Prepping The Fat

"The Real Blackborow™" cleaned up and ready to go.

Yesterday's post about the long tail Blackborow got me to thinking about my OG Blackborow, the Blackborow DS. It was ridden and put away wet, for real, and therefore needed a good once over.

It was mud covered from head to toe. The good thing was that the Blackborow DS is so simple that it would really need only the wipe down and not much else. Two brake cables with full run housings and no derailleur cables at all means low maintenance. The chain is spotless, and because it is a "rust buster" style single speed chain, it seems to just keep going. The chain rings and cogs are stainless steel too. This is the very reason why I bought the Blackborow DS over the geared version. Besides a tube, the only parts I have changed so far are upgrade parts. Well........I did modify the front brake hose routing guide. So there is that.

The biggest change, obviously, was the bar. The H-Bar Jones Loop Carbon 710 is amazing. I had forgotten how compliant feeling it is. While it is hideously expensive, I am glad I spent the dollars on it. I've harped on this here before, but if you have not tried riding a carbon handle bar with cork grips in Winter you just won't get it. So much better!

I think that this year I am going to upgrade the pedals to Fixation Mesa MP models. They are a composite impact resistant nylon something or another, sealed bearings, metal pins, and all at only $59.99 and 351 grams for the pair. I've had a pair on my Ti Mukluk for something like 5 years now and they will not die. Perfect for snow/ice and a Winter boot. I don't need or want to clip in, and it isn't necessary to either. I can do all the things on flats that I do in clipless pedals without the metal heat sink of a clipless pedal in a cycling specific Winter boot. AND it all costs much less, AND I can wear the footwear I choose anywhere I want to off the bike. 

Anyway, I got a bit off track there, but the ol' Blackborow is ready for action!