As others said, I try to clean the moving bits, but I try to keep it shiny and clean, not toothbrush clean as some do.

As for riding in the mud, when I lived in New England we rode anytime.  In southern California we are more careful because the ground doesn't hold water well in places.   Some turn into full on clay that will stick on anything, literally doubling the size of tires until they won't turn, if you step down, then your shoes are clayed up and you cant get in peddles. So yeah in SoCal its not always good to ride when its wet.

Cmh,

Are you near Jen?  Do you have an IP-057 by any chance??  Looking to see if she can copy the curvature on the headtube.

Your badges look amazing!

Working on a design, which is tough cause Im not an artist.   As far as how it will be made, Ill most likely be using the place I posted in the other Head Badge thread.   Its actually made of stearling silver.  How they will match the radius, Im not sure yet, need to contact the artist on that.  As we know this is not a straight curve, but a compound, concave curve, so will have to figure that out.

This Sheild was just something I found on the web, so it will probably be customized, possibly with the addition on wings on the side.

I've been doing a little bit of night riding lately and have used a couple different lights.

A few years ago I purchased a set of the round Magic Shine Style Chinese lights.  They look very much like the light below, but if I'm not mistaken were listed as 1400 lumen.

http://www.amazon.com/RioRand-Bicycle-HeadLight-Flashlight-Headlamp/dp/B006QQX3C4/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1414694310&sr=8-6&keywords=cree+bike+light

These lights work very well, but are very much a bright spot light.  I tried getting a wide angle lens, but it turned out to be a slightly smaller diameter than the lights I had and thus would not fit.  I have however, loved the amount of light, but just wanted a wider pattern and maybe brighter if possible.

Recently I purchased a set of the new small dual lens lights, which are supposed to be a higher output than what I previously had.  In comparison, the brightest setting on the new lights is about equal to the lowest setting on the old lights.  However, the new lights are a much more dispersed pattern and make a very good flood light. 

http://www.amazon.com/Lumen-Cycling-Bicycle-HeadLight-Headlamp/dp/B00F372RGK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1414694310&sr=8-1&keywords=cree+bike+light

I also was searching around for a better handlebar mount than the "rubberband" method.  On my old set I had picked up the mount from Action Led Lights.  http://www.action-led-lights.com/collections/accessories/products/bar-mount-clamp-on  I felt that it worked quite well, but the the light would sometimes rotate slightly even when tight.

So I started searching for some new mounts and found these HOPE Universal mounts.  I have yet to put them to the test, but first impressions are they fit the bill just right, well except that the included screw is to large a diameter and the one on the stock mount for the light is to short, requiring some rumaging for the right size and some washers to take up the extra space.  On first glance I would deffinitly recommend these mounts with the expectation you'll need to hunt down the right screws.

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/us/en/hope-universal-handlebar-mount/rp-prod23533

I have a 12 Hour Team endurance race coming up on Nov 8, where I know I'll be doing at least one 10 mile lap in the dark, so my plan will be to run one of the new lights on the bars as a flood lamp, one of the old lights on the bar as a spot, and a second one of the old style on my helmet.  I ran this same setup the other night and while I was dissapointed in the overall performance of the new lights, I think they will work very well in conjunction with my other lights.

Nah, I'm reusing brakes I already have. Xts are great but I'm honestly fine with the avids. I've got zees and xtrs on my other two bikes.  I may upgrade down the road but brakes wouldn't be the highest priority anyway.

I wouldn't say unquestionably, shimanos are better brakes but avids are much more serviceable if you don't mind working with dot. You can't really rebuilt the new gen of shimano callipers, for example.

The Shimano are UNQUESTIONABLY better because you don't need to service them!!!!!!!!!!!!

That said, I have a set of Elixer 5s with Orange Speedline levers for sale!

Like it ! Do you have a weight for that 325 ?  The one I would need doesn't advertise its weight on the website !

Sussed, the WolfTooth 32 tooth is 73 grams.  The stock spider alone is 43 grams.

When you order double check your shipping terms.  I have a set of the single lense Cree "1400"lumen lights.  One for bars one for helmet.   They work great, but are slightly larger diameter than Magicshine version, so the diffuser lense doesn't fit, but the lights work great.

I'm planning to do a team enduro in November, so order a new set of the double lense lights.  Ordered then Sept 23, shipped on Oct 1, expected delivery before Nov 5.   So 37 days for delivery.

Both times ordered through Amazon, first set was a couple years ago, but I know delivery was much more reasonable.