What's That On Jon's Blog ... A Bicycle?

 Yeah, I do still mess around with the push-bikes, a bit.  This is a 1988-ish Specialized RockHopper, converted to 700c wheels.  I got the Kinesis cross fork at Velo-swap, so that the brakes would line up with the bigger wheels.

 The drivetrain  and shifters are a mix of 8-speed Campy stuff, including the first piece of Campagnolo equipment I ever bought; a Racing Triple crankset and bottom bracket. 

I had this bike built up, a few years back, with 26" wheels, and the Campy equipment, but I cannibalized it for wheels, handlebars, etc., when I got my Bridgestone XO-2.  The carcass has been hanging in the shop building for a couple of years, awaiting inspiration on my part.  I have three different 26"-wheeled runabouts, so I didn't want to build another one.  That's when I decided to convert it to a "cross bike".

I found this brake adapter at VeloSwap, as well.  It has no identifying marks on it, so I don't have a clue where to find more.  I do have a second one, as well.  I am considering taking it to a machine shop and having a few made.

The brakes are the Tektro cantis I originally bought for my Fuji Tourer. They would not work with 700c wheels on that bike, so they ended up on the shelf ... until this past Saturday, when I finally got around to finishing this build.

I also made some aluminum cradles for my pump, attached to the water bottle cage bosses of the downtube.

I rode it to the coffee shop, Sunday, then did some adjustments.  Today, I rode to to work, and back.  Other than the fact that the seat keeps slipping backward in the seatpost clamp, it works really well. 

I also have a riser stem on the way, to get the bars a little higher in relation to the seat.  Right now, they are almost 5" lower than the top of the saddle.  Kinda reminds me of mountain biking in the 1990s.  The bars are fine for the 8 or 9 miles to work, but I have a feeling that my neck would begin to complain within about 20 or 25 miles, if i got out on a real ride.

The cream Schwalbe tires were the first ones on the hook when I was setting up the initial build, last month.  I like them, quite a bit, but I may put some Ritchey cross tires on it, eventually, just because I think they are a bit better as an all-round tire.

It's been a while since I have had a "magic bike" in the stable, and even longer since I built one.  I think I will keep this one...

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