XLBird Review

The swap to the XL sized Peregrine Mk4 frame was covered earlier HERE and HERE. Then I posted a quick take on the build HERE. This post will cover everything I've learned since then and will suffice as the final update on the switch from the Large size frame to the XL sized one. 

My original reasoning for getting this bike was to satisfy my craving for a "classic" looking gravel bike which had up to date tire clearances. My previous choice, the Twin Six Standard Rando, is, at this time, not capable of having any tire much wider than a 43mm gravel tire in the back. I loved the look of the T-6, and it rode fine, but I wanted wider tires, so..... 

The size Large was, on paper, the right size for me, but in reality the bike felt cramped when I rode it, and I had a nagging feeling the frame wasn't quite "right" in reality. This led to - thanks to Matt Gersib and Sam Alison - to getting the size XL instead. 

Now with everything set up as I like it, I have to say this size feels a LOT better when I'm riding it. I feel more in between the wheels instead of on top of them. The Luxy Bars, ironically inspired by Sam Alison of Singular's input, is perfect for this bike. I'm so glad I had Luxy Bars in silver ano for this build. Riding in the drops is really good and the hoods are hand savers. They may look weird to a traditionalist, but when I am riding gravel these handle bars are so nice. I really wish someone could make these again. 

Which makes one wonder: Would the size Large have been okay with Luxy Bars? The bike would have been better, no doubt, but still not "right". Luxy Bars wouldn't have fixed the slight cramped feel the size Large had. 

I wanted this bike to become the one I'd pull out most often, and I think this will be the case going forward. Now, I have some other nice bikes as well, and I will be riding those also, but my hope is the Peregrine will become a bicycle which won't grow stale and be a steady, easy to ride bike now and in the future. I do think it handles very well. It feels smoother than the T-6 ever did and it is better than the size Large Peregrine was.  

So far it has been a very successful move. I do not feel any of the old niggles I had with the size Large and for this I am very grateful. Mk4's are gone now, but if you are interested in a Peregrine Mk5, I would highly recommend one, but do pay attention to the sizing chart. Be aware this is a classically inspired design, which means "not much exposed seat post" for you, in all likelihood. The new Peregrine is also a Maxway factory made frame and fork. In my opinion, the Maxway factory is a superior place to have frames and forks in steel made. So, that is a good thing. 

The "XLBird" Passes Testing

 I was text messaging with Ari Andonopoulos last week concerning a rear brake issue with my XL Singular Peregrine Mk4. The mount had gotten painted and it needed facing and we were discussing options to get that done without spending hundreds on a disc brake facing tool. During the conversation Ari referred to the bike as the "XLBird". 

That stuck with me. 

So going forward the XLBird name will be attached to this Peregrine Mk4. I don't make the rules folks. When someone gives you a nick-name, that's it. 

Oh....so about that brake, I ended up doing some very careful, tedious hand filing with a steel file I have and it solved the problem. No more rear brake drag. That and a loose headset were the only two gremlins I had to battle after the initial build of the bike. I did my traditional grave yard test and then a wider ranged neighborhood test ride before these adjustments. 

 Once the initial short range test rides were done, and the rear brake was figured out, I decided I could range out a bit further afield and I did an hour long ride out to the Harold Getty Lake paths. I took alleys back home too. The bike was excellent. No mechanical issues at all. 

 The post previous to this concerning this bike had a comment saying that this bike looked long. It is definitely longer than the size Large Peregrine. You can feel it when you are riding as well. The frame and fork feel like a giant spring at times. The Large Peregrine was much stiffer in this regard. 

Handling was very stable, I thought. Right after a fast downhill I hit some rutted up dirt. The bike pitched sideways but due to the stability of the front end I was easily able to catch the bike, keep it going straight, and out of the rut. Steering around tighter corners was good. Not that this bike will see a lot of single track, but it is nice to understand the bike will carve a corner if I need to do this. 

No rattles, no misshifts, brakes worked, and everything felt good. Now I may have to dig up a silver post and maybe a saddle. Then this bike is good to go. I'm very happy with the outcome of the switch to the XL frame. 

Singular Switch-Up: Part 2

Well......That Didn't Take Long!

After I determined the frame would fit and my stem choice was good, I then decided to make a switch to the old, long discontinued Luxy Bar. Ironically, the Luxy Bar is the key to making this whole swap successful (so far). I also went geared. 

