squeakywheel

No more excuses. No more stealing the wife's bike. I have a functional bike in the garage.

I have been learning bicycle mechanics and working on converting my old MTB to a single speed. It has been taking longer than planned. I got the first coat of new paint on yesterday. A few weeks ago I came to the realization that I'm behind schedule and bought a second bike. I figured I could use a spare since I have been shut down twice due to mechanical break-down.

I swear I was not the kid who disassembled everything in the house to see how it works. Anyway...within 24 hours of buying the second bike, I had two disassembled bikes in the basement! This in spite of the fact that the newly acquired bike was fully functional. The only thing I could say against it was that the handlebar position was not comfortable for me.

The second bike is a Rocky Mountain "Hammer Race" MTB with a "Race Series" logo on the frame. I bought it used. I love used bikes that look like they have barely been ridden. It is probably 10 years old and still has what look like the original tires with plenty of tread. The sidewalls are a little dry and cracked.

I removed the gaudy decals leaving a distiguished black glossy bike. Replaced the seat with my old favorite. Replaced the stem with a shorter one with more rise. Replaced the funky little pedals with my old Wellgo platforms. Replaced the assymetrical BB with a symetrical one to get the pedals the same distance from the chainstays. Removed the front derailleur and two smallest chainrings. I put the large chainring in the middle location. It has 8 gears in the rear. I also did an internal rustproofing while I had the BB removed. It is a steel frame and is quite a bit lighter than my old Specialized Hardrock. No internal rust at all was found. I mounted my rear bike rack.

I'll have to wait to mount my fenders until I wear out the 2.1 inch knobby tires. I'll put some 1.5 inch street tires on and then I think my fenders will fit.

Only thing I don't particularly care for at the moment is the front shock absorbers. They don't particularly bother me. They just seem unnecessary for a commuter. I'll give them a try. I do a lot of riding on gravel shoulders. I might come to like them. We'll see.

I went for a test ride today and was very satisfied. I went on a sojourn and found an alternate route to work. I'll try it out on Tuesday. I took some pictures, but it is a film camera. It will probably take me a month to post them.

No more excuses. In another few weeks, I'll even have a spare bike.



Edit: I also built a rack on the garage wall for it. The kick-stand was discarded since I have a bike stand at work.