2019 Liv Tempt 2

So it has been a very long time since I wrote on my blog so I figured a bike review was something I could do for my readers. This year I choose to get a new bike around mid-may. I ended up with a 2019 Liv Tempt 2, made by Giant. Liv is Giant’s in house women’s bicycle line. Since I have a really short inseam the bike fits me just fine.

First off, the parts list:

• Frame – Giant “Aluxx” aluminum, 16” size, disc only, internal cable routing
• Fork  – SR Suntour XCM, 100mm (4”) travel, hydraulic lockout equipped
• Brakes/Brake Levers – Tektro M275 hydraulic disc brakes
• Shifters – Shimano Acera 2X9 trigger shifters (Upgraded July 2020)
• Front Derailleur – Shimano Alivio side swing direct mount FD
• Rear Derailleur – Shimano Deore Shadow RD (Upgraded July 2020)
• Crankset – Prowheel RAID 501TT double crankset – 22t, 36t
• Bottom Bracket – Prowheel external BB
• Chain – KMC X9 9 speed chain (Upgraded July 2020)
• Cassette – Shimano CS-HG200-9, 11t-36t (Upgraded July 2020)
• Pedals – Giant resin anti-slip
• Seatpost – Giant Sport, 30.9mm
• Saddle – Liv Contact Comfort (Upgraded June/July 2020)
• Handlebar – Giant Connect Trail
• Grips – Liv Lock-On Grips
• Stem – Giant Sport, 6mm
• Headset – Giant
• Front hub – Giant Tracker Sport, disc only, 6 bolt
• Rear hub – Giant Tracker Sport, disc only, 6 bolt
• Rims – Giant XC2, 27.5 diameter, 28 hole, double wall, disc only, tubeless ready
• Tires – Maxxis Ardent, 27.5×2.25, tubeless (Upgraded June 2020)

Upgrades as of June 2020:

• KoMo street tires, 27.5×2.0
• Gel saddle
• Water bottle with steel cage
• Direct mount kickstand
• CatEye wireless bicycle computer

Upgrades as of July 2020:

• SRAM X5 2×10 shifters
• SRAM X5 rear derailleur
• Sunrace 12t-40t cassette
• KMC 10 speed chain
• Gel saddle cover

Frame and Fork:

The frame is your typical aluminum frame, hydroformed and bent in strange ways. Don’t really have a way to explain it, the pictures with have to do.. The frame features internal cable routing so it gives the bike a clean look but I can tell installing new shifter cable housing isn’t going to be any fun at all. I do like the fact that the brake hose for the back brake goes inside the frame, less of a chance of getting the hose damaged in some way. The bike also has the rear brake mounted inside the frame, to me this is a big deal, less chance to get it caught up on something and broke. I haven’t weighed the frame itself so I have no idea how heavy it is. I can say the butt end of the bike is overly heavy, but that might be due to the tire and tube along with the drivetrain and brake. The frame has the normal holes drilled out for fenders, rack, and two water bottles along with a kickstand mount. All though it looks dorky I have added a kickstand. The fork is SR Suntour XCM with 100mm (4 inches) of travel and is equipped with a turnkey lockout. Simply turn a dial to go from a fork that works to a rigid fork. I’m actually thinking of taking the fork off and replacing it with a rigid fork since I rarely go off road and ride it locked out 99% of the time. Makes no sense to lug around 5 pounds of fork I never use. I have noticed this fork isn’t the stiffest fork out there, it has some very light play when rocked back and forth while holding the front brake around where the uppers meet the lowers. Not too much, but enough to make me wish I had a different fork. Off road the fork does what it should and I have no complaints about the performance. One more inch of travel would help, it seems at my weight the fork gives me maybe 2” of useable travel. But, for the price, not a bad fork. I’ve had much worse.

Cockpit:

When I first purchased the bike the cockpit was made up of an extra long, low sweep bar with 2X9 Shimano Acera shifters, and Tektro hydraulic disc brakes. Over time I have added a bell for alerting people I am coming up behind them, a mount for my rechargeable front light, and a wireless bike computer. This is my second bike with an extra wide handlebar. At first it was tough getting used to having my hands so far apart, but over time I have gotten used to it, and now I prefer it. The stem is on the really short side so steering is rather quick and effective. The bike also came with Giant lock on grips, a plus for me since I love to tinker with my bike so taking the grips off is easy. As of July, 2020, I have upgraded the shifters to SRAM X5 2X10. These new shifter perform flawlessly and in my humble opinion work better than anything I have owned from Shimano. At one point I tried going to a slightly more narrow riser handlebar with more of an uprise but found that I preferred the wider bars.

Drivetrain:

The bike came with a Shimano 2X9 drivetrain. Shimano Acera 2X9 rapid fire shifters, Shimano Alivio side swing front derailleur, Shimano Deore shadow rear derailleur, and a 11-36 tooth 9 speed cassette. I rode this setup for about 2 months with zero issues. The drivetrain shifted smooth and fast. The only hiccup was shifting to the 30 tooth gear in the rear, sometimes the chain would not catch or would miss shifting to that one cog. The front derailleur is a side swing derailleur, seen on high end bikes a few years ago. It’s hard to explain, so just look at the pictures. Basically in swings in and out to shift the front chainrings instead of the traditional up and down movement. It’s quite effectice and I can say I’ve never had any issues with it using the 9 speed or ten speed chain. It just needs to be dialed in correctly. This is the first bike I have owned with an external bottom bracket setup. Basically the BB bearings sit on the outside of the frame in cups that thread into the frame versus the old school way of the bearings housed in a sealed unit that reside inside of the frame. It’s really cool to have a hollow bottom bracket, you can see right through it. Another plus is maintenance. I can remove the crank by loosening two pinch bolts and regrease the bearings without need of special tools. As of July 2020, I upgraded the drivetrain to a 2X10 setup. This gives me a better gear range and a taller climbing gear in the rear. I now have a 11-40 tooth 10 speed cassette. Fitting it on took some work, they say a 10 or 11 speed cassette will fit these Shimano based freehub bodies but I ended up using my old 11 tooth cog to get it all to fit due to the old 11 tooth cog being thinner than the new 11 tooth cog. I also swapped out the 9 speed trigger shifters for a set of SRAM X5 2X10 shifters along with a SRAM X5 rear derailleur. Once I had it all installed and dialed in, I noticed my rides have been a bit easier since I have more range to play with. I find SRAM shifters work better than Shimano shifters, due to the fact that SRAM works on a 1:1 actuation ratio versus Shimano’s 2:1 actuation system. In other words, SRAM shifters move shift quicker and are move faster. I also noticed that SRAM shifter have a more definite “click” than Shimano, to me that is more satisfying. I’ve never expired a mis-shift or ghost shift, even under heavy load. I would like my bike to be 100% Shimano free but since SRAM does not make direct mount front derailleurs, I will have to have at least one Shimano part on my bike for now.

Brakes:

The bike is equipped with the Tektro H275 hydraulic disc brakes and 6” rotors. I believe this is the fifth bicycle I have owned with hydraulic disc brakes. Nothing can compare to the power and modulation that comes from using this type of brake of a bicycle. Very powerful braking performance no matter what kind of riding I do or what kind of weather I’m riding in. A good trade off by using this brake system is the fact that I do not need to worry too much about keeping my rims trued because the brake system does no use the rim for braking. Being as heavy as I am, I truly as happy knowing I don’t need to true my rims up every other month. I get full stopping power using as little as one finger. I still have not learned how to bleed the brakes, that’s something I really need to learn so I can avoid trips to the bike shop and down time from the bike. For those that are curious, the brakes use mineral oil. My only issue with these brakes has been that they sometimes do not like to self center after a wheel removal and wheel installation. One pad will eventually start rubbing against the rotor. So I have to loosen the mounting bolts and center the pads. Not a big deal, it rarely happens. More expensive brakes do a fine job with self centering; these are a bit on the low end. But I feel for the price I paid for the bike, I got my monies worth.

