subversionBMXblog

Closing down sale...

This blog is now closed.

You can now find me at my new bike blog

Cable mod...

Well it's been a while! Thought I'd have a go at modding my front cable as I came up with a solution whilst building up BobK's new rig. The Nokon brake cables come with some plastic tubes which, I think, are to stop cable rattle & paint rub on frames which they are installed on? So the plastic tubes seem to have a good tight fit on normal brake cable outer so I figured I could finally do the cable join that I'd been waiting to do for ages. My reason for doing this mod was purely aesthetic in that I wanted orange cables originally but the Linear will not bend nicely for the brake end of the cable run so a normal piece is substituted for that end.

I cut the top half of the cable (linear) so that the join would run about mid way inside the fork steerer & then the standard outer would continue on to the front brake. I made sure that the 2 mating surface ends of the cables were nice & flat & the fit was nice & tight in the joining piece.

Once fitted it seems to work fine but I will reserve judgement until it's been through a good few sessions. Seeing as I haven't ridden since the RAD Xmas doo that may take a while!

Winter...

It's a daunting time of year isn't it? All we have to look forward to is a good few months of shitty cold weather which consequently means lack of riding :-( I'm kinda 'between bikes' at the moment as I've got a couple waiting to sell to enable me to get a new one & get stuck into some cold commute! I'm hoping that the RAD Xmas doo won't be the next time that I dust off the 20" though?

I also notice that, as the season turns, you start to see less of your friends. This isn't a good thing & it leaves me wishing for a local indoor spot to keep the summer riding roll going & the social element that goes hand in hand with that.

Here's a seasonal piccy I took last night in my yard, one of my boys mates left his BMX out in the rain.:

On a positive note I'm off to spend 5 days in the tropical paradise that is Centre Parcs for some sorely needed R&R.

Lets hook up soon brothers...

Kona Cindercone SOLD

1993 Kona Cindercone 18"

Recently completely stripped & rebuilt with 7 speed cassette & DX thumb-shifters, all in good working order & rides lovely :-) This was originally bought in 1993 as a frame-set (Frame, Forks, headset, Stem, Seatpost, seatclamp & brake guide) & built up with my own choice of components & groupset. Now quite sort after as these are pretty hard to find. I have picured the components before the bike was rebuilt for reference to condition. All the important original spec parts like the headset & stem are there with all the original plastic & rubber seals. Seat post moves in the frame no problem & the original brake guide for the rear brake is all there.

This bike is no 'garage queen' as she's been ridden for the past 15 years. Paint is rough in the usual places for a bike of this vintage & there is a very small dent in the top tube (see detail pics) which was done 10+ years ago & is only cosmetic.

Spec:
Frame - Kona Cindercone 18"
Fork - Kona Project II triple butted
Headset - Impact oversize
Stem - Velocity 1-1/8"
Bars - TransX risers
Seatpost - Kona racelight
Seat clamp - Kona
Seat - Free Agent Kevlar
BB - Shimano UN sealed
Cranks - Shimano Deore LX chainset 22-32-42
Pedals - Wellgo DX
Chain - sachs
Rear mech - Shimano Deore 9s
Front mech - Shimano Exage 500
Front Brake Shimano XTR canti
Rear Brake Shimano LX Canti
Brake Levers - Shimano Deore 2 finger
Thumb shifters - Shimano Deore DX 7 speed indexed
Grips - ODI longnecks
Barends - Bizhouse
Front hub - Shimano Exage 32h
Front Rim - Mavic 231CD
Rear hub - Shimano XT silent clutch 32h
Rear rim - Mavic 121
Cassette - Shimano HG30 11-28t
Tyres - Bontrager Revolt SuperX

Pics:

An Indian Summer...

Just got back from a session at Spiceball & the weather today was great so it would be a crime not to get rolling on the BMX. Surprised (& stoked) to see Sam Keene has blown off the cob-webs & bought Ibbo's old T1 setup & was back out sessioning again! Dan Tobe also keeping it real as usual :-)

Got a few nose picks onto the volcano from the spine down & came close to a tailwhip nosepick to fakie on the jump box which gave me the taste but was sadly not to be repeated... Ray was making it look effortless as per the norm & made some nice opposite stuff.

So maybe our 'summer' falls in the autumn now? who cares! you can't beat a nice little sesh with your mates when its sunny & warm ;-)

Still no sign of Sboy tho...?

Recluse...

My next door neighbour knows how mad on cycles I am, she told me that the house on the other side to her, had a bunch of bikes laying in the garden. Story goes that the guy who lived there was recently evicted as he never went out & evidently, never paid his bills either. I've never even seen the dude & I've lived here 2 years! So the place is a proper shit-hole, who ever lays out a mortgage on it will certainly have their work cut out...

Today I decided to go check the bikes out & see if there was anything that I could use as spares or maybe build up a ride to sell for a few quid. Here's what greeted me as I climbed over the fence:

This old Claud Butler Racer has been there so long that the wheels have actually dissolved into the mire:

As the drains are blocked with years of leaf litter the 'Path' is just a big puddle of shite & I dread to think what I was standing in?!

So I managed to salvage:

1 pair of plastic 9/16" pedals
1 alloy bottle cage
1 Kevlar seat

Which I wouldn't consider the greatest haul... It was fun to go nosing around & it is surprising how nature takes over when you let it. I'd like to take the Claud Butler but I'm certain it would be uneconomic to sort it...?

Oh & there was a nice wood saw just laying there so I gave that a good home too ;-)

Next...

I get bored not having a bike to tinker with, so I was in the shed today & thought fuck it, it's time Cinders was stripped, rebuilt & SOLD.

I've had my Kona Cindercone for 15 years now & she is starting to show her age. I know there are retro MTB guys looking for them so I'm going to clean her up as best I can & then see if I can sell her on to someone who will cherish her a little more than I have! The paintwork has worn in places but considering how long I've ridden her & the places she's been, she's still a damn fine piece of metalwork. I've pondered on powdercoating & other such luxuries but I don't have the funds to do that & besides I think these aforementioned retro MTB lovers would prefer to have it in the original colours that it left the showroom with?