Changing Direction (Completed!)

Last week I wrote about my Salsa El Mariachi that I was reviving with a Salsa Cycles CroMoto Grande fork with the Maxle drop outs. I spent most of my free time Sunday getting it done, and here it is.

It's ready to roll....

All the key parts came together well. The wheel matched up with the fork perfectly. In fact, the tolerances are pretty close to the point that the fork and wheel seem as though they should be really solid feeling.

As you can see, the calipers are white and that means I opted for the Quad branded brakes in white. While they are odd, in that they aren't common, and they may not have all the bells and whistles, they do work well. They also have really easily bled lines and calipers, which is a bonus when you have to do that. The set up with the Ashima rotors works nicely.

The rims obviously dominate the look, and that is because there is a lot of rim there! Those are Velocity P-35's, and they are supporting those massive Ardent 2.4"ers which are set up tubeless. The rims really make the Ardent tread sit down on the trail, since the rims sort of flatten the crown out some. That makes them a really good choice for winter,sloppy, and rough courses. As I recall, I ran this combination way down into the teens for air pressure back a couple years ago.

The white rims are highlighted by the Bontrager saddle and Ergon grips here. The panel on the down tube is cream colored, but it works when the white stuff gets dirty! The panel also features red, which matches an Acros head set I happened to have and a Salsa LipLoc seat collar as well.

Close up of the Maxle

Another red bit is on the wheels, which is represented by the alloy nipples here. So, the highlighted colors work off the darker colors here including the fork, frame, hubs, stem, seat post, and handle bar.

The frame and stem are the same deep, plum-ish purple color. Sometimes in brighter sunlight the purple looks more "purple", but at times it looks like eggplant.

The hubs, (Velocity branded), Salsa 17° bend bar, Bontrager seat post, and the fork are black. They sometimes blend right into the frame, and then when the light is right, you see the purple.

The only silver bits are the 175mm White Industries ENO cranks and the 32 tooth ring on that, with the Ashima rotors, 160mm rear/185mm front. Obviously, those end caps on the front hub are also silver. Finally, the ACS Claws freewheel in 18T count is chrome plated silver. By the way, the chain is a purple number to somewhat match the frame.

Obvious to some out there as well is that this is not a stock Salsa scheme here. It was a 2007 Superior Blue El Mariachi to begin with. I ran it that color for quite awhile, but got this "Gun Koted" in "Plum Crazy" with the cream panel and red logo a few years ago. While I remembered to send the stem along for the re-coating, I forgot the fork, so I never had a matching fork for this afterward. 

So, how does it ride? Well, I literally took these images on the test ride as soon after I got the build done that I could. I suspect that it will be a nice, smooth steel ride, just as I remember it. The fork is the only question mark for me right now.

Thanks for checking out this ride. I'll probably be talking about here down the road at some point.

Changing Direction (Completed!)

Last week I wrote about my Salsa El Mariachi that I was reviving with a Salsa Cycles CroMoto Grande fork with the Maxle drop outs. I spent most of my free time Sunday getting it done, and here it is.

It's ready to roll....

All the key parts came together well. The wheel matched up with the fork perfectly. In fact, the tolerances are pretty close to the point that the fork and wheel seem as though they should be really solid feeling.

As you can see, the calipers are white and that means I opted for the Quad branded brakes in white. While they are odd, in that they aren't common, and they may not have all the bells and whistles, they do work well. They also have really easily bled lines and calipers, which is a bonus when you have to do that. The set up with the Ashima rotors works nicely.

The rims obviously dominate the look, and that is because there is a lot of rim there! Those are Velocity P-35's, and they are supporting those massive Ardent 2.4"ers which are set up tubeless. The rims really make the Ardent tread sit down on the trail, since the rims sort of flatten the crown out some. That makes them a really good choice for winter,sloppy, and rough courses. As I recall, I ran this combination way down into the teens for air pressure back a couple years ago.

The white rims are highlighted by the Bontrager saddle and Ergon grips here. The panel on the down tube is cream colored, but it works when the white stuff gets dirty! The panel also features red, which matches an Acros head set I happened to have and a Salsa LipLoc seat collar as well.

Close up of the Maxle

Another red bit is on the wheels, which is represented by the alloy nipples here. So, the highlighted colors work off the darker colors here including the fork, frame, hubs, stem, seat post, and handle bar.

The frame and stem are the same deep, plum-ish purple color. Sometimes in brighter sunlight the purple looks more "purple", but at times it looks like eggplant.

The hubs, (Velocity branded), Salsa 17° bend bar, Bontrager seat post, and the fork are black. They sometimes blend right into the frame, and then when the light is right, you see the purple.