Rims, Tires:

The rims that came with the bike are sturdy but not light. When I got the bike it was setup tubeless. However I wanted to take off the mountain bike tires and add on street tires since I ride mostly on pavement. Maybe I should have gotten a road bike. Anyhow, I added tubes when I installed the new tires. I believe the rims are double wall aluminum rims. 27.5 inch wheels. At first I wasn’t a huge fan of 27.5 inch wheels, I preferred 29 inch wheels, but over time I have come to enjoy the smaller size rims. I am hopeful they stay true for a long while, I’m not to good at truing rims nor do I have a truing stand so I would rather not have the bike in the shop for weeks and have to walk to work. The rear freehub is a bit on the loud side, but I really don’t notice it to much when I am out on a ride. Especially when I have the headphones on.

Upgrades

I already talked about the drivetrain and tire upgrades I installed in July of 2020. A few other things I have installed are a water bottle and cage, bike computer, a few things here or there. I haven’t ridden with a water bottle in years, I mostly used a hydration pack. Over time the backpacks full of water begin to hurt the shoulders so I went with a water bottle instead. The only downside is I can’t carry a spare tube, tools, and a pump with my while just using a water bottle. I am looking to invest in a under the seat storage solution to address that problem. The bike computer is a CatEye Urban Wireless computer. It tells the speed, distance, average MPH, highest MPH, and the time. It was a pain to get setup, but it works flawlessly. Of course I installed a new gel saddle and added even more gel with a gel saddle cover. Long rides over 30 miles still hurt the butt and backside but it’s far better than the really slim tiny saddle the bike came with where I had to rest every few miles because I got sore. And the kickstand might look goofy, but it has saved my bike from getting scratched while leaning it against things while I’m taking a break more times then I can count. I might take it off sometime in the future, not sure just yet.

Future Upgrades:

• New lighter wheelset that can work with a 11 or 12 speed cassette
• 1X11 or 1X12 drivetrain
• Remote lockout system for the fork
• Bar ends for long rides

Final Thoughts

Damn good bike for the price they ask. I paid a little over $700 for the bike. Considering it comes with a 2X9 drivetrain featuring a side swing front derailleur, shadow style rear derailleur, external BB setup, lockout on the fork, hydraulic brakes, internal cable management, and tubeless tires I would say you are basically getting a $1000 bike for the low price they ask. Giant is known to pack a lot of value into their bikes. I would recommend this bike for the person just getting into mountain biking and light cross country riding. In it’s stock setup it climbs well and descends well. However this isn’t a high end machine nor is it a high end downhill machine so for light off road riding and urban assault riding I think you can’t go wrong picking this bike up. And yes, the bike is worthy of upgrades.

-Stars-

Value for the money:   * * * * * (5 out of 5)
Parts selection:   * * * * (4 out of 5)
Fork:   * * * * (4 out of 5)

Pictures of the bike before upgrading the drivetrain to 2X10:

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Pictures of the bike after the 2X10 drivetrain upgrades:

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2015 Trek FX 7.2

Around tax time in 2016 I went out and bought myself a ’15 Giant Talon mountain bike that was on sale. After about 3 weeks on that bike I quickly decided that I just don’t enjoy mountain biking anymore, and most of the time I am riding on pavement. So I tried putting slick road tires on the Giant. The bike was still too heavy. So I ended up selling it. Over the next few weeks I looked for a new bike to ride. I found this gem of a bike at our local pawn shop. And I love riding this bike. Let me tell you why. 🙂

First off, the parts list:

• Frame – Trek “Alpha” aluminum frame, 17.5 inch size, disc only
• Fork  – Trek “Alpha” aluminum rigid fork, disc only
• Brakes – Tektro Novela mechanical disk brakes
• Brake Levers  – Shimano Easy-Fire lever/shifter combo (Upgraded Feb 2017)
• Shifters – Shimano integrated 24 speed RapidFire shifters, 3 x 8, built into brake levers (Upgraded Feb 2017)
• Front Derailleur – Shimano Altus SIS
• Rear Derailleur – Shimano Altus
• Crankset – Shimano SIS, 28t, 38t, 48t
• Bottom Bracket – Shimano sealed bearing, square taper
• Chain – KMC 8 speed chain
• Cassette – Shimano Altus, 12t – 34t
• Pedals – Wellgo
• Seatpost – Trek
• Saddle – Bontrager
• Handlebar – Bontrager, low rise, minimal backsweep
• Grips – Bontrager with palmrest (Upgraded Feb 2017)
• Stem – Bontrager
• Headset – Integrated with frame, caged bearings
• Front hub – Trek disc hub, 6 bolt
• Rear hub – Trek disc hub, 6 bolt
• Rims – Bontrager AT-750 double wall rims, 28″
• Tires – Bontrager

Upgrades as of February 2107:

• Shimano 3×8 RapidFire shifter pods
• Avid brake levers
• Origin Eight lock on grips

Frame and Fork:

I wanted to say a few words about the frame and fork. The frame is pretty light, it has butted and hydroformed tubing all throughout the frame. A few unusual parts of the frame include a built in place for a Bluetooth sensor for the computers that use those, next to the rear tire, and the disc caliper is mounted inside the frame on the chainstay instead of the normal practice of the disk brake mount being placed above the dropout on the chainstay. Of course this bike has all the mounts for a bike rack and fenders. This is one of a few bikes I have owned that has a rigid fork. It makes sense for my bike to have a rigid fork because I’m a Clydesdale and all the suspension forks out there don’t do me any good. I quite enjoy the rigid fork. The fork and frame are disc brake only.

Cockpit:

This handlebar is very wide, and the shift levers and brake levers are spaced pretty far apart. I like having the wider bar, it feels better when I’m riding and offers more control over the bike while turning. The stem is a bit long for my preferred riding setup, but somehow I still end up in the same upright position I like when riding. The palm rest on each grip offers a way to keep my hands from going numb while I’m riding. I’m not a big fan of the low end Shimano brake levers with integrated shifters. They do the job, and they do it well, but I would prefer separate brake levers and shifters. Plenty of room on bar for my bike light. I recently upgraded the brake levers and shifters. I like the new shifters, they do the job well, but it seems the old shifters allowed more play in the system and were a bit more precise with shifting. No issues with the new Avid levers, Avid has been in the brake game for many years, their products are of the highest quality.

Drivetrain:

The drivetrain consists of the Shimano crank, Shimano front and rear derailleurs, KMC chain, and Shimano shifters. Let me say a few words about the old shifters. The shifts were crisp and precise. The shifters themselves seemed to be in good working order. The shifter for the rear derailleur did have a semi-muted click action when used, I assume this is because the rear is more often shifted than the front. All of the drivetrain parts were pretty low end within the Shimano lineup when I bought the bike. However, even being low end, they still performed better than what we had on bikes 5 or 10 years ago. The newer shifters seem to have a more louder click and shifting power than the old. I think I prefer the new ones, but miss that the old ones always worked even when the system was clogged up with rain, mud, or dirt. The bike seems to glide over the road, and pushing it up to speed is really easy. It will climb hills, with a bit of effort, of course it’s no mountain bike. I have found the gear combination of the middle chainring up front and the third largest in the rear to be the most comfortable to cruise around town on. However, I eventually plan to upgrade the drivetrain to a SRAM 27 speed setup with SRAM 4 or X5 parts and a new 22t, 32t, 42t crank.

