What do we have here? My planned race bike, the culmination of a lotta work and planning. Looks like a Redline Monocog 29er singlespeed, but its not quite that simple.Frame: Redline Monocog 29er
Forke: Manitou Minute Absolute 80mm
Handlebars: Jones H Bar (yes, more expensive than my frame)
Brake levers: Vuelta's (nice, long, and light)
Brakes: Avid BB7's
Front hub: DT Hugi / Onyx
Front rim: WTB something or another
Rear hub: here we go...Shimano Alfine 8 speed interally geared hub
Rear rim: Stans Arch
Cranks: AC Lo Pro XT
Seatpost: Ritchey
Tires: Specialized Fast Trak Pro
Now, the reasoning behind this build.
First of all, the Jones H Bar is awesome. Bars with a sweep like this one and the On One Mary are the only kind that I can ride for long periods of time without elbow pain. The multiple positions on the Jones are sweet for long rides.
The Monocog...well, I like it. It is heavy as a pig, but the ride is nice. This is my first 29er, so I don't know if its wheel size, geometry, or what. It just feels right and rolls well.
Manitou Minute 29er Absolute. This is, by far, the best shock I've ever owned. Once again, not super light, but the the stiffness is great, and the fork can go from locked-out to super plush with the turn of a dial (which can be done while riding).
BB7's. Brain dead, reliable and functional.
Stans' Arch. Light and untested by me. Not planning to run tubeless right now, but may in the future.
Alfine 8 speed internally geared hub (IGH). This is the most interesting part of the build for me. I've been riding internal gears for a while now, on my commuters and on my snow bike. I have beat the snot outta them and they just ask for more. The maintenance is next to nothing and the shifting is sweet. I have ridden primarily the Nexus hubs in the past. This Alfine is my first test using an IGH for "real" mountain biking. I have abused the Nexus with some pretty good mountain snow biking, so I have high hopes for the Alfine, which is supposed to be even more durable. We'll see.
That's it for now. Gotta go chow some pizza. Maybe a short night ride in the snow (see pic above). Oh yeah, during the 2 minutes it took for me to capture the photo above, my 2 year old flooded the bathroom bad enough that the water ran through the floor and into the basement (luckily just into the storage room)!
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