USA-themed custom paint, Italian-made, 1999-dated mtb

Yeah it was a new one on me, I really like it, in the same way that you might like a 90s tracksuit or the Kickers you used to wear to school. Between this and my road bike (https://www.lfgss.com/conversations/318610) I'm amazed I've got any hair left.

I had a look but it seems a bit higher-end. I'm still waiting for the parts I've ordered (Covid delay) so haven't ridden it yet. Once I give it a try I'll (hopefully) know whether suspension is what I'm after, or a rigid fork. Got my eye on some Surly forks if it turns out to be the latter.

New brake pivot bolts arrived and installed, yay!
Brake calipers mounted and brakes setup, yay!
New chain arrived and installed, yay!

What's that near the rear barrel adjuster?

sigh

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This is awesome - never seen that group before. Absolute bargain as well!

A bargain that's rapidly becoming expensive with every new discovery. New gear cables and outers incoming, may even get to ride this before the autumn...

I’ve seen that brake stud issue before. Can’t remember if it was on here or Retrobike. There was some change to the stud length and it can cause mounting issues with older Shimano brakes. I thought I was going to have problems with my DX brakes but I must have got lucky.

It does make me wonder how often the previous owner can have ridden the bike, because it is almost impossible to mount the brakes using the studs that were installed on the fork. The groupset is in such good condition too, so maybe he didn't ride it much after first getting it built. Or maybe he set it up without front brakes? Who knows!?

This looks great. I'd ditch the suspension forks and get something like a Kona Project 2 fork. Alternatively I saw a nice Brodie suspension corrected segmented fork a few weeks ago but they will probably be a bit more spendy.

Yeah I'm inclined to swap the forks for some rigid ones too. I am keeping an eye on Ebay and hope something crops up that will be suitable. The current forks weigh a ridiculous amount and I'm just not likely to ever need that level of suspension, I prefer a bike to be a bit lighter and am happy to forgo the extreme terrain capability if it means a bit more stiffness and less weight.

Has anyone seen a suitable fork on Ebay or equivalent, or even better, have one they want to sell? I presume I'm after a 26" rigid fork with v-brake bosses and a threadless steerer. I'm not sure on the length or the suspension adjusted element, if anyone is able to clarify. From what I can find online, this fork has 80/90mm of travel (I'd measure it but Pinarello have it again for repairing the rear barrel adjuster).

I'm guessing Surly, Kona or similar but I've found a German seller that seems to have innumerable rigid forks so could bag one of them. The only issue is some specify semi-integrated headsets only, which is causing more confusion.

Off topic while I wait for the return of the mtb: anyone know how to remove this bastard chain guard? I've tried every angle. It's made of what feels like one piece of very poor quality metal, but there are no visible screws/clips/fasteners of any kind.

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Worked it out. The disc around the crank arm pops out (like the lid of an old paint tin) and I was able to access the innards and fix things. Absolutely terrible design though, and explains why I see so many city bikes in Treviso that have had theirs ripped off.

At least the two-part designs take into account someone wanting to access the chain.

So, Dutch problem mitigated, back to the lurid monster that is this mtb. I've got it back from Pinarello and the rear barrel adjuster issue has been resolved - also new gear cable and outer, and they've kindly indexed the gears so I don't have to.

Now, the fork. A really helpful guy on eBay dissuaded me from buying his Kona P2 forks as they seem too short (410mm axle to crown) but not only was he very honest, he also gave me some great advice regarding potential (suitable) replacements. So, now I know the measurements of the current forks (440mm axle to crown) and I think I know the travel (89mm), so I guess I'm after a 1 and 1/8" rigid fork in the 420-440mm a-c range with v-brake bosses...

Which doesn't leave many options:

On-One 26" cro-mo fork (£80 and 1200g: https://is.gd/86v0IR)
Exotic 26" alu fork (£80-£90 and ~900g: https://is.gd/7MyDNz) not available
Salsa CroMoto 26" fork (eBay? - 1130g)
Surly 26" cro-mo fork (eBay? ~ 1100g)
Pace RC31 26" carbon fork (eBay? ~€100, 700g but no v-brakes without rare adapter) too €€€
Thorn 26" suspension corrected forks (430mm - eBay or SJS - £110 but 1400g: https://is.gd/UsLEhm) wrong brake bosses
XLC 26" suspension corrected from Bike 24 (422mm, €70, 900g: https://is.gd/l73Hja)
Kinesis/Kona
Current forks: free, heavy.

Anyone able to help?

Well, it works.

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I don't know what it is about me and bike drivetrains, but I'm wondering whether I need to make some changes to this one, as per my Scapin.

I've been out for two or three ~ 20km rides and I find (particularly on the road) that even on the big ring I'm wishing for more resistance (my poor knees are dead today as I seemed to be spinning like a hamster on amphetamines yesterday). Is this just a reaction to a 44/32/22t crankset (in comparison with my road bike's 53/39) or the difference resulting from 26" wheels versus 700c wheels, or what? I don't want to plough loads of €€€ into this bike as it's supposed to be a gravel beater, but I don't think I can handle the gearing as it is - I'm not likely to use the smaller chainrings as I won't be tackling the Alps any time soon.

Is there anything I can do to make it less spinny - a new cassette for example? I guess I could change the largest chainring to a 48t but I doubt I can find one easily/cheaply, especially as this one is understated gold.

Going off of 11t being the smallest cog on your cassette, and 2" tyres, you'd be going 44.83kph at 90rpm. Is that not fast enough?

If you have an 11-x cassette, changing the cassette to increase your tallest gear isn't an option (realistically).

It's a CS-HG50-9 (11-32) and the tyres are 26 x 1.95 so you are spot on. It isn't so much the speed as the revolutions required, if that makes any sense. Any ideas which chainring I can switch to (quick search suggests Shimano Deore M530 - BCD 104/64 and 48T)?

It isn't so much the speed as the revolutions required

Well, basically the same thing, just looking at it from another perspective. 90rpm gets you 45kph, which you're probably not going on the flats. 90rpm is a decent RPM in my eyes, but let's say you want 60rpm, that's still 30kph. You want to go 30kph with even fewer RPM?

You can play around with the numbers yourself here:

https://www.bikecalc.com/cadence_at_speed

I don't have the mental capacity to explain this in an articulate and eloquent way! Basically my road bike (Scapin) on smooth tarmac allows lower rpm but higher velocity. The mtb, when trying to obtain similar velocity, requires ludicrous rpm. So I feel exhausted and my heart rate is through the roof after an hour or two on the mtb, whereas on the road bike it's more a case of muscular fatigue as opposed to cardiovascular meltdown.

Basically I want to travel at the same speed on the mountain bike without needing to put my knees through what feels like Guantanamo Bay levels of exertion.

Bought. Finally.

Suspension corrected, 975g, 200mm steerer: the wait is over. Except now I wait for delivery.

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Posted re: chainring in mechanics & fixing.

Forks fitted! I'm waiting on a Ritchey Trail seatpost (400mm) as the current one is just a sniff too short, and I'm worried about the insertion length (ooh-er) with this being an aluminium frame. Also got some WTB Wierwolf tyres in 26 x 2.1 on their way.

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These P2s look awesome!

Yeah I'm really pleased, they are in very good condition and weigh a lot less than the suspension ones they've replaced. I'm not 100% sure about the aesthetics of where the forks meet the head tube, but the main thing is how it rides, which (hopefully) I'll find out tomorrow when the seatpost arrives.