Brakes:

This bike came equipped with Tektro’s Novela mechanical disk brakes. I haven’t had any issues with them at all. I had to adjust them slightly when I bought the bike, but ever since then, no adjustments and no problems. They do like to squeal after getting rained on, and I’ve had the front brake squeal a little ever so often. I think that is just because the rotors need to be cleaned off and the inboard pads moved closer to the rotor. The brakes offer pretty good stopping power. More than a set of V-Brakes, but they lack the power and modulation of a good set of hydraulic disc brakes. I have plans to put a set of hydros on here some time soon. Not because these brakes don’t have the stopping power I need, because they do, but because I just like the feel of hydraulic disc brakes. I figure changing the stock pads out for metallic pads will take care of the squealing issue. I have upgraded the stock brake levers to Avid brake levers, they seem to handle stopping power better than the Shimano levers ever did. Higher leverage ratio on cable pull perhaps? Interesting note: The rear caliper sits inside the frame. Take a look at the pics. It’s pretty rick looking, and the first bike I have owned that has the caliper mounted this way. I really like it.

Rims, Tires:

 The rims at double-wall Bontrager AT-750 rims, with Schwalbe Marathon tires. I have very little issues with the rims. They seem to handle my weight and crazy riding habits just fine without going out of true to much. I usually true up the rims every 3 months or so, and they are never too bad out of shape. I had to replace the stock tires for these Schwalbe Marathon tires that have a built in protective strip that prevents punctures as I was getting a lot of flats from either running over glass or nails I can’t see at night on the old tire’s bead puncturing the tube. I run the rear at 90 PSI, the front at 80 to 85 PSI. I did purchase a new rear rim, but have not installed it yet. It seems the rear freewheel it beginning to slip, and it was cheaper to just by the whole new rim. I am just waiting for it to finally let go but so far it has not.

Upgrades

I do plan on doing a few upgrades. As mentioned before, I would like to upgrade the drivetrain to a 27 speed setup with a 34t granny in the rear. I think I will probably use SRAM components and switch to GripShift. I also want a mountain bike crank on the bike, maybe a 22-32-42t setup. And at some point either more powerful Avid BB7 mechanical brakes or hydraulic. And a shorter stem. All in good time.

Final Thoughts

One of the best bikes I have ever owned. It ranks up there with my beloved ’96 Kona Lava Dome, ’96 Gary Fisher Aquila that was sadly stolen, and that old ’02 Giant Warp. In fact I think I have more miles on this bike, between commuting and recreational rides, than any bike I’ve ever owned. I’ve taken in out of town to other towns many times, something I’ve never done on other bikes. It loves to be pushed hard, and begs for more. It’s easy to ride, once up to speed it stays up to speed. The geometry is spot on. I get a thrill every time I ride this bike, even if it’s just to work. I may get a new mountain bike in the future, but this one I’m gonna keep riding until it breaks. Thanks for reading.

Acer Chromebook 15

Well my friends, it has been a long time since I blogged about anything. Now that I have some time to sit down and write again, I wanted to tell you all about my new laptop. It’s a Chromebook. As all of my previous laptop reviews, let me start off with what’s inside the notebook. Then I’ll write about why I love it.

Specs:

• Intel Celeron N2830 processor, 2.16 GHz speed
• 2 GB DDR3 system memory (RAM)
• 16 GB eMMC flash drive (instead of a traditional hard drive)
• 15.6 HD LED back-lit LCD screen
• Internal wireless card, WiFi standards B/G/N
• Bluetooth
• 6-cell lithium-ion battery
• HDMI port, 2 USB ports, headphone/speaker jack
• 1.3 MP webcam
• SD card reader
• Full size keyboard and trackpad
• Google Chrome operating system

First of all, let me explain what a Chromebook is. Quite simply, it’s a notebook with Chrome OS installed. For example, Acer built this notebook. Instead of installing Windows or Linux, they installed Chrome OS. What is Chrome OS? It’s a whole operating system built on a foundation of Linux and all of it runs inside the the Chrome browser. Just think of it like this, if you use Chrome for surfing the web imagine someone made a way for that browser to run a laptop. It’s fast, easy, secure. Most of all the apps you can download  for Chrome OS just run in a new tab in the browser. System settings are added to the settings menu in Chrome. Everything is really, really simple. Here, take a look at this YouTube video. It should explain what a Chromebook is in greater detail.

What Is A Chromebook – YouTube

Wanted to start off by telling you why I switched from Windows. You see I loved Windows 7. And I could tolerate Windows 8. I really didn’t mind the Metro interface since most of my programs were launched from the quick launch bar or the desktop. The issue I have is Windows 10. The privacy issues blow my mind. Windows 10 wants control of everything. And when you read the EULA, and read all about how much data Microsoft collects, it’s a real turn off. Of course I have nothing to hide, but on the other hand I value my privacy. And of course Windows 10 was slow. I don’t know if that was because of my hardware, but I would constantly wait for Windows 10 to do things. Took forever to boot, or update. Constantly lost the WiFi signal. So yeah, between all of these issues, I quickly lost interest in Windows 10.

So I started off looking for a replacement. I was thinking a flavor of Linux, but that never worked out the way I wanted. I could never find the right flavor to use, and when I did install a distro, it became confusing, and took hours on Google to figure simple stuff out. I also thought about switching to Apple, but the price to play is just way too high. So when the chance came up to trade my Windows 10 notebook for a Chromebook, I did it. And I’m pretty happy with my choice.

Talk about fast. This notebook goes from a cold powered off state to ready to use in SECONDS. Never seen anything like it before. Even Windows 10 needs a good 20 or more seconds to boot. I think this notebook boots in a mere 3 or 4 seconds. I’m very happy with that. Makes it much easier to start getting work done.

Now as far as storage goes, it only has a 16 GB eMMC flash drive built in to the motherboard. The drive has a much faster read and write time than a normal hard drive. I don’t see why many companies still make notebooks with the old school 5400 RPM hard drives. SSD and eMMC drives are so much faster. This notebook does not need much storage. You see Chrome OS holds all of your documents and photos in the cloud. Yes, you can hold them on the eMMC drive, or in a USB thumbdrive, but the OS is meant to be used in the cloud. So a big drive isn’t really necessary. I do occasionally worry about how long the eMMC drive will last before it fails, but I am confident I will be able to get a few years of service from the notebook.

The OS itself is a pleasure to use. The whole notebook is geared to be fast. No issues with connections or speed on the internet. Think of it like your just using Chrome, and nothing else. Pure simplicity. It has a taskbar on the bottom, much like Windows. You can pin your favorite apps or websites to the bar. However, everything launches inside the Chrome browser. I didn’t think I would like it at first, but after a few days use, I now love it. It is easy to learn and use. It has a small logo in the left hand bottom corner that acts like a “Start” button from Windows, bring up a list of all the apps installed. Just choose what one you wish to use, and off you go. The taskbar shows whats open, and multi-tasking is a breeze. Over by the clock it shows your user photo or whatever photo you choose when you set the computer up, and clicking in this area brings up the little menu to connect to WiFi, turn on/off Bluetooth, volume control, and settings for the computer. There is also a little bell icon that shows you notifications if you have it set up, for example it would show emails or when stuff is updated or installed. Nice and easy setup.

