16 Nov 2009

Okay, so I put in a first initial quick ride in on the new steed this afternoon. Nothing too strenuous, mostly because I’m not capable of anything strenuous, but it’s just really to get most things dialled or close to dialled so it involves riding around with more tools than any normal person should have to carry, most of which never get used. So, here’s my thoughts, in point form so as not to bore the attention span challenged.

• Damn it, looks like I’m going to have to get a layback post, and only Thomson makes a 30.0 and it’s ugly as sin. This is what happens when your custom bike is a stock size. Sometimes it sucks to be egalitarian.
• The Geax Sagauro 2.2 is one sweet tyre. Soft riding, relatively quick for what it is, and predictable.
• 22.2mm chainstay are awesome. Don’t let anyone tell you oval chainstays are the way to go because everyone does them that way, it’s a lie. Big arse round chainstay rule. I’m a convert.
• This thing is easily as stiff as the old Arete SC [Scandium], but the ride is softer despite the seatpost being considerably fatter. Go figure. And no I don’t care about the 400g weight penalty.
• 180mm Hope floating rotors hit Fox’s post mounts. Annoyance ++
• Brand new bikes look crap. I’m thinking of selling a kit that has a bucket of water, mud and dust in it for that “just back from the singletrack, yeah, it was bitchin” look. Oh, and hey, brown dirt matches the duco perfectly!

So, all in all, I’m a pretty happy chappy. Okay, so my Glutes feel like they’ve been kicked hard my Magda Szubanski, but I’ll get over that. As I sit here typing this, I’m glancing over at the bike hanging on the wall, thinking “Wow, you’re a bit of alright, I wonder when I can squeeze in another ride”, and that my friends, is what it’s all about.

Posted by warwick @ 10:31 am

15 Nov 2009

Okay, here’s my new ride - a bog standard ‘10 Arete in stock geometry “Large-Regular”. This is probably my first ‘proper’ new bike in 3-4 years as I’ve been pretty busy raising a kid and generally being a too much of a slobby, sleep-derived zombie to do much riding.

The inspiration for this build is twofold. I wanted to have a slight retro look to the build because the ‘10 Aretes have constant diameter seat and chainstays, so I went with a straight gloss powdercoat in a very Yeti ‘inspired’ Turquoise, like they used to use on the old FRO’s and Ultimates circa 1990. Because I’m a non-traditionalist and also not colourblind, I didn’t combine it with yellow like Bianchi did in their infinite wisdom one season, but with brown - in the form of grips, cables, and some rather blingy Industry Nine wheels. I think it needs more brown probably in the form of a saddle, but at this stage we’ll call it a ‘work in progress’.

There’s probably not much more to say that the pictures can’t do for me, so check them out…..and yes I know I know, the brakes still need to have their hoses chopped.

Posted by warwick @ 11:15 pm

03 Nov 2009

I have decided that these are the coolest wheels ever. Normally I have a shockingly bad wheel and crank fetish, but being a ‘Champagne taste on a Beer budget’ kinda guy, I rarely indulge, but this time I decided to go the full monty. Not to everyones’ taste especially in a market where most customers have only just figured out that red goes well with white and black, but what would you expect from me, eh?

Pictures of the matching bike when I finally pull my finger out of my butt and find more than 15 minutes to myself.

And try to remember how to bleed brakes.

Posted by warwick @ 4:44 am