Next Critical Mass, March 28th

Ms Mullarkey goes to Woodhill

Not my best work with a digital camera, but here's Kate on the inaugural outing of the Specialized M2 singlespeed, which Mr James Lewis has deemed to be a 'sick whip'.
In the circles he moves in that's apparently a good thing.

Size XS Singlespeed

This bike is a product of the 80/20 rule of bike building, that is, that once you have 80% of the parts necessary for a project, you should acquire the other 20% regardless of the cost.
The frame has been in the family since 1998; the wheels are a shed-find, leftover from an MTB to commuter conversion; the RockShox Tora fork was homeless, having a too-short steerer for a workmate's singlespeed project.

93-ish 170mm XTR cranks.
34 x 18 gear.

Araya RM20 rims on 7-speed Shimano Deore hubs.
Chain tensioned by a Surly Singleator

Syncros Gain bars and FL stem, hand me downs from the recent 29er upgrade.

More 29er & Singlespeed folly

In anticipation of the inaugural New Zealand Singlespeed Championship, I colour-coordinated my 9r with a matching white pair of Syncros* Fixed Flat Top bars and FL stem.
To get my hands in the same place I fitted a 1cm longer stem to compensate for the 10degree sweep of the bars.
Since I was replacing similar Syncros kit in black, I didn't achieve any measurable weight reduction, but the extra 6cm width of the Flat Top bars definitely pays off in extra control.

The other upgrade since last summer is a pair of Conti* Mountain King 29 x 2.4 tyres, which seem to stay hooked up more consistently than the original WTB Exiwolf 2.35s.
Rest assured that nothing has gone to waste. Already the old bar & stem have found a home on a midget singlespeed, assembled from found material and pro-quality cast-offs, for Kate Mullarkey to ride.
















*Disclaimer- I am deeply implicated in the importation and distribution of Continental and Syncros in New Zealand.Nothing that I write about them can be believed.