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| Click here to see it's manually operated lower gear. |
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| The downtube/headtube joint is like a lug, as it's silver-brazed to the headtube, and brass brazed to the downtube clamp. That clamp is 1 1/4" .058 aircraft tubing. It is tightened down with the 2 6mm allen bolts, which go through short sections of tubing I brazed on. The slight distortion of the clamping tube adds a little "bite" I think, but the tube still fits in easily. No joint on this bike has moved, even under intense pedaling pressure. No creep, creaks or twisting. I am only tightening the bolts with moderate pressure, and a regular 5mm allen wrench. I use Boeshield for an anticorrosive, and to lube the tubes where they fit into each other, making it easier to put together or disassemble |
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| No headtube reamer on Earth would ream this 16" headtube. I had to hand file it as best I could. I used a square and a flat file to get the face of the tube flat. Then I drove the steel cups in using a wood block and hammer. |
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| The seat tube cluster borrows from the Ritchey take-apart frame design. The bolt above secures the seatpost/toptube; and the bolt below holds the seatpost secure to the seattube. On this bike, it holds the seatstays too. The seat tube is a 1 1/8 .035 tube. There is a reinforcing collar brazed onto it, where the seatstays meet and at the top tube. Before completely tightening the downtube, I line up the top tube with the seat tube, so that the seatpost will drop right in. That assures the alignment of the head tube and seat tube. |
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| Look at all those clamp bolts! The chainstay length is adjustable to allow for proper chain slack, but it's set for this 13 tooth cog though, and I don't plan to change it. I have a method for adjusting the seat stays, if I need to use a different size cog. The chainring is a 63 tooth Vuelta that I got from hostelshoppe.com. |
| After putting the chainstays in, I can see if the chainstays need any alignment by seeing how the seatstays line up at the seat cluster. Usually it's right there (because the interior of the chainstay tube is correctly notched to meet the bottom bracket), but easily adjusted before tightening the chainstay bolts if needed. That squares the rear end with the rest of the bike. |
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| The dropout is just a piece of 1/8" cromoly plate that I cut to fit. It recesses into the chainstay (1/2" .049). The Shimano DX hub is only 110mm wide (narrow, like a track hub), and the wheel is dishless. Pretty durable setup, to say the least. |
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| The chain will have to be lubed with White Lightening (or an equivalent non-greasy lube), since I have to handle it during the disassembly. After removing the right seatstay, I can derail the chain and toss it into a bag. |
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| The quick-release pedals are amazing. They separate instantly, like an air compressor hose. The very avaliability of this high quality quick-release pedal was an important factor in my decision to make this bike. They are the MKS RRII, and you can get them from your local bike shop, or Harris cyclery |
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| One may consider having them on a regular road bike,, as a theft deterrent Removing them leaves only a small rolling nubbin to put ones foot against, and thief wouldn't get very far trying to pedal away. |
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| I wanted to use sidepull brakes since they are so compact. The new dual-pivot brakes would not work, since the relatively wider rim on this bike throws them off. One brake pad is at the end of it's extension, where the other is at it's beginning. Fortunately, I had these old Gran Compes (500 reach). They work great. Also, I can put a 16 x 1.75 tire in here, and it will just fit. |
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| The front brake is actually the rear brake, with a short brake bolt. It only goes midway inside the steerer. That is because the steerer clamp is at the back of the tube. When I bolted the brake in, I had to take the wheel out, and put the 10mm wrench inside the fork crown. The brake bolt also sits into a notch in the steerer, so that the fork will not move, even if both fork clamp bolts are loose. |
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| The look of the bike is unmistakable; there is nothing like it. I get more attention on this one than any other bike I made. Sometimes I get the kind of attention I can do without, like when a car slows down to follow me and the occupants exhibit slack-jawed gapes. The next thing you know, some impatient motorist behind the spectators leans on a horn. Mostly it's high fives from the kids. I've been invited to ride around in the dirt lots with young gangs of BMXers. |
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| Once a car slowed and a 5 year old stuck his head out the window to remind me: "Hey meeester, you're a beeeg boy now!" |
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