just get some longer spokes on the drive side and build it up.an hour’s work and a less than a tenner.Asides from the hub,of course.

I’ve got the yess bottom bracket one.I’ve tried several and it seems the best.though you could use a stinger,I remember a thread about it.
Getting an eno hub next month though.(other singlespeed)
they’re not that much,about 2-3x the price of a decent tensioner.

also tried the yess full suspension one.good,but noisy,on a road bike though,so maybe I hear it more.
tried a fireeye one,the spring broke,but then you can put a zip tie through it and have it pull up.works better.

but I’d look into a eno hub,I’ve spent as much on tensioners.

Got the older model,the one reggie posted pics of.
been on a hustler for about a year,used to get a bit of chainsuck now and again,haven’t since I fitted it.
hasn’t rotated,though it did when I fitted it.so I tightened it up anyway,then rotated it back with a rubber mallet.
expensive though.but it works.

some are..
most come a certain conclusion about their needs,wants,and find a balance.and see through all the marketing.
however..
some tools are wicked expensive,the shimano cone wrench,31mm I think,for servicing 20mm ft hubs is a rip off.
just an example.loads more,chainlube sometimes is a ripoff.
brooks saddles are getting to be 2-3x the price they were not so long ago.don’t look at their ‘accessories’,those are rip offs.
really high end stuff is becoming more and more expensive.
look at frames.high end wheelsets.
tyres…
trickle down,prefer the shimano version to the thatcher version.
though I think we have both.

maybe if you put an old saddle in the seatpost,then clamp that.
or maybe clamp the top bit of the thomson,you can get a spare one.with some saddle rails/7mm tubes in the clamp to hold it solid.
or a broom under the saddle.leverage.

5’11″(and a half)
tried 170,175s feel much better.torque and all that.
on the road I’ve tried 165,170 and 172.5,170 seems right.

so,if your cadence is high,like it would be on the road,90+
get 170s.if it’s a bit slower,175s help.and give you a bit of a wider stance when you’re standing up.

but crank length is a bit like saddle choice.
so,buy both,and make your own mind up.
dh folks often run shorter cranks,but they’re not really pedalling up.
ss often run longer.

are your legs short or long for your height?
height of saddle to centre of bb is 73cm aprox for me,depends on the pedals.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0078268/
seven days in january,bardem.1977.
Weak,makes an interesting story quite boring.
conventional.bit rhetoric.6.5 at the most.
had expected better from the director of the best spanish film I’ve ever seen.death of a cyclist.1955.8/10.
so,shame.try to give spanish films a chance,living here and all.but they just don’t compare to the big players,france,us,italy,japan,russia,uk,germany.
buñuel excepted,but he worked in mexico mostly.

here’s the link,excellent, if anyone ever has the chance:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0048394/

but cars are much more disposable than bikes.
don’t really have bike salvage yards do you?
but you see ancient,low quality bikes in garages.
and plenty of people using 20-30 yo bikes for shopping,or going to the station.or the beach.how many 30yo cars do you see on the road?
and if you leave a bike at a skip,it’ll be picked up by someone,then reused.
besides,you can get an old frame up and running,might not be worth it.but it’s easy,and can be cheap.
try doing that with a car.
so bikes are nice.

685 to 735,felt much better.
then tried 750 on the ht.felt worse,wanted to cut them.then felt amazing.so get them really wide.and give it some time.and a shorter stem.there was a good pinkbike video on this.the cunningham ones on bike setup

allthepies..I have all 3..and a blanket on my legs when on the rockingchair reading..happy days.

