New Build - Surly Pacer - More Stuff, and the Parts I Forgot to Order!

I made some more progress late Wednesday bolting things to the Surly.

Braze on front derailleurs are a thing that I've heard of. I don't think SRAM is making any front derailleurs that have a clamp size of my Surly (28.6, or something like that), so I ordered an adapter. It mounts up nice and cleanly enough.

The crank looks nice all mounted and stuff too!

Which reminds me, let's make a list of the stuff I forgot to buy.

Bottom Bracket Tool
Top Cap for the Headset - This is kind of necessary. To keep the fork from coming off while I am riding. Which would kill me.
Bar Tape
Seat - Saddle, whatever you want to call it, I'd call it important. Bought one from Neuvation today. I didn't necessarily forget to buy a seat, but I couldn't decide on one until today. Given the price and quality of the wheel I got from them, I'm sure the saddle will be up to snuff, and I see myself buying a bunch of stuff from them in the future.

Yeah, so I bought that stuff on the eBays and internets last night and today. If it all comes together, I might be able to finish the bike by next weekend, which would be cool.

Anyway, back to the build.

Pro tip, here's how you keep your frame from getting scratched in your work stand.

I know this, by moving it in the stand without it, and scuffing my paint. Damn. It isn't bad, probably buff out.

Second pro tip, if you don't have a stem and bars mounted, the fork can swing around and cause your newly-installed brakes to slam into your frame, chipping the paint or denting it. I saw this one coming, so I'm sure I'll have another mistake make it's way into my garage at an unspecified later date. Anyway, I put a few pieces of gaffer tape (thank you, Colorado Film School) on the downtube to protect it.

iPhone 3GS, could you be any worse at macro photography? No. Your lens might as well be waxed paper.

So here's where we are at now

and a box of trash

Tires! I forgot to buy tires! How do I even get dressed in the morning? Anyone have a recommendation for a 23c road tire for the natty Colorado roads?

New Build - Surly Pacer - Full of AWESOME!

Tileocalypse (our kitchen tiling project) finished a little early this evening, so I was able to work on the Surly. Today was the day that I actually started bolting parts to the frame! I almost forgot that's what you do when you buy a bike frame and one million parts from the internet.

Speaking of the internet, she delivered more parts unto me this week.

From Nashbar-

And from the Amazons-

So, I put the frame in my work stand...

...and set about making mistakes and ruining things.

First part bolted on was easy enough, the rear derailleur. I'm still amazed at how lightweight this thing is.

I installed the seatpost, or butt-stick, depending on if you plan on using a seat or not.

I also installed the crank and bottom bracket. I went with SRAM's Apex compact crankset for two reasons. It's something I can afford, and it's actually good.

Black like my soul. First problem I ran into was that I had some grit in the bottom bracket threads, but I cleaned it out and re-greased everything, and it all threaded together cleanly. Second problem is that I do not have the correct tool to install the bottom bracket, so everything is hand-tightened at this point.

Next came the brakes.

I need those. I use those to keep from hitting things and bursting into flames. That's how the conservation of energy works, right? Haven't had a physics class for a while.

The brakes kind of make me want to get up on my soap box for a bit, so bear with me as I take a detour from almost funny to preachy....

The decision to go with SRAM Rival brakes was not a hard one. You simply cannot beat them for the price and weight. For those that don't know, SRAM's components go like this:

Apex - Cheapest and heaviest. This is also their newest line, and it's been well reviewed so far. This is the stuff I can actually afford.
Rival - This used to be SRAM's entry level until they released Apex. This set of components is one of the best reviewed and well received things I've ever seen. Guys that I know that simply do not compromise on their components still have a Rival component here and there.
Force - Better than Rival, not as good as Red.
Red - Red is the best, made of pure awesome and steez. Can't afford it, not going to dwell on it, so that's that. It's not what I'm about. If I could have it, it would be nice, but not having it is sure not going to stop me from loving the hell out of my bikes.

Anyway, enough about that stuff. Rival brakes are awesome, crazy light, and even crazier light for 80 dollars for a set. They weigh 288 grams. SRAM Red brakes cost around 300 dollars and weigh 265 grams. That's 220 dollars to save 23 grams. This is the crazy world of cycling components. I still don't understand it.

More later. Need sleepy.

New Build - Surly Pacer - Delivery Part Deux!

