In other news...

I'm moving, soonish. Of course since this is new construction this means that I've been three weeks away from moving since mid-August.

In preparation I've acquired a couple of fun toys. Namely a longer distance winter commuter. I scoured craigslist and ebay until I found something really suitable. Granted I spent a bit more than maybe I should have but I picked up a 2006 Specialized Rockhopper disc. It's a solid bike and after a few modifications it should be an excellent winter bike. I really wanted the disc brakes for their better wet and icy weather performance I also would like to avoid chewing through about a set of rims a season via New England road grit.

I've taken off the suspension fork and replaced it with a rigid fork, installed some Schwalbe Marathon winter tires (seemed like the best option for Boston commuting tires) and a set of basic planet bike fenders. The fenders required some modification, mainly some scalloping to allow the fender to fit up between the fork blades enough to allow the hardware to reach the mounting hole in the fork crown. And of course this weakened the fender enough that I needed to re-inforce it with a piece of metal.

Also there was some creative bending needed on the fender stays to route them around the disc brake calipers. I tried to do this as elegantly as possible. Photos forthcoming!