The keyboard is laid out just like a normal notebook keyboard expect the top row. There are no function keys. Instead you get keys for back in the browser, forward in the browser, reload a page, full screen mode on or off, a multiple work space key to switch between desktops, brightness up and down, and volume up and down. Also the caps lock key is replaced by a search key, it brings up a dialog box to search the web or computer for whatever you need. Good keyboard, works very well. The trackpad has a cool feature, if you want to scroll down a page, just put two fingers on it and go from the top towards the bottom. Acts just like a mouse wheel. It’s pretty nice and fluid. Sadly there is no keypad.

Speakers are located on each side of the keyboard. They are plenty loud, and have amazing sound for a notebook at this price point. I have NO trouble with them at all.

So let’s wrap this up. Here are my pros and cons on the Acer Chromebook 15.

Pros:

• 15.6″ screen
• Ease of use
• Fast boot times
• HDMI out
• Secure OS
• Google built in
• Flawless design
• Battery life
• Works with all Microsoft Office documents

Cons:

• Windows programs do not work on this OS
• 16 GB of storage, would like to see more
• Dual core CPU instead of a quad core
• 2 GB system memory, would love to see 4 GB

 

That’s about all. I will add pictures at some point, but I hope you enjoyed reading.

 

2003 Specialized Hardrock

I would just like to share my thoughts on my new bike.

First and foremost I would like to thank all of those over at MTBR that donated parts and advice. You know who you are. I thank you so much for the help, I really appreciate it.

My current bike is a 2003 Specialized Hardrock. The bike has a nickname, Frankenbike, because it is made up of all kinds of mis-matched parts that were obtained either through barter or good friends sending me parts. The bike rides well, and works great.

The parts list:

• Frame – Aluminum “A1” Specialized Hardrock frame, 19 inch
• Fork – Rock Shox Judy TT fork, 3 inches of travel, with pre-load adjustment knob on the left side
• Brakes – Shimano XTR V-Brakes
• Brake Levers – Promax V-Brake levers
• Shifters – SRAM X5 9 speed trigger shifters
• Front Derailleur – Shimano Acera
• Rear Derailleur – SRAM X9
• Crankset – Shimano Alivio, 22t, 32t, 42t
• Bottom Bracket – Shimano sealed bearing, square taper
• Chain – SRAM 9 speed with Powerlink
• Cassette – Shimano XT, 12 – 34t
• Pedals – Generic
• Seatpost – Generic
• Saddle – SDG
• Handlebar – RaceFace Air Alloy
• Grips – Animal
• Stem – World Force
• Headset – WTB Momentum Comp ST
• Front Hub – GT
• Rear Hub – GT
• Rims – Speed Master
• Tires – IRC Mythos XC, 2.10 inch

Cockpit:

The cockpit is laid out very nicely. The trigger shifters take some getting used to as both levers on each shifter are operated with the thumb, so they have to be set at a certain angle. The riser bar has a nice up sweep, allowing my favorite upright riding position. I prefer the short stem, it just takes very little input for the bike to turn. The only thing I want to change are the grips. They tend to make my hands go numb.

Fork:

I think this is the first time I have owned a Rock Shox Judy fork. I have been told it’s a low end Judy fork. I have found this fork holds up to my weight and still offers 2 to 3 inches of travel. The fork has mounts for both V-Brakes and disc. The fork also uses the old school fork boots. I don’t have any complaints about the fork. I believe I may need to overhaul the fork sometime soon, it is showing signs that it needs work lately.

Drivetrain:

The drivetrain is a mix of SRAM and Shimano parts. I really like the SRAM X9 rear derailleur. the x9 changes gears on the 9 speed Shimano XT 12-34 cassette with precision. I have never had a Shimano rear derailleur shift as well. This may be due to the 1:1 actuation ration of the shifter and derailleur, or the fact that the rear derailleur mount point to the bike does not move at all and the cage does. Shimano derailleurs pivot at the point were they attach to the bike. The shifters take some getting used to. The upshift lever works like any other shifter, by pressing the lever in with the thumb to shift, and it swings horizontally. The downshift lever sits behind the upshift lever, is also operated by the thumb, but pivots vertically, up and down. I find it a hassle sometime to get my thumb in there to down shift. If I was to switch to any other shifter setup it would be a Grip Shift setup. The crank is a Shimano Alivio crank, attached to a Shimano square taper bottom bracket. The chainrings are not original to this crank save the middle 32t chainring. The 44t and 22t are from parts donated. The front derailleur is also Shimano. I have a SRAM front derailleur as well, but it will not fit on this bike, and I did try it at one point, but the inner plate will not clear the 32t chainring when trying to shift up to the 44t chainring. Front shifting is spot on although it took a lot of work to get dialed in correctly. This is one of the few bikes I have owned with a 27 speed drivetrain, and thanks to the 34t cog on the rear and the 22t chainring on the front this bike does climb very well.

Brakes:

The bike has Shimano XTR V-Brakes. These brakes are some of the most powerful brakes I have ever used. They feature “Parallel Push” technology. Basically they have a small arm that attaches between the mounting post and the brake pad pivoting mount. The brake pad is fixed to the pivoting mount. All of this works to make the pads go straight in and out instead of hitting the rim at an angle. See the pictures I have attached to this article. The brakes work extremely well, I have no complaints. They consistently surprise me with the power they offer.

Rims, Tires:

The rims on this bike came off an old GT I-Drive bike. Not sure about the brand, all they say is Speed Master on them. When I first got them they were so out of true I had to have them professional trued. So far they have remained true, near perfect even with all of the riding I do. The rims are a bit heavy. The rear hub has an authoritative audible click when the freewheel is spinning.  The tires are IRC Mythros XC tires, 2.1 inch. These tires have a folding beam. I’ve never had a tire with a folding beam. The tire’s sidewalls seem to be made of a thin rubber because the tire will slide back and forth while I am riding the bike even at high pressures. This sensation can be quite disturbing while taking hard corners or climbing in the saddle.

Final Thoughts:

This is an awesome bike. It is made even more awesome and better because I ride parts that were given to me graciously. So far, at the time of this writing, I have put nearly 100 miles on the bike. I find myself climbing in a higher gear than usual, and cruising in a higher gear than usual. I don’t know if it’s the gearing or the fact that I love riding this bike. It may be made up of parts from many different sources, and the parts on it may look like they belong to several different bikes, but it rides great.

Thank you MTBR members!!

 

 

1997 Specialized Ground Control

Tax return season is here so I pulled the trigger on a new bike. At first I was looking at buying a 2014 Motobecane. However, after buying a few other things I decided it would suffice to just get a good used bike. So I ended up buying a 1997 Specialized Ground Control Comp. Considering the price I paid I got this bike, and all of the excellent parts on it, for a steal. Thank you Craigslist! This is just my 3rd or 4th full suspension bike I have owned. I’m not a big fan of full suspension, but I can see where it’s has it’s advantages. One of the biggest trade offs for not buying a new bike was disc brakes. However, considering that these days my mind is more about the ride and not the bike I ride, I really don’t miss having disk brakes.

• Frame – Aluminum “A1” Specialized Ground Control frame, Horst link dropouts
• Fork – Rock Shox Indy XC fork, 2 to 3 inches of travel, with pre-load adjustment knobs
• Shock – RST coil shock, Fox 500 pound spring, 2 inches of travel
• Brakes – Promax Vee-Brakes
• Brake levers – Shimano LX Servo-Wave levers
• Shifters: Shimano Deore LX 8-speed SIS trigger shifters
• Front Derailleur – Shimano Deore LX, top swing, top pull
• Rear Derailleur – Shimano XTR
• Crankset – Shimano, 22t, 32t, 42t
• Bottom Bracket – Shimano sealed bearing (Square Taper)
• Chain – Shimano HG
• Rear Cogs – Shimano 8 speed cassette
• Pedals – Generic
• Seatpost – Specialized
• Saddle – Selle Italia
• Handlebar – Azonic
• Grips – ODI lock-on Ruffian grips
• Stem – Kona
• Headset – Cane Creek
• Front Hub – Shimano STX-RC
• Rear Hub – WTB
• Front Rim – Sun AT-18
• Rear Rim – Ritchey Rock WCS (I have a match Sun AT-18 for the rear, however it needs an overhaul)
• Tires – Panaracer Fire XC Pro, 2.1″

Cockpit:

The cockpit is laid out beautifully. The handlebar is the widest handlebar I have ever used. The stem is on the shorter size, and I have always preferred shorter stems over the traditional longer ones that were popular in the nineties. The trigger shifter were almost completely froze when I got the bike, I used some bike lube to get them working again, and for good measure I added some grease so they would not seize up again. They seem to be working OK with clean and crisp clicks that come from pulling or pushing the triggers. The only issue is the gear indicator on the left side is a bit lazy, not sure how to fix that. In the long run I would like to switch over to GripShift as I prefer GripShift over triggers. The Servo-Wave levers are unique in design, and the design allows the levers to be pulled very little while at the same time applying a great amount of force to the brake set for stopping. Much better design than standard levers. I was happy to see the bike came with ODI lock-on grips. I usually add these grips to all of the bikes I buy. Easy on and off. I will have to find a set of ODI grips for the GripShift when I do that upgrade in the near future.

Fork:

I have never been a big fan of the Rock Shox Indy series of forks. With all of the other forks available in 1997, many being better quality, I have no idea why this fork was chosen to be on this bike. A Rock Shox Judy would have been a better choice. The fork is in decent shape for it’s age. Sure it has scratches and tears on the Rock Shox stickers down both legs, but I figure every bike has scars to show for it’s use so it does not bother me. The fork runs smooth, does a good job on trail chatter as well as it can given the fact it is a short travel fork. The only issue I had with the fork so far is the brake boss came out when I took out the brake. I had to buy a new brake boss. The pre-load dials work as they should, and the fork seals are still in good shape.

Shock:

I don’t really know what to make of the shock or rear suspension at all. I’m a Clydesdale so rear suspension, especially this setup with only 2 inches of travel and a 500 pound spring, does little to mute rear wheel trail chatter. It beats a hardtail, even with minimal travel. I think a better spring, like a 800 pound spring, may yield better results for my riding. No issues with the shock itself, it works as it should without any mechanical issues. I would think a replacement would be hard to find seeing it has a unique mounting system.

Drivetrain:

Think of these words. Shimano, Deore, LX, and XTR. You would think with components at this level I would get smooth shifting. Nope. I haven’t quite figured it out yet, but it seems the rear derailleur likes to ghost shift on an 8 speed setup. Either the hangar is bent in some way I can’t quite see to fix or the LX shifters don’t like the LX front changer and XTR rear changer. The is the first bike I have had XTR on. So far I’m impressed. However I have rode with SRAM’s XO group, and I must say the XO group is a bit better at shifting. I think I may need to replace the cassette and chain. That should solve the issue. Overall the drivetrain is in good shape.

Brakes:

Well there is something to appreciate in good old set of vee-brakes. Easy to setup, low maintenance, minimal weight. The only bad side is poor stopping performance in the wet weather and having to true the rims more than usual to keep the system going. Eventually I would like to see a set of Avid brakes on the bike. However, for now, the Promax brakes do a splendid job. I spent a great deal of time setting them up properly. The rear rim is a bit out of true, but is near perfect, and I still got the rear brake set up to offer plenty of stopping power without rubbing. Thank goodness these brakes are not like the old center pull setups. Easy to dial in. The brakes work very well with the levers. controlling speed is no issue. However, even after all the good things I have said about these brakes, if I could I would opt to install a good set of Avid BB7 disc brakes, or a set of hydraulic disc brakes.

Rims, Tires:

The bike came with a matching set of Sun AT18 rims with Shimano STX-RC hubs. The rear hub needs to be overhauled and trued, so I pushed a Ritchey/WTB wheelset I had into service. I might just keep it this way as the rear rim has a beefier gauge spoke compared to the Sun rim. The bike came with my favorite tires, Panaracer Fire XC pro, in a 2.1 inch size. It would have been a bit sweeter if these were the Fire XC pros with the red sidewalls, would have added some flair to the bike. However I like the tires because of the aggressive tread pattern. My trails can get really muddy some times of the year.

Final Thoughts:

This bike is one sweet ride. It’s on the lighter side for a XC full suspension mountain bike. I have replaced the cables, so now I need to take it out and break those cables in. As I said earlier I wish it had GripShift, but that’s easy to fix. For some reason the late 90’s bikes seem to suit my style of riding best. They also seem to be built better than newer bikes. I am quite happy with this bike, here’s to many years together on the trails!!

Pictures:

1992 Specialized Rockhopper

So I was recently given a 1992 Specialized Rockhopper from a good friend I met over at MTBR.com. This bike may be old and not worth reviewing. However it rides great and I wanted to share my thoughts on how it handles the trail. I am very grateful for this bike, and have taken it on plenty of rides.

A special thank you to my friends over at MTBR for this gift. Thank you!

• Frame & Fork – CroMoly frame, CroMoly Direct Drive ridged fork
• Brakeset – Shimano cantilever
• Shifters – SRAM Gripshift
• Front Derailleur – Shimano Exage 400 LX
• Rear Derailleur – Shimano Exage 400 LX
• Crankset – Shimano Exage 400 LX Biospace
• Pedals – Generic
• Bottom Bracket – Shimano sealed bearing (Square Taper)
• Rear Cogs – Shimano 7 speed cassette
• Chain – Shimano HG
• Seatpost – Generic
• Saddle – Specialized
• Handlebar – Bontrager
• Stem – Generic
• Headset – 1″ Threaded
• Hubs – Shimano Exage
• Rims – Specialized
• Tires – Panaracer Smoke

I have forgotten how it feels to ride a cromoly frame. Riding on aluminum over the last decade or so has made me forget how light cromoly rides and how fun a lighter bike can be. I’m also riding without a suspension fork. I feel it is making me a better rider as with my weight all the forks I owned never worked as they should. Besides simplicity is best. Here’s a few thoughts about the bike:

Cockpit:

I must say this bike is very old school. I thought at first it would not suit me to ride old school. I was so very wrong. Old school seems to suit me much better than some of the new school bikes I have ridden. The cockpit consists of Grip Shift shifters, and Shimano brake levers. The front brake cable runs through the stem. The guy that tuned up my bike before giving it to be included a riser bar. I never have been a really big fan of cantilever brakes. These ones work really well. The shifters work as they should, nice loud clicks when switching gears. I must also point out that this bike is one of the few that I have owned where the front shifting is spot on and painless. The only thing I wish I had was a shorter stem.

