Along with driving, resting, and spending time with household over the vacation recess, I used to be additionally very a lot wanting ahead to lastly having sufficient downtime to undertake Undertaking Gravel–or “PRJCT GRVL,” to make use of the proper Gravelese. Nicely, I’m happy to report it’s now full–although I did must postpone it for a couple of extra days so as to rehabilitate the Cervino after my crash:
Please notice that in doing so I prioritized expediency and security over aesthetics and period-correctness. The cockerpit I principally transferred over instantly from a earlier incarnation of the Faggin, and whereas I little question may have salvaged the unique bars and stem I figured when you crash important elements which can be over 40 years previous it’s higher to be protected than sorry. (Don’t fear, I’ve nonetheless received the Tremendous Document brake levers.) As for the tires, they’re 28mm Paselas, which must be extra sure-footed, and naturally they’re clinchers, which suggests they gained’t roll off as a result of they have been glued on by an fool. Lastly, you’ll notice the double-sided pedals, which facilitate strolling whilst you’re ready for spouses and ambulances to reach–and the pedals I used to be utilizing once I crashed at the moment are damaged anyway:
Maybe in some unspecified time in the future sooner or later I’ll try to revive a bit of extra class to the bike, however for the meantime I’m simply comfortable to have it rolling once more.
As for PRJCT GRVL, to refresh your reminiscence, for sad causes final yr I discovered myself with a model new Salsa Stormchaser body and fork:
The Stormchaser has switchable dropout plate thingies and will be arrange both singlespeed or geared, which is fairly cool, and this body was the to be the premise for a bikepacking challenge my good friend didn’t dwell to finish. I figured because it was each model new and a gravel bike the body could be straightforward to promote, however regardless of itemizing it on the Greg’s Checklist and pricing it properly under what they go for from Salsa (One Thousand Twelve Hundred and Forty-9 American Enjoyable Tickets, in case you’re questioning) I acquired nary a nibble, and no readers of this weblog reached out to buy it both. So I modified tack, and as a substitute of making an attempt to promote the body and fork, I made a decision to assemble* the bike.
*[One of my 2026 resolutions is not to say”build” in this context, since it implies you did something more than you actually did, unless you actually welded the frame. I also don’t like when people call a bike “a build.” It’s not a build, it’s a bike. Why say “nice build!” when you can just say “nice bike“ instead?]
Anyway, so far as constructing assembling the bike, my reasoning was two-fold: 1) Maybe an entire bike could be extra prone to discover a purchaser; and B) I’m the one that’s all the time complaining about gravel bikes and new requirements and stuff, so perhaps as a substitute of whining I ought to attempt to truly be taught a factor or two about them as a substitute. And what higher approach to take action than by placing one collectively and really driving it for awhile?
And thus, PRJCT GRVL was born.
My good friend had left behind most of the elements vital to finish the bike–together with digital shifter and derailleur and hydraulic brakes from SRAM. Nonetheless, whereas I used to be seeking to be taught new issues, I wasn’t seeking to be taught that many new issues. So I bought the issues that scared me and used the proceeds to buy a Microshift Sword Black drivetrain and a pair Shimano mechanical brakes, in addition to a handlebar and another stuff the bike would want, as a result of if I’ve discovered something from years of biking, it’s that bikes simply work higher with handlebars:
And right here’s the bike:
I shall now relate my experiences with the meeting.
Wheels and Tires
The wheels are Stan’s Crest rims (tubeless, clearly) and the hubs are Bitex. My good friend all the time constructed his personal wheels (sure, you’ll be able to say “constructed” on this context), and these elements are consistent with his value-over-flash sensibilities. The rear wheel was already full however the entrance wheel nonetheless wanted to be tensioned, which I undertook myself, and whereas I’m concerning the furthest factor from an professional wheelbuilder to this point so good.
As for mounting the tires, whereas I’m primarily a tube man, I’m additionally no stranger to tubeless. My erstwhile Engin was seet up that approach, and so after all is the Jones, as a result of no matter chances are you’ll consider tubes versus tubeless, utilizing tubes in 3″ tires is simply loopy. Nonetheless, mounting these explicit tires on these explicit wheels was troublesome. Very troublesome. The truth is it took me two days, although this included going to the bike store to get thinner rim tape. (Apparently I wanted that additional fraction of a millimeter.) My authentic intention was to make use of tubes to start out after which simply do the tubeless factor later, however after I noticed how troublesome the tires have been to mount I knew there was no approach I used to be going to wish to take them off once more to take away the tubes (assuming I may even get the tires mounted with the tubes in there within the first place), and so I went tubeless from the beginning.
Happily, as soon as I did lastly get the tires on and regained using my thumbs, I used to be in a position to seat them with an everyday flooring pump with out an excessive amount of trouble, little question due to the tight match. I then injected some Orange Seal in there they usually’ve been holding air properly ever since. So all is properly, although I belief my rim taping solely marginally greater than I belief my tubular gluing, and hopefully I by no means should take them off once more.
