Monday, June 21, 2010

Races

I've been having fun on my Raleigh these days. Here are some pics from a couple of ICUP races this year.
I'm impressed with how well the Raleigh's been doing. I built the rear wheel myself, and it was beginnging to get badly out of true after some sloppy curb jumps. I gave it some TLC and now it's riding like a champ. The shifting is terrific, too, with one exception; my 2-1 shift on the front chainring takes a while under torque. I'm still trying to figure that one out. It wasn't bad enough to set me back much at Deer Valley, but it was frustrating.
I think I'm going to tune up the front suspension; not that it needs it (I don't ride it enough), but I want to know how so I can learn to 'listen' to my suspension. I think I'm also going to repack my hubs for good measure soon, too.
Cholla Challenge
Deer Valley

Saturday, January 16, 2010

1989 Specialized Hardrock - Sold!

Background

When my Schwinn got stolen, I found myself in need of a commuter bike. I cleaned this bike up, tuned it up and it rode beautifully. The headset at first turned a little rough. The culprit? Twenty-year-old grease.

I enjoyed riding the stiff suspension with the steel frame. I felt connected to the road, but seams in the pavement didn't rattle my brain.

2005 Raleigh M80

Specs

The Bicycle Outfitter has a nice image here.
Medium frame (18")
Fork: Manitou Six, 80mm
Hayes Mechanical disc brakes, Deore levers
Front Derailleurs: Deore
Rear Derailleurs: Deore LX
Chainrings: TruVativ Blaze, 22/32/44 teeth
Hubs: Shimano M475
Rims: Alex DM-21 (Alex TD-17 Rear)
Tires: 26 x 2.10" WTB Motoraptor
(Thanks to bikepedia.com for the quick specs.)

Background

My toy these days is my Raleigh. Good frame, good enough components. I love riding across campus in this thing, especially when the sprinklers have just been on and I flick up just a few droplets of mud on my shirt and glasses, just to let my co-workers know I like to have a good time.
I rebuilt the rear wheel myself, after ruining the stock rim. That's my first wheel job, and it's not perfectly true, but the disc brakes mean it doesn't give me trouble, and I have it tensioned tighter than the stock rim was. Feels good to have a sturdy wheel on the back.
It's worth about $650 new, but I might be willing to let it go for about $375.

1994 Schwinn High Sierra SS - Stolen!

My dad gave me this bike for Christmas years back. It used to take me to my friend's and back, but since undergraduate days it's been my commuter. I took this bike on the Bonneville Shoreline trail Ogden section several times, the ULCER epic century once, and a fifty-miler or two. It's also been my commuter.
I'm guessing that this bike and I did about 8000 miles together, including a few winters commuting.
She was too big for me, and she was wearing out all over, but I'm still sad I won't be seeing her again.
Update 6/30/2010 - The police found the bike, and I got 'er back. Sadly, it's beat up and unrideable. Now I'll just be salvaging parts. It's been good ridin', though!