A little backing up with this story is in order here, I think, to give context to why the Luxy Bar is the key to the build. So, this entire group, the GRX Limited Edition silver group, was originally on the Twin Six Standard Rando. 

The GRX Limited Silver group on the Standard Rando in September of 2025

 The switch over to the Peregrine Mk4 included a switch to silver Cowchipper alloy handle bars. The slight differences in geometry between the Cowchipper and whatever bar I had on the Standard Rando was in reach and stack. The Cowchipper being ever so slightly longer/taller. This in turn made the rear brake hose appear to be too short. The Peregrine also had a short cockpit area, and it just didn't feel quite 'right'. 

Singular Peregrine Mk4 size Large. 

 Now the Luxy Bar has a entirely unique layout. Of all the flared drop bars, it is a unicorn in that it has a severe flare and swept extensions. The only other flared drop bar that ever came close was the Salsa Cycles Woodchipper and in reality, the Woodchipper is not even in the same zip code as the Luxy Bar. 

One thing about the Luxy Bar which is unique which doesn't strike you upon first seeing it is how narrow the bar sets the hoods apart from each other. The difference between the Luxy Bar and, say the Cowchipper, is tremendous.  This closer positioning of the hoods, and the canted position of the levers, makes the cable runs shorter than if you use a conventional flared drop bar. 

So, my too short rear brake cable? It is perfect with the Luxy Bar, and on an XL frame with a longer top tube. Additionally I am running a longer stem than before as well. But that's not all. The stack height on the XL is taller also, which should make the rear brake hose too short, but nope! 

Sat on the bike the XL now shows me the classic "bars hide the front axle" thing, which I know, bike fitters and younger folk think is dumb. The 1.25" of spacers I removed also helps things look cleaner and more classic, in my opinion. I should mention the new frame did come with a new fork, but I retained the old one because it was cut to length and already had a star nut installed.  

Singular Peregrine Mk4 XL

So, you can compare and contrast the two set ups here. They are radically different. You can see on the Large I biased everything rearward as far as how I was sat on the bike. The XL allowed me to push everything forward a bit more. 

You can also see how radically different a Luxy Bar is compared to a Cowchipper. Very different. Big different. The levers lay over a LOT with Luxy Bars and some folks don't like that for various reasons. I happen to like it a lot and I find it to work well ergonomically. Pushing more downward with your hands (to shift) is more natural than pushing inward laterally compared to your body. Try it by sticking your arm out and when you push inward you'll feel more tension in your forearms. 

As I stated earlier, the seat post and saddle are placeholders for the time being. However; I used to love SST's, so maybe it stays. I have test rides to do so we shall see about this. I may swap back to the GRX wheels and 50mm tires as well. But the Irwins are fast wheels and the Conti tires are very smooth. I have options, so that is nice. 

So, now all that is left is to ride. I will see if this is a smart move or not, but so far I have been happier with this XL frame. Stay tuned.....
 

Singular Switch-Up: Part 1

Okay, now that BRAN is in the rear view I can get back to more varied topics here. The first order of business is to catch up on a project which hit the porch just before BRAN happened. 

I posted about this early in the month HERE, so I am not going to go over the "how" this is happening again now. Go hit the link if you want to refresh your memory or find out how this switcheroo came about. 

The sizing of bicycles in stock runs sometimes leaves one as a "tweener". I've experienced this before. Salsa Cycles in the 2000's was a prime example of my "tweener" status as I could ride their Medium or Large El Mariachi bike. Fisher was another brand where a 19.5" or a 21" could work for me. 

Singular seems to be my next "tweener brand" as the size Large Peregrine Mk4 was a tiny bit too small. I never would have ordered a Size XL, but here I am. The modern bike buying experience seems to be shooting in the dark, to a degree, when trying on a bike for size, and sometimes you miss slightly. That's just the way it is for many of us these days. 

The new XL Peregrine also offers me a chance to switch up my set up. I've been contemplating a few changes and one is to go single speed. I know.....I have single speed gravel bikes. It's just that I like single speeds. What can I say? 

But first, I needed to mock up where this bike was going to set me. Literally, as in how I would sit on it. To get there, I needed to swap over the fork from the old one and the head set, of course. This meant I got to use the Park Tools cutting and facing tools I have. This does not happen often anymore!

