Wednesday, February 10, 2016

Compromise

I finally finished building the Monocog. After a couple rides I have decided it's a keeper. You know, until I decide it's not.



There are a few parts, both new and old, worth talking about.

I really like the Salsa Rustler bars. The 11-degree bend is much nicer that the typical eight or nine degrees of other bars. The 29.5" width is about perfect for single speeding.



Up front is a Maxxis Ikon mounted tubeless at 20 PSI. Great volume, fast rolling, supple casing and good traction. My new favorite tire.



The frame utilizes a 26.8mm seatpost. Although I owned a Monocog before, I had forgotten about the weird size. I dug around in the archives and found this old Suntour XC post.

I originally bought the post when I built up my Ibis in 1986. It also ended up on my Fisher Procaliber and Bridgestone MB1.



Old Race Face square taper cranks. I swore I would never use square taper cranks again, but it's all I had. They work fine, and so far no creaking or clicking.


I took it out on a 31-mile ride yesterday and had a great time. Conditions were perfect for going fast, the damp soil providing seemingly limitless traction.



Water on the rise.


This bike beats the Waltworks in almost every way except for climbing. I'm never going to like climbing out of the saddle with a suspension fork, but at this point I feel it's a necessary compromise. My wrist (and old body in general) can't take the pounding of a rigid fork anymore.

The upside is once you crest a climb, the fun starts. Even a mere 80mm of travel from a 10-year-old Reba makes a huge difference. It's smoother, faster and cornering traction is better because your front wheel isn't bouncing around.



It sure is nice to see water in the lake again.


I'm now left wondering what to do with the Waltworks. On the one hand, it will fit my son in a couple years. On the other hand, it's outdated and limited by the very short fork; it will always be a rigid bike. Time will tell, I guess.

Later.