New Cranks And A Shakedown Smackdown: It Was A Good Day

Mongo has been in a cycling funk for the past couple of weeks. I thought that the Hammerfest this past Monday would be a turning point for the positive, but it just turned out to be a "blah" performance. Even the pageantry surrounding the "final ride" of my triple crankset could not overcome my lack of energy and the super-annoying creaking noises coming from the nether regions of my drivetrain. I missed all the breaks on the climbs, lollygagged near the back of the peloton most of the day, but I did manage to scratch together a sixth place finish in the Sprint.

But today is a new day...Mongo took the Sub-19 up to the shop this afternoon for the crankset swap-out. "Shady" and "MC-Lean" were holding down the fort while the two owners are on their bi-monthly, "money laundering" trip to Aruba. There was even a rare "Snow Bunny" sighting when he stopped by for a few minutes to remind himself what an actual bike looks like.

Switching from an internal bottom bracket triple to an external bottom bracket compact is kind of a pain in the ass. The front derailleur, left-side shifter, and "all" the limit screws require the kind of finesse usually reserved for nailing drunk hot chicks. Only after hours of begging, compliments, listening to stupid stories, and a couple of lines of blow, do things start falling into place. Finally, with a little help and mockery from "Shady", it was done.

And the Sub-19 is now...the "Sub-18"!!! Yes folks...17.89 pounds. (w/o pedals)

I took the Sub-18 home and immediately got ready for the inaugural, "shakedown" ride. I rode to the Silver Comet Trail with the intention of an easy thirty miles getting used to the new gear ratios of the 50/34 compact versus the 52/42/30 of my old triple. The narrower bottom bracket profile combined with the higher cadence required is going to take some getting used to.

On the homeward half of the ride Mongo got his first smackdown on the new cranks. It was an Ebay special...Motobecane carbon frame, Ultegra components, Thomson stem and seatpost, Ksyrium ES wheels, and a cranky old man riding who thought he was fast. After letting him draft me for five miles or so, Mongo pegged it at twenty six for two miles straight...and he was gone.