Warning, my garage is messy. You try remodeling a house front to back, working on a bunch of bikes, and keeping a 14 year old Saab running, then see what happens.

Anyway, three boxes!

Two biggies and one wee one.

First biggie would be the front wheel, from Nashbar and picked up on sale for 30 bucks! I'm pretty amazed at the weight and hub quality for the price. I might have to order another one for the hipster trendy fixie machine.

Being a bigger guy, I've learned to put my money into the rear wheel of my bikes. Fixie's front wheel is a 15 dollar radial laced thingy picked up from Veloswap, BUT the rear wheel is a Mavic Open Sport, 36 spoke, and hand built by the good folks at Salvagetti. It's super true and has taken one hell of a beating so far.

Given that I know to put the money in the back (there's a Miami Bass song title in that line somewhere), the second big box is from Neuvation.

That would be an M28 Aero rear wheel, picked up on sale as well, for 150 bucks. Bladed spokes! Wow. This thing looks waaay cooler up close and in person. Except for the decals; those will have to go. I typically strip the decals off of just about everything I get, then build up a new layer of Venture Brothers, Pablo's Coffee, Red Fang, and Nintendo-themed stickers to get it back up to sticker quota.

The hub on the Neuvation spins butter smooth too. Just to be safe, I put extra butter on it to make sure it was topped off. If you pass me while I'm on this bike, which you will, and you get a hankering ("hankering" is in spell check ?(!)) for popcorn, now you'll know why.

After reading reviews online, my wheel choice for the back was down to two, the Neuvation or a Forte Titan (or Titan Forte, can't recall if it is a thing a titan is good at, or a description of how metaphorical someone's specialty is). Both apparently come off of the same production line, but the Neuvation is built to a higher spec, and seems to get the endorsement of larger riders like myself. That's all I really needed to hear, "buy the Neuvation if you're a big guy".

If you tell me you like donuts AND you like a certain bicycle component, then I will heed your word, husky fellow (sorry for calling you husky). Knowing that in the cycling world my double-benjamin weight makes me Shamu-esque makes me want to punch someone (smaller than me).

Third box, the little guy, is a cable and housing kit from Jenson.

Exciting, I know. Expecially because I don't have handlebars, brakes, or a front derailleur to connect my shifters to. Also it looks like I accidentally ordered white housing. Guess I'll keep the white shifter hoods and maybe look for a white saddle. Oh well. Should look nice against the green frame, and if not, then I'll go running back to the internets to order things that match the color of my black little soul.

Speaking of the internets, I just got an email that let me know my handlebars, stem, and pedals shipped! Yay!

New Build - Surly Pacer - Delivery!

Mailbag! Mailbag! I came home from work to find three packages. Oh boy, bike parts!

Let's see what we have first:

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World on Blu-Ray. Not quite sure how to install this on the bike, but it is a great movie! I hope there are some bike parts in the other boxes.

This looks promising...

Let's see what is inside!

A SRAM Force rear derailleur. Used. That's the only way I could afford one. This is probably one of the two best components that will be going on the bike, the other being a Neuvation rear wheel.

I'm not one for carbon fiber lust, but look....carbon fiber! I think it makes me a better rider and adds 50 horsepower.

Wait, there's another box!

Let's see what is inside.

Ooo, this looks like the shifters.

Yep, this be they. Another eBay purchase, and another part with carbon fiber. 100 horsepower all the time! The only thing I'm not hip to is the white hoods. You can hear them getting dirtier in the picture. I ordered some black ones to replace these. Those hide my dirt, but not my lack of riding talent, calf muscles, or gingerness.

So far, the only part I can install on the frame is the rear derailleur and the Scott Pilgrim movie.

Speaking of installing parts, I'm not going to be able to actually put the bike together until some time next week. My wife and I are going to pull a long weekend and install a tile floor in our kitchen. I'm not great at putting bikes together, and probably worse at doing things that are actually important, like home remodeling.

Wish me luck.

New Build - Surly Pacer - Frame Selection

I picked up a gorgeous Surly Pacer frame from Craigslist. I'm not going to say that my reasoning is sound, or that you should do what I do. Never do that. At any time during this process. Can't stress that enough. On to the topic at hand:

I had some concerns about the size, 62cm, but after talking to the seller, we came to the conclusion that he was basically my bearded, non-ginger doppelganger; identical height and even inseam (he seemed put off that I brought my ruler to check, but you have to be through).

