Calibre Two.Two 26er

Uber_Pod

Here's my shiny new Calibre Two.Two that arrived at the weekend.
I love it. 8)

Mind you, given what it replaced, that wouldn't be hard! :shock: :oops:

jamski

Uber_Pod wrote:

Here's my shiny new Calibre Two.Two that arrived at the weekend.
I love it. 8)

Mind you, given what it replaced, that wouldn't be hard! :shock: :oops:

Enjoy! I've had mine for a couple of years now and it's got me back into biking in a big way. Change those pedals, and get some nice lock-on grips, will make a big difference. I'm in the process of removing the big chainring too as I never use it and I'm preparing myself for going 1x with a new bike, hopefully soon.

It's a great little bike though, and I'll be keeping it as my hardtail. It's good enough to consider some bigger upgrades in the future too in my opinion.

robertpb

That saddle looks a bit nose high and the mech/chain looks a bit stretched.

jamski

Chain is 'big to big' by the looks of things, shouldn't be run that way but looks like it would work, just. The chain may be worth checking as I've heard a few that have snapped early on, mine had a dodgy link that I spotted before it went and I replaced it.

Uber_Pod

robertpb wrote:

That saddle looks a bit nose high and the mech/chain looks a bit stretched.

Let's say I got some feedback that the saddle needs to point down a bit. I'll look into if/how to adjust the angle.

I'm not sure what the chain should look like or how to check it. I'll post a better picture of that part.

jamski

Uber_Pod wrote:

robertpb wrote:

That saddle looks a bit nose high and the mech/chain looks a bit stretched.

Let's say I got some feedback that the saddle needs to point down a bit. I'll look into if/how to adjust the angle.

I'm not sure what the chain should look like or how to check it. I'll post a better picture of that part.

You shouldn't really be in the big cog on the back wheel, and the big cog on the front. It means you chain is being pulled really tight and your rear mech is being pulled forward a lot. However it happens at times, and as long as the bike still works in this combo then that's fine. But you should try and avoid it being in both big cogs at the same time.

Uber_Pod

Ok, unless I'm missing something really obvious, the saddle only adjusts forward and backwards. In fact the saddle doesn't adjust at all, it's the bracket which holds it on to the seat post.

So, to adjust the angle, do I need a different saddle? Or seat post? Or something else?

jamski

Uber_Pod wrote:

Ok, unless I'm missing something really obvious, the saddle only adjusts forward and backwards. In fact the saddle doesn't adjust at all, it's the bracket which holds it on to the seat post.

So, to adjust the angle, do I need a different saddle? Or seat post? Or something else?

You should be able to loosen the bolt and the whole top part of the seat post should move. You can angle that up and down, then move the saddle rails for forward/backwards adjustment. Just make sure you're undoing the bolt enough to enable it to move.

Uber_Pod

jamski wrote:

Uber_Pod wrote:

Ok, unless I'm missing something really obvious, the saddle only adjusts forward and backwards. In fact the saddle doesn't adjust at all, it's the bracket which holds it on to the seat post.

So, to adjust the angle, do I need a different saddle? Or seat post? Or something else?

You should be able to loosen the bolt and the whole top part of the seat post should move. You can angle that up and down, then move the saddle rails for forward/backwards adjustment. Just make sure you're undoing the bolt enough to enable it to move.

Thanks for that. Yes, loosening the bolt more does indeed allow the saddle to angle up and down.
Feels much better now, although tending to slide forward slightly. Great improvement though.

Uber_Pod

"Isn't your bike is new?"
"Yes"
"So why are you replacing bits?"
"Erm... "

Converting from 3x9 to 1x9.

Using a XT M770 cassette and rear medium cage derailleur:


Still need to work out how best to route the shifter cable. The original red cover is now too long and it also seems to go in at an odd angle.


Front end is now a narrow wide 32T ring from Works Components.

Having just found out the narrow wide ring is called that because it fits the different size gaps in the chain (obvious when you think about it!), I need to check I've got it in the right place. 50/50 chance...

While the crank was off, here's a pic of the bottom bracket. No obvious markings, so not sure how to tell what sort it is yet. Not urgent right now...



