Balance Mountain Bike
I purchased this bike on 03-28-2008, used, from the Lawrence Re-Cyclery. I’d been scouring the local CraigsList for months, but not coming up with much. Most bikes seemed to be either high end, or extreme low end. I was looking for either a quality newer mid-to-low-end bike, or an older high end bike.
What I ended up buying was a mixture of both — the frame is an older, high-quality lightweight aluminum frame made by “Balance”, and the components are mostly newer, lower-end, but quality parts.
I don’t know exactly how old the frame is, or exactly what model of bike it originally was, because a previous owner stripped all the paint and decals from the frame, leaving only the raw aluminum tubes. It looks a little odd, in its naked state, but I find that I rather like the aesthetic.
I called it the “Balance Tabula” … as in the latin phrase “tabula rasa“, meaningĀ “blank slate”.
Here are the bike’s features and components:
- Frame: Balance AL-???, 17.5″
- Front Tire: Specialized Team Control SL, 30-85 PSI, 26″x1.90″, Presta Valve
- Rear Tire: Specialized Team Master SL, 30-85 PSI, 26″x1.90″, Presta Valve
- Front Rim: Mavic X517
- Rear Rim: WTB 23 11.3
- Front Hub: Shimano Deore HB-M563
- Rear Hub: Shimano Parallax EH-M18
- Front Derailleur: Shimano LX Deore
- Rear Derailleur: Shimano Alivo
- Brakes: Shimano V-Brake
- Brake Levers: Tektro
- Shifters: Shimano Rapidfire
- Cranks: Shimano FC-MC20, 170mm
- Crankset: Shimano 22/32/42
- Cassette: Hyperglide HG 11-30, 8-Speed
- Specialized Body Geometry Saddle
- Handlebar: Easton EA50 MonkeyBar, 1.5″ rise
- Grips: Lizard Skin Charger
- Stem: Dimension
- Richey Headset
- Fork: Rock Shox Air Judy XC
- Platform Pedals
Added:
- Cateye Wireless Cyclocomputer
- Water Bottle Cage
- Blackburn Mountain Air Pump
- Serfas MTB-2 Medium MTB Saddle Bag
I put about 3600 miles on this bike before I sold it in 2013.