Brake and Shifter Cables
As soon as I had the tires mounted I assumed the arduous stuff was behind me. I couldn’t have been extra unsuitable. Getting the cables by means of the body was nothing wanting traumatic, and perhaps essentially the most troublesome factor I’ve ever needed to do to a motorbike.
Look, it’s not like I simply caught the housing in there and blindly noodle-stabbed on the body hoping they’d make their approach by means of to the opposite finish by some means. First I ran the cable by means of there, which was straightforward sufficient, after which tried to make use of it as a information and sheathe it with the housing. However this was very troublesome to do with the shifter housing, and it was extraordinarily, maddeningly, I’m-about-to-cry troublesome with the brake housing. By the best way, when you’re questioning what path the cables take, they exit by means of the downtube, go over the underside bracket shell, after which into the chainstays:
Even getting the brake housing to make that bend on the backside bracket to return contained in the body was actually, actually arduous. Possibly it’s simpler with hydraulic hoses, I dunno. Additionally, they’re not crossed on function, the housing simply took no matter path it needed to and that was that. Little doubt extra skilled folks will inform me all of the issues I did unsuitable and all the opposite methods I may have used, however I’m not exaggerating once I say it took me 4 hours to make this occur. Like, I used to be up till midnight, and it wasn’t even New Yr’s Eve!
Anyway, it’s executed now, however I actually should marvel: why do they do that? Like, what benefit is there to working the cables contained in the body? I assume it seems to be a bit of higher, however is that every one it’s about? I can’t think about there’s any aero profit to it on a motorbike like this. Right here’s how Salsa describes the Stormchaser:
If reliability is the objective, doesn’t retaining the cables exterior of the body make the bike rather more serviceable? You’re utilizing a full size of housing anyway, it’s not like you might want to run them by means of the body to guard them from dust or mud–and if something, can’t mud get inside these open body tubes? Anyway, no matter, it’s executed, and just like the tires I hope by no means to should do it once more.
Listed here are the cables exiting the stays, and I nonetheless get choked up once I have a look at them:
Brakes
After routing the housing, the precise set up of the brakes was fairly straightforward, although I did should be taught a factor or two so as to take action. For instance, this was my first set of wheels with centerlock rotors. Fortunately, the lockrings use the identical splined instrument that the Hyperglide cassette lockrings you’ve used for 30 years do. Unhappily, the cassette lockring instrument you’ve had for 30 years in all probability doesn’t match over a thru-axle…or at the least mine didn’t. This meant I couldn’t use it for the rotors or for the cassette. So I needed to buy a brand new instrument on the bike store, which is ok, as a result of it’s going to proceed to come in useful and also you hardly ever remorse having extra instruments.
Additionally, whereas I’ve loads of expertise with mechanical disc brakes, I’ve no expertise with flat mount disc brakes, and so I needed to study adapters. I had a pair of 160mm rotors, and I had a entrance brake that got here with an adapter you orient accordingly relying on whether or not you’re utilizing a 140mm rotor or a 160mm rotor, and I couldn’t for the lifetime of me determine why the adapter didn’t match on the fork in both route…till I lastly discovered this explicit fork is designed for a 160mm rotor solely and that you just bolt the caliper on to it, so that you don’t want the adapter in any respect.
In the meantime, the rear brake didn’t include an adapter, which it turned out I’d want so as to use that different 160mm rotor. So first I attempted to make use of the SRAM 160mm adapter I nonetheless had, however–shock!–you’ll be able to’t try this as a result of the engineers at SRAM clearly designed it particularly to stop you from permitting it to the touch a Shimano caliper. Then I went to the bike store, however they didn’t have an adapter, and somewhat than allow them to order one and have to attend for it, or else undertake a loopy scavenger hunt going from bike store to bike store, I simply purchased a 140mm rotor from them as a substitute, because you don’t want an adapter for that. Positive, the rotor was costlier than the adapter would have been, however after spending two days on the tires and 4 hours on the cables I didn’t wish to delay the challenge any additional…and anyway, consider all the load I’m saving with out the adapter and the additional 20mm of rotor!
(Plus I now have a spare 160mm rotor for when the entrance wears out in 20 years.)
However I’m not mad on the disc brakes. Sure, all the above was a little bit of a trouble, however it was solely as a result of I didn’t know what I used to be doing; now that I do know concerning the adapters I’d know what I wanted if I ever needed to work on one other body with flat mount calipers. (Oh, additionally, you’ve received to know what size mounting bolts your body wants, however thankfully those I had available occurred to work.)
There’s one different potential concern when coping with mechanical disc brakes, which thankfully I narrowly averted. See how shut the cable noodle thingy is to the fork?
Operating the cable by means of the fork and into the caliper was a really tight match certainly. (And no, I couldn’t have gotten rid of the noodle, the housing wouldn’t have managed the tight flip instantly into the caliper.) I used to be relieved that I used to be in a position to make it to work, and I recalled {that a} reader who got here by my residence to choose up a motorbike a couple of months in the past had a Paul mechanical brake on his personal bike that wouldn’t enable him to run the cable by means of the fork in any respect–as a substitute he needed to zip tie the housing to the fork leg or one thing. Anyway, all of that is to say that clearly mechanical brakes will be tough with this GODDAMN INTERNAL CABLE ROUTING, and little question it varies fairly a bit from bike to bike and caliper to caliper. On this case I received fortunate, however sooner or later I’d perform a little analysis to verify they work collectively first.
