Complete

That's the bike completely finished. The final parts arrived and have been fitted. This includes an FSA OS190 stem with a swanky carbon faceplate. I've always viewed stems as a piece of kit you can buy cheap as all decent stems do the same function. The only major difference between them is the weight. And since weight isn't an issue on a touring bike I went for the cheapest stem I could find in the size I wanted. This one happened to have a carbon faceplate - bingo! Along with a few spacers, this completed the build.


As soon as the weather picks up a bit I'll get out and take some pics of the new bits!

Almost done

I'm very happy to say she's almost finished. I borrowed a stem and some spacers from my Genesis to try out for size. As if by magic I got the set up just right and she's very comfortable with a 90mm stem and 25mm worth of spacers. So far I've only been out for one short ride to stretch the cables out for final adjustments. From this initial testing I think we're going to get on just fine. 

All that's left to do is to fit the rear mudguard (I need extra long bolts to get through the sliding dropout), fit the new rear rack and front rack, new stem and make final brake/gear adjustments. And I'm pleased with my bar taping efforts after my last disastrous attempt!


Unfortunately she won't stay this shiny for long!

Mostly done

I got a good start on the build today. Just got a steerer to cut, headset to finish and get everything "just right".

Expect many photos tomorrow!

Just in/recycled

Braze-on front mechs seem to be a thing of the past these days so it wasn't very easy finding a 9 speed triple braze-on front mech! Luckily I managed to get one from Germany. This one is a Tiagra front mech which is from the same groupset as my shifters.

Shifting things on the rear end is an XT Shadow rear mech that I have taken off an older bike that's currently in several bits. The mech is still relatively new and after a good clean it's looking pretty good. However, the jockey wheels were so worn they had to be replaced. XT rear mechs come with sealed jockey wheels using ceramic bushings. These replacement jockey wheels are unsealed non-XT ones which is a step in the wrong direction but the budget couldn't stretch to XT jockey wheels. I'll see how long these last. If they don't last very long I'll invest in XT or Tacx jockey wheels.
The good thing about Shimano's Shadow rear mechs (available in Deore, SLX, XT and XTR level) is that the mech sticks out from the bike less than standard mechs. This means more clearance for pesky wobbly pannier bags!

Sneak preview

I'm desperate to get the build finished but I'm saving that till I have all the parts. In a fit of excitement I attached the wheels, fork and seatpost to the frame to get an idea of how she'd look. I thought I wouldn't like the chromed fork but I think it's actually ok.

What do you think? 

Just in

The wheels that will see me through the trip arrived from Germany. The front wheel is a Shimano dynamo hub laced onto a Mavic A319 rim by DT Swiss Champion spokes. Rear wheel is a Deore LX hub with a Mavic A319 rim also.

Also new is the Biologic Reecharge dynamo powered USB charger.

Image from www.thinkbiologic.com

The ReeCharge takes power from the dynamo hub, stores it in an internal battery and can charge devices via USB. The unit can also be charged from USB or any mains electrical outlet. The ReeCharge comes with adapter tips for various mobile phone makes including Nokia and Samsung. It's incredibly easy to use, push the Power In button to charge the ReeCharge, push the Charge Out button to charge your device. The middle button is a battery indicator which displays how much juice the Reecharge has in a 3-light format.

I have tested the ReeCharge with some of my gadgets and it charges my Lezyne light, MP3 player and Kindle. I have a USB charger to charge AAA batteries for my headtorch and rear light but it will not fit into the ReeCharge so I'll have to get an extension cable for that. Annoyingly, it does not seem to charge my new Nikon Coolpix S6100 which is a bit of a let down.

Why I love my Kindle.

Aside from the obvious benefits of holding a ridiculous number of books and having an immense battery life Kindle's have some other handy features. 


These days, bike tourers often carry a number of electronic gadgets. Each one of these gadgets will have a manual to go with it. The thought of taking them all touring with me didn't sit very well so I found the PDF version of them online and saved them to my Kindle. The manuals can then be viewed on the Kindle whenever you might need them! I've also scanned important sections and diagrams from my bike repair book and put them into a handy PDF. 


Documents can be transferred via a USB cable or can be sent via e-mail to your Kindle (which would require an Internet connection). Supported file types include .doc, .docx, .html, .rtf, .gif, .jpeg and .pdf. Files are converted into a Kindle-compatible format. This could be very useful. 


If you need to keep a particular webpage or document you could e-mail it to your Kindle to use later. Need to show a booking confirmation to the hotel reception? You can save the booking confirmation to your Kindle rather than paying for printing! Need an important document very quickly from back home? Get it e-mailed to your Kindle!


Your Amazon account has a 5GB storage for your personal documents which can be downloaded to your Kindle which is plenty.

Shimano AM41 Shoes

I had been using Shimano's SPD pedal system for a while until I switched to flat pedals for two reasons last winter. Firstly, my right knee started becoming a bit sore on long rides. Secondly I got fed up with the cleat getting covered with ice/snow which meant I couldn't clip in. After searching for the perfect pedal for me I decided on a pair of Wellgo B54s. And for shoes it was a tie between Shimano's AM41s or a pair of Five Tens. I went for the cheaper and longer lasting AM41s. At first my feet were constantly coming off the pedals and I wasn't getting on with them. Then, as if by magic, it just worked. Using flats after years of clipless takes some time to get used to but it is worth it if that's what you want to use. Back to the shoes. As with most Shimano shoes they keep the water out better than other shoes and as a result keep your feet warmer for that bit longer in winter. My biggest negative is that the soles got eaten by the pedal pins quite quickly. Despite this they still grip very well.

What I really do like about them is their use off the bike. Any time there's ice outside I'll be wearing my AM41s as they grip the ice with so much affinity it was unbelievable at first. 


So now I use flat pedals for winter when I know I'd get frustrated with clogged cleats and Time pedals for the rest of the year. Sorted.