The Working Hour

So, I decided to take the leap and make some changes to my mountain bike. You may say I'm crazy to dump money into a 2001 frameset, but hey, it's my money and my mental state. What are you going to do?

I took some pictures of the newly installed components. I put a Marzocchi ATA44 fork and the Avid Elixir brakes onto the bike. I think the Elixirs are gorgeous.

Now, should I upgrade my shifters from the old Shimano LX thumb shifters to something that goes with the brake levers better? Or should I be happy that I can shift and go ride? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Building a Mystery

So, I thought it would be fun to build up a bike from scratch. Okay, I still think it would be fun. However, right now I'm not sure I know what bike I want that to be. I found a 29er mountain bike frame that I thought may work, but then I started thinking that, aside from the larger wheels, it is a lot like my current mountain bike.

Then I remembered that I'd told myself that my next bike would be a commuter of some sort. And I remembered just how much I haven't used my mountain bike in the past 3 years or so. Then I started to add up the cost of buying the components, fork, and all those random parts that are needed. At some point in there I realized that even with a screaming deal on a Titus Racer X 29er frame, I still don't think that I can justify the expense of building up a bike from a frame right now.

But, I've got the building bug, so I've decided to just get a new shock and brakes for my current ride, a 2001 Giant NRS XTC. Maybe I'm crazy. I don't know. But the Avid Elixir hydraulic brakes and the Marzocchi 44 ATA shock would both be excellent upgrades to that ride. I could get some great lift assist performance while keeping the cross country feel of the bike.

Maybe I should just save up my pennies and buy a new bike, abandoning the building process, to get a more all-mountain type ride (read longer rear travel). 

I don't know. However, I'm going to have to stop vacillating soon, or the shipping and return shpping are going to use up all the money I'd have for doing something.

Oh, and did you know that there are a lot more technologically advanced shocks available for 26 inch wheels than for 29ers? Turns out to be the case. I don't want to even guess at the limited availability for 650c wheels for mountain bikes.

Anyway, even though I may have found another riding partner for road rides, I think I may have to spend some weekends chasing the dirt and trying out the newly modified ride.

Yeah, I think I may have to stick with the new forks and brakes. That should be good. Then maybe I'll upgrade the drivetrain with a Shimano XT shadow rear derailleur. Maybe some new pedals. I don't know. I guess I'll see how the season goes.