Bike Shop Update

I finally got tired of rummaging around in a cardboard box whenever I needed to find just the right stem:

25.4mm on the left, 31.8mm in the middle, 26.0mm on the right. Simple and easy. I change around stems and bars a lot, so I appreciate this.

I also sold my old Trek 510 last night, so I have a bit more room in my shop now.

B Pluses and Minuses

With this weekend's amazing weather, Alum P2 was actually dry enough to ride. It was in great shape, actually, when I took my B+ shod Karate Monkey out this afternoon:

Mostly good times with the B+ Monkey, but a big issue with my 650b Raleigh.

Bike and Playgrounds

We had a record warm Saturday, so after a morning of working on the basement, Sam and I headed into town for a lunch at Moe's. Fully fueled, we had energy to hit some playgrounds on the way home, just like the old days. Avery Park was first up:

B+ Niner

My thing this winter is small wheels, apparently. I've been enjoying my 26" wheeled Rockhopper, just built a 650b VO Polyvalent, and now I'm experimenting with B+ wheels on a Niner frame (B-Niner?).

Since I've built this, I've only managed one trip to Alum. Rain and warm temps have kept the trails unrideable in these parts, for the most part, but I did sneak in a ride last weekend:

Velo Orange Polyvalent Intro

I certainly don't need another bike, but when this VO Polyvalent frameset drifted across one of my bikes lists for a reasonable price, I didn't hesitate to pick it up. My hope is this will be the bike for my now-longer solo rides into Dublin when I want to run some errands. At least, that's my excuse to myself.

My first build was a quick hodgepodge:

After converting my Raleigh back to 27" wheels, my free pair of 650b wheels allowed this build. My only major problem was that I was out of derailers, so I had to make do: