My Lean RTW Machine

*cue drumroll...

Introducing my RTW Machine. Just lean; not mean, and certainly no gleam, save for the rigid fork.

 

Yeap, I'm going rigid. This is built with RTW, and possibly touring in mind. However, I'm still hunting for suitable (read: cheap) frame for the purpose. For the time being, it's a thrift build. The intent is also to make it a reasonably light and fast machine. By that, 'reasonable' is strictly not burning a hole in my pocket. Hence, I've collected parts for a few months - mostly secondhands in good condition, and also parts lying idle in my storeroom. The final and important piece of the jigsaw puzzle being the rigid fork.

 

I received the fork on Tuesday, and since Wednesday is the first Ramadhan, it's a public holiday in Johor. I don't have to take an annual leave to build it, after all.

:)

 

The assembling project started early. 6.45 am I was already prepping the ground. Took out the car from the parking space and put it outside, and started to move things out from the cramped store. By 7.00 am, sunlight is already available thus the project begun.

 

Necessary parts and tools are all set, only I didn't have a rag towel. Small matter, that's the reason why I wore black pants and dark blue t-shirt while working.

;)

 

Parts

Parts were collected from all over the country, including from Sarawak. I sourced them from friends, local bike shops and online through BBS. I re-used idle parts found in my storeroom, too.

 

Initial idea was to make it an 8 speed rig, but due to availability (and unaivailability) of shifters and cassette, I went with 9 speed. I could live with a few grams heavy, no problem.

 

Hiccup

I only realized that I didn't have enough spacers for the headset/stem/steerer tube when I installed the fork. Also, the front v-brakes pair that I have cannot be used because one of them is having the mounting bolt attached to it. It cannot be removed because it's stuck to the v-brake boss. And, the v-brake boss' thread deameter is of a smaller size than the one on the fork (yes, there are two sizes, them v-brake bosses). I texted a few people who could help me with a spare v-brakes, and only Kadafi is a possible saviour.

 

Anyway, after Asar, the parts were bought on a quick stop at Masai bike shop on the way to the wet market. Luckily the lady agreed to sell me only the front pair, making my expenses to a minimum.

 

Final touch

At around 11.00 pm I continued with the build, and completed it with my usual necessary RTW accessories taken from Hollowpoint:

Headlight

Cateye Bell

Cateye Mity 8 meter

Ibera PakRak beam and bag

Topeak handphone holder bracket

Cateye rear blinker bracket

 

Also, I've added a Topeak DeFender front fender. I see the need for it because there's a section in Seri Alam where there's a perpetual stream of water on the road. Much more when it's raining, or rides after a rain spell.

 

Another thing that I consider necessary but didn't install is the rear/side mirror. It's actually a motorcycle mirror given by BC Kelolo many moons ago. Need to tweak a bit in order to mount in on my handlebar.

 

Test ride

It was at about 12.30 am, just in front of the house. Only testing the brakes and shifters, plus a general feeling of riding the machine. No further tweaking needed, and I went to sleep happy.

 

Build specs

item	details
frameset
frame	17" Schwinn Mesa hardtail
seatpost clamp	fixed
seatpost	Thomson laidback 27.2
saddle	Giant slotted
fork	rigid aluminium alloy
headset	FSA sealed bearing
drivetrain
crankset	FSA 48/36/28T
bb	Tange square taper
pedal	Shimano Deore XT
chain	Shimano CN-HG72
cassette	SRAM PG-970
control
handlebar	Titec aluminium alloy
grips	WTB kraton
stem	Bontrager steel
brake lever	Avid Ti
brakes	Shimano Alivio v-brakes
shifter	Shimano Deore 2010
fd	Shimano Deore 2009
rd	Shimano Deore 2009
wheelset
rim	24h for v-brakes
hub	Novatec 24h sealed bearing
tire	Panaracer RiBMo 26/1.5
tube	Kenda 26/1.5 Schrader
others
rear rack	Ibera IB-RA1 PakRak beam rack
bell	Cateye
meter	Cateye Mity 8

 

Possible future replacements/enhancements

wants, not needs :)

Brooks B-17 saddle

Ibera touring carrier plus IB-RA4 pannier rack

Panniers

Cateye Rear Rack Taillight Mount

Specialized BG Ergo Lock grips

Shimano Deore XT v-brakes