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@Brant - even you did it on the Planet-X Compo, both ti and alloy.... what was your reasoning at the time?
Lord knows. That was an awfully long time ago. I mean, like nearly 10 years?
It depends on the length of your skirt Mike. A "Greyhound" like the one worn by Harry Jellywell in this picture will be fine, but the boots will need cleats.
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I hope this helps.
I've never seen the point of the raised and braced seat towers you get on a lot of bikes: why not just have a longer post?
It lets you get the top tube lower for the same length of seat tube, duh! so its like riding a small frame without having to use as long a seatpost. When I ordered my Alpine Mike said the bottom of the seatpost must sit below the bottom of the top tube, if you just had a small frame with no extended seattube you would have to insert the seatpost further to reach the minimum insertion requirements, thus requiring a longer post to reach suitable pedaling height. did that make sense?
Thanks for that, Harry, I'll bear it in mind 😉
When I ordered my Alpine Mike said the bottom of the seatpost must sit below the bottom of the top tube, if you just had a small frame with no extended seattube you would have to insert the seatpost further to reach the minimum insertion requirements, thus requiring a longer post to reach suitable pedaling height. did that make sense?
Do you mean that the bottom of the seatpost should be just above the top of the 853 sticker in this shot?
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That bike would handle like dog shit with 36's imo.
I assume he means the bottom of the tube should be where you'd normally aim to get the min insert mark? A 2" longer seat post would be simpler, I'd have thought?
Do you mean that the bottom of the seatpost should be just above the top of the 853 sticker in this shot?
Yes, so if the frame was actually a 14 inch fame or whatever that measures, you would have to stick the seatpost in further in order to not **** up the frame... maybe! With the brace, you get a frame that fits you like a 17 inch but feels more compact and chuckable like a 14 inch or less.
A 2" longer seat post would be simpler, I'd have thought?
Maybe but then we're back to it just looks cool 😀
Don't like the look of it - preferred the scandal. Obviously not my type of bike, but the headtube looks daft, as do the drop outs.
The paint job and graphics would have to be pretty special to make me buy it over loads of other bikes out there - assuming the ride was the same.
I lik the drop outs, but I like the dropouts on the New model PA too.
Yes, so if the frame was actually a 14 inch fame or whatever that measures, you would have to stick the seatpost in further in order to not **** up the frame... maybe!
No, not really.
Our Ti frames, for instance, have a shim that goes to the point you've described and no further. It doesn't need to.
It's circa 100mm from the top of the seat tube. So long as the post reaches about a half inch below the bottom of the top tube/seat tube weld, all's good.
With the brace, you get a frame that fits you like a 17 inch but feels more compact and chuckable like a 14 inch or less.
I hear that, but in reality you have to insert the seatpost exactly the same amount as you would without the seat tower bit - to underneath the top tube. So it's effectively not any bigger - just a 14 inch frame with a bit stuck on top. It makes the seatpost less flexy and prolly dissipates stress and other engineery stuff, but I think the benefits over a normal double diamond config are exagerated.
Does look really cool though. Which is the main thing.
It means you can get your knee over the top tube easier if you do a table top
Like that
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yeah i do that all the time on mine.
Harry, is that Hazel Blears defending her expenses claims?
Any chance of a frame for shortarses?
16 inch Inbreds/456 a bit big for me.
Should be able to afford a steel one, even though my Nottingham gig with big Ken has been cancelled for this year:
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Anyone read this months Dirt. 1.5" is dead (before it even started)
shame that brant sold out, the Ti456 will go down as one of the greatest frames ever
shame that brant sold out
to who?
terrahawk:to who?
The man?
noddy?
noddy off of Slade?
If Noddy (from off of Slade) is The Man is Dave Hill (also from off of Slade) The Space Rabbit?
if you like, but only if you finish all of your Cup A Soup.
[i]Anyone read this months Dirt. 1.5" is dead (before it even started)[/i]
1.5" headtubes do not mean you need to use 1.5" forks.
Moving to onepointfive headtubes makes sense on nearly all alu frames for many reasons, many of which I'm sure have already been pointed out earlier in this thread, but I'm not reading through it all again to check.
well, for what it's worth, I think it looks great - I like the skinny(ish) stays, gradually getting fatter towards the front of the bike - ending in a fat headtube. I think cannondale hardtails look good in a similar way...
...talking of 'dales - could I stick a lefty on it???
could I stick a lefty on it???
I think you can stick a lefty on a 1.125in if you get the right adaptors can't you?
But as far as I know (and I've only had a passing interest in these things), you can.
I'll have a google and read some more.
Re: seat-tube insertion, my Pace RC305 has a marking on the outside of the seat-tube to indicate minimum insertion. This is well below the top/seat tube junction.
This is well below the top/seat tube junction.
Got a pic? With arrows? Bontrager advised at least a half inch past the bottom of the seat tube/top tube weld.
New pictures up, the steel one in Orange looks good:
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as does the green:
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looks good.. though the style does remind me of charge bikes for some reason..!
The down tube on the mmmbop looks bloody awful.
BluePig looks better, but really - a sticker kit?!?! These aren't coming on the front of a magazine! Be confident in the designs and get the frames painted and laquered up properly! This is the only complaint about my 456 - shite paint.
What happened to the 'Tweak' name btw?
Does look a bit like charge, lets hope we don't get the same annoying ragley videos down the side of the screen and ragley is a much better name than tweak, apparently someone didn't want brant using that name, thank god!
I've never had a clear answer from any of these raised/braced seat tube bikes as to how far the post has to go in?
The new intense tracer has a very low slung top tube with a bracing section that rises up to meet the top of the seat tube, in the pics it looks like there is a little hole in the seat tube so that the rider can check seatpost insertion, the hole is below the brace junction but above the "top tube" junction:
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That's good that.
I'm hunting/testing a nice tubeset that lets me do that.
Can someone explain why the mmmbop doesn't appear to have a replaceable mech hanger? It's an alloy frame, if you catch the mech and bend the chainstay, it's stuffed isn't it? Isn't that why all alloy bikes have them?
I've just bent another hanger (and trashed another mech) on a stump due to me being a clumsy oaf off-piste in the woods. If I got an beautiful new mmmbop, I'd be worried. Should I be?
I'll try to buy a 14" frame one day. There are some Shermans in the cupboard 🙂
its got a replaceable hanger
Thanks
I still want a compo...
Please Brant have one lying around you'd like to give me....please..
I have one in the garage. Mail me.