Triskelion, these are excellent points and I will think about them!
Right now, off early tomorrow morning for a weeklong trip and no TE....see you all in a week or so! :o
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Triskelion, these are excellent points and I will think about them!
Right now, off early tomorrow morning for a weeklong trip and no TE....see you all in a week or so! :o
Hi Deb-
Just thought I'd mention that I used some the suggestions you made (I posted a couple of months ago) when I ordered my custom road bike (won't be here for a few more months but there's snow outside so I don't care).
I was wanting a compact, but eventually came to realize that I'm just more comfortable having the gearing options of a triple. You suggested dumping the STI shifter for the front derailler and doing a downtube shifter. Ultimately I wound up ordering a STI short reach shifter for the rear brake/derailler and a bar end shifter & standard brake lever for the front brake/derailler. It sounds like this might be an option worth considering for you as well. The STI shifter really is fast and easy for the rear (I have one on my current road bike)- it's the triple where it really seems to make sense to keep the friction shifting option.
Have fun and good luck!
anakiwa, that does seem like a nice option, and I hope it works well for you.
If we get some warm weather in the next month or two, I might go test ride bikes with different shifters before I make my final decision. Barcons are the closest thing currently on the market to the friction downtube shifters I'm used to. I did ride a bike with STI recently for a couple miles, and while the rear did shift nicely, I didn't like the way the lever wobbled back and forth while braking. Besides, I think STI shifters look big and bulbous and ugly. The barcon rear shifter can run in friction or indexed mode, so I won't be locked into only 9 speed cassettes, and the system is field-repairable.
Just found out that my frame is built. It should go to the painter by weeks end.
Cool!!!!!:D
Look. Look. Here it is. Isn't it gorgeous? My raw frame, about ready for the paint shop. The black strips are electrical tape over the S&S couplers to keep grit out when the frame is cleaned before painting. Now it just needs the braze-ons for the racks, which he is going to do tomorrow. I saw the racks too - very nice, light, stainless steel Tubus racks. oooh. ahhh.
I test road 2 bikes, one with bar end shifters, one with STI. Decided I prefer the bar-ends. Spent about 2 hours with Peter Mooney talking about components. Just about everything is set. He's got rims for my 26 inch wheels but has to order the hubs. And I saw the 26x1.3 tires he recommended and liked them. The frame has plenty of clearance for those tires and fenders too (fender braze-ons are already installed). I'll probably look for 650c rims elsewhere. I've got a Dura Ace 9-speed 28 hole rear hub for the 650s. Felt some Shimano brake levers (not STI) that I liked. I double-checked my paint choice, a metallic blue, and picked silver decals edged with white. The bike should be ready to ride by early May. I may be hyperventilating until then.
Wooo hoo.. congrats, Deb! Sounds like it was a nice Easter!
HOw exciting...
OOOOOOHHHH!!!!!!!! How exciting! How cool!
More pictures?:p
I picked up my wheel parts yesterday for the 26" touring wheelset. Ultegra hubs, 32 hole front, 36 hole rear, Mavic annodized MTB rims. Even brought home the tires, tubes, and rimstrips so I'll be all set to put the wheels on the bike. I'll try to get the front wheel built this week, and save the rear to give Mudmucker the wheelbuilding lesson I've been promising.
This is really cool to track how your build is going. It's kinda like one of those old cliffhangers... Can't wait til the next episode :)
Can't wait to see the frame painted!
Oh Deb, she is georgeous! Maybe she'll be ready to ride during my visit!!! I can't wait to see her all finished off.
Today I put the tires on my new wheels and dropped them off at the bike shop so that they will be there when the frame comes back from the painter's. I was told that the painter promised to ship the frame on Tuesday, so it should be at Belmont Wheelworks on Thursday. If it is, Peter thinks he can have it ready for me by Sunday, one week from today. WHOO HOO!!!
Last Monday night I got to be there while Triskeliongirl packed her S&S coupled bike. Even got to tighten and loosen the couplers. So now I feel comfortable with the couplers and the packing process. Can't wait for the new bike.
