Thank you Mr M (waves back)
I had the saddle and stem already. Nothing else. I got a top deal from a really nice forum member.
I also have a 120mm silver stem and seatpost for £17 posted for the both if anybody does decide to go with the silver parts route.
hmm, how much of an upgrade would the frame & forks be against a Boardman CX Comp ?
Apart from carbon forks I'm wondering if it is worth the plunge.
The Boardman rides quite well tbh but it is rather portly.
Might just be better spending a bit more on wheels for the comp - but then I could get this frame and then next month the wheels 😆 Damn it.
@ twonks - assuming it's one of the more recent Disc versions I'm not sure it would actually be worth your while, surely you'd be replacing one aluminium frame with another similar aluminium frame...
Perhaps go look for just a replacement Carbon Fork and maybe lightneing the wheelset?
Very tempting.
I notice they have the pro carbon for £250 as well.
BB Spec updated on the website, sorry fort any inconvenience it m,ay haver caused.
The dirty disco bundles look good value
@ Twonk, I'm in the exact same boat as you. I was initially drawn by the 'oooh shiny' urge, but once common sense (read wife) intervened I have decided to just spend the money on upgrades for the CX.
Just waiting for the Fulcrum Racing Sport CX Disc wheels to come into stock at Ribble. The original wheels on the Boardman are 2.4kg which I think is where most of the bulk comes from. Do love my Comp CX though.
Does any one know what I need for the gear cables where they go through the cable stops on the down tube? It looks like a cable guide screws in there but I'm struggling to find what they're called.
Do you mean the barrel adjusters? One each side at the top of the down tube?
http://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/GXPXCARB/planet-x-gear-cable-barrel-adjuster-for-road-bikes
ads678 did the Sky Blue bar tape arrive yet?!
Cp - they're the ones cheers. Why don't they supply them with the bike if you need these things!!
Richardthird - yeah, it's a bit too light but I'm gonna be using it any way so. I'll post up a pic when I get it built.
Why don't they supply them with the bike if you need these things!!
penny pinching and trying to frustrate and turn off customers, like not including the £1.99 under-BB cable guide.
I'll probably be buying chi-chi anodized barrel adjusters from Not Planet X, like everything else that's going on the frame.
Why don't they supply them with the bike if you need these things!!
To be fair, when I bought my Shimano bar end shifters a while back, I'm pretty sure they came with the barrel adjusters but I feel your pain.
Do you mean the barrel adjusters? One each side at the top of the down tube?http://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/GXPXCARB/planet-x-gear-cable-barrel-adjuster-for-road-bikes
I did mail them about these when my frame came, as bit pissed off they werent included as standard ?
its these little things that get peoples backs up !
No road frame I've ever bought has had the adjusters, always buy them separately.
Aah fair enough then. I'll pick some up tomorrow from the LBS.
Not quite finished, I still need to add gear cables but still waiting for the cable adjusters. Need to redo the right hand bar tape cos I cocked it up, first time i'd done it though, left side is much better.
I think it looks good, pretty pleased with it. 😀
Not sure whether to get a light blue charge spoon or whether it'd be too much.
[img][url= https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7768/17683593058_748008a0ec_k.jp g" target="_blank">https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7768/17683593058_748008a0ec_k.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/sWD38u ]IMAG0192[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/55623703@N05/ ]Cheryl[/url], on Flickr[/img]
Nice, stick with a black seat though 🙂
& level it 😉 Ads, what brakes and where from?
Saddle angle and height correct now!! 🙂
Brakes are these - http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/shimano-sora-r317-mechanical-disc-brake-caliper/rp-prod120014, but they seem to out of stock now. At CRC any way. They seem pretty good in a ride round the garden sort of way.........
Thanks Ads, looks like you've done your research there. Essentially same as BR-R517 and CX77 but different pad adjustment and a bit heavier, but cheaper.
