http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Topic: New cyclocross/gravel bike advice en Wed, 13 May 2026 03:10:43 +0000 http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=20214&page=2#post-331547 Mon, 08 Jun 2020 06:59:34 +0000 gembo 331547@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Is the chute still there too?</p> <p>YOu still see the man hole covers in middle of pavement on Heriot Row where the coal was poured down the chute to the now desirable garden flats </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=20214&page=2#post-331542 Sun, 07 Jun 2020 21:27:33 +0000 chdot 331542@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Coal hole. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=20214&page=2#post-331541 Sun, 07 Jun 2020 21:14:28 +0000 gembo 331541@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Lovely, also like the bricked up window </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=20214&page=2#post-331540 Sun, 07 Jun 2020 20:48:50 +0000 chdot 331540@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Gravel bike or cafe racer?<br /> <a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49980300233_be3226d536_k.jpg"><br /> <img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49980300233_6e1d34f5de.jpg"></p> <p>Bigger</a> </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=20214#post-331539 Sun, 07 Jun 2020 20:26:41 +0000 chdot 331539@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>“Old road bikes with massive clearances“</p> <p>Key thing (usually) is getting a frame built for 27”. </p> <p>Fit 700c - plenty room for big tyres. <em>Usually</em> you can get brakes to fit. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=20214#post-331537 Sun, 07 Jun 2020 20:21:58 +0000 gembo 331537@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Old road bikes with massive clearances </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=20214#post-331536 Sun, 07 Jun 2020 19:32:14 +0000 chdot 331536@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Further suggestions -</p> <p><a href="https://www.cxmagazine.com/cheap-gravel-bike-steel-vintage-road-bikes-60s-70s-80s" rel="nofollow">https://www.cxmagazine.com/cheap-gravel-bike-steel-vintage-road-bikes-60s-70s-80s</a> </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=20214#post-330303 Wed, 20 May 2020 13:23:52 +0000 wingpig 330303@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>I first encountered anisotropy when switching off anisotropic filtering in the graphics options of an electronic computer game to make it run more smoothly on inadequate hardware.</p> <p>A video (probably posted on here long ago) showed someone demonstrating the toughness of an extremely chunky carbon 'downhill' fork by battering it with a mallett. It was evidently unusable when he'd finished, but it made the point that it didn't immediately shatter into its constituent particles. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=20214#post-330301 Wed, 20 May 2020 12:52:44 +0000 gembo 330301@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>@algo</p> <p>I hired a titanium bike in Mallorca</p> <p>my thinking was as follows</p> <p>No one else will ever have hired it</p> <p>And</p> <p>It will not have been damaged like those carbon wallahs</p> <p>I was correct it was great. Van Nicholas. They did then try to sell me it but I am still waiting on the titanium price to come down now those weapons scientists have shortened the 16 stage process to 4 steps?</p> <p>Last time I went the titanium was dear so went carbon, was lighter and whippier</p> <p>This year still waiting on money back from Ryanair</p> <p>@acsimpson, agreed, though drivers will be monotonous whereas Simon had spirit, the little rascal </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=20214#post-330296 Wed, 20 May 2020 12:20:16 +0000 acsimpson 330296@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>@gembo, yes perhaps it's just facts rather than opinions which we don't have a limit to knowing. There's plenty of drivers with inner thoughts we would tire of quickly too. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=20214#post-330286 Wed, 20 May 2020 10:45:05 +0000 Murun Buchstansangur 330286@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>@algo thanks, the CGR Ti is definitely on the list </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=20214#post-330282 Wed, 20 May 2020 10:09:44 +0000 algo 330282@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>This is orders of magnitude more than I have ever considered paying for a bike, but some of those mentioned also seem to be. If we're talking about resilience of materials, is it worth considering titanium? (possibly not - genuine question)</p> <p><a href="https://www.planetx.co.uk/c/q/bikes/titanium-bikes" rel="nofollow">https://www.planetx.co.uk/c/q/bikes/titanium-bikes</a></p> <p><a href="https://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/ribble-cgr-ti/" rel="nofollow">https://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/ribble-cgr-ti/</a> </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=20214#post-330280 Wed, 20 May 2020 09:53:09 +0000 Murun Buchstansangur 330280@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>"do carbon fibre frames have an age limit"</p> <p>Manufacturers say <a href="https://cyclingtips.com/2015/08/what-is-the-lifespan-of-a-carbon-frame/">not</a>, but they would do, wouldn't they. Paint and lacquers are apparently UV-resistant.