Update on bike build and wisdom to give when upgrading to Ultegra or Dura-Ace

[TexasProgresive]

I found the little bugger that was giving me fits. I'm calling it a cable angle compensator. It's function is to change the angle of the shifter cable depending on where it exits the bottom bracket shell. It has 2 possitions that shift the cable ever so slightly, but it is very important.

This is a gigantic image of a tiny little part:


I rode my regular ride today about 8 miles and it was great. I was wanting a 52 tooth chain ring because that's what every derailleur bike I have ever own had (not the MTB). And I just got a wild hair to upgrade everything except the fork, stem and saddle. It was a lot of fun learning how to do everything correctly, getting the proper tools and miscellaneous parts. There will be some minor fine tuning and I have yet to tape the bars but this project is pretty much finished.

I have a 50 cm Bianchi steel frame in Celeste blue/green that I am thinking about building with the parts off my bike. This would be a great bike for a petite woman. I guess if I do the build I could put it on Craig's list.

[frylock]

1. I enjoy wrenching on my bikes almost as much as I enjoy riding them.

Nothing more fun than installing upgrades!

[TexasProgresive]

2. I had a lot to learn to get it done.

I hope this is not boring anyone but I just gotta share.

I didn't install an inline barrel adjuster on the front gear cable. Without it I couldn't get it to work properly. I was lucky because I had to pull the cable out of the housing to cut the housing. The cable just went into the frame and came out at the bottom bracket without a hitch. I was sweating over nothing.

I've ridden 25 miles in wind, calm, over hill and dale in every gear combo without cross chaining. Oh so sweet. The new brakes are smooth and grippy when needed. I don't know what to say about the new wheels except that they sound completely different, a higher frequency.

If my math is right my average speed increased by 25% and my max by 17%. I am impressed.

[frylock]

3. I'm replacing the front rotor on one of my trail bikes today.

Shouldn't take more than 10 minutes. I think I wasted at least 90 minutes trying to straighten a warped rotor before deciding to just drop the $20 on a new one. Dying to get out on the trails this weekend after a month of dealing with bronchitis.

[TexasProgresive]

4. Do you think discs are better than rim brakes?

I have no experience with discs; mechanical or hydraulic. I can see that discs would perform better in wet weather and certainly in mud. Most of my riding is on the road. I have an elderly (1996) rigid Cannondale MTB that I ride on gravel roads and category 1 trails. At my slow speeds on the trails I don't have much need for super braking. But that doesn't mean I'm not curious about disc brakes.

Good luck with the repair and have fun shredding the trail.

[frylock]

5. Oh, absolutely.

I'm running hydraulic discs on three of my bikes, and mechanical discs on my plus-size bike. Not only is the braking power significantly better in wet conditions, but they're so much easier to modulate on the descents. I recently found a 1984 Schwinn High Sierra on craigslist, and snatched it up as my bar cruiser. The thing is a total barn find, and with the exception of the tires, is completely OEM. I've rediscovered that stopping with those canti brakes requires a lot more room! I'm seeing a lot more roadies and commuters that are using discs now.

[TexasProgresive]

6. Maybe I'll see if one of my LBNs will let me do a test ride on a disc bike

similar to mine. The groupset I installed came with Ultegra 6800 brakes and pads that are really good. The control is excellent. I would like to try the discs to compare.

I might look into retrofitting my old MTB for discs just for fun. That poor 20 year old bike doesn't have many miles on it so it still looks like new. I was thinking about changing out the steel fork, stem, bar and levers. Maybe I'll do a complete build on it as well. How do the calipers mount to the fork and frame?

If I'm keeping you off the trails just get rolling.

[frylock]

7. Disc calipers are mounted to brazed-on brake tabs located on either the chain or wheel stays.

Modern suspension forks will have those tabs. There is an aftermarket product that will allow you to install a disc setup. I've never seen one in the wild, and don't know if I'd bother spending the money for such a conversion.


Typical brake mount on wheel stay side of dropout.



Brake Therepy disc conversion kit.

http://2btherapy.com/bikes/brake-therapy-conversion-kit

I'm gonna save the trail riding for tomorrow. Today I'm glued to the teevee and watching the basketball tourney. I also foresee a nap in my future!