I was going back and forth on looking for a used complete bike versus building something up myself. Yes, it is always fun to build up the bike yourself, and yes, it can be more expensive. I just couldn't seem to find a bike in my size (Sasquatch) with the components I wanted. Unfortunately, I am up to speed on my component options, enough to be picky. Yes, we all want SRAM Red. No, we cannot afford SRAM Red. SRAM Red is like bigfoot to me, I've seen blurry pictures, and heard mumblings and yarns from the villagers, but have never had the luxury of laying eyes on (owning) some of my very own. Building the frame up allows me to choose which components I could skimp on (almost everything), and which ones I could get and barely afford.

As for the frame, I was contemplating an aluminum/carbon mix from Nashbar, which was on sale. I ended up deciding against it and going for the steel Surly for two reasons. Steel is awesome and rides like butter. Surly bikes are awesome and I've wanted to own one since I discovered the brand.

I have long abandoned the idea that you can have one bike that truly does it all. Not to say that I was looking for one, but I don't think I'll ever find one. Yes, some bikes are more versatile than others, Nothing is as fun or huckable as my Atomlab, nothing makes me look as pretentious and trendy as my fixie, and nothing reminds me that I have no lungs and couldn't climb the slope of a spork like my 29er. That said, I didn't have a bike that was good for long road rides. I've done some long rides on my fixie, long rides on a fixie for me is about 40 miles. I want to (try to) ride further than that. The Pacer is a bit more versatile than my other bikes. It can run up to 32 mm tires, 28 with fenders, hell it can run fenders. I plan on setting it up with 23 mm tires to start, and setting it up for distance road rides.

The frame came with the Surly fork, seatpost clamp and a headset. All of which I will be keeping until I decide to swap the fork out for something made out of carbon and pixie dust. The headset will stay until it starts to grind, then stay a while longer, and longer still, until I find something on sale (Cane Creek S3 or Chris King) to replace it.

I'm looking forward to building this up. I should be getting some components in the mail today.

Let's Face the Facts

It was finally time to add a road bike to my stable, and since this will by my 4th bike, I've come to accept the fact that I am a bike polygamist.

So far the flock includes:

The obligatory trendy hipster fixie

an SE Lager bought WAAAAY back in two thousand and seven. It looks a bit different now, drop bars, and blacked out. The only original parts are the frame, fork, and headset. Everything else that came with it has broken, or caught fire, and subsequently replaced with the insurance money from said fire. I enjoy this bike quite a bit; it's nothing special, but it's low maintenance and fun to ride.

Up next is the dirt jumper...

...an Atomlab Traildigger. This bike reminds me that I will never be able to bunny hop more than 2 inches off of the ground, and that I will never huck the gnar steez triple endo, but that's OK. It's the bike I ride when I just want to hop on something and get an espresso, and/or thai food, then usually more espresso, then urgently find a bathroom. Honestly, this bike makes me feel like a kid again. Pure fun.

Then came the 29er...

...a Specialized M4 (I don't know what that means) 29er (I know what that means); shown here in it's native habitat, also known as my cubicle.

My buddy Jim and I are quite possibly the worst mountain bikers ever, so bad, that I tried to mountain bike on the Atomlab for a season, and realized that riding a single-speed adult-sized BMX is quite possibly the most punishing way to climb a hill, let alone tackle a 35 mile ride on the Colorado Trail in which we almost died in the forest. Twice. Maybe three times. It got fuzzy and dark for a while there. Now that I have a proper mountain bike we've been on a few mountain rides, and I am happy to say, have not died. Well, Jim died, but just for a minute or two. This bike brought me back to the reality that is a geared drivetrain. Yes, it takes more maintenance, and yes, it is more expensive, but the versatility simply cannot be replaced at my skill level (low to lower than low). I'm sure there are people out there riding single-speed MTBs that could drop me on a climb like a sack of metaphors, but I am OK with that.

Then came the Surly

I made a little extra money (I wasn't turning tricks, I swear. Are you a cop? You know if you are a cop, you have to tell me, right?), and decided to spend it on a road bike. Several of my friends are roadies, and in fact, Jim is an amazing road biker. Certainly not the worst ever, far from it! I'd like to go on some road rides with my friends, and see if I can do one of these century rides that they are always yapping about. The following entries will document the build process, my mistakes, some small house fires, hospital visits, and hopefully result in a complete bike that a human could ride.