. One article mentions that a NX 12sp quick link should be used vs Shimano, so I'll order one.

To do on this project

1. Test the wheel with 11speed, see if shifting issues are corrected.
2. Return or not the XT hub and the SLX cassette. I really want to build up a set of new wheels, so maybe I stockpile
3. Swap out 11sp parts for 12
4. New RaceFace chainring required? Wolftooth
5. Finish M's NSBike with the 11speed parts