Once I had the head set in, the fork installed, and a stem and bars installed, I needed to find a placeholder seat post and stem. Digging around, I found this short, carbon fiber two-bolt seat post which for the life of me I could not remember where it came from. Anyway, that was set up with an ancient WTB SST leather saddle, None of this will likely be final choices, but these will help me gauge where I am at with fit on an XL.

Using my Irwin carbon wheels which are set up with 700 X 45mm Continental tires, I found the top tube is going to be a wee bit cozy in terms of stand over. 

But the rest of it looks far better. It is a similar set up to the old Twin Six Standard Rando. Longer top tube by a little, but the stack height is better. I got rid of an inch and a quarter's worth of spacers by going with the larger frame. 

So, now I have to get the old frame stripped down and sent back to Singular. Then I can contemplate how this one will be built. I already have made a switch to a silver Luxy Bar. 

Stay tuned.... 

Two Things

Wait.....what's this now?

 Peregrine Part Deux:

Last year I picked up a Singular Peregrine Mk4 frame and fork. I based my selection of a size Large on the data shown on Singular's site. However; once I had it built up and I had ridden it some, I was caught second guessing that decision. 

The bike seemed a bit compact in length to me, but again, the sizing charts were correct and matched the frame. It wasn't a total disaster, by any stretch, but I knew it was going to require a lot of fiddling around to dial it in better. At the time, (last Fall 2025), I wasn't motivated to tackle that just yet. I was, and still am, dealing with a lot in my life elsewhere. 

However; early this Spring I had mentioned while texting with Matt Gersib that I wasn't 100% settled into that bike yet and I mentioned what I had in mind to tweak it. Matt had another idea. 

One thing led to another and well, an exchange was arranged with Singular Cycles for a size XL Peregrine Mk4. The terms were very generous on the part of Singular and I was happy to pursue this possibility. Now the frame and fork are here and just before I leave for a big trip! 

So..... I'll have to put this off until my return from BRAN. That will be tough to do, but I have a lot of details to pull together before I leave and tinkering with swapping parts off one frame to another will have to wait. Meanwhile, at least I won't have any questions about what I will be doing once I return. Look for a full report when I get back and started in on this project.  

Once again, image courtesy of Mike Riemer

A Little Follow-up On That 32" Fargo At Unbound:

While the Scott 32"ers grabbed most of the oxygen in the post Unbound room, those weren't the only successful rides put in on 32" wheels. I mentioned it in my thoughts on the recent happenings at Unbound here, but there were some thoughts shared in the comments on that article I thought deserved more eyeballs. 

First though, let's give Joe Meiser, the rider of the Fargo 32"er, some props. Those were some horrendous conditions, and Joe came through quite well, by all accounts. Additionally he hasn't been actively racing much of late, so his come-back, if we can call it that, is even more remarkable. 200 miles in the Flint Hills is no joke on a decent weather year. This was anything but a decent weather year, so hats off to Joe! 

Now, Mike Riemer, image taker of Joe finishing the 200 here, jumped in the comments and had the following to say:

"Joe’s Fargo 32 stayed incredibly free of mud. At each support stop we sprayed 2 or 3 bottles of water onto his drivetrain and brake calipers. At those stops I pulled a small amount of mud from the top of his bb (bottom bracket) shell. That was the only place it collected. Joe finished in 12:43 and was incredibly steady throughout. He averaged 16.26 mph, which is what he’d planned on doing. Checkpoint 3 was the only time we saw him feeling the affects of the day, as he began using one word answers and one word requests. Pretty great performance IMO and all based on a training plan of just 10 hours riding per week."

So, do 32" wheels shed mud better than smaller wheels? Reports on the Scott bikes also made mention of this. Although I think it is fair to say that some witnesses to the event, and some riders, were saying this mud was wetter and less sticky than some years of this races past where the mud was like Velcro. I can say this may be true, as I witnessed and rode through very sticky mud in 2015 where the event saw no rain on race day, but had been rained on for days prior to the event. Overcast and foggy conditions that year ensured there would be no drying out of the roads from Sun or wind. 

It is an interesting observation, all the more so after seeing many 700c bikes from this year's event packed up with sticky mud. Something to think about if you are considering a 32"er. 

