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Dave's new build

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  1. Dave
    Member

    I've got a regular bar-end reverse brake lever (the same that used to be in my old fixed Touché - Tektro RX4.1)

    The riding position will be on the horns rather than the tops. I've never completely understood why people ride around with tiny levers next to the stem (I'm probably too old to 'get it'!).

    Of course the unknown power of the coaster brake throws the age-old dilemma back to the fore, which is to say, which hand will get the brake lever? I'm still thinking the left is the sensible choice.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  2. kaputnik
    Moderator

    OT slightly Dave, but seeing as it's "your" thread and a thread about bike builds - your have the swooshy Planet-X 50mm carbon tub wheels, yes?

    I have just bought myself their second last pair in the sale for my TT build and was wondering your experience with them and what tyres you put on them and did you glue or tape them on? Questions, questions...

    Posted 12 years ago #

  3. Dave
    Member

    I have the 82s, but they'll be much of a muchness I think.

    Have ridden the front (aka 'rear' on my FWD lowracer) on a 200km 3AAA brevet and apart from that, the set has probably only got around a hundred miles on it.

    I have a pair of ruinously expensive Vittoria Corsa Evo CX tyres on them at the moment with Jantex tape. I don't know enough about tubs really to have much confidence in them VS any other method. But then for me, I'm leading with my feet and have only 25cm to fall, so I figure if they ever break away, it won't be the end of the world.

    I'm using the supplied cork pads and the braking is acceptable in the dry (probably horrific in the wet). Unfortunately my front brake shrieks abominably, perhaps because I drilled out the fork crown to get the bolt in and the tolerance isn't right, I'm not sure.

    On the excellent Nazca Gaucho, the braking was solid and the bike really, really flew. It might also be an extremely fast bike in the first place, of course:

    I'd speak to somebody who knows this stuff if I were you... Bicycle Works sell tubs and tape, at least?

    Performance-wise I'm not really fast enough to get the most from them, it was more by the way of an impulse / ludicrous sale combination.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  4. kaputnik
    Moderator

    I'm not worried about braking, it's a time trial bike, why would I need to stop quickly? :) I know people who run rubber pads on them for TT, again there isn't really much braking to be done. Swiss-stop do lovely yellow pads for carbon rims but at c. £50 they are a bit excessive.

    Continental do TT tub tyres aimed specifically at the club-level UK market (i.e. for rubbish road surfaces!)

    What (if anything) did you carry as a spare on the Brevet? I'm thinking of buying 2x "performance" tyres and get a basic one for my spare.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  5. DaveC
    Member

    I once owned a white car, Never again, had to wash and t cut it too many times...

    I like the fact it has bosses (sp??) for discs, are you fitting disks? Which did you go for in the end?

    Posted 12 years ago #

  6. Dave
    Member

    @DaveC, I'm going with a drum brake at the front and a coaster at the rear. If I did go for discs though, BB7 is still doing it for me, 10 years after they first brought them out...

    "What (if anything) did you carry as a spare on the Brevet? I'm thinking of buying 2x "performance" tyres and get a basic one for my spare. "

    That's what I did - whatever the cheapest tub was that I could find.

    Planet X will send you a cheap cork pad IIRC, that's what I've been using, works OK. If you don't ride to Kirkliston and back (or wherever you're going to race) then the brakes are even less important...

    Posted 12 years ago #

  7. kaputnik
    Moderator

    I will definitely be riding it to/from Kirkliston. Other events probably less likely unless they are local.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  8. Dave
    Member

    Disaster - no stock of 5 speed bar-end shifters for another month... but luckily, eBay comes to the rescue :)

    Posted 12 years ago #

  9. Dave
    Member

    Tonight's the night... almost... I now have forks which means if I don't mind not being able to pedal or brake, I can build enough of the bike to stick some unrelated wheels on and roll up and down in front of the house.

    Watch this space!

    Posted 12 years ago #

  10. Dave
    Member

    As promised:

    £39.99 Sturmey Archer 1/8th single chainset (42t). Stock Shimano sealed BB from spares.


    Cotic Roadrat forks (£60). Steel, disc or rim brakes.

    As desired, the tyre clearance front and rear is impressive (these are 25mm tyres):


    Sturmey Archer 5spd bar-end shifter (£17.34). Solid as a rock... hope I can actually change gear with this!

    Tektro 4.1 reverse brake lever (£6) as featured on my old fixed-wheel commuter. May need to view separately as the forum's a bit thin!


    Nice looking bar setup... of course, until the hubs arrive I can't cable or wrap these either...

    Posted 12 years ago #

  11. Dave
    Member

    Strange. When I log in I can see the photos I posted above last night. But when I'm not logged in, it's like I never did.

    Can anyone else see anything? (A post between this one and 'watch this space').

    Posted 12 years ago #

  12. chdot
    Admin

    @ Dave.

    Spam filter caught your post because it was full of links.

    But after that, it caught masses of Chinese 'designer handbag' spam so I didn't notice your post until I saw your subsequent post.

    System is designed so that people can see their own posts when they are logging in - spammers think they are being successful when they aren't!

    Posted 12 years ago #

  13. Dave
    Member

    Ah, I thought I was going mad, but as a software person myself, didn't like to admit it :)

    Posted 12 years ago #

  14. kaputnik
    Moderator

    @dave love the bar and lever setup, very awesome. Think your stem is upside down though for achieving proper aero tuck :D

    Posted 12 years ago #

  15. Arellcat
    Moderator

    Spam filter caught your post because it was full of links ...

