One Night Carnival
06 March 2007
I've been working on reviving my GT Arrowhead mountain bike this last week. I bought it back in 2000/2001 and upgraded it with some very nice new equipment. From the value of the components I'd added to the bike it had tripled in price. My friend and I would travel up to the Lake District and Scotland a few times over the next couple of years. We would drive up and camp the night in a tent and then go on a bike ride around the area in the morning. My favourite ride was probably the Ben Nevis one we did. The scenery around the Glen Coe area is truly awe inspiring.
Those trips only seemed like yesterday but it's already been over 5 years. I used to ride my bike to school everyday but once I'd left sixth form there was little motivation to ride again. And so my Arrowhead grew slightly neglected in the hallway. It was still only half complete in the upgrade process. I felt guilty about not riding it any more. However, this year it's different. With my small, modest income I now have the means to revive it back to it's former glory. I've started by replacing the tattered grips that came with the bike. Also installed some X-Lite bar plugs, replaced the seat post with an Easton EA50 I bought ages ago and fitted a new seat. I spent today polishing the dirt off the frame and forks. I'll clean the chain and the derailleurs tomorrow. Then once that's done I'll take it out for a ride to see what it feels like.
I've compiled quite a big shopping list of bits which I want to upgrade:
Shimano LX Hollowtech II chainset - £64.95 from Merlin Cycles;
Shimano XT front derailleur - £19.99 from Chain Reaction;
Shimano HG93 9-speed chain - £14.95 from Merlin Cycles;
Shimano XT rear V-Brakes - £19.99 from Chain Reaction;
Mavic XM317 Disc wheels with black rims, black spokes and XT disc hub - £53.00 from Merlin Cycles;
Shimano Deore mechanical front disc brake unit - £24.99 from Chain Reaction;
Shimano Deore RT61 disc rotor - £14.99 from Chain Reaction;
Shimano XT gear cable set - £7.99 from Chain Reaction;
Shimano XT brake cable set - £5.99 from Chain Reaction.
Total price: £226.84
It's surprisingly cheaper than I thought it'd be. I'll be getting a lot of high quality equipment for a good price. Even on my lousy £45 a week I could afford it all in a couple of months. Hopefully if I get my Administrative Assistant job I'll be able to change some of the stuff to higher quality pieces. After all £226.84 is going to be nothing when I'm earning £800 a month. I'm really, REALLY determined to do well on that interview now!! Bring on Monday!!
Posted byHocchan at 10:00 pm
Good luck on the interview on Monday! I'll be out of town for a week starting Saturday, but I'll still be able to read your blog and stay up-to-date! I'm excited for you!