</p> <p>I think motorbike helmet expiry is more to do with the liner packing out and comprising fit, and maybe a desire to move riders onto improved safety standards (plus it's good for manufacturers' business). </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=20214#post-330272 Wed, 20 May 2020 08:31:33 +0000 fimm 330272@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>If, like me, you want to know what "anisotropic" means:<br /> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anisotropy#Materials_science_and_engineering" rel="nofollow">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anisotropy#Materials_science_and_engineering</a></p> <p>(from link) "<em>Anisotropy is the property of being directionally dependent, which implies different properties in different directions, as opposed to isotropy. It can be defined as a difference, when measured along different axes, in a material's physical or mechanical properties (absorbance, refractive index, conductivity, tensile strength, etc.)</p> <p>An example of anisotropy is light coming through a polarizer. Another is wood, which is easier to split along its grain than across it.</em>" </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=20214#post-330268 Wed, 20 May 2020 07:52:03 +0000 I were right about that saddle 330268@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Great CCE content. There is a metallurgist on here but not me - I was a roustabout chemist.</p> <p>Here's a question: do carbon fibre frames have an age limit? Most polymers exposed to the atmosphere begins to autoxidise immediately, some faster then others, becoming yellow and brittle. The process is speeded by light and heat. I think it's the reason motorbike crash helmets have an expiry date. The binder resin in frames will be no exception.</p> <p>Should carbon bikes also (do they already?) have an expiry date? </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=20214#post-330267 Wed, 20 May 2020 07:03:47 +0000 gembo 330267@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>@acsimpson. We didn’t want to know anymore about that chap Simon’s project? Despite his ‘nephew’s’ pleas. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=20214#post-330264 Wed, 20 May 2020 01:26:18 +0000 acsimpson 330264@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p><blockquote>Sorry, that's maybe more than you wanted to know.</blockquote></p> <p>I'm not aware that there are any limits on what CCE wants to know. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=20214#post-330255 Tue, 19 May 2020 21:58:55 +0000 Arellcat 330255@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Resilience is really toughness rather than strength. CF is up to five times as strong as steel, but as noted has no ductility. CF will take a degree of damage, but it will either crack or delaminate. A crack may not propagate in a sheet, but it will be detectable. Delamination occurs within the structure, because of the nature of the layup.</p> <p>Since CF is anisotropic we tend to align the fibres in the same direction as the forces it will experience. We use this to advantage, for example, in Formula 1 suspension arms that are incredibly strong and light for the job they do, yet weak enough you could easily break them if you stood on them. So for the less predictable world of bikes (etc.) we use multiple layers of carbon fibres in alternating or specific other directions to build in durability – insurance against those misdirected forces.</p> <p>A bending stress in a CF tube will eventually cause the tube to exceed the strength of the epoxy; the epoxy cracks and delamination and splintering is instant. A point stress is similar, so if the epoxy is compromised the damage may be benign if the forces are low – recall that CF has essentially no fatigue limit under the forces it is designed to endure – or if the stress was created essentially at the surface only. However, a blunter impact can cause internal stress that leads to delamination between layers or between fibres and the epoxy, and this is why the material can appear unharmed at the surface but proceed to fail catastrophically later. Armouring a frame costs weight, so we protect CF parts from surface damage with rinky dink patches of tape, or gelcoat, or better, Kevlar.</p> <p>The torpedo is almost wholly CF, but has Kevlar inside the wheelarches to protect against abrasion from the tyres, and thick gelcoat elsewhere. The WAW by contrast, and many of Mike Burrows' earlier creations, used carbon fibres with Kevlar as the binder. Kevlar provides for toughness that pure CF lacks but is slightly heavier than the usual resin.</p> <p>Sorry, that's maybe more than you wanted to know. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=20214#post-330251 Tue, 19 May 2020 20:41:03 +0000 acsimpson 330251@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>@IWRATS,</p> <p>I suspect I'm preaching to the choir here but if the videos are to be believed it's pretty resilient, perhaps stronger even than steel. Right up until it breaks. At that point there is no getting back on the sadle. It Is broken and you pretty much need to walk home.