I'm on the lookout for a rear M970 shifter to finish that off.
Some more parts on order and waiting to be fitted...

cooldad

It's just a square taper BB. All you need to match is the axle length for the crankset, and you can measure that with a ruler.

Uber_Pod

Here's a pic of the work in progress.
1x conversion done and new tyres running tubeless.



For the curious, I weighed various bits as I was going along.

Front wheel as taken off, with WTB Vigilante 2.3 tyre, weighed 2.35kg.
After tubeless conversion with Nobby Nic 2.35 tyre it weighed 2.05kg.

Rear wheel as taken off with WTB Wolverine 2.1 weighed 2.7kg.
Haven't weighed it after tubeless conversion.

For the 1x conversion, the original three front rings and bashguard together weighed 331g. All gone.
Front derailleur (Acera) weighed 185g. Gone.
Front shifter (M395) and cable weighed 153g. Also gone.
Technically the bolts holding the smallest ring on have also gone, but they weigh next to nothing.
Added Works Components 32T narrow wide ring. 39g


Rear long cage mech (deore) weighed 293g.
Replaced with XT M772 medium cage which weighs 227g (according to spec).

So 962g removed, 266g added making 696g overall saving.
With (presumably) around 300g per wheel saved, that adds up to a saving of 1.3kg. Which sounds like a huge amount.

demelitia

It is a huge amount! Having taken that much weight off the wheels will have made a massive difference. I'm sure it'll feel like you've got a motor in your seat tube.

Uber_Pod

New fork and grips added:





Quite a weight saving here too. I'll add the numbers later.

Uber_Pod

Forgot to say what the new fork was!
I swapped out the original XC28 fork for a 2011 Recon Gold TK (coil spring version).



Limited choice due to the 26" wheels, straight steerer and wanting to keep the cost low.
Mainly for the weight saving as it's fairly significant:

XC28 - 2.4kg
Recon Gold TK - 1.86kg

So another 550g (ish) saving.

Trying to balance the bike on the kitchen scales(!) seems to come out as somewhere between 12-12.5kg. Not exactly precise, I know.

jamski

Looking good! Nice to see someone using to bike as a base to build on!

Uber_Pod

It's getting used.

I've added some Raceface Chester flat pedals, which are great.
The Racing Ralph rear tyre is struggling in the mud now - both spinning when pedalling and sliding sideways down slopes. Not exactly surprising though. It's not really intended for that and it's probably getting a bit worn.

I wouldn't mind some wider 26" wheels, but it's proving somewhat tricky and/or expensive.

Other than that, a different lever for the dropper and an XT/XTR 9 speed shifter are about all that's left on the want list.
Changing from 1x9 to 1x10 or 11 would be nice, but to be honest I'm not using all 9 gears in my riding as it is. So it's hard to justify the cost even at second hand prices.

jamski

Looks great, perfect little winter hardtail. Wish I hadn't sold mine to fund the full suss! Having now been bikeless for nearly 5 months after the new bike was written off, I miss it!

swod1

nice, you'll find a big improvement in the forks as you've gone from 28mm to 32mm stanchions also the gold colour of the newer forks will last better than the steel which came on the bike.

tothetrail.tv

Super interesting to read this thread from start to end. Kind of makes me want to get a hardtail now.

The Rookie

swod1 wrote:

also the gold colour of the newer forks will last better than the steel which came on the bike.

I think generally chromed steel stanchions are more durable than gold anodised alloy!

Spencelondon

Hey I love the mods you did. Where are you based I may need you to help me do the same gear conversion from a 3 to a 1. I have heard great things about this type of conversion.

waynejoe

Loved the white one. Pretty neat

Uber_Pod

Spencelondon wrote:

Hey I love the mods you did. Where are you based I may need you to help me do the same gear conversion from a 3 to a 1. I have heard great things about this type of conversion.

I would only do it if you only use the middle ring. I found myself never using the small or big ring so got rid of them.

The conversion is really simple.
Check which type of chain ring mount you have and buy a suitable narrow wide ring. Decide how many teeth will give you the range you want.

Take off the front shifter, front mech, cable and all the front rings/guard. Fit the narrow wide ring in their place - possibly using different thickness bolts - and mount it to get the best chainline. That's really it.