Fork:

What can I can about the fork? It is a rigid front fork. It handles the trail well and it very stiff. It actually brings back memories of some of the old bike I have ridden that had the same type of fork. Stiff, light, and simple to use.

Drivetrain:

To be honest I had never heard of Shimano Exage 400 LX components until I seen them on this bike. I have seen other older Shimano components. This drivetrain just rocks. The shifting is spot on. I never find myself trimming the from derailleur just to get it to shift, it just shifts perfectly every time. The rear derailleur shifts as it should and keeps the chain tensioned. The crank has Biospace chainrings. I am not sure what the big deal was about the rings. They pedal well and shift well. Not bad for twenty year old components.

Brakes:

Shimano centerpull cantilever brakes. Not as powerful as V brakes or disc, yet they  do work very well. At first I had little faith in these stoppers. After running down a fire road on a local trail I have more faith in these brakes. They squeal a bit every now and then. Overall they perform well, they stop me when I need to stop and slow me down when I need to trim speed.

Rims, Tires:

The rims on this bike were made by Specialized. The hubs are Shimano Exage hubs. I’ve ridden the bike pretty hard and the rims are staying true. Really impressive considering I’m a Clydesdale. I’m running Panaracer tires front and read. The front is a bit bigger then the rear at 2 inches wide while the rear is 1.8 inches wide. I haven’t lost any traction while climbing, they do very well off road and while riding the street.

Final Thoughts:

This is an awesome bike. Nice and light, it glides over the trails. It is a thrill to ride and has brought the joy back to riding for me. I am very grateful to those who gave me the bike. Here’s to many more long days out on the trail. Thank you!!

UPDATE: Sadly this bike was stolen recently. The loss of the bike has been tough to deal with. Hopefully the bike will be recovered.

2004 Kona Scrap Review

So after many trades and deals I acquired my current ride, a 2004 Kona Scrap. It’s a bit heavier than my old 1996 Kona Lava Dome that I owned around 10 years ago, yet it rides great and fits me better than the 2012 Trek Marlin that I had earlier this year. As like my other review lets start out by listing the part on the bike.

• Frame & Fork – Kona Clump 7005 aluminum custom butted frame, Marzocchi MZ Race 110mm fork with preload adjustment
• Brakeset – Shimano Deore M475 mechanical dis brakes, Avid FR-1 levers
• Shifters – Shimano Alivio 8-speed Rapid-fire
• Front Derailleur – Shimano Alivio, top swing, top pull
• Rear Derailleur – Shimano Alivio, long cage
• Crankset – Truvativ Hussefelt (44t/32t/22t) with Salsa bash guard
• Bottom Bracket – Truvativ ISIS splined
• Pedals – Kona Jackshift platform
• Rear Cogs – Shimano 8-speed cassette (11t – 32t)
• Chain – SRAM PC-58 8-speed chain
• Seatpost – Kona Double Thumb
• Saddle – WTB Speed She
• Handlebar – Kona DH riser
• Grips – Kona
• Stem – Kona Clump
• Headset – Cane Creek Aheadset
• Hubs – Front: Shimano HB-M475 Disc, Rear: Shimano FH-M475 disc
• Rims – Sun Rims Ditch Witch, 32-hole
• Tires – Tioga Factory DH, 2.10″

My first impressions after owning this bike are mixed. The bike rides great, yet the frame is overbuilt and the rims are made very burly to take to abuse of mountain biking so overall the bike is very heavy. If I had to guess I would say it weighs in around 30 to 35 pounds as I have yet to weigh the bike. Of course the only time I feel the weight of the bike is on long uphill climbs. Other than that this bike cruises along nicely on all types of terrain with the exception of sand due to using those aggressive Tioga tires. Even though this bike gets up to speed quickly I must say when i go off road I miss the ability of my other bike I owned this year, a Trek Marlin, because the Marlin’s 29 inch tires rolled over everything that the Kona, with 26 inch wheels, has trouble overcoming.

So let’s talk about the different parts of the bike in greater detail.

Cockpit:

These riser bars have a 2 inch or so uprise. Along with a shorter top tube than my previous Trek Marlin this allows me to sit more upright on bike. That helps with my back pain. I’ve only owned a set of Avid levers once or twice before. These levers are built stiff with quality parts. There is no play in the lever and they offer plenty of leverage when using the brakes. I’m very used to using Shimano’s Rapid-fire shifters. Very intuitive setup. These Alivio level shifters click loudly when shifted and offer precise shifting along with great tune ability. They shift very well even under heavy load. I have had to use a few drops of lube on the internal of the shifters when I got the bike due to both shifters being a bit sticky when shifting. Not Shimano’s fault, I believe the bike had been sitting for some time. I do have an issue with the Kona grips. They are on the bar nice and tight yet after a ride you can see that they have rotated some. To cure this I’m going to get a set of lock on grips. To there credit, the grips do not make my palms numb even when riding without gloves.

Fork:

I haven’t owned many Marzocchi forks in my years of mountain biking. I’ve ridden a few on friends bikes. On this fork my opinion is split down the middle. On one hand the fork performs as it should. It will compress on small bumps as well as big bumps. it handles all sorts of trail chatter and downhill runs. On the other hand I wish the fork had stiffer springs because at my weight the fork is offering only 2 inches of travel instead of 4. However if you aren’t a clyde like me than this fork should work just fine. I haven’t had any problems with the fork or the seals. On a side note this bike came with a different fork, it must have been switched out before I got it.

Drivetrain:

Shimano 8 speed at it’s best. Press the shifter, hear it click, feel the instant shift. The front has some issues shifting from the middle chainring down to the granny gear and back. I believe the derailleur needs to be bent back into proper shape and I’ll look into that soon. I also thing the ramps and pins on the 32t middle chainring may be worn out. That would explain the poor shifting from the granny to the middle ring. Overall I think the SRAM system on the Trek worked better as the SRAM setup was a 1:1 ratio in shifting, and Shimano uses a 2:1 shifting ratio. (1:1 ratio means for every inch of cable the shifter pulls the rear derailleur moves the same amount, etc.) I haven’t noticed any flexing in the bottom bracket, nor any problems with the bearings. This is the first ISIS setup I have owned.

Brakes:

Powerful. Easy to adjust. Light weight. At one time I owned the first generation of these Shimano Deore brakes, the BR515 model. since then they have been redesigned and as a result are easier to setup, adjust, and are very powerful. Great modulation. I’m not running these brakes with Jagwire housing, but if you use this brakeset I recommend using Jagwire housing combined with high end cables. As it is the housing I am using slows down the cable, it’s not as free flowing and slick as it should be. My only complaint is that from time to time the rear brake squeals while riding along. I think the rotor might be a bit out of true, easy fix, or the quick release axle may be flexing some. Both are common problems.  These brakes use a big square pad instead of a little circle pad. Great brakes. However if I had a choice I would still use hydraulics because they self center, have better modulation, are are way more powerful.

Rims, Tires

Sun Ditch Witch rims. Double walled. Bullet proof. Good for clydes like me, bad if you are looking for something lightweight as they are on the heavy side. Right now they are just a little out of true after many, many miles of off hard riding. Rarely do rims hold up under my abuse, yet these have done a very good job of it. As for the tires I will be upgrading those to something in the 1.8 inch size. Not only are these Tioga tires to big for my taste, the tread pattern with really high knobs offer to much rolling resistance. I’ve suffered a few flats on these tires as well. I think a set of Kenda Small Block 8 tires would work better on this bike.