    This happened to me two or three weeks back. I couldn't work out what was going on! Think it was this one, in spotted.

    Bike'll look cool, Dave! My house has the same fireplace, too.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  16. Dave
    Member

    Actually I might post up a 'stem swap' offer. I got that because it was all they had, but really it's got such serious rise, then I'm dropping it down again... I'd rather have the bars the other way around on a flat stem!

    Turns out Spa didn't ship my rims and spokes because of some mix-up at their end, but they're sending tomorrow first class. Hopefully I'll have them on Friday along with the hubs, and can spend the weekend meticulously forging a pair of artisanal "hoops" for my new "whip" (as the kids say).

    Posted 12 years ago #

  17. kaputnik
    Moderator

    I've got a plain old "road" stem, looks similar clamp diameter and length, but with a 0 degree rise one way and 6 degree the other way I think if you're interested. It doesn't look as nice as that up front, just plain anodised black and a silver Bontrager "B".

    Posted 12 years ago #

  18. Dave
    Member

    Thanks :)

    I will at least try to ride it like this once, but yeah, may well take you up on that.

    I also need to figure out how to get my dynamo ubertaillight on the seatpost, as I'm not going to have a rack (unexpected problem).

    Posted 12 years ago #

  19. Dave
    Member

    Today I had a truly miserable day at work - but right in the middle of it, what should appear but three separate packages - so I now have hubs, rims AND spokes...

    These Sturmey Archer hubs are quite spectacular. Laced 36h onto touring rims, with 35mm slicks, this will be one battleship of a bike.

    I've laced and snugged up the rear. Amazingly, I managed to get it right first time (my good lady was in residence on the computer preventing reference), although the actual hard bit is yet to come...

    Posted 12 years ago #

  20. Dave
    Member

    First ride!

    Made both the wheels today (which was easy) and have now fixed them on the frame (which was hard, and will be a nightmare come puncture o' clock).

    Spent a wee while fettling the cables and chain, and I just managed to get a hundred yards or so in the street because I couldn't wait overnight.

    - Sturmey Archer hub hopelessly hard to adjust by intuition, may need to read manual!
    - coaster brake very suspicious feeling. Hoping it will grow on me.
    - if the dynamo hub is draggy, at least it is draggy below my threshold of detection (lights not wired up though)
    - the weight is not so bad, considering. I swore not to weigh any of the parts, or the bike as a whole, so that I wouldn't be afraid to spec up a solid utility bike, but it feels potent on the street anyway....

    Photos tomorrow...

    Posted 12 years ago #

  21. Arellcat
    Moderator

    Dave, does your Sturmey rear hub use an outboard indicator rod or an inboard rotating collar? If it's the former, it's probably a case of selecting middle gear and adjusting the rod until it just appears out of the axle. That's how my 3spd hub works on my Brompton anyway.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  22. Dave
    Member

    It's a 5 speed, but I think 2 is still the adjustment gear.

    Getting used to a hub gear and coaster at the same time is making it difficult (for instance, after you brake, there's a large angle of 'nothing' before the gears engage. For some reason I assumed it would be like pawls on an ordinary hub, i.e. you could brake as much as you like, then it would bite as soon as you pedalled.

    This morning has been trailer time, so this afternoon I hope to get this thing licked.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  23. Dave
    Member

    Hmm. Still just randomly clunks every so often!

    It's almost impossible to track stand with a coaster brake- when you balance back, the cranks are slack for about 45 degrees. (Alternative viewpoint: new skill to acquire).

    After swearing at the dynamo for half an hour with much multimetered confusion, I realised I had carefully soldered up the tail light leads to the plug instead... swapped them round and FAZAM!

    Removing either wheel is a monstrous headache.

    However, it looks very nice.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  24. Dave
    Member

    (Now with bar tape - sadly not brown).

    Posted 12 years ago #

  25. Uberuce
    Member

    Aw, don't worry, Dave. I find it nearly impossible to track stand full stop. Bike's looking luverly, mind, the chainset is particularly handsome.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  26. custard
    Member

    nice and clean looks
    plus white is the best colour for bikes :D

    Posted 12 years ago #

  27. Dave
    Member

    Some more pics:

    Side-on view. The slanty-up stem and slanty-down bars do look a bit daft - may have to rendezvous with Kaputnik shortly (PY?)

    Cockpit view. Works really nicely (especially now it's taped up) - just the two cables :)

    Posted 12 years ago #

  28. Instography
    Member

    Looks lovely Dave. Do you not find it odd having your front brake on the left?

    Posted 12 years ago #

  29. Dave
    Member

    Offside, front hub: the dynamo light fits on the random forward-pointing disc mount, which is convenient as I can't find the fork crown mount and will need to wait for one to be delivered!

    Unsatisfactory bodge #1, the supplied clamp-on reaction arm holder was only for ultra-thin forks, so I'm having to use a Jubilee clip (extra tool to carry, extra step to free the wheel, etc).

    As a steel workhorse of eternal lifespan, I guess if the time ever comes to treat it to a repaint, it would be straightforward to get the proper braze-on brazed on though.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  30. kaputnik
    Moderator

    Awesome Dave, and nothing else like it have I ever seen!

    Posted 12 years ago #

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