N
Neil Brooks
Guest
My MTB is well nigh half my age . . . and I've been infesting this
Earth for four decades. It's a Diamondback Response Comp with a
Marzocchi XC-200 suspension fork and XT components. In the day, I
dotted "I's" and crossed "T's" with this thing . . . and then it sat
for quite a while--something that it does exceptionally well in light
of its formidable weight.
Been riding it a bit lately, though. Primarily because my wife's been
running more than riding and the gap between our bike-borne speeds is
increasing. If I take the Cannondale tourer, she won't go with me.
So when we go together, I haul out the Diamondback, viciously
neglected over the years.
But over the last couple of days, I made the repair stand and the
D-back fixtures in the living room and took the old tank apart just a
bit. Misrouted cables, ill-shifting der's fore and aft, ill-fitting
bars, sticky cantilevers, and a drivetrain that needed some form of
grease-tric bypass, it had become so gunked.
I'm far from a mechanic, but it seemed everything I'd done, I'd done
right. The FD had an inappropriate bend in it that I tapped out. It
was too high and poorly aligned. The cable was woefully mis-adjusted.
The canti's studs were gunked up. Cleaned and greased 'em. Mineral
spirits, rubber gloves, a nail brush, and about 15 minutes put the
drivetrain back to new (it had very few miles on it). Just a couple
tweaks on the RD set her right. The rims were perfectly true, so I
scrubbed the braking surfaces clean and set the tire pressures for
road. The ancient Marzocchi had lost virtually no air in the many
months since I'd last checked it. A quick set and equalization was
all it needed.
Today was the shakedown cruise. It's about 65 degrees in San Diego,
with a cloud in sight, but only one. I ran errands in Pacific Beach
with a pannier on the back, then just cruised the length, breadth, and
height of Mount Soledad, home to many of San Diego's most affluent,
and site of the apocryphal "little peoples' houses"
(http://tinyurl.com/4j5ym). The whitewater views from Soledad's
hillsides are, these days, the purview of the exceptionally wealthy .
.. . but the roads are still public domain!
The old Diamondback rode better than I ever remember it riding. After
the initial 'off the stand' tweaks on the RD ferrule, the shifts were
flawless. The drivetrain was silent. The brakes were Arrestors of
All Motion in the Universe.
The bike hadn't lost a step.
Unfortunately, it hadn't lost an ounce, either, and it's far from a
light bike. But neither have I, and I think we've reached kind of an
understanding on that.
Over the years that the MTB sat lifeless, I always thought I'd save
for a new one, but I guess it's kind of an old dog: if I take better
care of it--as I intend to now--it'll be an excellent friend.
.. . . and /damn/, I wish San Diego were more affordable. It's just
beau-ti-ful out here!
Good riding, all!
Earth for four decades. It's a Diamondback Response Comp with a
Marzocchi XC-200 suspension fork and XT components. In the day, I
dotted "I's" and crossed "T's" with this thing . . . and then it sat
for quite a while--something that it does exceptionally well in light
of its formidable weight.
Been riding it a bit lately, though. Primarily because my wife's been
running more than riding and the gap between our bike-borne speeds is
increasing. If I take the Cannondale tourer, she won't go with me.
So when we go together, I haul out the Diamondback, viciously
neglected over the years.
But over the last couple of days, I made the repair stand and the
D-back fixtures in the living room and took the old tank apart just a
bit. Misrouted cables, ill-shifting der's fore and aft, ill-fitting
bars, sticky cantilevers, and a drivetrain that needed some form of
grease-tric bypass, it had become so gunked.
I'm far from a mechanic, but it seemed everything I'd done, I'd done
right. The FD had an inappropriate bend in it that I tapped out. It
was too high and poorly aligned. The cable was woefully mis-adjusted.
The canti's studs were gunked up. Cleaned and greased 'em. Mineral
spirits, rubber gloves, a nail brush, and about 15 minutes put the
drivetrain back to new (it had very few miles on it). Just a couple
tweaks on the RD set her right. The rims were perfectly true, so I
scrubbed the braking surfaces clean and set the tire pressures for
road. The ancient Marzocchi had lost virtually no air in the many
months since I'd last checked it. A quick set and equalization was
all it needed.
Today was the shakedown cruise. It's about 65 degrees in San Diego,
with a cloud in sight, but only one. I ran errands in Pacific Beach
with a pannier on the back, then just cruised the length, breadth, and
height of Mount Soledad, home to many of San Diego's most affluent,
and site of the apocryphal "little peoples' houses"
(http://tinyurl.com/4j5ym). The whitewater views from Soledad's
hillsides are, these days, the purview of the exceptionally wealthy .
.. . but the roads are still public domain!
The old Diamondback rode better than I ever remember it riding. After
the initial 'off the stand' tweaks on the RD ferrule, the shifts were
flawless. The drivetrain was silent. The brakes were Arrestors of
All Motion in the Universe.
The bike hadn't lost a step.
Unfortunately, it hadn't lost an ounce, either, and it's far from a
light bike. But neither have I, and I think we've reached kind of an
understanding on that.
Over the years that the MTB sat lifeless, I always thought I'd save
for a new one, but I guess it's kind of an old dog: if I take better
care of it--as I intend to now--it'll be an excellent friend.
.. . . and /damn/, I wish San Diego were more affordable. It's just
beau-ti-ful out here!
Good riding, all!
