After a couple of really painful rides on my eight month old supermarket bike I took it along to my Local Bike Shop (LBS) where I was informed that I had almost ridden it to the ground. I had been considering an upgrade, seeing as I was riding in my local Peleton with a 3x7 setup compared to the 2x9 to 2x11 speeds my companions where riding. Anyway, back to the bike project!
I have quite a good relationship with my LBS Owner and he sold me a new frame and fork, with almost the same geometry as my worn out bike, drop handle bars and stem, with tape residue, and a 26 spoke rear wheel, for the price of £55! Bargin! The compromise is though, the braze on front derailleur bracket is cracked at the bottom, which means either a very skillful bodge, either taking it off and putting a clamp-on derailleur on or by welding/soldering it, or by going with a single front gear. I will add some photos tomorrow, but for now I will leave you with an image of my old, heavy bike.
Please note: The picture is before I added SPD pedals and removed the mud guards!
Ride well my friends!