Final Thoughts:

Yes this bike is 8 years old at the time of this writing. Common mountain bike knowledge would say anything over 5 years old is not worth buying, owning, or worth riding as the frame may crack due to age. I’ve ridden all sorts of old bikes with never an issue. I’ve even heard of new bikes that develop cracks in the frame. I think this bike was hardly ever ridden with it’s previous owner. The frame is overbuilt, the welds look good, and I think it should hold up. If you get a chance to own an older Kona, grab it. New or old Kona makes great bikes. In fact my screen name is in honor of a Kona bike I owned 10 years ago. I might change out a few parts starting with the grips and saddle but overall this bike tackles the ride like no one’s business and is a blast to ride. Even after long rides the smile stays on my face. this bike begs to be ridden.

Lenovo G575 Notebook Review

I recently wrote a review on another notebook I owned earlier this year. The review was generally well received so I thought I would sit down and write about the notebook I currently own, the Lenovo G575 notebook. I will start by listing the hardware of this notebook:

• AMD E2 series E-450 CPU with integrated Radeon graphics processor, 1.6 GHz speed)
• 4 GB DDR3 PC-10700 memory (RAM) – expandable to 8 GB
• 320 Western Digital hard drive, with hidden Windows 7 restore partition
• DVD burner
• AMD Radeon 6320 HD graphics processor, built into the CPU
• 15.6 HD LED back-lit LCD screen
• Internal wireless card, WiFi B/G/N
• 6-cell lithium-ion battery
• VGA port, network RJ-45 port, 4 USB ports, microphone jack, headphone/speaker jack
• 1.3 MP webcam
• SDHC card reader
• Full size keyboard with keypad, standard 2-button trackpad
• Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit operating system

Much like the Acer, this notebook looks compact in size as well while offering a 15.6 inch screen and full size keyboard and keypad. Like most notebooks, IO ports are similarly located in the same places. Along the left side of the notebook you will find the Kensington key lock, CPU exhaust, VGA output, RJ-45 network port, and 3 USB ports. Along the front edge of the notebook is a small switch to turn off the internal WiFi radio, as well as the SDHC card reader. The notebook comes with a plastic piece inserted in the card reader to prevent dust and dirt contamination I would assume. Along the right side of the notebook you will find the AC adapter input port, 1 USB port, DVD burner drive, microphone input port, and finally the headphone port.

The notebook is like many other in terms of what style of AC Adapter it comes with. The notebook has a female port, The adapter is male and plugs into the computer. I’m NOT a big fan of these types of setups. Over time they loosen up, after that happens it becomes difficult to charge the notebook. Beyond that, these types of interfaces are prone to accidents. The slightest over pulling of the power cable, like if someone tripped on the power cable, can damage the interface. inserting the plug to hard can cause damage. I wish notebook designers would look at the old school Apple Powerbooks with the RCA interface or the new Apple Macbook magnetic interface and design something better.

My uses for a notebook remain the same as my last review of the Acer notebook. I use the notebook for internet cruising including using Facebook, blogging, using forums, uploading pictures, email, and general internet activities. The rest of my usage includes using Word and Excel, playing music and videos, watching the occasional movie, and light gaming. I have noticed the system is a bit slow playing Flash games on Facebook. Not so slow that the game can’t be played, just slow enough that I hardly make a note of it. As for gaming, I play mostly old favorites such as Command & Conquer, Hoyle board and card games, Monopoly, and Fate. I have no issues playing these games thanks to the powerful Radeon video card. I am not sure if this notebook could play the bigger more intensive games out there, I am sure this notebook was not made for high-end gaming.

A few words about the AMD processor. Of course the AMD E-450 is a budget processor. It runs everything I need it to do just fine, however if you are a big PC power user that demands more power I think something with a Intel CORE i3/i5/i7 processor will serve you better. I also find that while running those Facebook Flash games the CPU runs pretty hot. The CPU does throttle down, offering good battery life. Here is a link to the specs on the processor if you care to read it:

http://www.notebookcheck.net/AMD-E-Series-E-450-Notebook-Processor.60138.0.html

The notebook comes with 4 GB of DDR3 10700 memory. This memory consists of just one 4 GB stick in the computer, as opposed to 2 sticks of 2 GB DDR3. This leaves an open slot for upgrading the memory. With DDR3 memory so cheap, I think I may upgrade to 8 GB of DDR3 memory. As usual, with Windows, more RAM is the better. I will say that I find it ironic that overall DDR3 memory hasn’t quite become mainstream.

The DVD burner is made by TST Corp. While running, no noise can be heard. The drive does not vibrate while in use. I have burned a few DVDs so far, and the drive operates silently while burning and even at high-speed the drive produces quality burns. The drive does spring open with some force, so watch those fingers after pushing the release button.

Battery life seems to be the normal 4 to 5 hours with moderate use. I would think if I watch a movie using the DVD drive that time would decrease. The notebook comes with a great program that lets you choose many options for battery consumption. I currently have that program set up to have the system minimally charge the battery as the system is plugged in most of the time.

The notebook comes with a neat program that takes many snapshots of your face and eyes and lets you log in using just your face via the camera instead of typing a password. I found this program to be highly useful.the system also has a small recessed button next to the power button. This button is called the One recovery button. If the system becomes so messed up that it will not boot, touching this button while the system is off with turn on the notebook and start the factory recovery process. Quite useful if a nasty virus attacks.

Any complaints? I would have designed to notebook with the headphone port on the left side instead of the right side. That’s about all.

2012 Trek Marlin 29er Review

So I recently purchased a 2012 Trek Marlin 29er. For those of you looking for a review of what I think of the bike I will write my thoughts here. First let’s start out by listing what components come equipped on the bike.

• Frame & Fork – Trek Alpha Gold Aluminum frame, SR Suntour XCM 100mm fork with lockout, preload adjustment
• Brakeset – Tektro Novela Mechanical Disc with Tektro brake levers
• Shifters – SRAM X4 8-speed
• Front Derailleur – Shimano Altus
• Rear Derailleur – SRAM X4 8-speed (Long Cage)
• Crankset – Shimano M311 (42/32/22t)
• Pedals – Wellgo ATB
• Bottom Bracket – VP-BC-73 cartridge (Square Taper)
• Rear Cogs – Shimano Mega Range 8-speed Cassette (11t – 34t)
• Chain – Shimano HG
• Seatpost – Bontrager SSR
• Saddle – Bontrager Evoke 1
• Handlebar – Bontrager Low Riser 31.8mm
• Stem – Bontrager
• Headset – 1 1/8″ semi-integrated
• Hubs – Bontrager Disc
• Rims – Bontrager AT-850 29er
• Tires – Bontrager 29-2 29×2.1

First of all I would like to say that until now I had not tried riding any 29er and quite honestly I thought 29ers were a passing fad. While I was out looking for a new bike I tried a Specialized 29er. I now see why others love the way a 29er rides. This bike handles very well. Of course getting up to speed takes longer than when riding on a 26er yet once up to speed the 29er cruises very well. It handles bumps and road chatter better than many of the 26er bikes I have owned. Turning is crisp and precise. The bike reminds me of riding the old mid nineties double butted cromoly frames. Overall I was so impressed with the ride I went on to buy one. If you worried that a 29er weighs more don’t worry. You can hardly feel the extra weight while riding.

So let’s talk about how I feel about the different components equipped on the bike.