I talked to Peter Mooney today. My frame came back from the painter on Friday. We made an tentative appointment for Tuesday at 6 pm to pick up the completed bike. I'll be riding it this week. :D :D :D
Yay, Deb!!!
Make SURE someone is taking pictures! We need pictures!
WE DEFINITELY WANT PICTURES!!!!!!!!!!! It was so great getting your help with the packing! I should have brought that wrench with me for removing the crank arm, and I know you would have got me over my fears. But, next time I vow to get it in a single suitcase. I just love my steel S/S coupled bike, and I know you are going to love yours too.
I've got it and it rides like silk, with the most stable neutral steering I've ever felt, and a very comfortable cockpit. WOW! Actually made me want to ride freehands in the first 1/8 mile. I took some pictures of it in the living room, but I'll have to wait until tomorrow morning to upload them (sorry for the wait).
Also brought home all the parts for my 650c wheelset, so I should have those ready within the week. The S&S case and a set of fenders are on order.
All these purty new toys . . . .
what's with the no pictures? Huh? huh?Quote:
Originally Posted by DebW
no i never said i was patient. and where's MY bike while i'm at it? :(
We want pictures!!!!!!!! :D :D :D :D
Oh Deb, I am so happy that he nailed both the fit and the performance. This says a lot for your builder, and if I ever get over paying for my kids education I will look into getting a bike from your builder. It is not easy to build a bike that fits with neutral steering and no toe clip overlap in a small frame size. I just loved your builders idea of making it compatable with both 26" and 650c wheels. Maybe you can visit me in Woods Hole this summer, and we can do a ride with Wavedancer and I can meet your new bike. ENJOY!
Here she is.
Wow!! She's beautiful!!
(does she have a name?)
I love the way the couplers look, very classy!
When are you going for a big ride with those racks loaded?
that's beautiful! such nice lugs!
and you look very happy :D
I hope you go down many miles of road on this bike!
She's beautiful! Here's wishing you many happy miles together!
Deb your labor of love looks ready for many adventures. Enjoy.
Gorgeous!!! Where are you taking her first? Well... where ever you take her, I hope you all have lots of fun.:D :cool:
ooooooooooooooooo sooooooooooooooooo preeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeety!
She came out beautifully! ENJOY!!!
Ooooooh. Nice. Was just thinking about your bike after I read the thread on Mimi's and BikerZ's bikes.
So..uh.. you just going to keep it in the living room to drool and moon over for awhile? That's what I'm doing with my bikes :) Makes the roomies really happy:p
I finally finished up the 650c wheels and took them for a spin. Dura Ace 9-speed hubs with Ti freehub body, Mavic CXP 33 rims, 28 spoke 2-cross front and rear, Michelin Pro Race tires, 12-23 Ultegra cassette. Here are a few pictures. I'm anxious to see how different the ride is between these wheels and the 26"x1.3" touring tires.
Went to the LBS and picked up my last batch of goodies: the case for airline travel, fenders, and a cyclocomputer. Along with the case, I got the S&S spanner wrench with pedal wrench, 3 anti-compression posts, the S&S security net (http://www.sandsmachine.com/ac_net.htm), 4 axle-protectors, and 2 dropout spanners. Here's a picture of the axle-protectors and the dropout spanners. The first packing is going to take awhile as I'll need to cut the velcro tube covers to size for every piece of frame.
Hey Deb, looks great. When do I get to see her in person?
Robyn
I packed the bike in the case for the first time last night. I'm heading to Maryland on a business trip and will stay with a friend and bike with her one evening. If I were driving my own wagon, I would have just put the bike in the car intact, but I'm renting a car because mine needs work. So got to make the first attempt at packing the bike in the case. I had to cut the tube protectors to size for each frame tube. Also cut some fleece material to protect parts like derailleurs and brakes and crankset. Used some velcro one-strap to secure some of the wrappings. Had to remove both derailleurs and the front brake to make it work, though I didn't disconnect any cables other than unscrewing the splitters. The biggest bugaboo to the final fitting was having the handlebars lie flat to the bottom of the case so the front wheel would fit on top low enough to allow the case to close. Here's a photo of the final product. At least I don't have to be worried about the airline handling it roughly, since I'm driving with it this time.