The only silver bits are the 175mm White Industries ENO cranks and the 32 tooth ring on that, with the Ashima rotors, 160mm rear/185mm front. Obviously, those end caps on the front hub are also silver. Finally, the ACS Claws freewheel in 18T count is chrome plated silver. By the way, the chain is a purple number to somewhat match the frame.

Obvious to some out there as well is that this is not a stock Salsa scheme here. It was a 2007 Superior Blue El Mariachi to begin with. I ran it that color for quite awhile, but got this "Gun Koted" in "Plum Crazy" with the cream panel and red logo a few years ago. While I remembered to send the stem along for the re-coating, I forgot the fork, so I never had a matching fork for this afterward. 

So, how does it ride? Well, I literally took these images on the test ride as soon after I got the build done that I could. I suspect that it will be a nice, smooth steel ride, just as I remember it. The fork is the only question mark for me right now.

Thanks for checking out this ride. I'll probably be talking about here down the road at some point.

Friday News And Views

You'll see more of these....

Cedar Valley Fat Bikes:

My friend, Captain Bob, started a Facebook page called Cedar Valley Fat Bikes. You can go there to find out what all the fat biking freaks are doing around here. And let me tell ya....there are more and more of us all the time. 

I know a few guys that have recently gone over to "the fat side"  and more are contemplating it. I figure that if we actually get any snow this year, we'll have a nice little group to pack in some trail for riding in the area.

If you are interested, check out that Facebook page and get yerself a fat bike and come out and join in the fun. That's the main thing about these bikes- they are year round fun machines.   I ride mine all the time and they make great off road bicycles.

Not into Facebook? Okay- I'll try to keep you all up to date with the bigger things going on over on this blog. Stay tuned....

El Mariachi Update:

I should be getting the old El Mariachi back together this weekend. I did some stuff down in the Lab already and it should turn out to be a looker. I won't even have to buy any parts!

Well- that isn't entirely true! I am buying this fork with the Maxle through axle to make everything work, but there isn't another item I need.  And the best part is that it won't look like a parts bin build either. I even have some color co-ordination happening with this rig!

Right now it has a red seat collar, a red head set, white wheels, and possibly a white brake caliper brake set. I may opt for some blingier, lighter weight brakes, but they need some serious bleed work to make them right, and I am not very motivated to mess with that.

Plans are right as of now to make this my winter time, semi-fat biking, slop riding rig. It's going to have some tubeless 2.4" Ardents on there with P-35 rims, which makes those treads really wide!

T.I.V9 Registration Announcement:

Tomorrow is the big day for all you guys and gals wanting a shot, (or another shot, as the case may be), at finding out how to enter Trans Iowa V9.

There will be fine details concerning the way you will need to register based on whether you are a Finisher, Veteran, or Rookie for this edition of T.I. You will get all the instructions you need with all the pertinent time clauses spelled out. Don't mess it up! If you do, you won't be getting in this event!

It won't be shirtsleeve weather!

3GR:

Tomorrow the 3GR ride will happen again at 8:30am. If you are coming out, we will be meeting at Island Park this time to avoid the Oktoberfest goings on at the usual meet up spot.

Also- dress warmly! It is supposed to be pretty chilly, and with the wind it should feel down right cold! But what doesn't kill ya makes ya stronger, so don't be afeard!

I think we'll head up on the bike path through Black Hawk Park, then to Ford Road, hit Center Street to Gresham, and over towards the regular route then after that. Hope to see a few of you out there.

That's it for today! Have a great weekend, and ride those bicycles!

Friday News And Views

You'll see more of these....

Cedar Valley Fat Bikes:

My friend, Captain Bob, started a Facebook page called Cedar Valley Fat Bikes. You can go there to find out what all the fat biking freaks are doing around here. And let me tell ya....there are more and more of us all the time. 

I know a few guys that have recently gone over to "the fat side"  and more are contemplating it. I figure that if we actually get any snow this year, we'll have a nice little group to pack in some trail for riding in the area.

If you are interested, check out that Facebook page and get yerself a fat bike and come out and join in the fun. That's the main thing about these bikes- they are year round fun machines.   I ride mine all the time and they make great off road bicycles.

Not into Facebook? Okay- I'll try to keep you all up to date with the bigger things going on over on this blog. Stay tuned....

El Mariachi Update:

I should be getting the old El Mariachi back together this weekend. I did some stuff down in the Lab already and it should turn out to be a looker. I won't even have to buy any parts!

Well- that isn't entirely true! I am buying this fork with the Maxle through axle to make everything work, but there isn't another item I need.  And the best part is that it won't look like a parts bin build either. I even have some color co-ordination happening with this rig!

Right now it has a red seat collar, a red head set, white wheels, and possibly a white brake caliper brake set. I may opt for some blingier, lighter weight brakes, but they need some serious bleed work to make them right, and I am not very motivated to mess with that.

