hifiandmtb
Sphincter beanie
Riding this thing today with the new dropper, I realised she's still absolutely delivering & has had quite a few setup iterations in the last seven years.
Got the frame from Kerry at Phantom Cycles - paid $3k back then, still a lot just for a frame...and a bike I'd never test ridden:
The original build is worth commenting on:
After a while, I found a Pike & read a lot about peeps turning the OG TBc into more of a trail bike. So I built up some LB carbon rims, fitted the Pike @ 130mm and swapped out the rear shock for a Monarch:
As you can see, now a 1x, running Minions, wider Thomson bars & yeah I left the Pike steerer long. The TBc has a very short HT leaving it that long paid off...
...for when I picked up the Ripley & moved all the components to that bike. The TBc then inherited the parts off my Specialised SJ HT Marathon, including the 142+ wheelset & 100mm forks:
Which brings us to the present day where I drilled a hole in the damn frame to fit a dropper!
She's a twitchy thing, 71 HTA, 73 STA, short wheelbase, short reach...but yeah laterally stiff frame, the Rovals work well on this bike as they are muted, light & quite flexy despite carbon.
Always rode quietly, never a creak or peep from her ever. There's something to be said for SC build quality.
Other tweaks over the years include a direct mount derailleur hanger & that 142+ hub precluding using the smallest rear cog. Some more modern stick-on chain area frame protection from SC, thick helicopter tape protection where needed & that SWAT kit installation (took some working out, that).
I doubt I'll ever sell her...I'd be lucky to get $1.5k & what on earth would I replace her with.
#lovethisbike
[edit] Oh, and rear triangle replacement years ago when a stick hit HARD:
Rear triangle cost me $500 through SC crash policy - I didn't even bother doing anything about it for six months, just rode it like that. No change in how it rode!
Got the frame from Kerry at Phantom Cycles - paid $3k back then, still a lot just for a frame...and a bike I'd never test ridden:
The original build is worth commenting on:
- Yeah, front derailleur...this was seven years ago!
- Hope SS hub with six cogs out back - so I'd created a 12 speed bike!
- Long stem, Stans Crest rims, 170mm cranks (low BB), 120mm fork
After a while, I found a Pike & read a lot about peeps turning the OG TBc into more of a trail bike. So I built up some LB carbon rims, fitted the Pike @ 130mm and swapped out the rear shock for a Monarch:
As you can see, now a 1x, running Minions, wider Thomson bars & yeah I left the Pike steerer long. The TBc has a very short HT leaving it that long paid off...
...for when I picked up the Ripley & moved all the components to that bike. The TBc then inherited the parts off my Specialised SJ HT Marathon, including the 142+ wheelset & 100mm forks:
Which brings us to the present day where I drilled a hole in the damn frame to fit a dropper!
She's a twitchy thing, 71 HTA, 73 STA, short wheelbase, short reach...but yeah laterally stiff frame, the Rovals work well on this bike as they are muted, light & quite flexy despite carbon.
Always rode quietly, never a creak or peep from her ever. There's something to be said for SC build quality.
Other tweaks over the years include a direct mount derailleur hanger & that 142+ hub precluding using the smallest rear cog. Some more modern stick-on chain area frame protection from SC, thick helicopter tape protection where needed & that SWAT kit installation (took some working out, that).
I doubt I'll ever sell her...I'd be lucky to get $1.5k & what on earth would I replace her with.
#lovethisbike
[edit] Oh, and rear triangle replacement years ago when a stick hit HARD:
Rear triangle cost me $500 through SC crash policy - I didn't even bother doing anything about it for six months, just rode it like that. No change in how it rode!
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