Day 3 - Casino to Grafton

Distance: 101.8Km's
Pain Factor: 7 out of 10.
Magpie attacks:1
Cow sightings: 243
Accommodation Highlight: Tie between the overly friendly SIX MONTH resident of the pub or the awesome staircase out back, bathed in sunshine that allowed us to dry our riding clothes in about an hour flat.

http://www.strava.com/activities/191510971

We were far enough into the trip now that routines were starting to form:

- The daily battle to wash and dry our riding kit in time.
- Santo regularly arriving in town first, thus becoming the accomodation scout.
- The unpacking and strategic re-packing of our pannier bags.
- The daily "charge-off" - an attempt to charge multiple lights, Garmins, headsets and phones off the feeble few power points our luxuriously challenged lodgings would prove us.

A few routines we alternated, just to keep things real spicy, like eating in and out on alternating nights...

Anyway today, navigation wise, was pretty straightforward - a direct southerly run down the Summerland Way. A mildly undulating run, with limited <and very accomodating> traffic. Average speed was relatively high. 101.7 of the 101.8km was on the Summerland way. I couldn't get this song out of my head the whole way (watch it if you know what is good for you!)

Muppets - Moving Right Along

...Sweaty selfie on the Summerland Way - Sydney bound, somewhere between Casino and Grafton:

 

 And here are some totally non-staged photos of us, not far out from Casino:

Mixed dried fruit and nuts, stashed in the back pocket of my cycling jersey became my staple ride diet. Unfortunately, I accidentally bought the kind with white chocolate buttons in it. With experience comes wisdom, and I can tell you that chocolate does not cope well in ones sweaty back jersey pocket. Thus I was resigned to the activity of separating them out each evening. This became a nightly ritual of mine, such that when that supply ran out and I bought a fruit and nut mix only, I had a feeling of emptiness when the separation activity was no longer required.

Here is a photo of me separating the white chocolate buttons ready for feeding to my pet Santo. 

A well earned coffee and fizzy bubblech at the end of the ride:

 




Vertical signage in a state of disrepair - a fail-safe of acceptable lodgings for two boys and their bikes:

And a sighting of the common "Santo" known to occupy the hallowed hallways of such lodgings:

Fuzzy Bear Justin.

 

Day 2 - Beaudesert to Casino

Distance: 129.6Kms
Pain Factor: 8 out of 10.
Magpie attacks: 5
Cow sightings: 4857
Accommodation Highlight: The massive old school pub veranda our $30 each a night room opened up onto.

http://www.strava.com/activities/191510971

<<begin rant>>
Fuck you Magpies. There, I said it. Useless rats with wings. Do you stupid, uninteresting, black and white oxygen thieves really think I give a shit about your babies in your nest? I'm on a bike. I'm not stopping, so leave me the fuck alone.
<<end rant>>

5 Magpie attacks today. Though these must be lazy northern country magpies that had perhaps had too many XXXX's the night before, since they did not actually "get me", rather fluttered and flew around my head in a "threatening" way. Little did they know I had a weapon on my side. The sun and my shadow. I could see the stupid feather covered lumps of turd approaching just by looking at my (and their) shadow on the road. Thank you Mr Shadow.

Anyway, today was the border crossing from Queensland to New South Wales. Though it would seem us New South Welshmen are not welcoming of Queenslander's as rather than a "Welcome" sign, there were a about 3 cameras. Given that it was a very quiet country I could accept the lack of a welcome sign, but the cameras? I could only assume this is a well known point for illegal border hops?

Here is the entry point facing back into Queensland:

And here, the view of people trying to enter NSW:

My journey took me along the Mount Lindsay Highway in what was a relatively smooth sailing journey (bar Magpie attacks). The journey started in it's usual way with chit chat over the bluetooth headsets between Santo and I. As usual though, SuperSanto gradually pulled away and I was soon greeted with the crackings of a faint bluetooth reception so it was music time. It was around this time that the oddities in our Garmin's (despite being loaded with the same routes) sunk their first blow. At a little town called Rathdowney I noted the distance on the road side signs to my next "if I'm having a heart attack stop here" town, Kyogle, was a solid 30km more than anticipated. Realising I should have taken a turn further back, I discovered an option from Rathdowney to get onto this road and cut out the extra 30km's. I inquired of the route of two old ladies working in a petrol station, who after laughing at what I was about to attempt said "that way is shorter, but more hilly". I made the quick assessment that hills in old lady terms were mere mole hills for a strapping young lad like myself and I was on my way.

