Images by Kim Larson from the "midwest SS championship" (the MN version, I may also do another "midwest ss championship" in December... this is almost as bad as the 17 "fatbike world championships")
bike details-
1996 Marin Pine Mountain 26"
rear disc tabs
generic carbon disc fork (405 a-c?)
mavic tubulars on hope ti-glide hubs (by Ben Witt)
shimano mechanical discs/tektro levers
short reach/shallow drop dimension brand drop bars
white industries crankset (stock and with original BB)
old school ti-railed saddle from my 1993 Jamis Dakota
Ritchey WCS seatpost
bike details-
1996 Marin Pine Mountain 26"
rear disc tabs
generic carbon disc fork (405 a-c?)
mavic tubulars on hope ti-glide hubs (by Ben Witt)
shimano mechanical discs/tektro levers
short reach/shallow drop dimension brand drop bars
white industries crankset (stock and with original BB)
old school ti-railed saddle from my 1993 Jamis Dakota
Ritchey WCS seatpost
So, I've 'raced' this thing 4 times now and ridden it hard a bunch of times on various local CX courses that I use for practice. I say "race" because a few of them were half-assed efforts where I knew I wasn't "all-in" due to already having raced earlier in the day and not feeling great due to the knee pain I've been suffering through (which I think I've solved).
I'm happy with this bike! It fits well and rides fast. The changes that I would make (should make) would be to find a way to increase the grip I get on the brake levers with full-fingered gloves and to use wider 'q-factor' pedals so my shoe doesn't 'click' every pedal stroke when it hits the crank-arm. Other than that I'm inspired to race it in the SS National Championship race just as it is and I've been eyeing one or two other weekends/days where adding the SS race might make sense.
The disc brakes specifically are amazing to have. That said, I still don't think they are at all necessary. The biggest dimension that they add though is that they make the bike much more fun to ride 'conversationally' on singletrack with... as I can sit on the hoods and comfortably ride while also braking appropriately. I can see myself pulling this out once in a while all year round to make some laps of the local mountain bike trails.
It was fun to make something new out of the old bike and I love the character that it has. To me, it embodies some sort of ethos that I dig... this is what SS CX should be about! It's the partner/opposite of a mass-produced in Asia aluminum thing with some beer logos plastered on... eh?
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