steel is real

The Vicious 29er is back. After hanging in my basement as a frameset all year I have reincarnated it.

I had almost enough parts to put this bike back together. Was missing a few key items but not for long..

I scored a dirt cheap Shimano 952 crankset off of ebay a few weeks ago. Found a bottom bracket in my box-o-parts. Ordered up a custom spiderless chainring from homebrewed components and, viola, we're back in action.

(don't mind the 1.8T cylinder head torque procedure)

The craftsmanship of the chainring is nice. Super thick to withstand all kinds of abuse. A great alternative [and cheap] to buying a Middleburn 104bcd spider and then a 104bcd chainring.

While the cranks are worn there are no scores from shoes. I would have wound up polishing that area down with my shoes anyway (my Sidis rub all my crankarms).

All I need is a new seatpost since my Moots ti post has finally died. The damn clamp won't stay tight no matter how many times I replace the aluminum inserts. 10+ years old. I guess it had a good run. My friend gave me his Thomson post as a replacement. I'm thankful for his generosity.

I also threw on my WTB Wolverines (29x2.3). They just barely fit in the tight Vicious chainstays and fork legs. It will be some nice cushion since this bike is set up a little different than I am used to.

Hoping to ride it this weekend. I'll write more after I get a ride on it.