Today I got to the shop and stripped down Keesha's old bike to install all the components to the new frame. Some things would not convert like the rear brake and the front derailleur. Other things changed just because they were cool; like the handlebar for instance. I found a purple RaceFace Deus bar that matched the bike and wasn't the bland black. The best thing about the change was the new bar was at least half the weight of the old one. Pretty much everything else swapped over directly. From swapping out the old aluminum frame to the new carbon frame I shaved three pounds from the entire bike. The bike started out weighing in at a hefty 27.5 pounds and finished off at a more respectable 24.5 pounds. By swapping the cranks for a lighter set and the wheels I could cut another 2 pounds easy, but that's for the future to hold.
Here are the photos from the build…
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The bare frame. | The front fork, headset, stem and handlebars installed. Notice the front brake was not removed from the fork for the swap. |
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The completed cockpit. All the controls have been installed and the cables are being run. The shifters, brake levers and grips are swap-overs. This is a great shot of the new RaceFace bar. | The new front derailleur installed and an empty bottom bracket shell. The cable runs from the bottom of the frame and then through the frame in the small hole in front of the chainstays. |
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The completed drivetrain. I had never removed or installed a bottom bracket before nor had I any experience installing a chain. I damaged the original chain during the installation and it would not shift correctly. I had to put in a new SRAM chain and all was better. | The completed bike just before my test ride at the shop. The bike rode wonderfully and had a very quick turn-in. The bike is very soft when it comes to vibration damping and the new brakes work great with the old levers. |
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Here she is enjoying the new ride. I got great feedback for my efforts. | |
