Friday, July 29, 2011

My New/Old School Bike Build

  The whole reason behind getting this new frameset is that I am tired of having multiple bikes that I can only ride on certain terrain or distances. I don't want/cannot afford to have 4 bikes to do all the types of riding that I like do. So I wanted one bike,a frankenstein's monster of a bike, that would be my Swiss Army Knife of cycling.
  I had certain qualifications that needed to be met. One, this bike had to be affordable.VERY affordable. Well under $800.00 retail. Two, this bike needed to be able to ride on and off road. I want to be able to take the same bike on a 20 mile ride on the road to get groceries, as well as do some laps at West Branch. Third, it needed to be able to be set up in different ways depending on what my needs are. I wanted to be able to put 29er tires,fenders, front and rear racks, disc or rim brake. ( I tend to get bored with set ups fast, and want to be able to change things up without much fuss.) Last, I wanted something I knew would fit me well. Even though I am a fit specialist by day, I still run into snags on a good bike fit for myself.
  So based on all of these things I decided the best choice for a frameset would be a Monstercross. Steel construction, strong, rigid, and a ton of tire clearance. JB Importer's house brand, Origin-8, makes an inexpensive frameset called the CX700. Sold. 
   When the framset arrived, everyone at the shop thought it was an awesome idea. Needless to say I am very excited to build this bike. 
      I decided that I wanted to build this bike to be almost like an 80's era mountain bike. Mostly because of versatility, but I love the look of old mountain bikes.
  So...with all that figured out... here is how the build is likely to shake out.
CX700 frame and fork
FSA Orbit headset
Origin 8 Space Bar
Velo Orange Stem
Cannondale Seat Post
Bontrager Evoke Saddle
Bontrager 29er 2 Tires
29er Wheels- Alex rims with SRAM Hubs
Falcon Friction Shifters (Oh yeah!)
Alivio 8 speed Derailleur
Alivio Front Derailleur
Shimano Chain and Cassette
Canit Brakes for now... probably Tektro Oryx
Oury Grips....



Tuesday, July 12, 2011

My frame has arrived!

  My new Origin 8 frame came in a few days ago. Out of the box I am extremely impressed with this frame. The brake guides are removable which is a nice touch. Heavy duty horizontal sliding dropouts... And surprisingly lightweight for an inexpensive frame set.

  I plan on building this bike up more like an old school steel mountain bike. Rigid fork, friction shifters, canti brakes... 29er wheels and tires. Should be pretty cool. I will post actual specs when I know exactly what I am going to build the bike with.

Friday, July 8, 2011

Jeez I am a terrible blogger

Well... I guess I go through phases where I want to blog all the time, and then .... not at all.


I have decided to go ahead with my monstercross bike. I ordered the Origin 8 CX 700 last night, along with some Origin 8 Space Mtb Bar as well. Im thinking 29er tires, 8 speed with FRICTION thumb shifters,and a custom paint job. Stay tuned. Ill post photos once I get the frame.