</p> <p>With steel (and perhaps other metals) once it's broken the chances are you can ride it home and perhaps even continue riding it, although as you know only too well there comes a point where it is too broken to fix.</p> <p>That's my simple, non scientific completely untrained view. I suspect your well researched (and experienced) metallurgist opinion has a lot to add. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=20214#post-330234 Tue, 19 May 2020 16:36:01 +0000 I were right about that saddle 330234@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>My current frame has internal cable routing that means it's double-skinned above the bottom bracket. </p> <p>Taken a few sickening whacks off stones too. I'd be nervous on carbon, but it's a material I kind of see as witchcraft. Don't really have a sense of how resilient it is. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=20214#post-330232 Tue, 19 May 2020 16:17:03 +0000 SRD 330232@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>I gather it’s popular with distance riders - transcontinental etc. </p> <p>(I was likewise skeptical about a carbon gravel bike) </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=20214#post-330227 Tue, 19 May 2020 14:16:22 +0000 I were right about that saddle 330227@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>It's a fast race bike. Don't know why they talk about bike-packing.</p> <p><a href="https://cinelli.it/en/prodotti/king-zydeco-en/" rel="nofollow">https://cinelli.it/en/prodotti/king-zydeco-en/</a></p> <p>The Kevlar bash guards on the down tube have me wondering if carbon's really a good material for going fast over stony ground.... </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=20214#post-330224 Tue, 19 May 2020 12:30:39 +0000 wingpig 330224@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>If they just left enough clearance for mudguards on the Zydeco there'd be more space for different chainrings. Fair enough that there'd be space if you used smaller wheels, but they also missed out the mudguard and rack attachment points. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=20214#post-330211 Tue, 19 May 2020 10:17:20 +0000 chdot 330211@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>“</p> <p>From CCPROTO and continuing for two decades, Cunningham made contributions to the evolution of the mountain bike, some still found on current bikes </p> <p>“</p> <p><a href="http://cunninghambikes.com/inventions/" rel="nofollow">http://cunninghambikes.com/inventions/</a> </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=20214#post-330206 Tue, 19 May 2020 09:56:36 +0000 Arellcat 330206@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p><em>What's the weird u-shaped chain stay about?</em></p> <p>Supposed to be to increase clearance for fat tyres (up to 40mm or so), but has the disadvantage that you can't run less than about a 36T chainring without the chain gouging out its own path.</p> <p>I look the Zydeco, and every other gravel bike going, and I think:<br /> <ul><li><a href="https://www.silverfish-uk.com/contentpage/rebuilding-an-icon-the-yeti-c-26">John Tomac Yeti C-26</a> (1990)</li><li><a href="https://www.pinkbike.com/news/charlie-now-that-was-a-bike-charlie-cunninghams-prophetic-cc-proto.html">Cunningham CCproto</a> (1978)</li></ul> </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=20214#post-330200 Tue, 19 May 2020 09:14:30 +0000 I were right about that saddle 330200@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>The Zydeco only has 24 spokes per wheel in the picture. I'd be in mortal terror banging that over gravel trails deep rims or not.</p> <p>Oh, hang on...you're supposed to fit separate 650b wheels for off-road. </p> <p>What's the weird u-shaped chain stay about? </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=20214#post-330192 Mon, 18 May 2020 21:26:56 +0000 Murun Buchstansangur 330192@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Thanks @SRD &amp; @Jack. I know someone with a King Zydeco so would be accused of copying! </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=20214#post-330189 Mon, 18 May 2020 21:19:59 +0000 Jack 330189@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>I can offer a huge shout out for the Diverge. I have the 2018 E5 Sport version, the middle one of the three at that time, and have enjoyed many happy miles on and off road. Just bagged my first puncture only last week, after neariy two years.</p> <p>It’s a little heavier than 10kg (10.61kg is what it was listed as) but with the ability to ride 32x32 ... </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=20214#post-330181 Mon, 18 May 2020 19:50:35 +0000 gembo 330181@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Gravel bike of 2019, good name, very light. </p> <p>Almost the opposite of a Shand Stoater </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=20214#post-330179 Mon, 18 May 2020 19:43:06 +0000 SRD 330179@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>MrSrd and I are quite taken with the good looks of the Cinelli King Zydeco. </p>