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.