Bikes Of 2025: Singular Cycles Peregrine Mk4

 It's another end-of-year period on the blog. You know what that means? Yep! Another round of my bikes I used in 2025. This round-up will not include some of the bikes I did not use this year much, or at all. I focus only on the bikes that played a big role in my riding during this year.  As always, any changes or future plans for any bike I feature will also be detailed. I hope that you enjoy this year's round-up.

 Singular Cycles Peregrine Mk4:

The newest bicycle in the fleet is the Singular Cycles Peregrine Mk4. This bike didn't arrive here until September, so it hasn't had much of a chance of getting ridden. However; I did get out on a few longer rides on the bike. It will definitely feature heavily as a bike I choose to ride in 2026. 

I wanted something like the Peregrine because it can take up to 50mm tires with clearance to spare. I like the classically inspired look. It has lugged construction, which I like. It also has a more traditionally formed and constructed fork, which I also admire, but all of those things are not without critical modern touches. 

Through axles, fork accessory mounts, and disc brakes all help make the Peregrine 'up to date'  The paneled head tube and seat tube lend classic style as well. Plus, you get the Singular signature feature, an eccentric bottom bracket. Essential for a clean single speed look. 

Veteran's Day Ride. Image by N.Y. Roll

I got out on a multi-surface ride with N.Y. Roll in early November on the Peregrine. This was a good test of where I was at with the evolution of the set up. throughout the ride I never was frustrated by any aspect of the bike. 

The ride of the Peregrine is stiffer than you might hope for. I still believe it is a good riding bike, and it handles with complete neutrality. Not too much of anything, really, or not enough of anything.  But I feel like I can make a smoother ride experience with better tires. 

I know MG and some others would say I should put on Rene Herse tires, but my head won't let me do it. This is a lost cause for consideration by myself. My loss, I guess. (But honestly, I'd be too anxious to use those tires after hearing all the horror stories I've heard, so that's my opinion.) 

I'll find something. I'm not worried about it, and the Cazadero tires are just fine for now. I've got a set of Pirelli tires I'm going to give a try out next. 

So, other than flipping wheel sets and tires like I always do, I do not see any changes to the Peregrine now. However; things rarely stay the same with my bicycles and me, so you know how this will likely turn out.  

Tweaking The Peregrine

The C.O.G. 40 is in the rear view mirror now so I can move back to riding the Peregrine again for a while. There was something really not 'sitting' right with me about the build, and I decided I now would experiment with a change. 

I guess these new snub-nosed saddles are all the rage, but everyone I've tried (with one exception) hasn't hit me quite right 100%. There is always some niggling thing about each one of these which has made me go back to the tried and true saddles I've used in the past. Saddles which I know I can squeeze out multiple hour ride on. 

I pulled out my bin of saddles and started going through them. (This prompted me to donate a bunch of them to the Cedar Valley Bicycle Collective, by the way) I found one I knew would be a saddle with a very high chance of being exactly what I want. It was the WTB Silverado. 

I took off the WTB snub-nosed saddle and swapped to the Silverado, took it for a ride, and immediately felt a huge difference. It was like coming home. Yep! I should have just went with this one right away. I even think it looks better than the snub-nosed saddles I've had. 

On other bits of this bike, I have not yet decided if I can live without a ShockStop stem on this bike. It's going to probably be decided by tires. Right now these Schwalbes are not quite damping enough for my tastes. They feel a bit stiff, and I think it is due to the puncture protection belt. So, more tire experimentation will be necessary. 

I hope to squeeze in several more gravel rides before the snow flies. Stay tuned....

Singular Cycles Peregrine Mk4: I'm Done! (For Now)

Can you spot the changes?

 September has been a difficult month for several reasons, but from a riding perspective, it was a bummer month on top of it all. Then on September 12th I received the Peregrine Mk4 frame set. This was a bright spot, and I've had fun so far with the build and with what little riding I could squeeze in during the past couple of weeks. 

The thing was, the arrival of the Peregrine Mk4 coincided with the start of our complete bathroom remodel. As in, tear down to the lathe boards and build back out remodel. 

I had to be available throughout to provide access to the house, get odds and ends during the process, and to consult when problems arose. This meant I could only get away for short neighborhood cruises, for the most part, during this time. And if all this wasn't enough, Mrs. Guitar Ted had a knee procedure to clean up some tears in ligaments and to remove some "foreign bodies" in her left knee. So, I also had to be available for her when she needed me as she recuperated. (She's doing fantastic and is back to work now, by the way.)  