I'm keen to use Shimanos instead of BB7s, I'm sure they can be as good as the Avids if set up and maintained correctly. And I'm on a budget and want to avoid any red bits 😉
Interesting review [url= http://tractionbikeblog.com/2015/01/05/review-shimano-mechanical-road-disc-brakes/ ]here[/url]
Right. I ordered a standard build BB7 London Road from Planet X a while ago. Picked it up today and took it for it's first ride, just a quick 15 miler over to the edge of the peaks. Thought people may be interested in knowing what I thought about it.
Probably useful to give a bit of background. I bought this to use instead of my 29er Inbred which I use for communing into Sheffield twice a week at 15 miles each way. Main reason was n+1 and also the inbred was getting worn out and I wasn't actually doing any MTBing.
So this is my first drop bar road/gravel/cx whatever they're called at the moment type bike. I ordered an XL in zesty lime as I'm 6' 5".
[b]The Ride[/b] - with the standard Vittoria tyres the ride on this is great. Running them at 70psi and it "floats" over pretty much anything. I was running Schwalbe marathon + on the inbred as a point of comparison. On the ride this afternoon it was way faster than the inbred. Not a surprise really as it weighs just over 10kg but it felt like moving from a land rover to a hot hatch. I imagine a proper road bike would feel like a Ferrari. I took in a few gravel paths and the odd kerb, being all on trend and that, and it seemed fine.
The biggest thing for me was getting used to the drop bars. But I think I'll get there eventually.
[b]The Fit[/b] - I went for a planet x carbon seatpost as an upgrade. I'm currently running this at pretty much full extension. For me the bars are too low. I need to look at getting a stem with some more rise. Oh and the standard planet x saddle doesn't agree with my behind. Other than a bit of tweaking it's pretty good.
I was running flat pedals and I have size 11 feet. I also tend to ride heels in. Only 2 or 3 times did I notice that my left foot caught the end of the chainstay but as soon as I straightened my foot up I stopped doing it. I know a few people have commented about the dropout sticking out but I don't honestly think it will be a big issue. I did have some toe overlap with the front wheel, but again I think that's par for the course.
[b]The Kit[/b] - So my build had BB7s and SRAM Force 22 gears. The brakes initially wailed like a banshee. They seemed to quieten down by the end of the ride. I'd class them as satisfactory currently, no where near as good as the deore discs on the inbred. I was thinking of going the full SRAM hydro route on the bike but just couldn't justify it for a commuting bike. Plus comming from a Shimano background I didn't want to tie myself in to SRAM in case I didnt' like it.
Which takes me nicely onto the gears. Overall I'm really impressed. The changes are crisp and fast. The only issue I have is that there are no gear indicators. Call me a newbie but I like them on the MTB as I can double check where I am on the rear cassette. The other thing I need to get used to is the double tap. 99% of the time it's great. However if you're in the lowest cog at the back and try to change down, you're not met with any sort of resistance, instead it changes you up a gear, not great. This along with the lack of gear indicators caused me a bit of teeth grinding.
Oh also being spinner rather than a grinder on some of the stepper hills (Curbar gap, Winnats pass etc.) I can see the lack of really low range gearing being a problem for me. As it stands I'm used to spinning up them in the granny.
[b]Overall[/b] - As my first drop bar bike I think it's great. I need to sort out the ride position and contact points a bit but I think that's normal for any new bike. I also need to get used to the gears. But overall I'm massively impressed with the ride quality and the speed of the thing.
If anyone has any specific questions let me know and I'll do my best to answer them. Ride details here if anyone cares https://www.strava.com/activities/308941195
Just seen the bike pic on Strava. No wonder the bars feel low if you're running that much seatpost. The bike is too small for you. Yep - by all means try a riser stem...
Nice one Jeff thanks for the write up!! How do you get to see a piccie of the bike? 🙂
First ride last night. Had a blast on some mixed gravel and rooty singletrack.
