Just Riding Along... Surly Troll part 3.

Quick update on the Troll. After powdercoating, I took the frame down to my local shop, Bishop's Bicycles, to have the frame treated with framesaver and also to have the headset installed. Picked it up this evening, and started adding parts to make the bike more complete. Here are a few pictures for a tease:

Chris King Headset.

Brooks saddle looks at home.

Avid BB5 disc brakes in the interesting dropout.

More parts being added, more parts being ordered, hope to have everything finished this week! This bike is starting to look like a tractor!

Just keep spinning...

Just Riding Along... Brooks and Maxxis.

So the new parts are starting to come in for the upcoming build. Every time that I order something online it is like Christmas morning when it arrives. Such a good feeling, thanks postman!

The past couple days have brought in a couple important pieces. First up was my Chris King headset from eBay. Apart from the faded finish, and some unexpected "hidden" shipping costs from the seller, it was still a great deal. eBay is a gamble sometimes, for example, when an item is listed as "Like new, excellent condition!" you would not expect fading right? Neither did I. Like I said though, it is in great shape still, and was a great deal, just a tiny hassle. Buyer beware I suppose.

Next up came two different packages. One carried my new Brooks B17 Narrow saddle. After lathering it up with some Brooks Proofhide last night, I took a 10 mile or so spin on it today with the T500. Right out of the box, I was quite surprised at how nice the Brooks fit me. Maybe it is due to me riding a little stiffer of a saddle as of late, but the Brooks was not at all terrible. If I am liking it now, I cannot imagine how comfy it will be once broken in.

The last package was one of the most important for a bicycle, tires. Those came in the form of two Maxxis Ardent 26x2.6" beasts. After installing them on my Sun Ringle Singletrack rims, I would guess that they do not measure out to 2.6" wide, but they are big nonetheless. Not a bad tread pattern as well:

I am planning on running these front and rear for MTB duties, but I do have the thoughts of putting a Maxxis Minion DHF 26x2.7" tire on the front. The Troll has big tire clearance, why not use it all up? I think with either of those setups it will make a nice "fatbike lite." This is probably a bad road to start down though, because it only ends at this:

Photo from Surly's site.

Getting antsy... More bike thoughts...

Still have not ordered my new frame yet, but the parts that I have ordered are slowly starting to trickle in. Today welcomed my Chris King headset, hopefully tomorrow the Brooks saddle will arrive so I can start the process of treating the leather.

Photo from Brooks.

If you have ever thought about a Brooks saddle before, you might have read a little about the break in period. Some sources say 250 miles. Others say up to 1000. Some people will tell you to cook the saddle in the oven at low heat for a bit to soften the leather. Sheldon Brown (RIP) preferred to soak leather saddles in some type of oil to soften the leather. Holy crap, lots of options. What is my plan? I am going to go the safe route and follow the directions on the box. Sure, it is probably going to take longer, but it will be done right. As long as the saddle ends up with dimples for my butt cheeks, I am okay with that.

The other thing that I have been obsessing with as of late, is to order or not to order the new frame. The Troll frame comes out of the box with enough rack and fender mounts, etc. to take the bike across the country. The "new" version due in March has even more. So, the question is to wait or not? Do I need the water bottle/anything cages on the fork?

Photo from Welshridething.blogspot.

I like the idea of the anything cages on the fork. The question is: Are they necessary? I am still debating that.

As soon as I can move this, then I can really start the process at full speed. It is weird to think that at this point, I am at any speed but...