Meanwhile through sharing images of the Peregrine, my friend Ari Andonopoulos decided I needed silver anodized spacers and a handle bar in silver, so I received a few bits to spiff up the bike and make it look great. (Thanks Ari!!) 

So, at this point I think I have everything dialed in for the time being. I doubt any other major changes are in store for the short term. Following are a listing of tweaks and changes made with explanations for each. 

Salsa Cycles Cowchipper Bar, 46cm: I really have gotten on with the Cowchipper over the years and it is probably one of three handle bars I would choose as my best ever flared drop bars. (Ritchey Designs Venturemax, Cowchipper, Luxy Bar) 

Width is appreciated by me, but the recent fad of running really wide flared drops is kind of lost on me. 46cm is plenty of width for this fella! 

I also took the opportunity to rotate everything down and forward from my initial set up. Much better for all hand positions now! The previous set up rendered reaching the levers a bit awkward. Now everything is great in this regard. 

Additionally, but unintended when I chose the Cowchipper, it is the only handlebar, besides maybe the Luxy Bar, which I can ride when I injure my shoulders, as I have recently with my right shoulder. Not sure how I did it, but it was after hauling scrap out of the basement at the Collective and often times I have to hold weight out in front of me while climbing old, narrow stairs. So, I would guess it was when I tweaked something. At any rate..... The Cowchipper helps me keep riding. That's the story there. 

Ti Regulator Post, WTB Solano Saddle: 

I know I mentioned this in my last update on the Peregrine, but here is a bit more detail on this and how it rides. 

First of all, to reiterate, I needed to not have to buy, install, and bleed a new rear brake cable because, I didn't want to do that. Period. No other reason for this decision other than I really despise having to fuss with hydraulic brakes. If Shimano made this group with cable actuated brakes I would be a much happier camper. They don't do this, so here we are. 

So, keeping everything the same from the standpoint of how it was lengthwise off the Standard Rando, I necessarily had to use a stubby stem to use the system as it was. Therefore, to regain my reach, I needed to go with an offset seat post and a saddle which would accommodate some serious setback as well. So, you see the Ti Regulator and WTB Solano saddle has fit my needs perfectly. 

Seated on the bike, this puts my weight a bit off the front wheel and to be honest, it has helped with the shoulder issue so far as a side benefit.  But perhaps less obvious and more importantly, this levers the little bit of seat post extension and causes a bit of flex which translates to more comfort in the rougher road ways and on what little gravel I've been able to tackle so far. 

This seated position also mimics closely what I have on my Honeman Flyer, and I do like this from a seated climbing and just general riding standpoint. Maybe it looks goofy and maybe it won't work for many of you, but I am really pretty happy with it so far. 

I will say if I have to switch rear brake hose out, I will likely put on an 80mm stem and slide the saddle back forward to check out what the bike rides like with a more 'normal' set up, but it is not like I am secretly disappointed now. The opposite is true, actually.  

Just A Word On The G-One Overland Tires:

I will also mention these tires as I am reviewing them now. I want to wait until I can get in some real, decently long gravel rides in before I give a full update. With all which has been going on here, it was difficult, as I mentioned, to complete any real testing.

Now with the remodel finished, Mrs.. Guitar Ted back in swing, and my shoulder getting better, this will hopefully be a time for those rides to start happening again.  

Anyway, the Schwalbes! These are fast, fast tires. A fellow on Facebook, John Karrasch, has been doing some more intense, science based studies on various tires and his findings on the G-One tires seem to corroborate what I am feeling. In my testing, both paved and gravel/dirt, the G-One Overland is quite impressive. I wouldn't say it feels great to ride, but again, a tire which had as stiff a sidewall as these did new probably will break in after a 100 or so miles. We'll see about that! 

Overall:

The Peregrine is a great bike for me. It really seems to do all the things I'll want, and it looks great doing it too! The one time I was able to get out in the country on this bike was before I made some of my most recent changes, but even then I could see the potential and I was happy. Now I just need to get into more long gravel rides. Once this has happened I'll be back with another Peregrine update and - of course - Country Views and Brown Season reports to go along with those rides. 