..I soon discovered the old ladies were right. One hill even had a warning sign indicating a 19% grade for 1.5kms. With a bike weighing nearly 20Kg's, I admit I walked that bad boy.

Today was a big day, 129.6km's crossing over the border ranges with 1231m of vertical climb. Unfortunately, Santo was already too far down the Mount Lindsay Highway and covered over 155km today. I actually found Running Creek Rd and Lyons Rd (where I crossed into NSW) quite a highlight of the trip, it was about as country as you get with meandering road, open fields, woodlands, forests and those cattle grates on the road, so good for a road bike without suspension!

 Other highlights of the day include:

 - a chain rapped around the spokes in the middle of woop woop that took 5 minutes and a sinking feeling of disaster to repair.
- A chinese-come-Thai-come-Chinese-come-Thai restaurant with an identity crisis which turned out to be not so bad.
- It was a Sunday so the moto's were out in force (all willing to give me a wave)
- Minor cramping (which I was shocked to learn later would be the only case of which on the entire journey).
- A cafe in Kyogle that could easily fit in to a hipster suburb in Sydney - great coffee and a brown rice, pumpkin and kale salad that rocked!

Leaving Beaudesert (and sadly Bo Jenkins) behind:

Border ranges national park:

On the Summerland Way (I was on the reserve tank at this point):

Justin "Summerland" Saunders.

Day 1 - Brisbane to Beaudesert

Distance: 72.2Km's
Pain Factor: 3 out of 10.
Magpie attacks:1
Cow sightings:832
Accommodation Highlight: Saturday Night "Bo Jenkins" at the Beaudesert Hotel - a one man band playing mostly C&W but who did a wicked rendition of "Hurt" by Johnny Cash.

http://www.strava.com/activities/191510435

Awaking with confirmation that I was getting sick (razors in the throat, plus a voice that sounded like I had had a bender the night before) I proceeded to do the pre-flight checks and get locked and loaded. Strategic packing of two panier bags became a well oiled operation after 9 days on the road.

My aim was the start at the Brisbane GPO, and that is what I did, meeting my co-pilot, Shawn there at 8:30am. Here is the token photo of the rig outside the Brisbane GPO:

A quick chin wag, a setting of the Garmin's and we were on our way.

Following the Garmin's directions out of the city proved a little more difficult than we expected and we were forced to make a few last minute route decisions and "follow our noses" so to speak. Once we found our way to Sunnybank and Calamvale, I knew where I was and we were on our way.

And what is it with you Queenslander's and REBP's? ("Randomly Ending Bike Paths"). Attempting to do the right thing, Shawn and I would jump onto the bike path by the road, only to be confronted with an abrupt ending to the path (usually proceeded by overgrow scrub). At least there was a big sign with a bike symbol saying "end". Does this mean you just stop and turn around and hope that next time you attempt the journey they have extended it?

Once out of the city it was a fairly painless ride to Beaudesert on a typical sunny QLD day. A highlight would have to have been my Auntie and Uncle cheering me on at the side of the road about 20km's out of Beaudesert (complete with Aussie hats and flags). I wondered whom the hell they were in the distance, until I got closer and figured it out). Being a lighter day we stopped for some pub grub at Veresdale, where I indulged in what is the best ever chicken scnitty wrap I have ever had and used my sickness as an excuse to inhale a sweet ginger beer.

