Ok, after 18 years of riding 4 times a week my original bling frame, a gorgeous Pre production prototype Ibis Ti Mojo developed a hairline crack.. Pretty good considering the number of places this bike has taken me and the number of crashes it has survived.
Anyway as she's been my mistress since 1994 I'm not hanging her on the wall but am getting her repaired by Steve Potts. He is the ti Jedi master.
So the hairline crack near the seatpost will be done but I'm wondering if, whilst she's there, I might get a disk mount added, she has the ibis hand job and as she is an old girl she has an inch head tube. I'm fortunate to have a inch rigid ti black sheep fork for her. OR do I leave her original?
Disk mount yes or no?
If yes, remove brake bosses and or hand job?
New inch eighth head tube?
I'm honestly torn and wonder what you guys would do? She is the love of my life and when she comes home she will be SS and rigid again as I have other bikes.
leave her original, she is what she is, and that's what you love
You're not likely to sell, ever by the sound of it so it really doesn't matter what you do. Personally I'd not want to limit component upgrade options so I'd update although I'd not remove the brake bosses.
Leave as is IMHO... You have other bikes and what benefit are disc brakes going to give you on that build anyhoo?
I'd leave it original Joe, not sure what effect a disc mount would have on its future longevity, you may also need to get another brace welded in between seat and chainset and the originality goes out of the window....
If you get a disc mount fitted would the wall dia of the seat stay and chain stay tubing be up to the forces that a rear disc can generate?, i'd go for it and remove the rear bosses but keep the hand job as a pendant/keyring but only if Steve can confirm the tubing will be suitable for the increased braking loads, and i'd get a 1 1/8th headtube fitted to future proof the frame.
Rigid forks and single speed doesn't need a disc brake
It'd be like putting a spoiler on the back of an e-type Jag
I'm inclined to leave it original but I've struggled in the past to find a fork so if I ever returned to a sus fork the inch eighth would seriously help . Hmm the only reason it has an inch is it was a prototype and was the one used in a few bike mag reviews.. I'm thinking to leave it alone.
Mr Potts will fix seat tube and am pretty sure will leave diameter the same. He'd also know about the chainstays.. His mount on my other bike belongs in a design museum, gorgeous.
A pic of the frame here:
[url= http://m.flickr.com/photos/75244490@N08/8648471760/lightbox/ ]Ibis ti mojo [/url]
Just fix the crack and leave well alone, it's a unique bike I think down the line you may regret not keeping it that way.