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| Ti Muk wheels |
Monday I got right back on the bike after resting hard all day Sunday. Sure- I had aches and pains, but it ain't no thing with me. I always have aches and pains. I was cooked by the end of the day though. Tuesday I rode back and forth to work again. Feeling "okay", but still worked, still achy. Then Tuesday night I knew something was really wrong. I got a feeling that I was sick. By Wednesday morning I was really hurting. It was flu. I had a temperature of 102°F most of the day. Sweating, pain, aches. It was awful. Thursday saw my wife put me on a regimen of Ibuprofen and Tylenol, with plenty of fluids and rest. No bicycles, no alcohol.
Thursday night I decided to not take the Ibuprofen before I went to bed. I was feeling really good, and I wanted to know if I was over it, or was it just being managed by drugs. I found out Friday morning it was "managed by drugs". I hurt all over and had a slight fever again. Not to mention a stuffy head and cold now. So the "No bikes-No alcohol" rule is still in effect. Mrs Guitar Ted says until Monday at the earliest. Boo.
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| The Slender Fungus sent me a Get Well Package. |
Oh well. I suppose this getting bounced off a Silverado thing will take time to get around. I better just be patient. In the meantime I got a nice "get well" package from the Slender Fungus Friday. (Thanks Crew!) I'll have to wait to use the koozie though. Under orders and all.....
Then there are the new wheels for the titanium Mukluk/ I got some purple anodized Salsa Conversion hubs some time ago now, and finally had Velocity lace those up to some Dually rims with purple nips. These are the 29"er Duallys, so they will be getting some Knard 29 X 3" tires soon, and yes- tubeless. That will be a set up then that will get these special Alternator style drop outs that will push the wheel back as it relates to the frame, so the rear 29+ will clear the brace across the seat stays better. (Thank you MJ & DG!) I now will have to get a fork that fits the 135 front disc standard so I can have a brake and I also need the tires yet. Baby steps. I'll get this done soon! I definitely have the time to do that now!
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| The Odin's dirt still needs cleaning away..... |
The tires need a sealant recharge as well. Then I think everything will be good to go, despite it having gotten thrashed in the dirt and mud to the point I figured the entire drive train would need to be replaced when I was riding Odin's. Beyond the obvious maintenance, I would really like to get a hold of a nicer seat post for that bike. The test post from Cirrus Cycles was sweet. I may have to save up for one of those. It really made the Fargo Gen I a better bike.
I've professed my love for the Fargo Gen I here before, and I am hoping that some tweaks to the Ti Muk will come to fruition that will make it as much a "go-to" bike as the Fargo is now. If it all works out, I think a Luxy Bar of mine may find its way over to that Ti Muk and with its titanium seat post, bigger 29+ rubber, and new drop outs, it will be that sort of a bike for me. We will see.
Rest and get well.
ReplyDeleteI'll share a thought on gearing, (and try not to stir up controversy), one could keep the 22t and run a smaller cassette. Then you would get closer gear spacing and lower weight. I find a 22-28 low gear works well, and even allows a short cage road derailleur (more weight savings).
Love the new wheels, they look great.
That is really similar to the wheel set I want for my Mukluk. I want to use the 35mm blunt rims to round out a knard better for gravel though. Cool!
ReplyDelete@Barturtle: Thanks!
ReplyDeleteGearing: Sounds as if you speak SunTour MicroDrive fluently. (Same benefits were touted for that set up that you are putting forth here.)
I like bigger cogs front and rear for a couple reasons: Shifting is typically better with longer wear. Less maintenance- longer service life. Also, the bigger cogs deal with grit and grime better, less chances for chain suck, etc.
Certainly you can save weight, but that doesn't matter if you have a chain jammed into your chain stay or are removing and replacing cassettes and chains more often. At least I don't feel it does.
Totally a valid way to go though. (Former SunTour MicroDrive Pro user)
Hope you get better soon GT!
ReplyDeleteThose wheels look sick. You have inspired me to get a purple front hub for my new Dually 29" rim.
Off topic: I wrote a dynamic gear calculator web script. The goal was to be like Sheldon Brown's calculator, but better. I know you are interesting in gearing so I'd appreciate any feedback you have -- http://samplacette.com/bicycle-gear-calculator/
Thanks
Sam
If full suspension MTB are made with aluminium don't you think it will be fine for gravel? At the price I think it's worth a try(Willard 2). The components are a strong point for me.
ReplyDelete@sniffer: "full suspension" aluminum bikes are an entirely different kettle of fish. The use of aluminum on such bikes is coming from an entirely different engineering and design viewpoint than it would be for an all-road/gravel bike.
ReplyDeleteMy point is that with aluminum, a decent ride quality is possible, but generally speaking, aluminum is not being pursued by the bicycling industry for such purposes. Raleigh may surprise me here, but recent aluminum frames I have ridden as part of my test riding for repairs at the bike shop have shown me that the ride quality is not what I would be looking for on gravel roads. This also was my take on the aluminum Warbird when I test rode it a couple of times at different venues.
Again- Raleigh may surprise me here. I sure hope that they do.