Man Cave tinkering time - fitting Travers Bikes -Evo Prong Boost 29" carbon ridged forks to Trek Procaliber 9.8

 

We have been away for a few days in Harrogate so not had the time to get the new Travers Bikes forks fitted which I got for my birthday! On the way back from Harrogate I called in past Chevin Cycles as I knew they were Trek dealers as I was after a 10mm ahead Knock Block spacer. I was in luck as they had some spares which were removed from a bike but slightly marked. You can only buy a pack of three from Trek, more on this in an up coming Fresh Goods Sunday. 

This morning as ever in was lashing down and cold so I popped into the man cave to get start on fitting them. I removed the Fox suspension forks and set them aside. I cleaned out the headset and head tube. Fitted the fork dry and marked the length to cut the steerer. Measured the Fox fork to make sure it was exactly 10mm longer and the measurement was spot on. Once I cut the steerer I greased up the head tube cups and the bearings etc and fitted the new MT Zoom steerer expander, again more soon in Fresh Goods Sunday. 

On the Travers forks the front brake hose runs down the inside of the for leg so you have to disconnect and re bleed etc but I wanted to try the forks out first before doing this so slipped some old Garmin mount bands up the fork leg to keep the hose in place. I might swap these for some thin black velcro straps I have. The forks look spot on and match the gloss black frame well. I will also see if the front end is a little too high now with adding the additional spacer. Easy to cut the steerer tube again than cut it too short in the first place! Air pressure also needs dropping in the front tyre. 

And before you ask yes the bike is lighter, just over 900g = 2 lbs in old mans terms saving. This should bring the bare bike down to around 9.34kg

More on the forks soon in a Fresh Goods Sunday, once I get some miles on them. 

Christmas Day - My Own TT circuit - wet and cold ride

 

I don't normally go out on my bike on Christmas day but this year Angus went to the Park Run at Herrington Park, Arran was sound a sleep in bed so thought I would drag the road Creo out for a spin. I was pumping up my tyres and the heavens opened, typical. It sort of dried up so I made a quick dash for it. As the roads should have been quiet I planned a loop in my head. I did not have a clue how far it was but wanted to get a 10 miler in. After the first lap it was just short of 5 miles but then the heavens opened again and the roads had another 1/4" of standing water on them. Half way around my second lap it stopped raining again so I got my head down and bashed on. It was a little short on distance so at the end so did a small loop to make it up to the 10 miles. In the photos below you can see the stats and a photo of my loop. 

Back in and I peeled all my soaking wet bike clothing off, hot shower and started the Christmas dinner. 

Angus managed a new Park Run pb so he was over the moon with that. Enjoy and hopefully more soon- 

CHRISTMAS DAY - Fresh Goods Sunday - Shimano Disc Brake Pad Metal with Fin J04C - MF (Y8LW98030)

 

Firstly can I just say Merry Christmas to all the people that read my Blog, I know it has not been that exciting regarding rides this year but hopefully I might start to get out n about further a field new year for some different scenes and landscapes. Enjoy and more to follow soon- 

After buying the Trek Procaliber 9.8 I noticed that the stock Shimano XT calipers come with non finned pads as you would expect. I checked the Shimano website to see what the code was for the finned version of the pads. There was two different models of pads but I opted for the J04C. A quick google and found these from Fawkes Cycles who I have used in the past for a few items. The discount is good and I have always received excellent and fast service from them. I opted for three pairs so I had a spare pair. There was nothing wrong with the standard pads and they were not wearing too quickly and had no problems with them but these look better in the calipers and on the bike. I have used them now for a couple of months and have had no problems with them over heating / fade etc. I am not that heavy on my braking unless its a very long / steep downhill. They have not suffered from the dreaded loud squealing noise either. Since fitting the new pads I have also swapped my rotors which will follow in a Fresh Goods Sunday. Swapping them over was simple enough with a pair of cranked needle nose pliers to remove the rear safety pin and an allen key to remove the bolt. I always smear a little copper slip on the threaded part of the pin before screwing back in again. With my other pads being like new I did not have to retract the pistons to fit the new ones. There is no way on earth the pads are worth the rrp so as ever shop around for a good deal. 

RRP £34.99 and I paid £18.75 inc 48hr p&p from Fawkes Cycles - 46% discount 

Manufacturer's blurb - 

Lining material: Metal
More braking power and durability
With radiator fin
Provides long pad life and less fade by cooling technology
Pad shape: Narrow type, J
Piston: For 2-piston brake caliper
Back plate: Composite (alloy & stainless)
1-pair package

Christmas Eve local spin down and around Durham & Maiden Castle.

 

Motivation has ben lacking recently to get back out on the bike with some real crap weather but the sun finally come back out for a couple of hours this morning so I made the most of it. I dragged out the Cube E mtb for a change to give my legs and lungs a rest! I waited until sunrise before slinging my leg over the saddle. There was an overnight frost again and with the near continuous rain yesterday and last night it was icy under tyre! On the plus side it was fairly quiet out on the tracks n trails apart from the Park run runners on the way back in. The ground was saturated with plenty cold muddy spray in places where is was not frozen. I enjoyed the ride and the sun defo made this mornings ride. I passed The Keep barbers where my cousin works and it was still very busy. All in just under 16 miles in 1hr 20 mins with 750ft of climbing. Below are a few snaps from the ride enjoy and hopefully more soon, I am off work now until Jan 3rd so hopefully manage a few more rides in between all the rain and wind forecasted. 

Fresh Goods Sunday - Go Pro Long/Short Set of Same Direction Straight Joints - Adapter Mount Set. Part 4

 

This is the final part of the this Fresh Goods Sunday series on the mounting system for the Bontrager bar/stem combo mounting system. After a few rides with my Exposure Sirus light mounted to the underside of the stem it was angled slightly too far in the distance away from the front wheel. I could not angle it anymore down as the back of the light was hitting the underside of the stem. After a quick Google I found these extension pieces which looked ideal. I did not want the longer one but they come as a pair. I removed the exposure helmet light bracket, fitted the extension piece then fitted the Exposure bracket to the extension. The quality looks good and strong and did not have to wiggle it between the fins. After some adjustment the got the angle of the light further down to bring the light beam closer to the front wheel. For the money I got two straight extension joints inc p&p for just over £4 and they arrived within two days. Certainly cannot complain at that and I have the longer one in my spare parts tub as a spare. 

RRP £4.25 and I paid £4.17 inc 48hr p&p from Ebay 

Manufacturers blurb - 

This is a set of Straight joints where the pivot is in the same direction as the mount it would be attached to. These arms go in the opposite direction of the standard 3 way Pivot arm.

Contents
1x Short Straight Joint
1x Long Straight Joint