Chillin' like mofo's at the Veresdale pub:

As became customary on the trip, we checked into the first pub with accommodation we saw. $30 each a night. Sweet as for two bro's on their bikes, not exactly a place I would take to woo a lady for a night (unless a jail style sink in the corner of the room and a "don't look up" shared shower/toilet is her thing)

Check out my sink!:

Sleep with me, sleep with the bike:

Old school country pub verandah awesomeness:

..and Shawn (who from this point forward will simply be referred to by his Marvel superhero name "Santo"

Our chateau for the first night:

The night was made oh so much sweeter by watching the Roosters beat Melbourne in the NRL, followed by the sweet sounds of one man C&W band/singer Bo Jenkins.

Justin "Buck" Saunders.

Day 0 (T minus 1 day)

Monk Sightings - 10 (on the plane)
School kid Sightings - 62 (on the plane)

As freaking usual, my first day of leave from work I wake up with a suspiciously raspy and sore throat. What is it with getting sick and holidays peoples?! I survived the whole working winter without getting sick and bang, the first day off work and a day before starting the ride, I am coming down with a cold.

Other than a 1 hour flight delay, the journey to Brisbane was about as eventful as you would expect flight from Sydney to Brisbane to be. Though there were two things that stood out for me:

- For the first time I really paid attention to the amount of land between Sydney and Brisbane and that indeed my ticket was one way and I'd be ride all that way home.
- I paid $22 for a bike box in Sydney. Upon arriving in Brisbane, noticed how many discarded boxes there were (presumably people had just got their bike out there and then and ridden off). Note to self for next time - get a box from the oversize luggage drop off at Sydney airport...

A special thanks to my Auntie and Uncle in Brisbane whom picked me up at the airport, fed me that night and dropped me in the city for my start the next day - it was much appreciated and also great to see you both!

...It made it! Collecting my bike at Brisvegas airport (tyres deflated, wheels off, seat down and handlebars folded to contort it to size):

Justin
 

The Rig

So, after a couple of months of browsing, assessing options and procrastinating over the best solution (which included new bikes, new frames etc..) I settled on the purchase of a new bike, which one of my trusty minions.. I mean friends... spotted for me on special at a local bike shop.

A 2014 Giant Revolt. It is more of a Cyclocross/commuter with disc and dual lever breaks. Value $1700, mine for $1200. Required modifications for the journey were minor:

- New tyres (the set it was bought with were for Cyclocross). I went with a set of Continental Grand Prix GT's 700 x 25. A bit wider than your usual road tyre but thin enough to roll well.
- Pannier rack attacked
- Two water bottle cages
- Panaracer Flataway Puncture Protection (kevlar lining for the tyres - these proved to be invaluable!)
- Lights

And here is a photo of said steed, fully loaded (actually taken at the completion of the journey)

Justin.

A set back of epically dumb proportions

I won't dwell on this one too long. But let it serve as a reminder that no one, not even myself, is perfect.

My weapon of choice for the ride was my Kona Zing. A perfectly good "relaxed" road bike. All it really needed was the pannier rack attacked, some thicker tyres and it was good to go.

However, one fateful day it fell victim to my epic stupidity. You see, I thought it would be easier to transport my bikes on roof racks, rather than a rear bike rack (this was half the reason for converting to my A4 wagon). One afternoon upon returning home, it was raining, I'd been shopping, my mind was elsewhere.

... I drove into my secure garage, with the bike still on the roof. The bike, the bike racks and the roof racks all came off in one complete piece. On their journey off the roof of my car the racks gouged into the roof of the car and tailgate. An insurance claim (for $3000) later, the car was repaired.

On first inspection the Kona seemed fine, but on closer inspection, there was a significant dent in the down tube - bad enough I felt to compromise the frame integrity - and the thought of loading it with 10kg's of luggage and 80Kg's of me didn't sit well with me. Now, I had the prospect of a Brisbane to Sydney ride... without a bike to do it on.

Yep...

Shutup!
Justin.

I did it.. so now I can blog it

My adoring fans,

Not much of a blogger am I? Ah well, deal with it.

So, a few blogs ago I alluded to a new project I had conjured up. I am sure you have all been thinking about that comment (made back on the 14th of April) and the dangling stinky rotten carrot, ravaged by the hands of old man time has kept you in a state of uncontrollable suspense ever since....

