Tuesday, October 17, 2006

Raleigh XXIX: Project Upgrade



Okay, I've gotten an idea. I'm going to be looking at doing a special project or two over the upcoming winter months that won't require any outdoors testing. I got this idea confirmed for me after I let a friend test ride the XXIX and he commented on the ride compared to my Inbred 29"er which he also test rode.

Project Upgrade: The Raleigh XXIX will be launched soon. In fact, you could say it already has been launched, since I have upgraded the seat post and rear tire already! But that's just a technicality. Here are the goals for this project.

First, to not screw up the beautiful ride and nice handling that it already has. What good is an upgrade if I mess with that?

Second: To lower the weight of the bike, reasonably! I do qualify for the Clydesdale class, so I have to be careful not to get into an area where I'm going to be breaking stuff. I can't afford that in alot of ways! However; the XXIX weighs just a shade under 27lbs in it's current state. That's with the Salsa seat post and Maxxis Ignitor already installed. I think I can get this puppy quite a bit lighter without a lot of trouble and keep it strong and safe at the same time.

Thirdly: To share the process with you here and at Twenty Nine Inches. Again, we'll be running into some cold weather here in a short while that might not be good for outdoor testing and evaluations. That means I want to be able to have something fun to do indoors that keeps me off the rollers! Pimping out this rig and possibly building up another project, ( to be announced later) will fill in the inclement weather time nicely.

What do you think? Have any ideas? Let me know and I'll consider them. In the meantime, I'll be compiling a list of possibilities to share in an upcoming post.

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