Upping the Fuel

I've had a bit of a hiatus from blogging here, but it was more a priority issue than anything. Anyhoot, here is the current lowdown of my cycling equipment and what is on the docket for me to put through this season. I've just finished a swap out on the Trek Fuel. The circa '03 XTR rear dérailleur, '03 XT front dérailleur and original Avid Thingamajig (from the early 90's made of aluminum and milled - not the later cast aluminum or plastic versions) came off quickly and cleanly. In fact, they all seem in near new condition seeing that I put 1 plus a little bit of a season on them and the previous owner all but rode around the block with them - according to him. None-the-less, they are now back-ups for my fleet.

In exchange go on the new wave of Shimano fare. A slightly used "new" XTR rear dérailleur, a brand spankin' new XT front dérailleur and a (unfortunately) plastic Avid Thingamajig - the story on that a little later. The swap out was quite quick. The rear was an almost 1 to 1 swap out. But the stickler for me was the fact that the new XTR rear mechs do not have a cable adjuster like past iterations. I was at a near loss since the old Rollamajigs all needed a treaded portion of the cable adjuster to work. And my goal was not to have to swap out the cable and housing... so I dug up a cast aside plastic Rollamajig. What's the dif? The plastic version doesn't accommodate a barrel adjuster and instead just plugs in and rides on a separate ball. My assumption is a limited life span... but it does allow me to not have to swap out the cable. A simple dialing in of the limiter screws and the b-screw and all was good. Cable adjustments are now handled at the shifter. The front derailleur was a bit more fussy. The actual swap out was quick, but the adjustment was a bit of a beast. I did get it all dialed in eventually, but in the center chainring, the high and low rear cogs forced the chain to tap on the front cage. I just had to settle on equal rub on either end and hope it would slowly wear itself silent. Oddly enough though, when I took it up and down the block for a few test spins... there was no evidence of rubbing. Huh? Yeah, I'm not sure either.

In the end, shifting is quite crisp on both the front and rear. We'll see when it gets messy out. I've had problems with previous XTR rear mechs in muddy and sandy conditions. I hope this fairs better.

On a side note, I decided to weigh the bike again. I noticed the rear was a lot lighter than the old XTR but the new XT was a touch heavier than the previous. The end weight of the Trek Fuel 98 was a flat 25 pounds. This is with the computer mounts and sensors as well as a bottle cage. I've shaved 1/8th of a pound. It amazes me I have a 25 pound full suspension rig. I weighed my single speed as well. It came in at 22.37 pounds. That's only 2-2/3 pounds for double cush....