Use What You've Got

"Fucking pack rat!"

That's what they call me at the shop. One man's trash is another man's treasure is all I have to say. Why would I let perfectly rideable bike parts go to waste? I have the mechanical expertise and low enough standards that I can ride just about anything. As a result, my place is covered in bike stuff. It's a tinkerer's paradise (tinker, not tinkle). And while I try to keep all these components organized and out of the way, I usually end up rolling over a fixed gear cog or inner tube in bed.

Why would anyone put up with this lifestyle, you ask? Because it's totally worth it, that's why! I have parts galore and being surrounded by them only further motivates me to build more bikes, for better or worse. It also helps when I break something, which I frequently do. And they're great if you have plans to eventually upgrade one of your bikes. You never know when you'll need that extra set of carbon bars or ultra-light pedals. I've been sitting on a older model Fox TALAS RLC fork for a while now. I had been holding on to this thing for a while in the hopes that I'd possibly build a XC/Trail bike around it, but for my particular mtb riding needs, I don't require all the gears and gizmos. It's really hard to talk myself out of building another bike. REALLY. HARD. Once I came back down to earth, I settled on upgrading my current rig, a Surly 1x1. Its crappy RaceFace bottom bracket had seized over the years due to a complete lack of maintenance and uber-crappy seals. Disc brakes were another thing I figured the bike deserved, since I had chosen V-brakes originally to skimp on the overall build price. So now I need new wheels and they might as well be nice. With my head fully back in the clouds at this point, I figured a Chris King bottom bracket and ISO Singlespeed hubset built to some NoTubes rims should do the trick. I'll get them in pink to match my CK headset too. Pimpalicious!

Unfortunately, while we do get hooked up with EP forms and discounted parts at the shop, few manufacturers recognize empty bottles of Scotch and malt liquor as legal tender (though we do use them as trophies for hobo fights). So I've squandered my money on alcoholic beverages for the past couple months, which probably contributed to the recent batch of lofty daydreams/hallucinations, and now sober I have to figure out how I'm going to afford the last few bits I need on a drunk mechanic's salary. What to do, what to do... Keep hoarding, that's what! I figured I can keep an eye out for parts that will get me running on the suspension fork while I wait to order shiny new Chris King part.

Today, I found a trashed front disc wheel, a 160mm rotor and a mechanical disc brake caliper in the parts bin. The rim was toast but the hub was still in decent shape or at least was something that I have no qualms riding for free. Bought a cheap Mavic rim and some 14ga spokes. BOOM! I'm gonna be running on a new front disc and suspension setup by the end of the week. Sure it's a little ghetto, a little half-assed, but it's all about small steps right now. Plus, it's the off-season for us at the bike shop and I needed something to keep these hands busy. The wheel I built is split across the diameter of the rim with silver spokes on one side and black spokes on the other with black brass nipples on the disc-side and purple alloy nipples on the other side. It's the Purple Nurple Especial. See you on the trails!