I think he was more a bourbon person..
mtbiker tho.
any excuse to post this.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLJZMvM2Jac&feature=fvst
enjoy!

oldgit,read the book.it’s really really good.
remember:raisins yes,parmesan no,tubs yes.
it doesn’t have to be hard.resting properly is part of good training.
but it’s all there.

niner.as ridden by george W.put me off.
your views may vary.

oldgit,get friel’s book,quite a bit of advice on masters racing as well.
the cyclist’s training bible.joe friel.velopress.

you need to get out 3x a week,to improve your condition.
and don’t eat parmesan cheese.eat plenty of raisins.over 50 that is.
and some mavic reflexes with dugasts.

mavic reflex?
cxp33 if you’re not on tubs.

http://www.imdb.es/title/tt0066434/
thx 1138
lucas.
8.5 for me,bit harsh over at imdb with 6.8.
good dialogues,excellent photography.deep yet funny in a bleak,dark way.pessimistic,hopeful.just great.
reminded me of truffaut’s farenheit 451.
nice commentary in the extras too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4dgRZb2WHk
sorry can’t link videos from this comp.
gone tho.

dunno.some stuff is bonkers money.but you can still get downtube levers,bar end shifters for about 50/60 pounds,DA7800-7900 stuff.
you can still get 5-6 sp freewheels.but they cost about as much as a 7-8 sp cassette.
you can still get hardtails with rigid forks pretty cheap.or cheap forks,toras,sektors,etc.they’re not crap,they are compared to something higher up though.
AFAIK all shimano bb (ht2) are the same.so a 10pound tiagra/deore one is pretty cheap.
you can get sd5 for 13eu,levers for about 12eu.that’s cheap.
deore discs are cheap.
some nice hardtail frames to be had pretty cheap.
plenty of decent hubs,rims if you don’t have to have stans-hope,ck,whatever.
As somebody wisely said above,buy wisely,don’t buy first,don’t buy bling.it’s as expensive as you want it be.
but I think we generally want things to be expensive,they seem more iomportant that way.

arent’ the vero/omega bars flared?
got omegas on one bike,you sure they’re 42 at the hoods?could be 42 at the ends,40 at hoods.hence the twitchyness.
maybe I’m getting confused with the ergonovas(nice too) I’ve got but I actually had to buy 44s,to get 42s.

the cup/cone bearings on a 1973 bianchi I have still run smooth.

the grease has been changed a few times in the last 40years.
Had to replace some mavic classics hub bearing after only 9 years!
cheap modern stuff,throwaway society..etc.

got DA on one bike,mavic classics hubs on another,they’re both smooth.
pickup on newer shimano hubs is 36 points I think,on the xts I have,seems a bit more on the DA.

you can get replacement cones,or buy a cheap hub and use it for spares.
still cheaper than new bearings.

http://sheldonbrown.com/cone-adjustment.html
the man himself.

if you’re on a budget.cheap shimano hubs,cone wrenches.
if you’re not.shimano hubs,cone wrenches.

if you really can’t be bothered.cartridge.more expensive to buy,more expensive to run though.some things you can’t have with shimano though.
like 9-15-20 front hubs.or the trials hub.

ps.you can lube your shimano freehub.it’ll last longer.

both.
built a pompino 3sp.seemed the perfect commute bike to me.
not available in evans though.

ss commuting makes loadsa sense.as do 3sp nexus/SA.

true,but if you have more than one bike.you can have one light and clip it on to the one you’re using.
smart r2 I think,and the 1/2w smart is nearly as good and half the cost.
nice to bolt a rear reflector onto racks though.

I’d like a tandem,but have to get me a wife first.
suppose it’s worth it though..

I remember a gentleman I often used to find on some climbs.

Signor Locci.
he was 74,I remember him telling me,he looked no older than early 60s.the bike must have been an early 80s,late 70s.I was 18-9.
always doing 110k on a road hybrid with bar ends.that’s why I love drops.
Anyway,
he’s dead now,but it was always nice to chat to him.learnt a lot.
he’d been cycling,racing all his life.so nearly the same generation as coppi,bartali.
continuity.I miss that here in spain.maybe if I was in the basque countries there would be more cycling culture.though it’s not bad here.

loads of senior gentlemen on oldish(30-40ys) road bikes when I used to live in italy.out for rides.I miss that.The different generations all together like,and chatting and getting dropped by people 3x my age.
and old blokes,retired and on really bling bikes,I mean really bling.and doing 150km a day.every day,or every other day.It wasn’t exactly flat either.in their little oap chaingangs.hammering.
and enjoying themselves.

