Mountain Biking - Updated pics

added a few bits and pieces to my 06 Dawg Deluxe. Here's some pics from this afternoon....

The helmet is my new Specialized Decibel CarbonFiber





http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a267/CrashVector/MyKona.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a267/CrashVector/close.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a267/CrashVector/bike2.jpg

looks good

ha ha. ( Looks who's pulling a hank. ;) )

What did you change besides the seat post, tires and bar ends? That's MY bikes twin!! Except for the reflectors. :p

Woot! Kona makes pretty bikes.

Nice.

me want one:D

ha ha. ( Looks who's pulling a hank. ;) )

What did you change besides the seat post, tires and bar ends? That's MY bikes twin!! Except for the reflectors. :p


New seat post, new bar ends, new front and rear derailleurs, new lower-height stem, and even though you cannot see it---a new higher-rate spring in the fork.

The tires that are on it aren't exactly new. They are Serfas Vermin kevlars that I use for hardpack only. I use the OEM Nokians or a set of Continentals when I take it to the trail. I know, I'm anal, but I have three sets of rims for the bike complete with brake rotors, each with different tires mounted for different purposes. I'm just a quick release away from being able to ride anywhere I want with ease. The Vermins only have side lugs, so they're VERY fast on hardpack. The continentals I have are sort of intermediate, and the Nokians are large-lugged FR tires.


BTW...what does "pulling a Hank" mean?

:roflmao:

New seat post, new bar ends, new front and rear derailleurs, new lower-height stem, and even though you cannot see it---a new higher-rate spring in the fork.

The tires that are on it aren't exactly new. They are Serfas Vermin kevlars that I use for hardpack only. I use the OEM Nokians or a set of Continentals when I take it to the trail. I know, I'm anal, but I have three sets of rims for the bike complete with brake rotors, each with different tires mounted for different purposes. I'm just a quick release away from being able to ride anywhere I want with ease. The Vermins only have side lugs, so they're VERY fast on hardpack. The continentals I have are sort of intermediate, and the Nokians are large-lugged FR tires.


BTW...what does "pulling a Hank" mean?


Great job on it, CrashVector. Didn't we get our bikes about the same time? Lucky you being able to upgrade already. I'm still paying off the bike as it is!! What size is it by the way?

"pulling a Hank" - He's always going for the bigger and better!! :D

Mine is 6 months old or so....I got it sometime in March if my memory serves me correctly.

I didnt do "ugrades" exactly...the parts I replaced were all fitment issues. I replaced 'em to make the bike fit me like a glove. I started to realize that I was adjusting my riding style to suit the bike, which isn't the best thing to do. I instead made the bike suit my riding style so that it feels more 'natural' to me.

I'm not really a "bigger and better" kind of person...I just want my bike to fit me as close to perfect as I can get. In my past experience, I have found that if you get a bike that fits you perfectly in all aspects, then you are capable of MUCH more than you are if you simply try to "get along" with a bike that doesn't fit as well. In all honesty, the best-fitting bike I ever had was an old Huffy Stalker. I did stuff on that bike that most people wouldn't even try on a FS bike...but i was able to pull it off because I knew my bike well, and the thing fit me like a second skin.

As far as the size, dont make me lie to you, but I THINK its a 17.

The single best change I have made is the shorter stem and bar ends. IMO, the riding position was a little TOO upright, so the shorter stem helps out, and with bar ends, I can really lean forward if I want to plus they make climbing much, much easier on the back.

I FINALLY took the bike in to the shop yesterday for the rear bearing noises. Turns out they installed the bearing cap too tight and caused a few of them to burnish. They replaced 'em for free, and replaced my stem for free at the same time as a "customer goodwill" thing for my trouble.

Overall, I really, REALLY like this bike. The paintjob is absolutely beautiful in the midday sunlight with its blue metallic pearl color. I like how it shifts from blue to slight purple.

anyhoo, I was debating on swapping the fork to a Fox FLOAT RLC, but I think I'll stick with the GranFondo for now since the new spring has taken care of the only issue I had with the fork: If I had the proper sag dialed in, the compression was too light and the fork felt way too squishy for my tastes. With the new spring, I have the proper sag set, and the fork is much stiffer and feels much smoother on travel than it did before.

nice ride but check out minehttp://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h272/foxmtbing/1072500049_l-1.jpg

nice ride but check out minehttp://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h272/foxmtbing/1072500049_l-1.jpg
flat tires suck

nice ride but check out mine

um yeah....nice try with the threadjack.

a bit muddy?

I was gonna say I have the same bike too but it is no where near that clean.

You've gone pretty hard on the upgrades. I'm too much of a noob to notice that anything on mine needs upgrading.

Yeah me too! I'm still trying to grow into mine!!

I sure do like our blue/purple haze waaaaaaaaay better than that brown bike up there ^^^:p

Got my shock serviced and seals replaced the other day. ouch.

Hopefully don't have to go near that again for a year.