C'est tout! The Qball Monster Cross

I called Scott Quiring about the bottom bracket issue yesterday and he set me straight. The BB that I got from a friend was probably a roadie BB and not mountain. Thus, when I swung by the Bicycle Center in Brookfield, Shawn hooked me up with the right BB plus a few other goodies for some other forthcoming builds.

While cleaning the man-cave on Sunday I found some bars that were perfect for what I was trying to accomplish. A flared drop with a wide rearward sweep. I think these were another find from the Goodie Shop because they don't appear to have ever been mounted. Barcon fit great and I really like the elongated downward portion of the bar. Much more surface area than what you would get with the Origin 8 Gary Bar.

Brakes on the other hand still need some fine tuning. Road levers don't really pull the cable far enough so it takes a combination of tightening the cable at the caliper and adjusting the pad distance. With two pad settings and not one like on the BB5 you would wonder why the 5's aren't as popular. Might be worth trying, especially if I pickup some Juicys for the Dillinger build this weekend.

Feels great riding around the driveway but the true test will be putting those tires on dirt. Right now I have 2.1 Velociraptors for tires, only because I sold my Motoraptors the other day. These are my racing tires and I am not sure I want to abuse them for everyday riding.

I was able to recycle the Jersey Cow bar tape but it's pretty beat and I will need to replace it at some point. It broke while winding around the brake lever on the left side and I had to use tape on the right side at the Barcon. I hate using tape but the Barcon is so snug that there was no way I could get the tape in there at the same time. When I get some new bar tape I will try getting it in.

I decided to go with the Suginio Compact Mountain Cranks and a 42t front chain ring. Afterall, it's not like I will be riding single track with this bike anytime soon so I think I can get away with no chain guides for now. Should I ever start riding off road with it, I will need to think about doing something a little more permanent. Probably go to a 32t and do an inner and outer bash guard set up. For the time being, however, I don't think I have to fear dropping the chain while riding dirt roads.

I am still having derailler issues. These horizontal drops where the hanger sits below I find is somewhat problematic. I first tried tightening the B adjustment screw all the way down but that didn't work. Then I tired loosening it all the way out and that still didn't work. I think I need to find a longer screw or check to ensure that I have the derailler in the right position I think it is but I will have to do it again. Still, a 1x7 for this Gravel Grinder should be more than adequate.