GoatSurfer Retro MTB and other ramblings...

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Tuesday, May 25

Sunday Ride @ Salcey Forest

by Billy Goat on Tue 25 May 2010 10:43 BST

Due to previously reported 'issues' bike riding hasn't featured on my agenda for some time but now things have changed I intend to get out and 'do a bit' again.

I figured the best way for this was to start gentle so I hooked up with fellow RetroBiker GT-Steve for a few laps of Salcey Forest ) which was probably the last time I rode a bike back at the start of March).

It was the start of a VERY hot day for the UK so we started the ride at 10am and did 17.674 miles of hot dusty trails. GT-Steve tore a valve off his front tube about 5 minutes out but after he switched tubes we had no more 'mechanicals'

I did a lap of the woods on his Alpinestars Cro-Mega and I must say it rides brilliantly, much better than what I was riding on this day...

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Friday, May 21

EWR Project - Phase Twelve

by Billy Goat on Fri 21 May 2010 10:48 BST

OK so the NOS Accutrax forks went back in ok, first time this bike has had the correct sized forks in it since I bought it!!

The steerer is still uncut so short term I have switched the stem and bars so I can use normal stem spacers until I am 100% happy with the length, then I will cut it down. I couldn't use my current stem as it's a Syncros Cattlehead with one of those pesky angled tops on it, preventing me from using stem spacers above the stem

I'm thinking about modifying a stem spacer but that involves diagonally and accurately cutting a stem spacer to work with the angled top of the Cattlehead stem and I only really need to do this if I'm not 100% happy with the bar height.

So for now we have this ugly silver Specialized stem paired up with some VERY cool and scarce Answer Alumilite DH bars (still with the original gold shim

). I actually really love these bars and might stick with them, the only thing I'm not sold on is their colour as the rest of the bike has a black and yellow thing going on...

Here's another neat trick to use with Oury Grips on a hot day...roll them off 'condom/prophylactic' style and roll them back on the new bars.....yep, you guessed it......'condom/prophylactic' style

Rolling rubber...

Rolling it back on...

Continuing with the 'body parts' theme, what comes off the bike just looks sick....in fact do I need to spell it out or shall I just say "Pass the Butt Plugs"

So here we are with the temporary stem and bars and a mile of steerer tube...just while I convince myself the bar height is 500% correct...then the hacksaw comes out

So, for the first time ever maybe (

) I have two bikes in working order (just need to get the other five done now....)

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Tuesday, May 18

EWR Project - Phase Eleven

by Billy Goat on Tue 18 May 2010 09:08 BST

So, where were we.......?

Ok, yeah, about a month ago I had just got my NOS Accutrax back from the paintshop and then all hell broke loose at home, so I'm picking up where I left off...

My friendly neighbourhood decal man had mailed me a bunch of repro decals a while back so task one was to get the new forks 'decalled up'. I opted for black screen print onto a single clear sheet this time instead of pre-spaced lettering on a clear sheet as they are more robust, especially on the outside edge of a fork, plus I got two sets so I have a spare to use later when 'trail damage' trashes the first set.

Fatty & Skinny - 1" and 1 1/8" Accutrax