Oh, one other comfortable accident is that these explicit brakes don’t have a barrel adjuster on the caliper. As an alternative, when you’re utilizing them on a motorbike with out cable adjusters on the brake lever or on the cable cease or one thing, you utilize inline adjusters, which you’ll see alongside the cables slightly below the handlebars:
Why is that this a cheerful accident? As a result of if I ever want to elongate the brake cable housing for some purpose (I’m unsure why I might, however no matter) I don’t must re-route it by means of the body once more. As an alternative, I can simply change the part of cable upstream from the adjuster. (Or would that be downstream?) See? On reflection I’m a genius!
(Oh, and when you’re questioning how properly the Shimano mechanical brakes work, to this point I’m very happy with them…although take into account that’s coming from a dedicated rim brake person.)
The Crank
This was the crank configuration my good friend left behind–it’s a Race Face crank with an Easton spider and an oval-shaped Wolf Tooth chainring.
Like flat mount disc brakes, I’m largely illiterate in the case of fashionable crankular chainring attachment interfaces and what goes with what–however since my good friend had chosen the elements already I didn’t actually need to fret about it. The Stormchaser body takes mountain bike cranks, so I assume his strategy was to make use of the spider so it will readily settle for extra road-and-gravel-appropriate chainrings.
As for assembling all of it, this too was pretty easy, because the crank makes use of the identical exterior backside bracket as a Hollowtech II, and the lockring for the spider or chainring accepts the identical instrument you have already got in your previous cartridge backside bracket. Simple! Nonetheless, the one quirk right here is that the Race Face crank requires 61Nm of torque, and when you don’t know the way a lot that’s, it’s lots. And I imply lots–much more than different similarly-designed cranks. Like, I put in it as arduous as I probably may with a reasonably long-handled Allen key, and once I ultimately checked it with a torque wrench I discovered it wasn’t even midway there. Arguably no bicycle element ought to require that a lot torque, particularly when Shimano has confirmed you’ll be able to design a crank that matches collectively reliably with a easy preload cap and a few pinch bolts. (Positive, they then proceeded to destroy it by gluing it collectively, however that’s a separate concern.) Then once more, in equity to Race Face, the set up directions are fairly clear, and I suppose when you fail to make use of a torque wrench and also you destroy the splines in your crank then that’s your drawback.
The Drivetrain
Like many bike dorks I instantly favored the sound of Microshift Sword Black, the dirt-cheap 9-speed mechanical-only drivetrain that comes with a sq. taper crank. (Although I didn’t purchase the crank since I already had the Race Face able to deploy.) So I used to be very excited to attempt it out. And in contrast to a number of the different elements on the bike, the Sword Black stuff was extraordinarily straightforward to put in, with completely no surprises in any way.
As for the way it works, whereas I’ve solely received a couple of rides on it, to this point I prefer it very a lot. Nonetheless, I do want to deal with that upshift nubbin:
You’ve received to really feel for Microshift. Shimano, Campagnolo, and SRAM took all the nice shift lever positions, and so all they have been left with was the nubbin, which simply hides there, like a uvula or a clitoris:
Additionally like a clitoris, it may be a bit of arduous to seek out when you’re inexperienced–particularly when you’re sporting lobster gloves:
Granted, you’re in all probability not going to be sporting lobster gloves if you’re pawing at a clitoris, however chances are you’ll very properly be sporting them when you’re driving a motorbike within the chilly, and in reality that is typically what I’m sporting on the bike when the temperature is properly under freezing, because it was once I lastly completed the bike.
[“Awww, you wear lobster gloves when it’s freezing? I don’t even bother with pants until absolute zero on the Kelvin scale.”]
With regular gloves it’s a lot simpler to finger the nubbin, although it’s nonetheless not fairly as intuitive as the opposite techniques. (Or a bar finish shifter, for that matter, which you should utilize even when you’re sporting an oven mitt.) After all, as I say, it’s solely been a couple of rides to this point, and I’m positive as soon as I’m used to the nubbin I gained’t even give it some thought–and even now, whereas I’m nonetheless not used to it, I on no account remorse the acquisition. However given how good every thing else concerning the Sword Black stuff appears to be to this point, the nubbin stands out because the one space that would use a bit of enchancment, or at the least some extra floor space. However perhaps if I rub it lengthy sufficient it’ll get larger, I dunno.
Anyway, there you’ve it, I put collectively a gravel bike all on my own (properly, aside from all of the stuff my good friend had already executed, and aside from asking the store to knock within the star nut for me since I don’t have the instrument):
BK SNB GRVL?!? Certainly now the gravel development is formally over. Higher dump all of your shares of Life Time Inc…
