Carbon vs Steel Fork

**DebW** · 10-13-2006, 02:48 AM

Congrats. What a great bike you're going to have! You can definitely do the build yourself. Just take it one step at a time.

**Mimosa** · 10-13-2006, 03:31 AM

Originally Posted by Triskeliongirl

Now, the question is can I really build this myself. I am gonna have him install the headset and fork, but I'll do the rest. I'll have to take pictures and post them as this project progresses. BTW, her name is Feronia, a travel Goddess and also a fitting name for a steel bike.

The only problem you could have is the special tools required to install the bracket and cranck. But you could loan them from a friend or buy them.
The rest of the bike is easy.

**Triskeliongirl** · 12-04-2006, 07:06 PM

OK Ladies, the framebuilder finished making the fork and installing the s/s couplers and canti bosses. He shipped her out today, and took these pix for his website so here she is. I'm gonna build her with: nitto technomic stem, nitto noodle bar, kalloy uno 374 silver post, brooks finesse saddle, and an ultegra/XT mix (50/34 front, 11/34 rear). For go fast rides I'll probably use my lighter wheelset with a 12/27 cluster and 23 c schwalbe stevlios and for touring my sturdier wheelset with the 11/34 cluster and front and rear racks. For in between stuff my carradice bag will do! And she'll be light with her reynolds 853 steel.

**KnottedYet** · 12-04-2006, 07:49 PM

Ooooh, nice!!

**spokewench** · 12-05-2006, 04:53 AM

Very Pretty - You're going to have so much fun this year riding a new bike!

**DebW** · 12-05-2006, 05:04 AM

Congrats, Triskeliongirl. What a nice ride. Love the couplers.

**mimitabby** · 12-05-2006, 06:31 AM

thanks for showing us your finished frame! this thread was very instructive to me.

I am going to go to Sheldon's website and look up "coupler"

I give up. All i could find was something about SHOES.
what's the cute coupler on this bike?

**DebW** · 12-05-2006, 07:05 AM

Originally Posted by mimitabby

thanks for showing us your finished frame! this thread was very instructive to me.

I am going to go to Sheldon's website and look up "coupler"

I give up. All i could find was something about SHOES.
what's the cute coupler on this bike?

The couplers are the metal sleeves on the top tube and downtube near the seat tube. They let you break the frame into 2 parts for packing. Now TG can pack her bike in a suitcase and fly with it, and go touring anywhere in the world. Cool, huh?

**mimitabby** · 12-05-2006, 07:56 AM

Oh DUH. those kind of couplers.

thanks Deb you are always a kind patient teacher.

Yes, it is slick.
I'd love to go to one of Velogirl's workshops in SF but don't want to have to learn to take my bike apart and put it back together. I am sure with couplers,
it would be a lot easier.

**Triskeliongirl** · 12-05-2006, 11:11 AM

Yes Mimi- the couplers make it not only easier but cheaper, because what is key is that now the bike packs into an airline legal suitcase. If you have to pack an uncoupled bikes, airlines charge a huge surcharge (~$!00 each way) to transport it. You can either get a bike built with couplers or retrofitted. Rodriguez cycles in Seattle builds bikes with couplers, so you might want to discuss having them make your next dream bike. That way you can specify exactly what you want it to do and be, i.e. light, packable, but still with clearance for touring tires, racks and fenders. Most stock bikes that are light don't offer clearance for wider tires, racks and fenders. I really don't get why bikes aren't designed this way in the first place. Don't these bike dealers get that we want bikes that are fast, but versatile? That is why I went the route I did, I got a good deal on a brand new light weight steel frame that fit me on ebay with a geometry well suited to fast riding/light touring, and then had it modified to be packable, and work with wider tires (by installing canti bosses). But, you'd think folks would build them that way in the first place, or I am really all that weird???

**DebW** · 12-05-2006, 11:23 AM

TG, did the framebuilder have to strip paint before installing the canti bosses and couplers? Did you have to pay for repainting, or is it just minor touch-up?

**Triskeliongirl** · 12-05-2006, 12:12 PM

He did have to strip paint for installing the canti bosses and couplers. But since I also had him make me a new fork which also had to be painted he only charged me for touch up paint not complete repaint. He also rustproofed the frame from the inside out before starting (the frame was brand new, never been built so original paint was in good condition). The original design was a blue to silver fade, so he was able to exploit the silver fade in the touch up and fork work. But you bring up a good point. If you are thinking of doing a retrofit, time it with when your frame needs repaininting since the two tasks really work well together. Bilenky Cycle works did mine.

**Triskeliongirl** · 12-15-2006, 08:17 AM

I wanna post a final thank you to all you gals over here that helped me design the bike of my dreams. All I knew when I bought her 2 months ago is that the price was too good to be true and that I wanted to somehow make her into a travel bike. Now that she is built I started a new thread on her, called introducing feronia in the open topic section: http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showthread.php?t=12234
but I really wanted to thank you folks here that helped me make it happen.

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