50% because I wasn't confident I'd actually finish it, and 50% because I am simply a shitty blogger I kept pretty quiet about it. I needed to fill the void of biking challenges left after completing the build of the Heckler. My second project was a ride. A long ride. A ride from Brisbane to Sydney.

For all you foreigners and geographically challenged plebs, that's around 1000km's (or about 630 miles). The storyline is pretty simple... (though in future blogs I will no doubt fabricate it).

Cycle from Brisbane GPO to Sydney GPO, unassisted, carrying on the bike all I needed. Motivation for doing it... Personal challenge.

So I spread my great idea with some of my cycling fraternity. Met mostly with interest, but with more than a twist of skepticism, I was surprised that two of my riding brethren, Shawn and Paul showed interest. Paul unfortunately has been recovering from a severely broken ankle and as time got closer, it became apparent that he would not be able to join us; which incidentally added a new level of "oh shit" to my decision top doing this. This is because he was going to drive and just ride sections with us. While my intention was to do this unassisted, the thought of not even having the option of a support vehicle threw more face slapping realism into what I had committed to.

In the following blogs I will enlighten you on the experience, the lead up, training and the adventure itself. But for now I will leave you with this, which upon committing to this challenge, sums up how I felt in the months leading up to the ride:

Until next time, my legion of fans...
Justin.

Like a pro!

This is what happens when one of your riding friends is a professional photographer and just bought some new toys,

http://vimeo.com/95826702

Oh, and yeah I know, many months since a blog. I know, I know. Slacker!

Justin.

Head Job

Yes, I did a real job on my noggin' a few weeks ago; and now that I have your attention, you may as well read this post, you know, while you are here and all ;-)

Right, so I alluded to an extended absence from the bike recently. Including the recent couple of weeks of rain (which turned the trails into a quagmire) this was to the tune of around 5 or 6 weeks.

We need to rewind time to a fateful February evening. Enter stage left a DMC Delorean (and if you don't know the significance of one of these, I pity you).

A party was raging. I had stepped into the kitchen for a break from the festivities. My pet birds cage was sitting on the bench. Odd I thought. My beautiful Rozella was not in the cage. More Odd I though. I turned to my left and looked down. Across the room, my pet bird was on the floor. Being attacked by a cat. I freaked out. I launched myself across the room, in a downward direction. THUMP.  A wave of pain circulated around my head. The room turned dark. I was in a different house. I was laying in a bed. My bed?! The pain! Why is it dark? Why am I in bed? Why does my head hurt. Why is my head wet?

....I had woken up.

....I was dreaming.

....I was sleep-walking (or sleep acting).

I am a prolific dreamer, but I am not a sleep walker/talker (or so my harem of ladies tell me). I reached up and turned on the light. Blood all over the pillow and all over the sheets. Have you ever opened up a significant wound on your head?! Freak me, the blood! I dashed out of bed and ran for the bathroom (blood stains on the carpet scrubbed up the next day). I looked in the mirror. Blood down my forehead and the left side of my head wet with blood. More shocking was a flap of skin about the side of a 5cent piece, complete with hair sticking up out of my head. Suddenly a wave of faintness hit me (originally thought to be in reaction to the blood but more likely because of how quickly I jumped out of bed after 5 hours of slumber).

I laid down on the bedroom floor, clasping a washer over the wound. I looked at the clock. 3:45am. I attempted to get up. Dizzy again. Some logic began to return. Concern for the blood and cut turned quickly to concern for loosing my hair - right on the part hairline! Options assessed. A couple of mates live round the corner. Should I call them? Flatmate is home. I needed some help on this one, so banged on her door. Asking her not to freak out, I shouted I needed some help. I returned to my room before the onset of the next wave of dizziness (which returned). She assessed. A quick an unanimous decision was made that I needed to go to emergency - right after I can walk again.

So, in my hast to save my pet bird, I had slammed my head into the <metal> handle of my bedside table.

Sydney roads suck. But I can tell you at 4am they are truly sublime. That doesn't really help 99% of us still sleeping at that time of morning. Drummoyne to RNS in 8 minutes flat.

