It's The Little Things

Several things had to come together for this to be rideable.

Recently I shared with you all about how I had a Scoutset Bag Brace to test out* and that I was going to use this old bag I had from my self-supported touring days on the rack. Well, I had an issue.

It was just a few little things.

But these 'little things' can be big problems, especially if you want to actually be out riding a bike instead of fiddling around with it in your shop. 

Maybe you've been there before. A new component or a new bike build is stymied by some bolt, some necessary part you didn't know you needed, or by a specialized tool you need to install or fix a part. It can take you from the high of expectation and anticipation to the dumpster dive of life in a heartbeat. I know......it happens all the time to me. 

So, the first thing I ran into with this bag brace deal was that I had to swap out wheels. Well, 'had to' isn't really right. I wanted to. I had broken the spoke on the rear wheel of the aluminum Irwin Cycling wheels and that prompted me to want to go with the carbon wheels here. Same manufacturer, same end caps on the wheels, but the rotor lock ring cap, that worked perfectly fine on the aluminum wheels, dragged on the axle of the carbon wheels. No-go! 

This low profile lock ring cleared the fork and the axle.

My other rotor lock rings would clear the axle, but weren't compatible with the Fyxation Carbon fork I was running. The edges would drag on the inner fork leg. I needed the low profile of the original lock ring with clearance for the slightly larger axle of the carbon Irwin wheels. 

Bah! So, off I went to order in that bit. A measly ten dollar part kept me from riding that set up. Then when I got that bit in, and my wheel spun freely, I ran into another road block when I wanted to mount fenders on this bike. 

The fork crown of the Fyxation fork was nearly two and a half inches deep from front to back. There was a mounting hole for the upper fender mount, thankfully, but I needed a long threaded bolt, and nothing I had was suitable. It was either juuuuussst too short, or long enough but too big in diameter to fit through the hole. Drat! Another bit throwing a wrench in my cogs! A trip to the hardware store later and I was back at it.

Now, fenders mounted up, I thought, "Hey! I should ride this to work tonight as a test ride." But that would mean I would need lights. Okay, I have lots of lights, but mounting one on the handle bar was out of the question due to the height of the bag I was using. Oh boy! here we go again. Another small issue keeping me from using this bike? Not today, bike devil! I'm overcoming your gremlins!

So, I futzed around with a few ideas until I decided to roll with the tried and true bit of steer tube off a fork boss deal. Fortunately, that Fyxation fork had a low rider mount I could use for the mount and it works well enough. I grabbed a light and strapped it on. Good to go!

The front wheel spins, the rotor is secure, the fenders are mounted, and my light is on there too.

Okay, I was glad that was all over! It's always something what wants to throw a road block into your travel to bike nirvana. This time things went my way. They don't always work out that way every time though! 

Ideally in terms of the light, I think I'd want something mounted off the fork crown. That bolt I got for the fender is long enough to accommodate that idea, but I'd have to rustle up a proper mount. I do have a Minoura Space Bar that might work for this, but I have to give it some thought before I get to trying it out. For now, I'm good to go. 

*See the Standard Disclaimer page in regard to the Scoutset Bag Brace.