Yeah, ok – HPC server/W7 dual boot is on the table if I’ve got the wrong end of the stick about the W7 HPC extension….. but if it comes to that the costs will be (reltively) huge for the size and capability of the cluster. More reading/info required……..

Short time user here – loving it so far. Road only, mind – I guess your looking for offroad reports?

Xiphon/brassneck – we may have been talking at cross purposes. I see Beowulf is for Linux, and I think Xiphon meant dual-booting Linux/W7. Noted, but I(‘m sure the purse holders here) would like to stay in a Windows universe. Linux is an option, but this would be a much harder sell into the business.

Xiphon – the hardware isn’t an issue….. it the software options to cluster the hardware that I’m interested in.

Else…. have you considered dual booting the PCs?

Server OS on one disk, desktop OS on the other?

Yes – this is how I believe Simulia/Abaqus do it. I like the simplicity of the scavenging with a W7 HPC extension, but accept it may get more complicated than that.

Some problems can be split up into chunks and the boundaries communicated – simple networking code could solve that.

I BELIEVE load balancing in the first instance, with network paralelisation coming along in future relases of Abaqus will make this more trouble than it’s worth, but noted and may be appropriate for our in house coding development.

Again, thanks.

Toys – It will be primarily Abaqus runs. I have an info request in with their support desk to tell me the implications of what I am proposing with regards to tokens etc. I have layed out the cluster we propose and have asked for software recommendations, as well as issues specific to Abaqus. I know they cluster their training PC’s overnight for large diagnostic jobs – they were offering 3 free runs on the cluster to evaluate job management/speed etc as clustering is something they are pushing. What code are you thinking of?

Beyond that, another part of the company develops bespoke engineering software and the clients that use it are asking for development to include clustered architectures, hence a cluster may be developed and implimented for other purposes….. even if I don’t get my greasy mits on it for a while!

Thanks for the input.

I have checked – as far as I can accertain, you only need HPC server on the master node and an HPC extension license to W7 on the compute nodes (this is my reading of the Microsoft bumpf) – this is the most basic way to do it AFAIK. The minimum spec HPC server license (Enterpise edition, to handle between 5 and 64 sockets per node) is going to be between £500 and £1000. The W7 node HPC extensions are about £100 a throw – so for the three machines, £1500 should do it in software. If we don’t cluster the existing hardware and just buy a bigger single machine a) the existing hardware is “wasted” and the cost of new hardware to equal the capability of the three machines is going to be many thousands of pounds. I accept the equation isn’t as simple as that as performance scaling with our existing infrastructure isn’t going to be (anywhere near) linear, but the clustering requirment is potentially intermittent as well.

I have seen the trial of HPC server, but don’t know if this will cover some HPC extension licenses for the the W7 nodes to actually try driving and managing a cluster (though a few hundred quid could be found to try it). Maybe this is a way to go to dip a toe in the water, setting up the cluster as virtual machines on the existing hardware….

I see there are other options, like Platform LSF, but the determining costs and practicalities is tricky for a like-for-like comparison.

EDIT: – ….and Condor does indeed look interesting…..

Had a similar thing happen a couple of days ago when a taxi pulled out on me (he was on the phone as well, just to add to the cliche) – except he actually ‘hit’ me, before braking. It was hard enough that my QR actually punched a hole in his bumper, but other than some silver paint on my QR, me/bike was fine. A swearing match ensued, he said I’d be paying for the damage, I said I’d have to speak to accident claims solicitor first or he could poke-it….. at which point he just drove off. Never even undid his seatbelt, the fat-f***.

Hmmmm – that doesn’t sound good. Without preaching to the converted, it does shift smoother if you back off the power just before shifting and for the next half a crank revolution. Also the hub instructions say the hub should have its first oil change after (IIRC) 1000km (1000 km is only 4/5 weeks for me…) and then every 5000km after that – have you done enough milage/need an oil change?

Overall longevity is something I do worry about – more because it’s a complete black-box, with no external mechanism that can be fettled, rather than any experience to suggest it’ll be unreliable…..

Yep, appears to be running ok – it has skipped a few times, but not consistently in any gear and I think it’s more to do with me having to get used to the shifter. The Versa is no Shimano offering – the lever throw for the downshifts is way looooonnnnnggggg and the lever follows a slightly odd arc (to my mind) and is a teeny bit flexy in itself and at the pivot in the lever.