Behold, the post repair carnage...

Now, I am not going to sit here and proclaim that this was a particularly nasty or painful injury, far from it. What I can tell you however is that the ensuing weeks were damn right annoying. The damn thing just would not heal properly and given its location on my scalp was a nuisance to manage. It also prevented me from doing a lot of my normal exercise; I could not wet my head so sweating was out and furthermore, I could not put a helmet on my head = no riding. No riding make Justin go craaaaaazy.

Furthermore, what is the first thing that you do when you get in the shower (mainly if you are a bloke) - head back and run the hands through the hair. I did this twice, which resulted in grimacing, swearing and after all was said and done 4 visits to the doctor to check on how the healing is going (it is very hard to manage an injury you can't easily inspect yourself). I only made that mistake twice, for the ensuing 4 weeks I had a note on the outside of my shower door "watch your head!"

My worst fear though was loss of hair. If you notice, it is right on the part line (where baldness starts to set in) and with the lesion was a fair chunk of hair. I can report that <thankfully> it appears most of the re-seated scalp skin took hold and it appears the possible hair loss was contained to a very small area.

So there concludes my story telling for the day. I will return you to the purpose of this blog in the next post. P0rn. Bike p0rn!

Proclaiming that 88mph IS the figure capable of creating the risk to break the space time continuum, 
Justin.

Welcome Back Westleigh!

Hey Trendsetters,

Well, today was the first day back on the mountain bike after an extended absence. It has rained for the last 2 weeks and before that, my injury kept me off the bike for 4 weeks, so a total of 6 weeks..

But, I just realised, I haven't told you what I did yet, have I? Oh well, you will have to wait a bit longer...

After 52km's on the road bike on Sunday, I backed up with a 2.5hr, 25km mountain bike ride today. Come spring, backing up will become very important for me (yet another story I haven't told you yet.. and as they say, Treat 'em mean, keep 'em keen - yes, that's YOU).

So a solo ride at Westleigh today. Track condition; A for Awesome. After weeks of rain, Easter delivered with an absolutely stunning 4 days in Sydney. It's been many weeks since I hit Westleigh and it appears those track fairies have been hard at work, bless them.

A nice little berm, to redirect riders off to the right (the old track used to go straight through this berm), which adds about 200mtrs of track:

 ...and a nice easy does it drop off before a right hook back onto the original track:

And here is an interesting specimen from the past, obviously uncovered by the fairies while track building. An old school Toohey's Draft can (now known as Toohey's New). I estimated late 80's/early 90's, and upon closer inspection of the can I can see the Olympic logo with the words, "Official Sponsor of the 1992 Olympics. Love it!

>>>end transmission, Justin<<<

Justin Who?

Well a piss-week effort with the blogging Uncle Justin... Brav<fucking>o. I'm not actually sure how I can redeem myself from the lurky depths of Internet obscurity. So much has passed under the bridge since my last post.

- Christmas 2013.
- A new year.
- Aussies reclaiming the ashes
- Something something Winter Olympics
- Russia genuinely believing their country big enough to span 8 separate time zones isn't enough so decide to land grab from the Ukraine.
- The tragic, but fascinating disappearance of a commercial plane
- The 4th season of Game of Thrones
The...

Hang on Goats. As valuable a hand as the Meme pussy. I throw down this card of redemption...

Game Of Goats

Yes I am a shitty blogger. Now shut up and read.

Well, once I reboot the memory bank and figure out what shenanigans the Heckler has been up to since the last blog, I will post it at some random point in blogs to come. But for now there are stories to tell and stories to be told. I encourage you to keep visiting this blog, for in coming posts I will inform you of my next project for 2014.... It's totally epic. But not only that, it has the capability to transform into an epic failure; you know the saying, "To bite of more than you can chew"? Oh well now let me tell YOU; I intend to bite, chew, swallow, digest and eject FAR more than I can chew. Be prepared to put on you straight face, look me in the eyes and say, "hey, nice try <loser> - I'd never have gotten anywhere near as far as you did, <cause I am not dumb enough to try that>".

