Hmm, Upgrades
I was able to order a couple new parts for the Haro and the Reign on Thursday. I ordered a new Marzocchi 888 fork for the Haro. It will make the Haro an even more lethal downhill wrecking ball. It will increase the front travel from 6″ to 7″ to match the rear suspension. It will also make the front end more stiff too. I can’t wait to take it on a Noble Canyon shuttle run and still walk the hard stuff.
I will take the fork that was on the Haro–a Marzocchi Drop-Off II–and put it on the Reign. It will increase the Reign’s front travel from 5″ to 6″ and also make it stiffer. You see, it has a “thru-axle” on the front, like the fork pictured above, instead of the standard Quick Release system most forks use. Basically, it will double the size of the axel the fork rides on, making it stiffer and stronger. I bought a new hub to accomodate the Haro’s old fork. I’m going to have Tom at Bicycle Warehouse build it up and it will match the extra Chris King spec’d hub on the matching rear wheel I have waiting for it. All this will make the Reign a more versatile bike and perfect for the days I climb Noble before descending it.
Speaking of Noble…
Yesterday, J and I set out to ride Noble Canyon with another group from SoCalTrailriders.org. It would be my second time climbing it and J’s first. He was pretty nervous about the climb, but I knew we would have a good day.
Right away, J started having mechanical issues. His chain was “ghost shifting” and then his rear tire started rubbing the frame. We were both inspecting the bike to see what the heck was wrong when J saw that the frame was cracked.
RIDE OVER.
The right chain-stay had a crack all the way around the weld. We figure Porcupine Rim is the culprit. Luckily for J, the manufacturer of his bike–Giant, has a lifetime frame warranty. So, J will be out a bike for a couple weeks, but at least it’ll get replaced. He might even luck out and get a Reign frame out of it.
We both still wanted to ride, so we drove up to Fallbrook and he rode the Reign and I rode the Yeti. Sean drove down to meet us and we busted out a good 3 hour ride. We also met up with a guy named Robert on the trail. Dad and I had ridden with him a while ago, but we hadn’t seen him in quite sometime. He’s a real cool dude and it was good to run into him and catch up on life a bit. He rode with us the rest of the way and we all had a blast. I also cleaned the entire “trials” section on the lower trail without having to stop or put a foot down. So, the day wasn’t a total loss.
Today, dad, Dyl and I got in a short but good ride in the Brook. It was pretty hot out and we were all baking a little bit. At least it was a good “warm up” for the hot summer months to come.
I have to take the Reign and the Yeti back into the shop tomorrow before work. Tom at BW put new shifters (from the Enduro) on the Reign and it isn’t shifting right. He also installed a new headset and new cranks (from the Enduro) and they are both creaking and squeaking like crazy. The entire ride today it sounded like I was riding an old wooden rocking chair instead of a bike.
I’ll probably just leave the Reign there for the time being, seeing as it needs to be there for the fork swap. Until then, seek your bliss.
Ride Lots…
