Given my reputation for visiting A&E, what could possibly go wrong? Except I have no 6 mm ID tubing. Before I buy waaaaaay more than I need online, where did everyone else get their tubing from...? I though some of my homebrew syphon tubing would do, but the ID is way too big...

I've finally finished rebuilding my Cotic Escapade.

Originally I had it built up with a Camagnolo Centaur Red Black groupset & Hope V Twin hydro disks.
The problem with that setup was the lack of available gear ratios which meant that using it for bikepacking with the extra weight was an issue.

I decided something needed to be done about it, so it's now rebuilt with full Sram Apex 1 . The rear casssette is 11-42, which with a 42T chainring gives a nice range. I can go as low as a 36T on the front & could probably get away with a 11-46 on the rear if necessary, so farewell to the gearing issues. Apex 1 also comes with hydro disk brakes, so I no longer needed the Hopes, the money from which went towards funding the rebuild.

One thing I did learn though: When switching the Campag freewheel for a Shimano on my Hope Pro 4 Hub; you can't use the same QR axle endcap, it is unique to the Campag freehub. Not a problem; just get a Shaimano compatable one...

Ha! Try finding any in the UK! I finally found some, but I think I may have had the last set in this country. You can get them from the States, but with shipping & Tax you pay approximately £50 for a £13.50 RRP part!

Anyway, the QR endcaps & Sunrace cassette arrived today, so I managed to get the bike ridable again. Just waiting for another Smart Sam in 42c for the front now.

Fitted a Sunrace 11-36 mtb cassette to a set of hope pro2 evo wheels that i have re acquired from my lad.
Fitted gravel kings to them too, pain in the arse that was.
Popped them on the arkose
Fitted a new bb and chainset, shimano grx 48-31
New kmc chain and inner cables finished the job.

Had a little spin out on it. All plays rather nicely too.

Here look see...

Took out the slack line on today's ride, I need much more practice on it for sure

No it's not a rider trap.

Finally got the new Panaracer Gravelking SK TLC 700 x 43c on and up! More importantly, I didn't die, go deaf or get injured, so that's good*.



* I am totally buying a proper canister...

Now fixing other people bike so a bike was set up tubeless and the indexing sorted for a firend of mine. They now thinkI am genius for indexing somegears - tubelss they have no idea how hard that was on non tubeless rims and tyres but its done now. - I used a 9 Lt fire extinguisher as i dont think the pop bottle would hack it

IMHO they are no more or less effective than what you buy.

Spent 4 hours in the garden trying to sort my gears out on 2 bikes. Still not right. This may be due to me finishing off my mini keg of HPA whilst doing it

Trial fitted the Restrap goodies that Hermes (finally!!!) delivered this morning.

Cleaned and greased the hub on my Pact after riding it through Loch Eanaich last week.

101790971_535957533763349_8760405842592792576_n by Colin Cadden, on Flickr


Fitted a new brake lever/shifter to the Amazon after I managed to break the last one.
(FWIW I now have two unused Shimano BR805 flat mount calipers going spare).

And put new bar tape on the road bike.

Swapped over to this


From this..


Had nothing to do with weight (added an extra 80g from 149 to 230), nor reach (added an extra 2cm I think )...

Anyone want a 60mm On One stem?

Stripped down the drop bar monster cross Kona Unit, to begin making it a flat (or possibly upside down OG bar) bike.

Just a little local spin out this morning.

Heard that one of my work colleagues in a different department is back to work....
I hope they forget about me.....
In fact I don't really care about going back....

And when I do I'll be looking for a job that I want to do rather than one I've accidentally steered myself into (a bit like riding the ruts and not able to get out)

JohnClimber wrote: ↑Thu Jun 11, 2020 7:02 pm Just a little local spin out this morning.

Heard that one of my work colleagues in a different department is back to work....
I hope they forget about me.....
In fact I don't really care about going back....

And when I do I'll be looking for a job that I want to do rather than one I've accidentally steered myself into (a bit like riding the ruts and not able to get out)

I thought you were thinking of retiring, I know which option I’d do!

Although saying that, retirement must be hard as my parents keep on taking holidays

I’ve got well over 30 years to go before retirement

JohnClimber wrote: ↑Thu Jun 11, 2020 7:02 pm Just a little local spin out this morning.

Heard that one of my work colleagues in a different department is back to work....
I hope they forget about me.....
In fact I don't really care about going back....

And when I do I'll be looking for a job that I want to do rather than one I've accidentally steered myself into (a bit like riding the ruts and not able to get out)

I'm with you pal. Dec 21 and I'm out. Just trying to hang on till I get there, but all the time I keep dreaming......

FItted some loop bars to my Cotic Solaris.

Can't believe I've not done this before now. Still undesided as to whether to change the grips to something longer? I do love the Rental grips, but they limit the posible hand positions.

voodoo_simon wrote: ↑Thu Jun 11, 2020 7:41 pm I thought you were thinking of retiring, I know which option I’d do!

