Sedona gets some upgrades

The Pinnacle’s replacement – the 2016 Giant Sedona – received some improved upgrades.

The 2016 Giant Sedona… before upgrades

I haven’t had an opportunity to give the Giant Sedona a real test due to the weather, but I was able to take it for a quick spin around the block after it followed me home in the introduction post.

The rear drivetrain, composed mostly of Shimano components

On that test ride I noticed that there was some noise when it was shifted into higher gears. Due to the bike being brand new, I also needed to take the bike in to get everything readjusted after “breaking it in.”

The front drivetrain. The crankarm is made by SR Suntour, while the shifting and gears are all Shimano. The bike has grip-shift shifters from Sram.

I haven’t had the opportunity to take the bike on a test spin due to the less-than-lovely cold and wet weather we’ve been having, but someday I’ll take it out and put it through its paces.

But taking it to the bike shop gave me the perfect opportunity to install the upgrades… er, accessories.

I mentioned in my introduction post that storage wasn’t really an option, but a necessity. I took a spill on the Pinnacle after my laptop bag wrapped itself around the Pinnacle’s shifters, knocking it out of gear. While the Sedona’s shifters are different, I feel that a rack or something was going to be needed. Especially since the new ThinkPad W541 weighs more than the T450.

After talking to the bike shop and looking at the different options, I settled upon a split-basket.

The split-basket

The split basket allows for me to put my laptop inside one side, and have another side still open. There is also the ability to strap something to the top of it for even additional storage. It’s also fairly secure, as it mounts to the frame in two different spots. (Next to the rear dropouts and near the seat tube.)

The W541 and its carrying bag fits nearly perfectly inside the basket, although it has to be rotated to fit.

One surprising feature of new bikes, including the Sedona, is the lack of kickstands. Thankfully, it isn’t too much – only about $10 – to have a kickstand installed as an aftermarket accessory. While I don’t rely on kickstands much (the Pinnacle’s don’t even really work anymore), they’re still nice in case you want to stop at a place where you can’t lean your bike up somewhere.

The $10 kickstand accessory

One more “accessory” I picked up with the Sedona was a new helmet.

Hmm… I wonder what’s in this box?

I’ve been living life on the edge. I rarely ride with a helmet. The only time I actually have ridden with a helmet is when I’ve checked out a bike from our university’s bike checkout program, where you are given a helmet and you sign a waiver stating that you will wear that helmet while riding.

But, of course, suffering from severe brain damage or even dying from a horrific bicycling accident is no fun… especially if it could’ve been prevented.

Unfortunately, my local Walmart doesn’t seem to carry “adult” bicycle helmets, or at least I couldn’t find any. But my local bike shop was able to hook me up with one, although it was more expensive than any of the ones you could probably get at Walmart.

The Giant helmet

While this helmet won’t win any awards for attractiveness, it will do its job and provide padding. It also comes with a space in the rear to attach an optional light kit, which I’m guessing will probably cost more than the whole light kit I purchased for the Pinnacle back in October.

The space for the optional light

In the future, I am planning on possibly purchasing a different light kit for the Sedona. While the one I bought and installed on the Pinnacle back in this post work, the bike shop owner showed me how dim the front light would actually be in comparison to some other models that are similarly priced. I try to avoid riding at night, but there are some instances where I have no other choice.

A new light would have a better, more reliable mounting system that fits to the handlebars. I’m not very confident in how the light kit I purchased (below) will hold up due to its rubber strap. Especially with the weather and being tightened and loosened a lot. A new light would actually mount to the handlebars using a bracket, and the light just slots in to the bracket. The light can be easily removed for charging its internal battery.

The light kit I purchased.

In addition to the new light, I’d like to purchase a repair kit. The repair kit I’ve been looking at has all of the tools you’d ever need in a multi-tool, a frame pump and a case that mounts under the saddle. The only addition needed is a spare tube, which would also slot inside the case. The frame pump would mount on the frame, but I’d likely install the current mini pump I have and put the one that comes with the repair kit on the Pinnacle or save it. (Unfortunately, the frame pump it comes with doesn’t have a pressure gauge.)

Pinnacle Update

The Pinnacle has been moved indoors, away from the elements. Before moving out for winter break, I took the opportunity to unmount both tires and assess the rust damage to both wheels.

After flatting during a ride in September due to a small thumbtack, I noticed that some of the spokes on the front wheel were extremely rusted. While swapping the tires over the summer, I noticed some rust inside the rim but didn’t look extensively at it.

The first rim to get examined was the front wheel, which appears to be the worst of the two. The tire even is covered in rust.

The rusty tire

It isn’t surprising that the rim is filled with rust, at least on one side. There is also a “hole” in the rim, thankfully near the bead.

The rust-filled rim.

The rear rim is in much better condition, but still far from perfect. It, too, has a “hole” in the top layer near the bead area from rust. But it isn’t filled with rust like the front rim.

A hole in the rear rim’s top layer caused by rust. The front rim has a similar hole.

I noticed on the new rear tube that there was a defect near the area where the hole in the rim is. I believe it’s just coincidental, due to the former rear tube held air perfect over its life. The defect seems to be just slightly deep and doesn’t seem to leak any air.

A defect in the rear tube around the area of the rim hole…

I checked the spokes and even the rusted spokes seem to be perfectly fine and strong.

Rusty spokes

I’ve mentioned that the rims are the primary reason the Pinnacle is being replaced. The rims are not only rusty… but they’re bent. While not taco’d bent, they’re bent to the point where the brakes don’t work properly, and the tires don’t even mount evenly. If/when I decide to revive the Pinnacle, rims are going to be the first thing to get replaced.

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