Current Projects:

WRX Wheel Repair — These will be used with a set of snow tires for next winter.

Custom Ti Frame — More to come…

How did I spend my Saturday night?  I made a time-lapse video of the end of the season tear down and rebuild of the M2.  What else?   

No surprises this time.  The only parts that were replaced were a couple of cable housings, derailleur cables and the rear brake cable.  That’s all for now…

New bike parts?  Yep.  I was fortunate enough to receive a very nice Mavic Crossmax XL ceramic front wheel.  (Thanks!) My old wheel started leaving large amounts of aluminum in my brake pads, and the braking surface was getting a little thin.  So, new wheel and some new brakes and pads to finish it off.  I went with the Avid Single Digit 7 brakes and a pair of Rim Wrangler 2 ceramic pads on the front.

Why rim brakes?  Well, I considered a disc brake, but I couldn’t see much performance advantage, they are heavier, more expensive, require more maintenance, and I’d have to refer to the M2 as a mullet.   I’ve only ridden the new wheel once, but it was quite a bit stiffer than the old wheel, and the braking was impressive.  We had our first snow here in beautiful muddy suburban DC, so it may be a while until I’m back on the trails.   Until things dry out, I’ll probably spend my time tearing down the M2 and getting it cleaned up for the spring…