A faithful Steed gets a new saddle and more

Hello and Welcome,
I am very pleased with the way the crank replacement turned out on the Giant Attraction. So much so, that I have decided to go ahead and change the saddle as well. I have a WTB Speed V Comp Saddle that I installed on the Specialized Rock Hopper FS. I have no plans of doing a total restoration on the Specialized. Mostly because it does not need one. So why should I put my favorite saddle on a bike I plan on selling at a minimal profit.(if any) No way! That baby is going on my bike.

Above: The Giant with the Tempo Z1 saddle. I don`t find this saddle to be quite as comfortable as the WTB Saddles. Especially if I am wearing regular shorts. And even with the cycling shorts on, it is not comfortable for the longer rides like the WTB saddle is.

Above: The WTB Saddle on the Giant. I also installed this Cannondale seat wedge bag which fits like it was custom made for this saddle. The only drawback is, if I go with this bag I will need to relocate the tail light.

Above: I used the existing reflector mount bracket (similar to the mock up above) combined with a leftover mounting piece from a ZeFal headlamp and taillight set.(exactly like the one above) I did not have a flat head bolt, however the round head bolt I used makes the light mount real tight. This I believe will turnout to be a positive.

Above: Here I have slid the headlight mount piece (which is now attached to the bracket) into the channel on the back of the light. It is a very tight fit and not likely to fall off easily. Latter I will cut off the excess length of the headlight mount piece. I used a regular washer with a small lock washer when I attached the mount to the bracket. So it should stay tight there as well.

Above: A side view of the attachment. This was only possible because I save all the extra mounting brackets from racks, lights etc. You never know when you are going need to improvise. This goes for vintage take-offs as well. You never know when one of those little brackets or clamps will come in handy.

Above: Here is the actual light and bracket. I have an idea that I can make a mud guard of sorts to protect the light from tire spray and debris. I will use a piece of aluminum step flashing. I should be able to cut it easily to what ever shape works, then drill a mount hole in the top. If that does not work, I think I can attach it to the rear bicycle rack with some "off the shelf" clamp type mounting brackets.

Above: I have really enjoyed transforming this bike into what I envisioned it could be. I might upgrade the rear derailleur at some point. And I still want to switch the tires for some higher pressure tires in the same size range. Maybe even a little fatter tire would be cool. But basically I have found the look and function I wanted. Now I just have to decide that I`m not going to sell it, and stick with my decision. And when people stop by to see a bicycle, I`ll make sure the Giant is hidden out of sight.

Above: Today it was cold in the morning. But as promised it warmed up to the low 50's in the late afternoon. This was great because I was hoping to take the Giant out for a ride today. It performed great, but I do need to dial in the saddle position. It is about 70% of what I know it can be "comfort wise". I also did notice the difference using the BioPace triple crankset especially on the down hill. It does feel different, and did seem to be a little easier on the slight incline on the return ride. But that might just be because I am in a little better shape this spring.

Above: This is the subdivision beach. Each of the back lot owners has an equal share or part ownership of the two beaches and the boat launch. Back lot owner means your home is not on a waterfront lot. Not quite warm enough for a swim yet so I`ll keep riding.

Above: A little farther down the road is the boat launch. The Mi. Department of Natural Resources offered to put in a boat launch for free. But to do this we would have had to open the lake up to the public. So the association turned them down. The lake down the road has a public boat launch and it`s a real circus there every weekend. And our lake being smaller and mostly shallow could never take that kind of abuse. Just for the health of the lake itself it was a good decision.

Above: On the way to the other beach I pass our old house. It sits on an L shaped two and a half lots. We moved there in the late summer of 1984 and lived there 8 years. Now we are less than a mile away in the same subdivision. Obviously we like it here, hard to believe it was 28 years ago we moved in there. The front lot is just vacant except the driveway. The garage sits on the lot directly behind the front. And the house sits on the half-lot over to the left facing south. I don`t know if it is still there, but there was a small corrall behind the garage. The trees hide most of the garage, it is a three and a half car garage and it was deep too. I don`t miss the house so much. But I do miss my garage. Anyway off to the other beach.

Above: This beach has always been more of a picnic area. It is a nice place to stop in the summer when bike riding for a break. This is where the older kids used to party at night. And there was broken glass on the bottom, not somewhere you would want to take the kids swimming. Hopefully it has been cleaned up since those days. I think there is one more beach up the road a ways.

Above: This beach according to the sign belongs to the South Shores Sub. But it is the same lake and it`s part of my ride. I am on Waterbury street now. We almost bought a house on this street. I`m glad we didn`t, we have great neighbors where we are now. Maybe next time I can ride through the area where I grew up about a mile east of the Detroit Zoo. My two brothers and I are supposed to get together for a ride soon. It could be fun seeing all the old places we hung out as kids. Of course we have been talking about this ride for years and it hasn`t happened yet.

Above: This road heads back towards our place. You can`t see it but the lake is directly to the left. Years ago there was a bar right to my left in the sub on the lake. About 25 years ago it burnt to the ground. And because it was now in the middle of a subdivision they were not allowed to rebuild. Probably a good thing, there are lots of kids on this street.

This is the view heading out from our place in the opposite direction. Duck Lake is one block behind me. Right behind the white house up ahead is White Lake. And there are many smaller lakes and ponds in the area that are only visible from the air. There is also a wetlands (swamp) just to the south on the west side of the road. Only a small portion of it meets the main road. I doubt most of the new people around here even know it`s there. In a couple of months this area is going to turn green again and will look completely different. And I`ll remember why we moved here in the first place. I wonder if the ducks will show up this year?

Well that about covers it for the Giant Attraction "for now". I had this huge post in the works and could not seem to finish it. Then I realized it is actually two posts. So look for the other post to be up real soon. Until next time Please "Ride Safe" and Remember to Always RESCUE, RESTORE & RECYCLE!
Cheers, Hugh