Ah,memories.

core’s important.and flexibility.
neither of those are going to come about by themselves.

8 and a frame.
single.50sq flat,3rd floor.no lift.(only 7 bikes here tho-other 1.5 at my gran’s house.
two topeak stands,3 bikes each.looks neat,out of the way.
handlebars turned on mtbs,straight on road bikes.
took ages to sort out the spacing though.
front wheels hang above the desk.brompton under the desk.
list if anyone cares.

kinesis gf
brand x road,ss dry commuter
thorn audax ,half speed granny,son.wet weather commuter.
pimped brompton.for when I went to language courses.
balloon/cruiser bike,14″ brand x mtb frame.for guests(only women come to see me)
fireye ss bike,toras,vees.
cove hustler,pikes.

my gran’s looking after a 1973 bianchi rekord 7something.pretty average bike.bit worn.but it’s alright for when I’m on holiday.
toe clips,dt shifters,42-24 is a bit high.35mm tyres.
obviously want a 29er.
and spare parts for at least another 3 bikes.rims,fd,rd,hubs,brakes.all neat and tidy in labelled ikea boxes,in an ikea bookshelf.(allright not the rims)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0071585/
still haven’t seen a visconti film I haven’t liked.
8/10.
hoping to see the new mike leigh one soonish.

(s/h)

vespa.
have a look at piaggio,they do loads,and the aforementioned.

set them higher elfie,that way you can be stupid too.

put chili seeds up my sister’s nose.
I was 9 and she was 6.
still feel guilty about that.
sorry,Jolene.I really am.

yeah,but the one above is all linked.logos on frame,chainring,rims,headset spacers,lock on collars,logos on fork.
besides it’s a different shade of green.
tonal range is completely different.
having said that,I think it looks allright.
maybe a yellow handlebar.and red grips.just go for it.
where did you get the bell?
still trying to find that floating eyeball bell.
the on one ladybird one is nice too.

all this wouldn’t have happened before..old brake levers are much more uncomfortable,plus the distance from the drops to downtube shifters is not much at all,so your weight distribution doesn’t change.not so from the hoods.
ah,progress!
besides,it’s free speed,gain of about 2km/h with no wind.3 if you’re already pushing it.adds up over 3-4h.
and weight you’re carrying around.
weight and speed,need I say more?

I think I’m going to try out a drop bar on a 14″ mtb frame I’ve set up as a ballon bike for girlfriends,it’s got vees and big apples,tt is short enough.that way I can see what it’s like by buying some v drop levers and not much else.
26″ wheel though.so might/will probl be completely different.

idave,those chaps are going uphill.

I’d say about 70% in the drops.loads of shallow drops out there.
negative rise stem is just a quill stem thing that’s passed over.
a short headtube and a positive rise stem will be lighter,stiffer too.

having said that,I’ve got a -17degree stem,140mm and slammed.
about 12cm of drop.I get all wet thinking about it..other stem is a 150mm on a commuting bike.I’ve got 16cm of drop on that.
bit of stretching in the morning,that’s all it takes.
and a positive rise 6deg on the audax bike.so it all evens out.
but seriously.get what fits.raise your bars.rivendell style.
the drops are also much more compliant,on rough roads.not to mention your back is less jarred by being flatter.

the habanero cycles one seems easier to use.
http://www.habcycles.com/fitting.html

epicyclo,the mothers are usually even worse..or is that better?

cynic-al,oh.you’re right.
dunno if I should buy the kona,move some stuff over and try it out,then buy the gryphon.or just buy the gryphon.really seems to be the best frame for this.
thanks to those who pointed it out.

doesn’t seem to be in stock though.

ps.this is inspiring.

http://jeffsbike.blogspot.com/2011/10/karate-monkey-landspeed-record-attempt.html

thats not too bad-12.25kg.
I think I could probably get it to 9kg,a shade under 20lbs in your money.
ideally it would be around 8kg,suppose it’s doable.

I like your classy and understated colourway coordination.
though some cinelli tan bar tape would look lovely on that.

how much does the gryphon frame weigh?looked around but can’t seem to find it.

get a syntace vro stem.only way.