The Monkey Rides Again
After a prolonged absence, the Monkey has been rebuilt to ride again.
It was decommissioned at the end of 06, and it hung in the shop in a place of honor. I felt bad about it's state. I mean, without this bike, I never would have discovered the joy of the big wheels. If I had never discovered 29ers, I probably wouldn't have opened the shop.
Funny how it all works out.
In the process of moving the shop, I found a whole bunch of parts in random boxes that I could use to get the Monkey rideable again. I set it up as a 1x9 with Mary bars and cable disc brakes. I'm going to use it to commute to the new shop, as well as drag the boy to daycare. It's built up with a set of Foundation wheels, shifting coming courtesy of a 10 year old SRAM 9.0SL rear derailleur mated to a new X7 shifter. Also coming out of retirement is a pair of similar vintage SRAM 9.0 brake levers, the ones with the faux carbon print on them. It's pretty cool to have this stuff out getting used again. To keep the vintage theme going, I'm using the first set of Time pedals I ever owned.
I climbed Barnes Hill on the shakedown ride. For the most part the dirt roads are doing well. They had dragged the road smooth today, so it was a little rough going. I imagine that by the time the Gravel Grinder happens, the roads will be fine. Sweet Road on the other hand, is not doing so well. I actually crashed when the front wheel washed into a deep car tire track. Once I picked myself up, I could smell a big animal. It had to be a moose, it kinda smelled like a horse, only really pungent. As I pedalled along, I noticed not one but two distinct moose tracks in the muddy road. Boy, I was getting close, the smell was getting stronger, and those tracks were very fresh.
Alas, no moose sighting for me. I didn't have my camera anyway, but I did come across a couple of people who had actually seen the two moose walking down the road. I must have just missed them. I did see 6 deer though. I also hit 44.7 mph going down Loomis Hill.
More Gravel Grinder updates tomorrow.
It was decommissioned at the end of 06, and it hung in the shop in a place of honor. I felt bad about it's state. I mean, without this bike, I never would have discovered the joy of the big wheels. If I had never discovered 29ers, I probably wouldn't have opened the shop.
Funny how it all works out.
In the process of moving the shop, I found a whole bunch of parts in random boxes that I could use to get the Monkey rideable again. I set it up as a 1x9 with Mary bars and cable disc brakes. I'm going to use it to commute to the new shop, as well as drag the boy to daycare. It's built up with a set of Foundation wheels, shifting coming courtesy of a 10 year old SRAM 9.0SL rear derailleur mated to a new X7 shifter. Also coming out of retirement is a pair of similar vintage SRAM 9.0 brake levers, the ones with the faux carbon print on them. It's pretty cool to have this stuff out getting used again. To keep the vintage theme going, I'm using the first set of Time pedals I ever owned.
I climbed Barnes Hill on the shakedown ride. For the most part the dirt roads are doing well. They had dragged the road smooth today, so it was a little rough going. I imagine that by the time the Gravel Grinder happens, the roads will be fine. Sweet Road on the other hand, is not doing so well. I actually crashed when the front wheel washed into a deep car tire track. Once I picked myself up, I could smell a big animal. It had to be a moose, it kinda smelled like a horse, only really pungent. As I pedalled along, I noticed not one but two distinct moose tracks in the muddy road. Boy, I was getting close, the smell was getting stronger, and those tracks were very fresh.
Alas, no moose sighting for me. I didn't have my camera anyway, but I did come across a couple of people who had actually seen the two moose walking down the road. I must have just missed them. I did see 6 deer though. I also hit 44.7 mph going down Loomis Hill.
More Gravel Grinder updates tomorrow.
Labels: custom 29"wheelset, Gravel Grinder, Karate Monkey
posted by mandy at 8:09 PM
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