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Tuesday, July 19, 2005

Old Mechanic or New Mechanic?

Maybe some of you young folks don't remember the GRIMY HANDSHAKE article in Bike. It is one of my favorite articles of all time. It essentially classified every mechanic into either an old mechanic (hoarding retrogrouches) or a new mechanic (buying every one of the latest and greatest parts) . While this article was great, I think there is one other type, Old AND New.

I bought two new Ala Cartes frames a few weeks ago. One for my wife and one for me. My wife needed it. I didn't. I bought it because I wanted it. This bike is both old and new. Pure steel and beautiful paint. Besides not really needing another bike, I haven't really been riding my 26" bikes since I built my Dos Niner. However, I sold my last steel hardtail over a year ago and the thought of not having a steel hardtail in my stable just seemed terrible. With a few clicks on a computer keyboard and a little time, I walked away from work with empty pockets and a new bike project.

I couldn't wait to build it. I came into this crazy industry thru the back doors of several repair shops. I'm a mechanic at heart and love to set up new bikes. Every component is carefully planned. Frame is properly prepped. Parts are laid out and prepped. A few ice cold refreshments. Time passes...sometime hours, sometime days. Just me and my pile of parts. Then that first few pedal strokes to get a feel for your creation. For me, this process is almost as great as riding.

To get started and get a feel for my new project, I built it as a 2-speed dingle with a Paul Melvin. It rides great, but it isn't quite right for this bike. I never intended to leave it this way, but I have been struggling with final set up for two weeks. Should I go old school with my historic and cherished complete 7-speed Deore XT group, or should I go new school with my current favorite, SRAM x.0, Hope discs, Race Face and DT Swiss? See what I mean, am I old or new? It's been this way for over 15 years. One could argue either way, but I truthfully love both.

Butcher

Posted by Butcher : 9:17 PM 0 comments | permalink