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Nice build. First time I've ever seen a 3x1 drivetrain as well. Puts me in the mood to build up the 16" one I've had gathering dust for a couple of years, possibly as my first single speed.
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A wildcard. Old 8 speed Suntour thumbies work well with a shimano mech on a 9 speed block. Less cable pull per shift. You can get all the gears too.
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I've always just used the plucked tone of the spokes and the feel of the tightness of the turned nipples to judge relative tension. Are these devices a significant improvement this technique?
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The worst seat clamp I've ever used! The clamp used to slide back on its curved rail under normal use, pitching the nose of the saddle right up. No amount of tightening the 3 mm allen bolt was ever enough to hold it. I even had to replace the clamp assembly after one of the alloy components...
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The overall cassette spacing is so close between the two brands that you shouldn't have any trouble. I do it the other way round with suntour mechs and shimano compatible cassettes.
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Yes. It's possible to repair dents in a rim, up to a point, depending on the size. I use the jaws of a shifting spanner to bend them back into shape.
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A real truing stand - very posh! I use the brake blocks as truing guides, with blobs of blue tack stuck on top to gauge roundness. For even tension, just ping the spokes and listen to the tone. :D
They always had the most comprehensive listings in the bike mags and were easy to deal with over the phone, back in the days before the internet was as big, when I was still in the business of upgrading and modernizing my ride, before I went retro.
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It does seem like a bit of a retrogressive step to go from 1 1/8" back to 1". Kona, doing retro long before it became a thing. Either that or they had a lot of 1" shit that needed to be used up. I can't think of any other reason.
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This is fine.
The BB unit screws tight against the BB shell on the drive side. The cup on the non-drive side tightens against the BB unit to lock it in place.
The flange on the cup isn't necessary, and that 'gap' means nothing. Plenty of similar square taper Shimano BB units have no...
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To get an idea of which spring goes on what side, when the brake is pulled in towards the rim, the spring should compress into a tighter, smaller circle. If the spring is actually expanding then it's on the wrong side.
I got the Selle Italia 'Man' saddle after having a go of the 'Lady' version on my girlfriend's bike. Comfort-wise, they're like chalk and cheese compared to the likes of the Flite. Just the right amount of padding for a really comfortable seat without looking too much like a sofa.