http://dr2dc.blogspot.com/2015/04/back-in-saddle.html
First completely recreational weekend ride in to long, felt great. The Bombadil performed flawlessly as usual. I think I'm pretty close to back up to my end of season form, at least pre-wrecking my Saluki form. Speaking of which I'm expecting to get the frame back from the powdercoaters within the next week or two. I've been putting together the parts for the (re)build and can't wait. I finally feel like I have enough saddle time with enough different components and setups to go straight for a 'final build' right out of the gate. The Saluki will be my full time, primary commuter for a 15 mile round trip, mostly bike path w/ some city streets commute. The build is aimed squarely at that ride but it dovetails with the bulk of my regular riding around the DC metro area so I really think I can almost leave this bike alone once it's built up. Here are the components I've got lined up with some commentary; 1. Velocity A23 650B wheelset, Shimano dyno front, Ultegra rear. 42mm EL Hetre's. -Gotta start w/ the wheelset, I got a nice deal on this one recently and I'm looking forward to getting them on a frame. They made mounting the Hetre's pretty easy but that's all I can say for now. Hetre's don't require any discussion, though mine are looking pretty ragged and will probably be replaced by the Compass version (black sidewalls next time for sure) by the end of the year if not sooner. 2. Albatross bars, retro Nitto stem, Ergon grips, retro Paul Levers, bar end silver shifter... and Chris King Two Nut Headset - I really love noodles, and will have them on one or more other bikes, but for day in, day out rides of less than an hour I'm convinced the alba's are my bar. BE shifter vs paul thumbie is still a consideration so I've got to ponder that some more. The CK headset was a splurge and I'm excited to have one, silver, sotto-voce. 3. 1x8 Drivetrain, White Industries Eno w/ 45T single speed crank, Phil Wood BB, 8 spd Cassette, (need rear derailleur) -I debated this last season, finally dabbled with it and immediately liked it. Loved it once I went to the WI SS chainring which improved the chain retention issue I had for a while. More than enough range for all my intended usage. 4. VP Pedals, Brook B67 Saddle. -The other two contact points, I've loved the VP pedals on my XO-3 all winter, very broad and grippy. The B67 pairs well with the Albatross but I doubt it's comfort for longer rides, it's easy to swap out to my Rivet or a Flyer in the event I'm doing a long weekend trip. 5. Nitto M12 front rack w/ Wald basket, Nitto R-14 rear rack with Sackville Med, berthoud stainless fenders -This Nitto rack combo is great, I wish I had a 'Marks Rack' in the front so I didn't have to hide my sweet Paul 'Stoplight' Canti's but it's definitely functional. The R-14 in the back is the base for the Sackville Med which will be zip tied semi-permenantly in place. This bag was awesome on my winter ride the XO-3 and definitely has a place on my daily rider. The Berthoud fenders are strong, rigid and painted to match the frame! :) 6. Paul Stoplight Canti's. -Love these things, stops well. 7. Dyno lighting, B&M Cyo prem front, spanninga fender mounted rear. -I've been a dyno fan since I realized they existed, the B&M front is sweet and for the price the spanniga rear is a steal. Pictures will be better than reading all this so I'll definitely document the build as soon as it happens! <https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Aw-C7lRt8GE/VTPXxSqZpQI/AAAAAAAAHBE/uZvOoIcmqTk/s1600/DSC_4995.jpg> -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