If you were checking the case as baggage on an airplane, is it small enough to be a normal piece of luggage or would you have to pay the oversize bag charge? I've been under the impression that a bike with couplers would fit into a suitcase-sized case. I didn't realize that you'd have to disassemble and reassemble the bike to fit it in the case...not so easy for the non-mechanics among us.Quote:
Originally Posted by DebW
Welcome back to Maryland!
When you get to unpacking it, could you take a few more pictures so that we can see the different layers and how it all go in?
Yes, the case is small enough to avoid an oversized bag charge. My builder doesn't recommend S&S couplers for the non-mechanically inclined. The couplers give you a break-apart frame, not a folding bike. The frame ended up getting almost completely stripped except for the bottom bracket, headset, stem, and rear brake caliper. I'll get some additional pictures of the process to post. Or look at the S&S web site (http://www.sandsmachine.com/#pack) except most of those photos show bare frames and handlebars with no cables.Quote:
Originally Posted by divingbiker
The bike went back together pretty easily. Except I'm puzzled about aligning the spindle with the Octalink crank. I'm going to call my builder for advice rather than risk damaging the crank.
Yes Robyn, we'll have to get together for a ride sometime soon.
Deb, I guess I missed this thread from January. Your bike is beautiful. What a gorgeous color. I find it completely amazing how it fits in that travel box.
I wish you must luck and enjoyment with your new bike and traveling with it.
~ JoAnn
Deb, I am surprised a frame your size required SO MUCH dissasembly. From what I've read I thought you could get away with less. Do you think if you had more time you could have taken less stuff off, or were you being extra cautious? As an aside, the solution I adopted to minimize disassembly with my S/S bike was to pack it together with my clothes in 2 airline legal suitcases. I put the front half and bars in one case and the rest in another. I put my clothes in plastic bags to avoid grease stains. All I had to remove was the seat post, bars, pedals, and disconnect the couplers (both cable and frame).
You are probably right. Though it wasn't easy to fit it in the case even with all the disassembly I did. I'll try with less disassembly next time. My builder thought I should have been able to leave at least part of the crank on. But it seemed that my small frame size made the fit harder because part of the rear triangle ended up near the middle of the case where it almost interfered with the front hub. I had to call my builder to get advise on reattaching the crank arms to the Octalink bottom bracket. It would have been MUCH easier if I'd left the left crank arm attached.Quote:
Originally Posted by Triskeliongirl
a few pages back you wrote that you were anxious to compare the 650 wheel set to what you used to have. what do you think about it now?
I rode the 650c wheelset on a 25 mile club ride here in Maryland last night. Very different feel from the 26" wheels with mtb slicks. With the 26x1.3" tires the bike felt totally stable and bombproof over rough roads at any speed. The ride was never jarring even on major potholes. With the 650c x 23mm tires, the ride is definitely stiffer. I was using Michelin Pro Race 2 tires inflated to about 100 psi, and the tires were not remaining in contact with the road on chipseal at high speed - definitely a less than bombproof feel. Hopefully that will improve if I run at lower pressure. My intention for building 28 spoke 2-cross wheels was that the wheels would soften the ride enough to avoid this. However, I ended up using fairly stiff rims (Mavic CXP-33) with a v-section because a rim like the Open Pro wasn't available in 650c 28 hole. These wheels feel noticeably stiffer than the 700c sewup wheels (non-v rims, 36 hole, 3-cross) on my old bike, but that frame is stiffer and I got jarred badly on potholed. The sewup wheels never felt like they were losing contact with the road at high speed.Quote:
Originally Posted by mimitabby
To do: (1) Try the Michelin Pro Race tires at lower pressure. (2) Put on a cyclocomputer (just bought a Strada wireless), calibrate both wheelsets, and see if the wheels make much difference in my riding speed. If they don't, then I'll probably ride the 26" wider tires all the time because the ride is more comfortable and more stable and I can commute with weight on the bike (ie. laptop).