Current Build

    It has been a quite winter and instead of telling my opinions, how about we try talking about things I am doing.  I bought a geared All City Nature Ace (Boy).  For those of you who have history with All City line up, it is the progressively renamed Macho Man platform.  My intent was was to take a Macho Man frame and make it a Nature Boy.  This is the gist of the build concept.  I wanted the rear-derailleur hanger option for future use.

   

I handed over the ownership of my 54cm Santa Cruz to my girl friend.  Then, I got the green light to acquire another gravel bike for myself.  I debated on frames an availability.  Then one day I placed a All-City Nature Ace SS frameset on order.  The Local Bike Shop called me up in December and updated me on delivery and even said to cut my losses now as delivery pushed back to a unknown delivery date.  With the unknown delivery I cut my losses and began searching for a frame.  I decided to use an eccentric bottom bracket, if I could not find a drop out frame.  I looked at Twin Six TI Rando, Osto TI Warkin, and many other TI frames.  I decided against any of them due to cost.  So I went to eBay and found a few framesets on there.  I came across All City Nature Cross Geared frame.  It has the Cyclone Popsicle paint scheme, I would call it a bomb pop popsicle, but that is my youthful memories. 

    While I had a Pink Lemonade Nature ACE frameset on order, I purchased a set of Santa Cruz Reserve 22's.  That will play part in a few paragraph.  I got the frame set on order via eBay and waited for arrival of the frameset.  When the frameset arrived I noticed it had a 68mm internal threaded Bottom Bracket shell.  This is where my build gets weird.

    Upon realizing I did not compare frames properly, I reached out to Guitar Ted.  Guitar Ted steered me to Phil Wood webpage.  This is where I saw the cure to my self induced build chaos.  I saw the Philcentric Outboard Bottom Bracket.  The problem was only a Shimano 24mm spindle set was available.  So I marched on searching the web.  Finally I found a Shimano 24mm Bottom Bracket (BB) with an alignment tool.  I purchased the set cheaper than I could on the Phil Wood page.  

    Now I have a Shimano 24mm compatiable BB on the way.  The problem is I have a SRAM GXP Force 1 crank arms.  So I found a 24mm to 22mm reducer.  With all that business complete I looked to SRAM 8 bolt direct mount chain ring.  I found a SRAM 38T chain ring.  This design is not symmetrical and is creating a interference issue between the outboard support of the Philcentric BB and the chain ring.  I am now in the process of going to a 8 bolt 94BCD spider with a 34T chain ring.  I will see later this week if it is sorted out.

    I am running a Gusset XD1 ER Kit on a XDR hub.  In theory this adds more weight to the bike, and it does in reality, but the flexibility it offers me is invaluable.  It comes with a 16T Cog, and for where I live that is most likely the smallest cog I will run.  I have a 17T and a 18T cog on the way.  They are simple 6 bolt fixie/track cogs.  Eyeballing the chainlink the other day, this build is pretty accurate already with some unforeseen issues.

    Brakes I am going with TRP Sprye SLCs, controls by SRAM S900 carbon brake controls.  Yeah, I am throwing a lot of cool stuff on this build.  And why not, the GF gave me the green light.  Now for the cherry on top.

    The wheel set I am using is pre-loved by me.  I am re-purposing the Hunt 35 wheel set I bought two years ago.  I am putting the new Santa Cruz reserve 22s on the the GF's Stiggy.   The reason is 24H vs 28H, I want the 28H wheels for the single speed.  So long story short, I told her what I was doing, and I was informed I am not to touch her bike.  She came over a few days later, held the Reserve 22s in her hands, and then allowed me to switch wheels.  Since then, we rode a few miles of the Katy trail and she approves of the trade.  

       So this is where I am at, waiting on parts to come in and thinking about running an 8spd chain vs a 10spd chain.  I am leaning towards a 8spd.  If you have anymore questions, smash the comment box below and I will do my best to answer them.

Cheers and Godspeed

Dave