Stay tuned....

Review: Singular Peregrine Mk4 - Ride Impressions

 NOTE: Guitar Ted paid for the Peregrine Mk4 out of pocket. Singular Cycles is not paying for, nor has any knowledge of this review, (that is - until Sam reads this post!) All thoughts and opinions are Guitar Ted's.

 First of all, thank you for reading the build series for this bike. If you missed it, the previous three posts to this one should catch you up on things regarding this bicycle. Another thing to note here is the Schwalbe G-One Overland tires will be going on soon and these WTB tires are not the final look for this bicycle. Okay, with this out of the way, I wanted to give you all my first ride impressions from the two test rides I have put in on this bicycle so far.

The first ride was a neighborhood test ride to make sure everything was put together correctly and functioning as it should. I did run into one issue with the bike on this ride which I wanted to speak to here. It has to do with the seat post binder bolt. 

Typically, the non-driveside part of the binder is keyed and the key mates into a slot in the frame so this part of the binder bolt cannot rotate. You adjust the binder from the driveside. However, the binder bolt which was shipped with the frame is not keyed, so I must use two 5mm wrenches to adjust the post height and secure it. No big deal. However; on my first ride the post was slipping, because I didn't get it tight enough, and I did not have two 5mm hex keys along with me. Just a bit annoying is all. 

 I did not glean enough from what the rest of the bicycle was doing on the first ride because I was so annoyed by the slipping seat post. (It was noted about halfway through the test loop) So, I really couldn't tell you much about this bike from this first ride.

The second ride went far better and I brought two hex keys with me on this particular ride. However; I had that post locked down and I ended up not needing the two hex keys, but isn't this the way things go?  

 This time I was able to concentrate on what this bicycle was doing differently than the Twin Six. It was apparent right away that the Peregrine felt springier, less harsh, and definitely a bit more forgiving without being flexy and unpredictable.

I hit some dried out tractor tread tracks. Kind of like a dirt version of rumble strips, and the bike floated over these with just a touch of feedback to my hands. The T-6 would have communicated this to me as a very buzzy, rough patch, but the stiff carbon fork on the T-6 is mostly to blame there. I needed  a Redshift Sports ShockStop stem on the T-6 to help with this issue. On the Peregrine Mk4? I don't find it to be necessary yet.

Overall the bicycle reminded me of an old mountain bike in that it was doing things in compressions and over chatter which I found familiar from my experiences with those old, steel frames and forks. The fact of having the bars behind the front axle makes this even more pronounced, I think. It was slightly better than those old bicycles though, and I think this is due to materials use and through axles. 

I did find I had to really weight the handle bar on the inside of a corner to keep the front tire biting, but during gravel riding, this should not be a big deal. Speaking of.....

This will be the next test. A longer gravel ride. Stay tuned.... 

Singular Peregrine Mk4 Build: Part Three

 The next and final steps of this build were taken on Sunday. I had to cut the steer tube down first which is something I don't get too freaked out about anymore. 

I knew I wanted 50mm of spacers under the stem and maybe 20mm above it, just to be able to go higher at some point if needed. 

That part went well and I was able to get the cables sorted around the fork in a manner which made the most sense. Then I locked the cables down under the metal cable guides and moved on to the front brake. 

Now, since I had to disconnect the hose at the lever to thread the cable through the Twin Six's ported fork, I was worried about having to bleed the brake. However, if you are careful, one can move the hose out of the lever and reconnect it again, (with a new barb and compression fitting), and get away with not bleeding the brake.

While I was building up the rest of the bike I had the hose vertical with the caliper at the bottom hanging by a clip out of the way. This kept mineral oil from coming out, but I also pushed a toothpick in the end of the hose just to make sure. 

 I have a Shimano bleed kit, just in case, but I did not know if I had the barb and compression fitting. Turns out I did have a brand new set of those components, so this was good and I did not have to order those. 

So, I pushed in the barb, put the compression nut and the brass compression fitting  on the hose. Then I inserted the hose into the lever, threaded in the compression nut, and tightened it down. Now......would it work?

 Well, it felt pretty good, so I went with it. But a test ride would have to determine if I was good to go with that. If so, it would be the third time I've gotten away with not bleeding a front Shimano brake after removing the hose and either shortening or rerouting the hose. 