Singlespeed, BB7s, Midge bars. Derore cranks. Bash ring (no single ring chainring bolts in the shed!), WTB 29er rims, 40c nano tyres. Flat pedals (for now).
I got lucky - 36x19 fits perfectly with no need for a tensioner. Ratio is probably too low for the flat or on road, but good off road.
Need to get some clipless pedals, fit a shorter stem, sort out lever position and drop tyre pressures!
Took the bike out for the first ride last night on canal tow paths and cycled into work this morning (road).
I like it, not quite as fast as my road bike on road but well fast off road and i'm really pleased with the speed of the tyres on road even though they have a bit of grip on them. Need to fiddle around with a couple of bits to get the fit right and readjust the front mech as it's rubbing a bit on the chain but I'm really pleased with it. Liking the midge bars as well.
The brakes were a doddle to set up and seem to work really well, not quite MTB hydros but they were £20 an end!!
Oh and, Pics Jeff, we need pics!!
[url= https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8822/17968328581_a08abc96de_c.jp g" target="_blank">https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8822/17968328581_a08abc96de_c.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
And don't bother with the hose clips - too small for cables + not strong enough.
Lost 3 on the first ride and lots of rattling, now cabled tied.
the midge bars look ok, what's the feedback on position and handling with them?
It's correct only roadbike levers will fit?
nice singlespeed there!
Agreed- looks gert nice as a singlespeed! I'd keep the bashing- it looks good and somehow makes sense! 🙂
So I guess, if you wanted to run a higher gear, that 38/17 (if you can find them!) would also fit perfectly? 🙂
That looks flippin lovely
Midge bars - rode with a 120mm road stem last night as it was the only one handy.
I had the angles all wrong so was felt like I was falling off the drops felt weird/too stretched out on the hoods.
Have put a 100mm on there, sorted the bar + lever angle out and will try again.
Weighs 24ish pounds I think
shermer75 - Member
So I guess, if you wanted to run a higher gear, that 38/17 (if you can find them!) would also fit perfectly?
They were my initial thoughts as well , but i need a tensioner with a 17T on ?
Just about to pull the trigger on one of these 🙂
Which under-bb-shell cable guide do I need? Running 1x10 if that matters
Not running gears here, but got one of these in the shed and it looks about right... (could be wrong)
[url= http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/shimano-bottom-bracket-gear-cable-guide/rp-prod33951 ]http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/shimano-bottom-bracket-gear-cable-guide/rp-prod33951[/url]
Thanks. Frame ordered.
Not 100% decided how I'm going to build it. I've got a Spa cycles triple crank and square taper BB to begin with, but that's it!
They were my initial thoughts as well , but i need a tensioner with a 17T on ?
If it works with 36/19, then on my mind it should work with 38/17, because it's the same number of teeth in total, or have I got that wrong? 🙂
Angles from ring to sprocket are different which can be critical. Sometimes.
If it works with 36/19, then on my mind it should work with 38/17, because it's the same number of teeth in total, or have I got that wrong?
Please try it and left me know 🙂
My SS road bike was 48/18 (72") which is too high for off road.
36/19 (51") is too low for on road
but 38/17 is bang in the middle (61") - so should be good.
Mine arrived today and as said by someone earlier, it looks better in the flesh. Going to be building this up as a budget build (and my first time building from scratch). Will be on the look out for some cheap bits so planning on making the most of the classifieds sections in the near future. I'll also no doubt be asking lots of "how to" and "what type" style questions in the near future
Awesome fun. £600 and 10kg, 105, BB7s. For comfort went for unbranded carbon seatpost, bar tops underwrapped with inner tube, my own Aliante and Spesh Triggers 38c at 40psi. Stem's a temporary one.
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Mine arrived yesterday. It's going to be an Ebay special.
Got mine this week. Look much better than first thought. I take it the major bend in the disc side chainstay is for clearance? Thought it was bent at first! They seem slightly offset to each other also?
I thought that as well Marty. Took it out the box and panicked thinking it had got damaged en route!
