29er Project: more parts

Well, it rained last night and this morning so I looks like we get a break from the parched conditions this last year brought to the So Cal area.

So, after the wheels were obtained, I sat and looked at the other parts I have eBay'ed for the Surly. I had originally wanted to stay to $1000.00 for the build. I could have hit that mark, but it would mean stripping some other bikes of parts and compromising on the front fork. If this was going to be an SS only, I could likely get away with a rigid fork, but running a 1x9 and hoping to do some falirly difficult training/fun rides meant I needed a squishy fork. Too many miles on the body and too many bumps in the trail to do otherwise.

Also, I hate cheap parts. I am not a parts snob, but a set of $125.00 29er wheels would probably not meet my expectations of quality or weight.

Enter the marketplace of the world, eBay.

So far, I have a used King headset, a new WTB Ti railed saddle (in white/grey/black color...ooohhh!), a Deore XT Hollowtech II 180mm crank and BB, and SPD pedals from the Bay.

REI supplied a twice marked down XT 11-34 cassette ($45.00!), and Jenson USA was blowing out Deore LX hydro brakes for dirt cheap.

The wheels/tires came out of the MTBR classifieds.

I figure I am around $1K now and it will take another $500.00 to get it done, maybe a bit more. Looking back on it, I could have paid cash for a used and built bike for that amount of money, but I have to admit I enjoy the planning and chase of the build process. Many's the hour I have sat on ebay, refreshing the screen and waiting to slip in that winning bid. The heart races, the pulse quickens.

Meanwhile, the sun is breaking through and it may be time to go ride and leave all the parts in the box for a while longer. After all, my heart rate is already up from the last auction!