Some of you may remember my 26” klunker build from last summer….. well it now has a new owner (my good friend Rik) and he has been enjoying it so much he wanted to throw some money at some improvements.
Now, where to start? Well actually there’s not a lot left to change really, but the drivetrain could be updated to get the best of the bike. Oh and shave a few grams.
The bike was running a 24 speed STX setup with Alivio shifters. Functionally perfect but a bit slow and heavy, plus a bit clattery on the rough stuff. Dragging the drivetrain bang up to date would be easy enough, the collective decision was made to go to a 1x drivetrain with wide range cassette.
The next bit is the part I love…… the chase. Hunting down the best deals that the internet or my parts bin has to offer. In stock I had cranks, shifter, and mech. We would need brake levers, chainring, cassette, chain, and new cables.
Aliexpress is my go to. There’s no getting around it. Mostly manufacturer direct, and all pretty good quality as long as you do your due diligence.
I found some super light brake levers, a narrow wide chainring, super wide cassette and chain, plus cables all for under £100 delivered. Most of it turned up within ten days as well. It’s no wonder that U.K. bike shops struggle when the offer is that good. (but that’s because they still continue to put the requirement for the lion share of their revenue generation to come from parts sales, rather than their service offer).
All fitted up we managed to reduce the weight of the bike by just over 1kg. This was immediately noticeable and the bike rode and operated a lot more smoothly. A nice modern upgrade to a great riding steed. The wide range 1x Deore drivetrain really made a difference.
Anyway, here’s how it looked post upgrades…..
Needless to say it looks flipping awesome, and it rides just as well. A bike to just head into the forest and enjoy things, no matter what the weather or terrain. It takes it all in its stride.
Best thing about it is I get to look after it for the foreseeable meaning it’s going to be in my life for a while. Go on, go find a vintage 26” wheel frame and have some fun 👍🏻
BC
BOURNEMOUTH CYCLIST 