Plans are right as of now to make this my winter time, semi-fat biking, slop riding rig. It's going to have some tubeless 2.4" Ardents on there with P-35 rims, which makes those treads really wide!

T.I.V9 Registration Announcement:

Tomorrow is the big day for all you guys and gals wanting a shot, (or another shot, as the case may be), at finding out how to enter Trans Iowa V9.

There will be fine details concerning the way you will need to register based on whether you are a Finisher, Veteran, or Rookie for this edition of T.I. You will get all the instructions you need with all the pertinent time clauses spelled out. Don't mess it up! If you do, you won't be getting in this event!

It won't be shirtsleeve weather!

3GR:

Tomorrow the 3GR ride will happen again at 8:30am. If you are coming out, we will be meeting at Island Park this time to avoid the Oktoberfest goings on at the usual meet up spot.

Also- dress warmly! It is supposed to be pretty chilly, and with the wind it should feel down right cold! But what doesn't kill ya makes ya stronger, so don't be afeard!

I think we'll head up on the bike path through Black Hawk Park, then to Ford Road, hit Center Street to Gresham, and over towards the regular route then after that. Hope to see a few of you out there.

That's it for today! Have a great weekend, and ride those bicycles!

Thursday News And Views

<===Now this is something I could learn to like!

Raleigh marketing king pin, Brain Fornes, sent me these images of the XXIX Pro the other day. Holy cow! This bike is sweet. Reynolds 853, Fox QR15, and SRAM XX? Yeah......over the top spec, but what a great looking rig. I really dig the "Mexi-Skeleton Dude" on the down tube. What? You can't see him? Go here and take a look.

There are some XXIX pics there too.





<===Mmmmm Purrrrple!

I'll have to keep a look out for anybody parting out a 2010 Haro Mary SS rig. I know purple anodized stuff is "love it or hate it", and well.........I love it!

Not too sure about those panels, but I do like paneled paint schemes.

Just that this one is ahh..........yeeah.





<====Not this P-35

Velocity released news today about a new, wide rim offering that should be decently priced, fairly light weight, and reasonably strong for XC/light trail 29"er duty.







<====Not THIS P-35 either!

It will be released in 26 inch, 650B, and 29"er sizes. Velocity's colorful palette will be applied, but at first a limited amount of colors will be available including anti-freeze green!

Maybe I'll get some to match the cranks on my Blackbuck!







<===This P-35!!

The rim is 35mm wide, and should be out by Interbike time.

Velocity says it will support a tubeless set up, and was designed with this in mind from the get-go. They are said to be doing research into which system they will recommend to buyers when the rim finally becomes available.



Big Wheeled Ballyhoo News: I have gotten confirmation that a cool set of sweet retro Oakley shades will be given away to a lucky winner that RSVP's to the event before October 10th, 2009. I have been getting a steady trickle of names so far, so dump your name in the hopper by RSVP-ing me on the site. I also added some turn by turn directions to the site of the event on the Local Info page of the site, so you can check that out.

See ya later!

Thursday News And Views

<===Now this is something I could learn to like!

Raleigh marketing king pin, Brain Fornes, sent me these images of the XXIX Pro the other day. Holy cow! This bike is sweet. Reynolds 853, Fox QR15, and SRAM XX? Yeah......over the top spec, but what a great looking rig. I really dig the "Mexi-Skeleton Dude" on the down tube. What? You can't see him? Go here and take a look.

There are some XXIX pics there too.





<===Mmmmm Purrrrple!

I'll have to keep a look out for anybody parting out a 2010 Haro Mary SS rig. I know purple anodized stuff is "love it or hate it", and well.........I love it!

Not too sure about those panels, but I do like paneled paint schemes.

Just that this one is ahh..........yeeah.





<====Not this P-35

Velocity released news today about a new, wide rim offering that should be decently priced, fairly light weight, and reasonably strong for XC/light trail 29"er duty.







<====Not THIS P-35 either!

It will be released in 26 inch, 650B, and 29"er sizes. Velocity's colorful palette will be applied, but at first a limited amount of colors will be available including anti-freeze green!

Maybe I'll get some to match the cranks on my Blackbuck!







<===This P-35!!

The rim is 35mm wide, and should be out by Interbike time.

Velocity says it will support a tubeless set up, and was designed with this in mind from the get-go. They are said to be doing research into which system they will recommend to buyers when the rim finally becomes available.



Big Wheeled Ballyhoo News: I have gotten confirmation that a cool set of sweet retro Oakley shades will be given away to a lucky winner that RSVP's to the event before October 10th, 2009. I have been getting a steady trickle of names so far, so dump your name in the hopper by RSVP-ing me on the site. I also added some turn by turn directions to the site of the event on the Local Info page of the site, so you can check that out.

See ya later!