The 29er is in business!

Last night, I completed the build on the 29er frame that I bought. I was planning on enlisting some help with the build last weekend because of my lack of confidence in my abilities. When no one was available, I started piecing it together a little at a time each day. Last night, with the help of my neighbor Donald Francis, the gears were adjusted, and she is done! I can't believe I was able to do almost the whole thing myself. I spent 2 hours in the bike shop cutting and installing cables yesterday. Obviously, I'm not real fast, but it works.

Rode to work this morning, despite the 100% chance of rain, and it looks like I'll have a clear shot home now that the storms have passed for the moment. It feels strange to be back on a hardtail. Will I get used to it again?

2 weeks out commission...NOT RIGHT

Not sure that I mentioned that I came home from Moab with a broken bike. My rear hub locked up on my way down my last run in Fruita, Kessel Run. Mike B. helped me remove my chain so I could at least coast down the trail. Thank goodness! That was the right trail for that to happen on too. I only had to push a couple of times...and it was skateboard style pushing.
To top it off, my mechanic was out with an injury, so my bike sat in the shop for almost 2 weeks before it got any attention. Once it finally did get worked on, it wasn't my trusted mechanic that rebuilt my rear wheel, which is probably why the wheel was rubbing against the front derailleur when I left. The guys in the shop were convinced that my bike frame was bent. I couldn't see it, but decided the only thing to do was call Tan at Specialized. He referred me to a service rep, Cody, who told me to take it to a dealer for inspection. I decided to take this as my opportunity to visit Eureka Springs for the first time. I've ridden a great trail over there, but never actually been in the town. I met the Specialized dealer from over there at our local trail here and since then have wanted to get over there. The shop owner is Denton West. He took a quick look at the bike and told me he was pretty sure that it was just a wheel issue, and to give him an hour to fix it. Sure enough, the wheel was not dished properly. Denton and I talked for about half an hour about business, bikes, trails, and future group rides. I look forward to seeing him more and riding with him this year.
In other news, I now have a Stumpjumper Marathon 29er frame that I bought on ebay for $500. It came with a Reba fork. Now all I need it PARTS! Can't wait to get it built up so I can ride it to work and back, but my budget is spent, so it could be weeks or months before I can ride it. Today, I am just grateful to have SOMETHING to ride! I love my Enduro. However, I've wanted a 29er since I rode one in Moab 2 years ago. I finally just did it....and by the way, that picture of me on my blog on that green Specialized...that's me on the 29er in Moab 2 years ago.