 

Next up was to tune the derailleurs. The front cable routing through these newer Shimano front derailleurs is wonky. Once I had twiddled the cable through the plastic cap thingie I was going forward. Now I had to reset the stops since I cheated the eccentric out on the right just a hair to gain a little clearance for the fatter tires I want to use. GRX is already 2.5mm outboard from a road chain line. I think I'm at about 3mm now. 

One odd thing about the GRX front derailleur is that if you turn the grub screw for the high limit clockwise it pushes the cage outward. Those crazy Shimano guys! 

 The rear derailleur needed a tweak as well on the limit screw on the high side and low side. Weird, but every bike is slightly different. I also had to adjust cable tension a bit as well. Then the gears clicked off just as one would expect. 

I re-wrapped the left side of the lever since I had to unwrap it to get at the brake hose fitting. I may have to put on new tape, but this will do for now. Then after this I was on the home run stretch. I just had a few details to cover and the bike would be finished. And now........

 There ya go! The finished bicycle. I did a short neighborhood test ride and I did not die and things did not fail, so now I think the next step will be a gravel ride out in the country. Stay tuned for a ride report. Thanks for following along with this build. 

Singular Peregrine Mk4 Build: Part Two

As the build progressed beyond the eccentric bottom bracket issue, I was able to get the crank set installed and the bicycle started to look more finished. 

The Shimano bottom bracket felt smooth and spun nicely with the crank installed. Then I was able to set up the front derailleur at the proper height on the seat tube. Fortunately the Standard Rando and the Peregrine use the same seat tube outside diameter, so the shims which were already in place worked perfectly with the Peregrine. 

I started locking down the cables into their appropriate places. A couple of things of note here. First, I always work rear to front when re-cabling a mechanical drive train which uses full run housings. This allows you to have to use less guesswork on what to leave for length at the back, and when you get up to the shifters you can more easily figure out exact length for your housings with no fear of having to pull some rearward because you did not estimate your rear lengths correctly.

Secondly, the use of removable cable stops allows for the least amount of zip ties possible. I think I used four on the Peregrine's frame and two on the fork. The fewer zip ties the better, in my opinion. It would be neat if someone could make an easy to use metal cable retention system for the stays of a frame, on the order of removable stops like the Peregrine uses on the down tube. 

Arguably the centerpiece of the GRX Limited drive train. Just beautiful!

Did you note the release of the SRAM silver 1987 group? Well, Shimano beat them to the punch using silver anodization by a few years when they introduced GRX Limited. 

Silver ano was the only  choice for drive train bits for decades until the MTB bike revolutionized things with black anodization bits for drive trains. Black then took over everything, which I was dismayed by, if I am honest. So, this silver stuff is welcomed here, and you can see how it contrasts with the British Racing Green frame nicely.  

 The rear derailleur then went on and then the chain. I reused the chain as it was still in good shape and it is mated to the cassette to some degree as well.  Notable was the fact that I had to use a new quick link for the Shimano chain. As a mechanic, I like to test recommendations knowing full well what the outcome may be. I am willing to risk the consequences for my decisions. I thought I'd try to reuse the old quick link, but I never even had the chance to install it because the pin came out on one half of the link and fell to the ground just as I was about to reinstall it.

Maybe that's why you shouldn't reuse those, eh? 

I put both wheels in the frame, mocked up a stack-o-spacers on the steer tube, and fixed the handle bar in place to get a bead on fit. A few measurements, and then I sat on the Peregrine for the first time.

Nailed the saddle height, but this is to be expected. The reach? Hmm..... Different, but still well within my comfort zone. Interestingly the front wheel looks "way out there" compared to my other bicycles. This is probably due to the stubby stem and set back seat post I am using. (A Ritchey Classic, by the way) 

Comparing handle bar height, the Peregrine seems to be well within the range of some other of my bicycles. It is pretty much identical in this manner to my Noble GX5. 

As you can see, there is tons of tire clearance using the WTB Raddler 700 x 44mm tires which were on the T-6 as well before this. You may remember my image of the bare minimum clearance on the Standard Rando using this wheel/tire combination. 

Okay, with the fit looking good, and the mechanical bits coming into place, it is time to finish this build off. I needed to get to the cutting of the steer tube, running the cables to their final destinations, and installing and bleeding the front brake. 

Stay tuned....