Yep, using the green/blue washers – the joint arm pops up just behind the seat stay (NB: in the photo, spotted I’ve wrapped the shifter cable around the seat stay in my haste fitting the wheel. Have sorted that now so it runs direct from the upper cable cable guide straight to the casette joint). As I say, the only issue doing this was that the ‘lumpy bit’ (technical term) on the cassette joint by the cable nut hole fouled with the joint of the dropout/chain stay/seat stay unless the hub was right back in the dropouts….. just cut off must of the ‘lumpy bit’, leaving enough of a divot to wind back the cable with my thumb when taking the cable off for getting the wheel out. Fits a treat now, even right forward in the dropouts – plus it’s lighter 😉 (does any of that make any sense?!?!?!?) I did dither about this arrangement for a good few days as it didn’t look quite like the pics of the straight bar build on the On-One website, but in practise it’s been fine.

What’s the perfect bike? – I’ve just finished it and am loving it (any excuse to put the picture up again 😉

Cost – The frame, hub (F+R), shifters and a few other odds and ends were full retail/through-the-nose price. The rest came from either sales, but new, or s/h off the classified and ebay. Total cost was a smidge under £1500 – all the Alfine gubbins was ~£600/650 of that.

shuhockey – email me to the addy above ^^^ and I’ll send you a pic of the hub area. I had to, er, modify the cassette joint with a hacksaw and stanley knife to make it all fit neatly inside the droputs with cassette joint pointing up the seat stay on that size frame….

OK, thanks to the very kind Mister P, below should be some pics of the new bike on a dull day, parked next to an industrial unit somwhere North of Bristol (i.e. – weeds, dirt, litter etc in shot are not my responsibility!! 😉 )

EDIT: Blimey – it worked first time!

Very kind MrP – email me direct on gshort AT eatec DOT co DOT uk and i’ll send you some pics back. Is that easiest?

Finally put my Pompetamine together over the w/e with the 11-spd alfine and the matching Versa shifters. Did a few short shake-down tests on saturday and sunday, but tired it for the first time in anger commuting this morning. First impressions are that its lovely 🙂 Smooth as silk to ride, the Alfine works as I’d expected and the VRS-11 levers just make the whole thing make sense. There are a few tweaks to be made, but initial observations:

– started with 44/18 gearing to give the same spread as my geared 10 speed road bike. I’ve not noticed huge jumps between ratios, but I’m also not using the top few gears so I will go for a smaller ring in the near future.
– the BB7 caliper is a faff to align if the rear wheel is near the end dropouts.
– not noticed any drag from the Alfine, or the front dynamo hub – commute time was the same as for the geared bikes.
– yes the hub is a lump, but haven’t noticed it while riding. In fact it “feels” like the weight is lower overall on the bike (I know this isn’t actually the case) as it seems more nimble.

I have pics, but nowhere to host them 🙁

Could just be that it’s a drawing, but it looks very ‘sit up and beg’.

Loads on the continent, direct or via ebay….. at much better prices than UK, even of there was stock. I have a spare 11-spd OEM joint kit if it’ll help anyone (Bananaworld – I’m looking at you 😉

It depends on the T+C’s of your product – could be either depending on what you signed up to.

….through stock agencies like Alamy

I have a mate who does this – submits his pics to a stock agency and sees if he get any royalties from sales through them. It’s a hobby/beer money-type arrangement. He concentrates on very specific subjects and tries to saturate that with as many interesting compositions as he can. Not asked him how it’s going for a while, but I don’t think he’ll be giving up the day job any time soon….

Check the tyre is seated evenly on the rim as a starter-for-ten……

Ah, I wan’t querying if it was the right one – I’m sure it will be. I was just saying that Wiggle are saying none in stock, and no stock til June – if you’ve bought on of these already, and it’s sat aroudn waiting for the hub/shifter then you’re good to go!!

EDIT: And one more thing about the Versa’a – I’m pretty sure you only get the gear cable inner with the shifter….. which is pretty useless if you were banking on getting a complete cable (i.e. outer as well), though, of course, I wouldn’t be that stupid 😳

i’m assuming that a simple 2 spokes crossing will be ok fro a front wheel

Depends on whether that’s allowed for the hub you intend to use. Manu should be able to tell you.

Use another spoke from the outside to transfer the nipple through the rim. That’s why some builders charge a premium when building up deep section rims.

Took me until half way through the second wheel to work out this trick 🙄

So, did the guy that was thinking of leaving actually leave then?

