Coyote Pack

[davidj]

Funny how some people have an affinity to a brand and seek out new additions.

I started to assemble my first Coyote HT3 in the autumn of 1998. Much of it was earlier componets being sold off by various LBS at discount prices.

We have been together ever since, other bikes have come and gone but the Coyote has remained, I even had a Trans Pennine cycling Stag Do on it . The only MTB that I have riden the came close to it's immediate response was a Klein Pulse but I couldn't justify the cost.

Many miles passed untill I put my knee out on a Manchester to Berwick trip about 8 years ago. It has been a long recovery with extended periods of no cycling but over the last 15 months I have been extending my time in the saddle. As of today I am up to 45 minutes per day on my trainer within my heart rate zone - so about an hour a day at a consistent rate.

Occasionaly I use it for a bit of shopping, hence the pannier!

To celebrate I have bought another HT3 frame and am building it back up to be a Retro bike utilising some current components where there is a distinct improvement over my original bike.

I am calling this bike Coyote Ugly!

Coyote Ugly is a distinct budget affair as I am no longer prepared to invest as I did on my original Coyote. I dislike the bar and stem but they will have to stay for the present. The headset is shot, as I discoverd when I replaced the ancient Judys it came with, so I am in the process of collecting the parts to make my own press (LBS wants £25 to seat a headset!). Gripshift 7 speed is currently servicing the 8 speed cassette and the XT rear mech needs new jockey wheels.

Funny thing is putting it back together at budget prices is good fun. Ideally I need some XT shifters and everything else I can live with - for now... Plus the longer it takes the stronger my knee gets .

 

[davidj]

Re:

A few HT3 details for what seems to be common questions with these frames: Seat post is 26.8mm, seat post clamp and front Mech are 31.8mm and head tube is a standard A Head @ 28.5mm (1 1/ with internal diameter of 34mm.

 

[davidj]

Re:

So much for Coyote Ugly being a budget affair, viewtopic.php?f=41&t=330382

The upside of all the work on Coyote Ugly is that "The Coyote" gets some cast off's, granted these are cast offs I bought for "Coyote Ugly" and have subsequently upgraded again. The outcome though is that I no longer have a truly retro bike, but to be honest I ain't bothered

Coyote Ugly now looks like this:



The Coyote now looks like this, with a new FSA headset fitted with my home made compression tool, an Easton stem bought from here and a Rockshox XC30 upgrade over the original Judy XC.



I already have a BB7 caliper & HS1 to fit to The Coyote, just need to build another wheel set.

 

[kyle888]

Re:

Looking good, the blue/yellow one looks cool on slicks

 

[davidj]

Re:

Thanks Kyle,

Coyote as a brand have suffered more than most over the last 15 years, now are barely above a joke. The HT3 frame is a delight to ride and has a reputed weight of just 3.4lb. Both my bikes are currently motivating me to ride and I am feeling the benefits, I am in danger of actually loosing weight :shock: .

 

[kyle888]

Re:

They are there to be used so its good that your riding more. I wish i could get out on my bike more but with two young children finding the time is tough.

What do you think of the bb7 i run those on mine!

 

[davidj]

Re: Re:

What do you think of the bb7 i run those on mine!

HaHa that is a good question. I only fitted mine today, to the front, and with the mental weather I only got to try them out over a mile or two. First impressions are that the initial bite is less than V brakes, but there is a greater range from the usual on/off I am used to. I guess this is the "Modulation" I often hear of.

I see you used the Azonic adapter to get yours on the rear also, I have opted to stay with V Brakes on the rear. Well I am a Yorkshire man and I have a few sets of pads to wear out first .

 

[kyle888]

Re:

Maybe you need to bed them in a bit as mine have more bite than v's along with more modulation. Its actually the A2Z adaptor it was a bit fiddly to get it to fit properly but it does the job! The wheels i put on were basically new and i didnt want to ruin the rims

 

[davidj]

Re:

I reset the caliper position today, this time with my wife holding the brake lever. This has improved the initial bite, I also had a play around with the speeddial levers settings and the levers now feel balanced when comparing front & rear. I have yet to test ride it as the heavens opened shortly afterwards.