the clown was in

[kanerdog1x1]

hey all, my frame arrived today. i wont build it up just yet as i am waiting for a few vital parts. as soon as the forks and rims arrive i can get it provisionally built up.

so far i have:-
frame
cranks
x12 kit
front mech
cables+hoses
bars

for the time being i will borrow some parts from my cotic just to get this bike rolling.

this evening i spent a couple of hours designing and mocking up some patterns for the vinyl kit. you see i am not a fan of the plain black colour scheme, so i will try to inject some colour to the bike.

so far:-



sorry about the iphone quality image, i will try and get a better snap tomrrow.....

[robgclarkson]

awesome stuff thus far, really like the decals too

[kanerdog1x1]

so, some better images. i have had a chance to have a proper look at the frame now and there are some impressive details. i like the riveted headbadge, but i especially like the tiny screws holding the cable guides on. i doubt they offer enough strength themselves, they are probably only there to hold them stable whilst the epoxy is setting. nice tho.









more soon.

[kanerdog1x1]

the patterns have been dropped off with the sticker man, so i should get them back early next week.

having taken the chain guide mount off of the frame, i decided i could neaten up the area somewhat. rather than use a supplied plastic spacer for the bottom bracket i made a spacer that will blend in with the lines of the bottom bracket.



it is raw aluminium atm, i will send it off to be anodised black tomorrow.

[hobie66c]

Where did you get the name tapes at?

Can't wait to see it up and running.

[kanerdog1x1]

Hey, I just made them up in paint and printed them on plain paper. They are only to serve as a pattern. When they are made proper they will be part of the graphic.

We ride year round, in fairly nutsty conditions so this should help saved the paint work. It's usual for me to re powder-coat a frame after two seasons, but this frame having a carbon back end means I have to take great care of the original paint.

[kanerdog1x1]

Picked up the vinyl today, very happy.



I will fit them a bit later on.

[kanerdog1x1]

so, fitted.





very pleased with the results. as soon as i get mountain mayhem out of the way, and some other business next week i will concentrate on building this.

[mal]

Nice. Mine is no longer quite so shiny after Mayhem...

[kanerdog1x1]

Tis the problem with black frames. I had(still have) a cove stiffee(tightee) years ago, rode it almost every day for years, thousands of miles, and it no longer looks new but I was very careful with it. I think I am going to have to be extra careful with this one.

In other news, the forks should be here later this week, as well as the hope stuff.

[kanerdog1x1]

ooh, stuff has arrived. not enough to get the bike together as i am missing the bottom headset cup and the spokes.





forks are really nice. i used to use fox, then they got really expensive, and rockshox seemed to be just as good(maybe better) for alot less money. but a friend convinced me to try the fox again, and the shop helped alot on the price.

i can at least strip and rebuild the brakes this evening, ditch the rude green parts and replace them with blue.

so tantalisingly close.

[kanerdog1x1]

goodbye green, hello blue.



and, pimp my hose.

[kanerdog1x1]

so, a while since i posted. i have been a little unwell, and have had most of the parts to build for a couple of weeks now. i put the thing together two nights ago, but couldnt test/setup properly as the cassette i had was skipping with a new chain. so this lunchtime i stole the one from my merlin, and i am able to ride now. the gears are taken from my other bikes, i will upgrade to ten speed in the next few weeks. i am holding out for a xt clutch mech. i have fitted a couple to mates bikes and they are impressive to say the least but are only available in silver when i checked.

the bike is setup with a 70mm stem atm, and i have a 50 to try too. when i know the size i will commit to a thomson one.



the forks feel good at 110mm, and still feel ok geometry wise at 140mm. i suspect i will run them at 140 most of the time. because they havent bed in yet they still feel a bit lazy.

the frame is very stiff, especially around the bb. i have been using mostly steel and ti frames for the last few years and the stiffness was a surprise.

the only negative is the crankset, they seem very flexible, i can see the arms twisting as i put weight on them. its not something that is intrusive when pedalling, but they certainly arent as stiff as i would expect.

[kanerdog1x1]

update. ridden off road now, very stable, very fast, like riding a locomotive. felt big when i was first riding, but now feels normal. i rode with a friend who is a bit taller than me who usually rides a large, so we swapped bikes for a few sections and the biggest thing i noticed was how small his big feels now. so glad i took the plunge and upgraded to 29..

i have swapped out the bars from the renthals which were 740mm, to some bontrager carbon bars that originally were oe fitted to a dh bike. they are 750mm, but importantly have slightly more back sweep than the renthals so they are supremely comfortable.

happy.

[kanerdog1x1]

so, little update. i have tweaked the bars to perfection, had a punture, worn out the chain and cassette, tried three different saddles, and finally broke something this evening......

this evening saw the first of the seasons night rides, we set off at 7, and about a half hour into the ride at the top of the first summit there is a massive bang, and freewheel sticks. at the top of the climb, only yards away we discuss our options:

1- roll back down the hill, chainless. boring.

2- carry on, as although the freewheel is sticking i can put power down. could be a very tiring but very rewarding comedy ride.

3- try a trailside fix. the worst thing that can happen is we cant fix it and roll back down chainless.

option three seemed the most appropriate so out came the back wheel for inspection. this is what turned up.



see all those gold bits in my mates hand? they belong to the freehub body on the right. oh dear. luckily(!), one of the four pawls and springs was intact, so we reassembled the wheel and limped on, we didnt do the whole ride, but did the good downhill parts that we had earned and made our way back to the car on the road. there was some interesting noises coming from the back wheel at times, but it made it all of the way back. lucky really.

i am hoping that hope will help with a warranty claim and i hope they still do a steel freehub body as an upgrade like they used to on the xc hubs.