Is there a point at which any of you will admit to whimping out of your bike commute?

When I’m sat in the car in a queue of traffic, slowly losing the will to live I always then think that – whatever the weather – nothing can be worse than this…..

EDIT: I should say I did ride this morning – with assistance from the monumental tail wind shaved 8 minutes off my usual 51/52 minutes commute 😯 Hope it drops for the crawl home……

The classic “What tyres for…”, though it seems to be on the decline.

Oh yeah – +1 for Rose Bikes for spokes. Cheap as chips for DT quality. Last wheel I built, went for db ACI (silver), as they were a lot cheaper than DT at UK prices…… never again 😕

You might get away with Halo Aerotrack rims. No braking surface, so disc only and lighter than Open Pro’s. Can be had for ~£20 on Ebay depending on colour/drilling. Not eyelet-ed though. Been using them on my commuter for a while and seem fine.

cable join kit available on wiggle

Er, for 11-speed, not til June. I actually have a spare joint kit if that’ll help you – I THOUGHT I’d order an 8-spd one by mistake, so ordered an 11-spd kit from Germany/Ebay….. only to find the orginal one was 11-spd! 😳 The German one is the basic OEM one though – not sure if it includes the non-turn washers and the hub nuts.

Schwalbe Marathon Plus FTW….. if you find them heavy going, sacrifice the tread for the smooth topped Durano Plus.

Not had a puncture for months……

Is yours on the road yet?

This week some time….. fettling time permitting

I don’t believe the Van Nic has mounts for disc brakes BTW

Can have this as an option, so no bother – the Amazon Touring certainly has a mount as standard. The Rohloff variant has an EBB as standard, so would look to see what they could do as a semi-custom option to cover all the requirements, or get close enough off-the-peg with a tensioner.

Ah, I see – give it a week or so to get thing working and do a few miles and I’ll post back. Still contemplating cable routing, but will have another night in the shed tonight.

The shifters look, and appear to functionally identical, to the 8 speed levers. Build quality isn’t up to Shimano standards (a lot of the indexing mechanism is exposed inside the lever body) but I have no reason to believe this’ll be a problem.

To get this far I’ve bought the hub, joint kit and the Versa levers. The only things I’m missing as a result of getting this combination of bits is the barrel adjuster to fit in the cassette joint and the long rubber sleeve that goes over gear inner cable as it approaches the hub. I imagine these two should come with OE shifter. I can bodge another barrel adjuster in the mean time, but something to be aware of.

aargh the suspense!!!

Eh?? Shifters arrive – buyer happy – cut to fade, they all live happily ever after??

Having a few issues aligning the cassette joint with the frame to my liking, but that’s another story, subject of another thread probably later today….

I went to my local RC model shop and bought some two part stuff (two tubes in tandem. It was about £4 and mended my tent poles brilliantly.

As your require so little actual adhesive, I think this sounds like by far the best option. You may not get the best adhesive, but you won’t have shelled out ££££ either.

OK, you’ll be needing something with a bit of gap-filling potential then where the control of the bond-line thickness isn’t going to be great. The above still stands then….. however, you may struggle to get less than a litre at a go over the counter, or pay through the nose for pre-mix tubes.

EDIT: It’s mighty good stuff – but it sounds like cost/availability is as/more important than performace to you for the prototype….. in which case, just see what 2-part toughened epoxies you can get from RS et al. Defo want to be avoiding cyanocryalates (sic), but these would cheaper in one-off quantities.

3M 2-part 9323 epoxy. At least roughen the steel and degrease. Acid etch would be better.

Stop it…. I can’t keep up…. 😆

I can see this thread is turning rapidly into STW bingo!

Before we can comment, we need pictures!

Number 8 on my card – recon it’ll only need 50 posts before someone calls ‘house’…..

‘Cause it’s Friday and I’m slightly bored, think I’ll order a small bottle of Pace Wet, Finish Line Ceramic Wet and A.N. Other (yet to be determined based on the above and any further comments before I push the buy button) and compare and contrast over time. Crazy, me…. 🙄

That’s the thing – it only does 2/300 miles of relatively ‘easy’ road miles before the whole drivetrain is degreased and relubed – I’m not looking for something that is going to last forever or be perfectly rain/dust resistant, I actually want it to be relatively easy to remove and re-apply (and quickly). Hence a thinner/wet lube is better for me than a sticky/wax lube.