But stories. I have stories. For starters, the Heckler has been dormant, locked away under the stairs for going on 5 weeks now. Oh, she is in oh so perfect working order still so new and sexy.

Sad to say the rider hasn't been though. It all started one dreamy night in March...

But to tell the story now would be to waste the opportunity to create 2 separate blog entries when I can draw it out over two now, isn't it?

Ciao!
Justin.

Poetry In Motion....

Well, the heckler is poetry in motion. So I thought to myself, what better way to celebrate this than blatantly plagiarising the lyrics of <what I think is> a well known song. A shiny new 50 cent piece to the first person to identify it. And a pineapple after for admitting to the world you know what the song is....

Ridin' like a boss
Hitting jumps like a hammer
Just a juvenille but a winner
It'll never be a quitter
Tasty like a raindrop
The Heckler's got the look

Heavenly bound
Cause heaven's got a number
When the wheels are spinning round
Sky blue is the colour
Rides like a wild dog
The Heckler's got the look

Heckler's got the look (It's got the look) Heckler's got the look (It's got the look)
What in the world can make a green-eyed guy turn blue
When everything I'll ever do I'll do for it
And I go la la la la la Hecklers got the look

Fire in it's shocks
Sexy to it's frame
It's a tiger in disguise
Banging on the head set
Shaking like a mad bull
The Heckler's got the look

Swaying on the berms
Moving like a cheetah
It's a miracle of man
Loving is a great track
Kissing it with fat tyres
The Heckler's got the look

Heckler's got the look (It's got the look) Heckler's got the look (It's got the look)
What in the world can make a green-eyed guy turn blue
When everything I'll ever do I'll do for it
And I go la la la la la Hecklers got the look!

....Look up awesome in the dictionary and there is a picture of me.
Justin.

The Maiden Voyage

Crowds of people waited in anticipation. The countdown was on. The crowd was buzzing. The week had finally arrived. Some paid a hefty price to get the best seats. Pre-event entertainment kept them from loosing their cool at the excitement of the spectacle that awaited them....

...That was the night before the maiden voyage. The Rugby League double-header, first round of finals - The Sharks v Cowboys and (my) Roosters v Manly, which I am happy to say, the Roosters were victors.

Alas, the maiden voyage of the Heckler was a somewhat more subdued affair the next day. A lazy Sunday afternoon ride at Old Man's Valley, Hornsby. Being the smart cookie I am, I was not foolish enough to commit to a morning ride - knowing post match celebrations may leave the mind and body somewhat resistant to a birds fart ride - gotta love my commitment now, don't you?

I did however remember to bring my trusty artsy-fartsy photographer, who proved yet again that an iPhone & an artsy-fartsy photo editor is all this connoisseur of mountain bike p0rnography needs.

Behold yours truly on his trusty <new> steed...

I will use only two word to describe how it rode. Fucking Awesomely.

I am so happy with the result. The Giant served me well for many years. But bless it, with age came the creaks and squeaks. The Heckler makes only the noises I expect:

- The ZZZZZZZZZZZ of that Hope Pro 2 rear hub when free wheeling (yes world, Justin is approaching).
- The Tss Tss Tss of that front RockShox Revelation Fork going about it's business.
- And the sweet sweet sound of a new set of Nobby Nic's crunching their way across the dirty and rock.

....And NOTHING else. Silence from all those new parts working harmoniously together.

What impressed me most is how well it "rolls" (I mistimed a few obstacles from seemingly arriving at them earlier than expected). It climbs FAR better than expected as well. I also felt the stability of the 15mm thru-axle up front (rather than the traditional 9mm skewer I had on the Giant).

There is very little I need to change other than possibly lowering the handle-bars by removing a spacer (note in a previous blog I purposely left length in the steerer so I can shorten if I want) as well as a few squirts of air in the rear shock.

It seems also my concerns over the width of the cranks can be put to bed. The chain apparently changes chain-rings up front without hitting the frame, nor do the cranks hit the swing arms.