Cockpit:

I’m a big fan of these riser bars. The angle at just the right bend for the riding style I am. I ride mostly light XC and Urban. The grips seem to work well, they do not make my hands numb yet give plenty of grip while riding. The brake levers do the job they were made for quite well. I see almost no play in the lever and they deliver power to the brakes as well as almost ever other lever I’ve used with the exception being Avid Speed Dial levers and Shimano’s Servo-Wave levers. As for the shifters I’m not really a big fan of using my thumb for both up shifts and down shifts. Although I very much prefer Shimano’s setup with the thumb and fore finger running the shifter pods I am slowly getting used to the SRAM setup. The shifting is fast and crisp, more crisp than any Shimano setup I have used. The stem fits me perfect. For those wondering, the bike does not seem to ride high at all in the front.

Fork:

I am surprised at how well this fork performs. I’m a big guy and yet this fork still handles the trail bumps quite well. I’ve owned several SR Suntour forks on previous bikes. I believe SR Suntour forks get a bad rap. All the SR forks I have owned have worked quite well. This is the first fork I have owned that came equipped with a lockout. The lockout can only be applied if the fork is not under load, for example when the bike isn’t being ridden. As far as how stiff the fork is, I can’t judge how stiff the fork is as I’ve never had a high end fork to compare it to. The fork turns when I want it to, that’s all I can say.

Drivetrain:

OK I’ll say it. This SRAM drivetrain shifts very well. Never a hiccup. Both front and rear shift unbelievably well. I’ve owned bikes that require one to hold the front shifter down just a tad more after the click to get the front derailleur to move the chain. Not with this bike. Select a gear with the shifter and both front and rear derailleurs behave as they should. If this is due to the components or the way the bike was assembled I will not know. I am also a fan of the old school 42/32/22 cranksets and this bike has that. As far as the bottom bracket goes I have yet to have any issues with a square taper bottom bracket. By the way the cassette has a huge 34t cog. Combined with the 22t on the crankset the local climbs should be no issue.

Brakes:

The bike comes with Tektro Novela brakes, wavy rotors, and Tektro levers. Like the fork, I think that Tektro products also suffer from a bad rap. They may not be as easy to dial in as the Avid BB7 yet once dialed in they stop the bike just fine. The brakes are set up just fine, do not make any noise while riding, and offer plenty stopping power. I think in the long run I’ll upgrade to a set of hydraulics. Until then, these work very well.

Rims, Tires:

I thought at first the bigger wheels would be prone to coming out of true more easily due to longer spokes, but so far, so good. Both front and rear are straight and true. These tires are OK for now, they offer low rolling resistance and a beefy side profile for gripping corners. Over time I would elect to replace them with a set of something more aggressive.

Final Thoughts:

If your budget is in the neighborhood of $600 dollars I would recommend this bike. The frame is worthy of upgrades and the stock components along with the fork handle very well for a bike in this price range. For those wanting to try a 29er this bike is a great choice when entering the 29er market. Just make sure the bike fits you properly before leaving the shop. I’m very satisfied with this bike, love the color it came in, and enjoy riding it. I hope you found this review helpful.

By the way if you like this review help me out with my petition. If you are into mountain bike you have probably heard of the magazine called Mountain Bike Action. This magazine tests and reviews mountain bikes and gear. The issue is that lately, these last few years, they have quit reviewing lower end mountain bikes, choosing instead to review bikes costing in excess of four thousand dollars. I ask for you help to send a note to the editor to ask that they once again test bikes we all can afford. Here is the link to the petition and thanks:

http://www.causes.com/actions/1691312

Acer Aspire 5336-2615 Notebook Review

After a search I noticed there was not many reviews of the Acer Aspire 5336-2615 notebook. I current own this notebook so I thought I would write a short review to help those out there who might want to purchase this notebook. Overall I have found this notebook to be an excellent value for my uses. I shall start the review by listing the notebook’s specifications.

• Intel Celeron 925 single-core processor, 2.3 GHz speed
• 2 GB DDR3 PC-8500 memory (RAM) – expandable to 8 GB
• 250 GB hard drive, with hidden Windows 7 restore partition
• DVD Super Multi DL drive (DVD burner)
• Intel GMA 4500M HD graphics processor
• 15.6 HD LED backlit LCD screen
• Internal wireless card, WiFi B/G/N
• 6-cell lithium-ion battery
• VGA port, HDMI port, network RJ-45 port, 3 USB ports, microphone jack, headphone/speaker jack
• 1.3 MP webcam
• SD card reader
• Full size keyboard with keypad
• Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit operating system

The notebook itself is really slim in appearance. Less than an inch thick when this display is folded down. Along the left side of the keyboard is the A/C adapter plug in port, processor fan exhaust, external VGA port, HDMI port, 2 USB ports, microphone jack, and the headphone/speaker out jack. Along the right side of the keyboard is the key-lock port, DVD burner, and two USB ports. The SD card reader is on the front, under and to the left of the touchpad.

A few words about the A/C adapter. It is a typical male/female arrangement with the cord being the male end and the female end built into the notebook. In the past I have found this simple connection to be flawed. It seems over time the connection becomes loose. I have learned that if the notebook is on a table and the stress from the cord pulling on the port from the weight of the cord is alleviated in some way, then the port seems to hold up longer. Personally I’m more in favor of the way apple has their notebooks setup with a magnetic connection. Just keep an eye on the port, avoid plugging in the adapter with force and the port should last the life of the notebook.

My needs for a notebook are really quite simple. I need a system that can handle word processing for college along with a few spreadsheets, internet access for the research of college work and attending college as I go to school online. Along with all of this the ability to play a game or two. So far this notebook has exceeded my expectations.

A few words about the processor. My previous notebook had the AMD Vision dual-core processor, running at 1.6 GHz. I have noticed that this single core Celeron processor runs my apps a bit faster and at lower temps. The average temp of the processor is around 100F. As for performance I have yet to see the processor slow down or get choked up. Keep in mind the worse thing I do processor wise is keep Firefox open with 10 or so tabs, iTunes running, Word open, and playing a game such as Monopoly. I am sure that if I was using Photoshop or AutoCAD then the processor might slow down and have a few issues.

The notebook comes with 2 GB of DDR3 memory. I thought at first that Windows 7 would not work as good as it could or as it should with this small amount of memory. So far this has not been the case. I think it may have to do with the fact that this notebook uses the faster DDR3 memory, as opposed to the DDR2 memory that much of the market, at the time I write this, is using. I think I would recommend buying and installing another 2 GB stick of memory for a total of 4 GB. With Windows, More is better.

I have used the DVD burner very little. When burning there is no noticeable vibration or noise. So far every disk I have burned came out with flying colors. Please note I have only used CD-R and DVD+R media in the burner. I have not tried DVD-R media or DVD DL media. I use InfraRecorder for my burning software.

The Intel graphics card handles everything I have thrown at. Keep in mind the most graphic intensive game I play is Command and Conquer. I haven’t tried the graphics with any current hardware intensive games. The screen is bright and well-lit. I am enjoying how large the screen is at 15.6 inches. Most of my previous notebooks had smaller screens.

A word about battery life. I’ve let the battery completely discharge a few times to condition the battery. After this I notice I’m getting about 3 to 4 hours on the 6 cell battery. Charging times take about 7 to 8 hours. This would be enough time to watch a movie and cruise the internet before needing a charge.

Overall I would recommend this notebook for the average college student or those home users who just need something that will work but isn’t really fancy. I paid around $300 for this notebook at Best Buy.

Windows scores: