Quality Time in the Man Cave

Since I am still fighting this cold/sinus infection (don't get me started), I decided to crank up the propane heater and spend some quality time in the Man Cave working on a few bike projects.

Project #1 - 100mm Rims on the Fatback

The six largest cogs on the cassette are spaced way right, I added some longer limit screws that I found at the hardware store, and I added the Problem Solvers Universal Derailleur Hanger.

In order to gain a little more drivetrain clearance, I had to tweak a couple things on the FatBack. A 100mm rim is definitely pushing the envelope of the widest rim I can run on this frame with its 165mm spacing but I think the extra float is well worth it. I can live with six cogs in the rear since I have three chainrings in the front. The key piece to this puzzle was the Problem Solvers Universal Derailleur Hanger because it creates space between the frame and the derailleur and provides a tab for the B-Limit screw.

There is just a fuzz of chain run in my largest cog. The only option left to try is to go to a custom 150mm wide spindle Phil Wood BB.

Project #2 - Tear down, clean, and rebuild M's Tallboy

The True Grit race last weekend left M's Tallboy in bad shape. The parts that need replacement: Bottom Bracket, Brake Pads, Chain, Shift Cables & Housing. I guess it could have been worse. On a side note, I love DT Swiss hubs for the fact that it takes all of five minutes to pull the rear hub apart, clean, and re-grease it.

The St. George mud & grit managed to get into every crevice.

A simple wash wasn't going to cut it after this race. Even the derailleur pulleys needed to be taken apart and cleaned.

I have never seen brake pads look this bad.

Project #3 - M's new frame bag

Ok, this wasn't really a project but I wanted to take a couple of pics and give a huge thanks to Eric at Revelate Designs. I asked him to match the pink Dogwood Designs pogies and he procured the matching fabric and built Michelle a sweet frame bag. Thanks Eric!

The bent top tube of the FatBack take a unique frame bag.

Have I said how much I dig the Aluminum FatBacks?

Project #4 - Convert the Niner into "Combat" mode

With our wonderful Spring weather (said with a sarcastic tone), I prefer to ride the Niner with fenders when its cold & wet outside. I took the rigid fork from my singlespeed and stuck it on the Air 9, added two fenders, and then mounted up a pair of semi-slick WTB Vulpines. This will be my road & gravel training machine for the next couple of months.

Tech Tip: The Park DAG-2 is a tool you should own. The rear shifting on my SRAM XX has been a little janky and I finally pulled the rear derailleur off and used the DAG-2 to check the hanger. Doh! My hanger was bent outward and this was the cause of my less-than-sweet shifts. The DAG-2 allows you to perfectly straighten a bent rear derailleur and eliminate that variable when you are troubleshooting poor shifting.

Fenders are a key accessory this time of year.