I must admit to one small issue on the maiden voyage - more an ID 10 t error from its creator. New cables stretch - a lot. So much so that from the time of build to just before the first ride, the gears were already skipping. The day before I tightened the cables, but alas did not tighten the rear one enough, and well, a lap into the ride was left with no gears. 2 minute on-track fix.

For just a moment, I declare there are only 6 deadly sins. Feel envious. Desire what I have, I know it cannot be stopped.

Are you done? I now re-instate the 7th deadly sin.

Carry on. Ride on.

Justin.

Always wear protection....

Pain in the bum putting protection on. It doesn't look as good, and sometimes may not necessarily feel the same.

But we all know it is necessary to stop all those dings and scratches from messing up the frame.

WHAT DID YOU THINK I WAS TALKING ABOUT PEOPLE?!

Protection. One of the final instalments in this epic tail that is the great bike build of 2013 (yes only taken me 8 freakin' months!).

So, a nice shiny new frame, and given the damage the Giant sustained over its innings, I thought I would put on some protection to try and keep the Heckler looking half decent. Additionally, the Giant had an anodized frame, this is just a gloss colour coat - so I think will show the scratches more than the Giant.

Believe it or not, the core ingredient to this frame protection is contact. Yes, good old simple, newsagent $4.95 contact. You will forgive me for not adding this to the progressive total. Additional to the contact, I got some specific bike protection stickers for the higher traffic areas.

Of main concern in bike protection is the points on the frame that are likely to cop stones kicked up from the tyres and rub points with you legs, shoes and most importantly, the cables.

Putting on the protection was probably the longest, most tedious job with many hours spent in the garage while I carefully applied the protection, bubble free (the pile of rejects on the floor testament to this not always going to plan).

Here is a collection of photos showing how I have applied it in various places. You may need to look more closely at some as the protection is clear. Now most importantly this is all removable/replaceable.

It is fair to say that (like most things) the protection has taken away from the aesthetic look (and feel) of the bike. But knowing it comes easily after serving its purpose, I am a happy man.

Keeping "up" the good work,
Justin.

The first p0rno shoot

No airbrushing this baby....

NOTE: Photos are pre gravity dropper, so sorry again for the rather average looking seat post.

I will let the photos do the talking.

Justin.

Trouble brewing? The cranks

Greetings bike lovers and infidels,

So a potential issue with the bike is the width of the cranks compared to the width of the pivot point and "swing arm" on the Heckler. There is very little room for the chain to move between the small and large chain ring up front. It's all too hard to convey in writing so check out this photo. The point of concern is in the red box for those who are a beer short of a six pack.

A trial run proved my fear with some paint coming off just below the pivot point bolt, indicating the chain scratching on the frame.

The bottom bracket came with two spacers to push the cranks out further from the frame. I thought about putting both on the chain ring side, however, I have a similar issue on the other side where the back of the crank "may" hit the swing arm (I anticipate their being some sideways flex in the swing arm.

So, a spacer each side:

Additionally, to at least try and protect the swing arm's, I have put on chain protectors on each size (fabric/velco black wrap in the above photos).

 

I'll keep you posted on how it goes. I think after my handy work it will be ok - it had better be. I can't really widen the cranks anymore, which may mean, gulp, new wider cranks.

 

Justin.

Empty Boxes & a DOH! Moment

So it seems I am well and truly on the final stretch. All my boxes are empty. Which means all the contents are on the bike. Yahooooo!

But before I get too much ahead of myself, and you. Much to the disappointment of some of my riding brethren, it is not quite yet ready to Heckle the trails of Sydney and beyond. I need to do the following still:

• File down the steerer
• Tune the gears
• Affix cable caps to stop fraying
• Apply protection
• Relocate the Gravity Dropper from the Giant to the Heckler
• Shorten Cables (not necessary pre-ride)
• Final once over and tightening

So, the steerer. A fairly straight forward job. Upon consultation with a few mates, not 100% necessary, but I thought I would do it anyway, and I am sure what I am about to tell you is punishment for making that decision.

