Evolution

March 2013

Since I received my King of Mercia touring frame in January of 2013, I have been constantly working on it, making small changes here and there to improve it's performance and capability and to improve, to my eye, it's appearance. I though it would be interesting to look at the changes I've made over the past 3 years.

Most all of these changes were not completely necessary, I have always tinkered with my bikes, its just something I enjoy. I think its natural to continue to modify your bike, even pre-assembled ones, (although its been a looong time since I've had one of those!).

September 2013

By September of 2013, I had given up on the V.O. 50.4mm crank, the first version of this crank couldn't work well with the front derailleur, (I understand that the newer version has fixed this problem). I replaced it with a V.O. 110mm compact crank I had on hand. Shifting was now fine but I was limited to a 34 tooth small chainring. V.O. mod 6 saddle was mounted for a while before I moved it to my fixed gear rig.

January 2014

By January of 2014 I had replaced the Dia Compe ENE shifters with some Shimano Sora 8 speed indexed shifters to ease shifting. Black handlebar tape replaced the old tan stuff and I think it looks much better! A slightly shorter stem is now installed. The Brooks B17 has returned.

July 2014

In July of 2014 I installed a Nitto M-12 front rack which allowed for a "Rando" style front bag. A longer front Tanaka fender, (actually a modified rear fender), gave more coverage.

March 2015

March 2015; a huge Carradice Camper saddlebag was added for overnight camping, along with a battery powered tailight. Not visible is an LED front light attached to the M-12.

December 2015

A "super compact" crank is now installed, giving me a sub-27 inch gear for climbing while still being able to use a short reach rear derailleur. Due to a failure of the rear alloy fender, SKS Longboards are now installed. 37c Continental Tour Ride tires, (actual width is 35mm), have replaced the 28c Pasellas for the time being. Shimano MTB SPD Pedals have returned.

"Side by side" comparison.

I don't know what changes are in store for the bike over the next year, I'm pretty content with the fit and the gearing now. Perhaps a more serious attempt at lighting.