67 days and counting...

Hello everyone...sorry for the short hiatus once again...I've been very busy lately.  You all know that I received my bike a few days ago, and that I decided to build it myself...right?  You also remember that I began building it on Wednesday of last week, right?  And then finally, you are all aware that I had made some pretty good progress on the bike, but that I was going to have to take it to my local bike mechanic to have them finish it up for me.   Okay...now we are caught up!

The good news is that I didn't have to take it anywhere...I was able to do all the work myself, including trimming the hydraulic brake lines, and installing new fittings on them, so that they could be run through the internal cable guides.  The bad news is that I didn't get to work on it all weekend.  It's not really bad news though, because I got to do something much better! 

Donna and I were able to get away for the weekend for a late birthday celebration at our favorite resort...The Sanctuary.  So...to be completely honest with you, I didn't mind at all that I wasn't able to finish up my bike.  As much as I like working on bikes, you can trust me when I say that I would trade working on my bike for a weekend at The Sanctuary any day!

We got home from our little getaway yesterday, and I was able to put a couple of hours into the bike, getting it nearly finished up before going to sleep.  This morning I was up early training athletes, then off to the bike store to pick up a special little tool used to cut the steer-tube on the fork, to the correct size.  Once that was completed, all I had left to do was bleed the brakes, adjust the saddle, and set the air pressure in the front fork.

The problem is that to bleed the brakes, I need a brake-bleed kit, that is specific to my particular brake system, and wouldn't you know...I couldn't find that kit anywhere, and I went to five different bike stores!  Without brakes, the bike is out of commission.  So....as it turns out, I will have to take it to the bike mechanic after all!  Oh well...it's better than waiting for the kit to come in the mail.  This way I should be able to be riding my new bike by this weekend...or sooner!

Check it out...aint it a beaut!