I was, it's a family matter I'm waiting on.
It may be winter time, it may be next winter. Or maybe when I hit 55 and I can draw from my pension pot, unless of course I find that perfect job beforehand.

I've loved furlough it's been a great early retirement practice... No way am I wanting to work when I don't need to or don't want to because I simply don't enjoy it.

JohnClimber wrote: ↑Thu Jun 11, 2020 10:30 pm

voodoo_simon wrote: ↑Thu Jun 11, 2020 7:41 pm I thought you were thinking of retiring, I know which option I’d do!

I was, it's a family matter I'm waiting on.
It may be winter time, it may be next winter. Or maybe when I hit 55 and I can draw from my pension pot, unless of course I find that perfect job beforehand.

I've loved furlough it's been a great early retirement practice... No way am I wanting to work when I don't need to or don't want to because I simply don't enjoy it.

Oh fab, hope it works out well for you

Oil and filter change on the Suzuki as part of general preparation for next Friday when I'm hoping some of the travel restrictions will be lifted. It's not been ridden since October.

ScotRoutes wrote: ↑Fri Jun 12, 2020 4:24 pm Oil and filter change on the Suzuki as part of general preparation for next Friday when I'm hoping some of the travel restrictions will be lifted. It's not been ridden since October.

I redeployed the GS as a shopping trolley but will be nice to go further afield.....

htrider wrote: ↑Sat Jun 13, 2020 9:40 pm

ScotRoutes wrote: ↑Fri Jun 12, 2020 4:24 pm Oil and filter change on the Suzuki as part of general preparation for next Friday when I'm hoping some of the travel restrictions will be lifted. It's not been ridden since October.

I redeployed the GS as a shopping trolley but will be nice to go further afield.....

If only there was a shop up the mountain....

I built this up from bits I had been squirreling away in the loft for ages. It's my original OOF fat bike frame and carbon forks (which have been stored since I upgraded to a new fat bike a couple of years ago), Nextie carbon front rim and trials rear rim on Hope hubs, tyres from the loft (a Floater and a Nate) tubeless, Reverb dropper that I've had on my bikepacking bike but have swapped for a Thomson Elite that I also had lying about. The transmission is mostly new parts, 9 speed Sunrace 11-40 cassette and a 30T NW Chinesium front chainring and KMC chain combined with a 9 speed Deore shifter and Acera mech (that I think originated on my Pinnacle but were swapped for XT bits that I had lying about). I had a quick spin round the park on it to splosh the Stan's about in the tyres and it felt pretty nice and is quite light by fat bike standards. The plan is to use it as a loaner bike for friends who are fatty curious to ride. I just love building up bikes!
OOF rebuild by Jurassic690, on Flickr
OOF rebuild by Jurassic690, on Flickr
OOF rebuild by Jurassic690, on Flickr

Decided I didn't like the shorter stem I'd fitted to my RAG+ after sheering a bolt in the original. So I drilled the bit of bolt out of the original stem, found a similar bolt in another stem and fitted it back onto the bike.



This also meant that I could have yet another go at seating the headset properly. I dropped the fork, reached up to pull the bottom bearing out and it disintegrated in my hand, with little balls falling all over the place. Luckily I was going to try fitting the FSA headset from my old Calibre Dune, so had a replacement bearing to fit. Unfortunately the top bearing race and the compression cap didn't fit, so I had to fit the old Brand X bits again.

Once fitted, I noticed that the FSA bottom bearing must have a lower stack height, as the spacers weren't enough for the compression bung to do it's job. Ten minutes with some sand paper and a 10mm spacer, soon had a 7mm spacer that did the job. So after much faffing, I still have a tiny amount of play, so definitely time to buy a whole new system...

I then decided to fit one of my other saddles, as my current one has split. Turns out my seat post doesn't have enough play in the adjusting system to allow either of the other saddles I have, to sit at the correct angle. So I had to put the split saddle back on again.

Then I noticed that my chain is FUBAR, properly order a new cassette while your at it, and maybe a front chainring too, FUBAR.

All in all, a really frustrating days tweaking.

Fitted some 27.5 x 2.8 Schwalbe G-one allround Evo tyres on the Broken Road. Very impressed with them!

Also fitted some long foam grips and some new bar tape on the Jones loop bar.

From this:

To this. One gear, no freewheel. I think I may have gone mad but its a hoot to ride.....

Jurassic wrote: ↑Sun Jun 21, 2020 7:11 pm The plan is to use it as a loaner bike for friends who are fatty curious to ride. I just love building up bikes!

Nice, can I be your new friend
I’ve only ridden a fat bike for a few miles, Dr Nicks Cannondale lefty, my ungracious option was “it’s not as sh!t as I imagined”
I’d love to live somewhere I needed one, I grew up (debatable) on the channel coast and could have had lots of fun on the sand and pebbles. Somehow we survived with panracer smoke and darts.