I removed the headset, took out the fork and filed down. Remember in a previous post I mentioned the cut I did was not completely straight. Being careful not to get the iron filings in all the workings of the bike, about 10minutes of filing did the job. Fork back on, headset on, tighten,

tighten,

tighten,

SNAP!

Dohhhhh! I applied too much pressure to the headset bolt - meant more for bringing the headset together before tightening the stem - I pushed my luck and snapped it. I thought I would need a new head doctor. However, I managed to get the head doctor out of the steerer and remove the broken bit of bolt.

Would you believe that in what I consider not a particularly complete supply of spare bits and pieces I found a bolt, with the correct thread size as a replacement. Being VERY careful not to snap this one I screwed it back together.

 

Time cost of this little mishap was around ~45mins, but I was just super glad I didn't need to go an order a new head doctor.

 

Justin.

The next bit...

Dear o dear o dear me. 17 piss weak days without a blog update. This also means 17 days since any attention has been paid to the bike build. And to think, keeping all of my loyal readers out there, hanging on a thread. I am so sorry, I know it must have been indescribably painful....

Alas, I am back. Well, I never really went anywhere. Life just got a bit busy, again, there for a while. So what have I been up to on the bike?

At the end of the last blog I made mention of the "fiddly" bit of the build I would be doing next - the cabling. Well I can fairly say that while it was fiddly, it actually wasn't as hard as expected. I was perhaps exacerbating the complexity of the task. I needed to cable the front and rear gears & put the chain on.

Another small expense incurred ($35). I didn't have cable housing. The gears only came with the gear cable. Rather than wait for online deliveries, I went to the local bike shop and grabbed 3 meters PLUS importantly, the little nipples that attach to the housing for the bare cable to enter and exit from. Most modern bikes do not have cable housing for the full run of the cable. I "think" this is so there is less friction for cable movement, but housing to keep the cable taught - shitty explanation, I will let the photos do the talking.

Importantly also, I looked up many Google images of the Heckler to make sure I was getting the runs correct and using the correct mounts.

So, first bit, run of the front derailleur cable from the shifter to frame. Note where the cable re-exits the housing at the frame mount:
 


I was careful to measure the cable several times before making the cut to length. You can see above only about 20cm of housing is needed until it reaches the first mount, at which point the cable exits the housing again. The mounts are designed so the nipples sit snug in place and once the cable is taught, everything will tighten up.

Here are the special cutters to cut the housing. You cannot see in this picture, but they have a spike on the back to insert back into the housing to re-form the housing after the cut (the housing has a metal sheath). This is important to reduce any drag when changing gears (so the gears don't feel too tight).

Here is the run re-entering the housing (left of the picture, just above the shock), and then angling back down towards the derailleur:

And finally, the cable re-exiting the housing again to attach to the front derailleur (just in front of the rear wheel). So you can see, fiddly to run a cable with all the cuts.

Next was the rear derailleur cable and housing. A longer run to get to the back of the bike, but same concept of cable cuts, measuring, mounting etc....

So here is a progression of photos to give you an idea of the task. In these we have 1. Housing being slid onto the cable, 2. Pulling/measuring cable to rear of bike 3. Mounting the housing where the cable re-enters the housing on the bottom of the frame, 4. Completed run to rear derailleur and 5. example of the completed run showing both the gear and brake cable runs to the rear of the bike:

 

Next was putting on the chain. Pretty straight forward. To get the chain the right size, you place it on the largest chain rings at the front and back of the bike pull it tight and leave about 1 inch extra. Chain breaker needed to snap off the 3 or 4 chain links I do not need (the chain breaker is an essential tool to take on rides - I have broken chains many times and a breaker on track allows you to remove the broken link and re-link the chain). This is a SRAM chain with quick lock links to re-attach. The rear derailleur is always a pain as it is spring loaded, so one of my ye 'ol faithful decommissioned from primary life duty socks were used to hold the derailleur so I wasn't fighting the spring when trying to link the chain. I was quite surprised that with a quick test ride the gears were changing oddly well - odd because they still need to be tuned!

 And while I now find myself with something that looks, feels and smells like a completed bike, more work awaits.

 

Keep it real,

Justin.