I have collected my rebuilt Stinger! Hurrah!
Yes indeed, the Flying Banana is reborn as the Flying Irth[1] and is a
very fetching shade of metallic red. Several worthwhile improvements,
the frame is a better grade of alloy and is reinforced around the
headset; the headset is larger; the steerer is telescopic with
aluminium top end and bars (and allows a better turning circle than
the old one); the small idler has a mechanism to allow fine tuning of
angle. Overall the finish has improved since the original yellow
frame, and the rear geometry which never felt quite right on the blue
frame (it always seemed to ride higher than the original) is now back
to how it was on the yellow one - I think. That might be a delusion,
of course.
And of course it rides like a dream. I went for a five minute test
run at the shop and came back half an hour later :-)
The Hope brakes seem nicer than the Julies. Metal levers helps the
feel, of course. I'll see how they go with wear. And the covered
seat (as per current spec) is better than the exposed foam type. All
in all a much more refined and finished-looking machine.
I am now busily engaged in cluttering it up again with all the odds
and ends with which it is customarily festooned (e.g. lights,
computer, Air Zound).
[1] Flying [Insert Red Thing Here] = Flying Irth.
Guy
--
May contain traces of irony. Contents liable to settle after posting.
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