Look on this as an opportunity.

You can now design and specify your perfect frame, find a custom framebuilder and get it made. A few weeks selecting and sourcing esoteric parts from round the world, build it all up in week 6 and away you go.

I could show you pictures but that would be wrong of me.

A slightly different version of the XC9. Nice summer photos not the current covered-in-mud-and-mudguards version.

Another vote for Candodavid’s Curtis XC9.

In fact, I liked the look of it so much I got myself one too, with a few modifications … go on Binners, you know you want to!

Activesport2011 on eBay do them and all Middleburn stuff. It’s Mark Anthony IIRC

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Middleburn-X-Type-Uno-30t-3-32-HardCoat-Spider-chain-ring-RS8-Xtype-/161109945627?pt=UK_sportsleisure_cycling_bikeparts_SR&hash=item2582e6ad1b

My old XCE front triangle is at Triple S now, and my 5 Spot was painted by Argos a few years back – both have the older press fit zerks.

Strip it down, including plastic hats. Tell them what to cover, but they can pretty much tell anyway. i’ve sent them a couple of replacement zerks as the old ones will come out anyway. If they’ve done bikes before they’ll know what they’re doing.

A proper 4 bar … Nice. Makes me think my ’05 5 Spot isn’t so out of date after all.

Hello again.

My Curtis XC9 is an unashamed copy if Candodavid’s but with 44mm headtube and fatter seat tube to be more dropper-friendly. Sliders are PMW units but with Curtis’ own frame units to bring the dropouts more “inside” the frame rather than hanging out the back.

Maximised tyre clearance combined with short back end (16.75″) means it’ll only just take a 30t chainring on Middleburn RX8s (which it now has) – SS runs bigger but with a Rohloff spider to give a wider chainline.

Single chainring only – no stops for a front mech.

Other than that, standard Curtis fare of 853 main triangle, 725 stays and highly polished before being clear powdercoated.

Bars are Seven custom jobs, 730mm wide and big bend. Aim is to have some comfort when it goes rigid SS for winter duties … Still getting used to the width of them at the moment.

Binners – go on, you know you want to 😀

Mate’s dad has H20 DNA which is as tasteful as a private plate can get.

My Curtis XC9.. Beautiful brazed joints indeed IMHO.

29er if you’re tall enough … like this 🙂

3 sets from JRA, all perfect and still going strong.

Did use Wheelpro until Roger flounced out of the trade (for the umpteenth time).

This thread really needs photos of the stem. Assuming it is as you described, you’re position seems both sane and justifiable to me (a non-lawyer).

Sliders for keeping options open. It’ll be rigid SS in the winter, geared and suspended in the summer – dropper may be seasonal too.

I was tempted to get routing for Rohloff included too (as you can get Rohloff compatible sliders from Paragon) but that would have festooned it with cable guides, and having had a Rohloff before I’m not sure I’d go back to one.

It’s 1 x only as there’s no front mech stop. That keeps the top tube guides down to 3 and keeps it neat and tidy.

Cranks – agree. Middleburn would be the ideal, but too pricey at the moment. Did have some WI ENOs but I want external BB (as I have a couple of Phil Wood units and they are rather nice).

I’ve run UST tyres on UST rims for about 10 years now. More recently Stan’s rims with UST tyres and tubeless-ready tyres, and a few attempts with non-UST or non-TLR tyres.

Functionally UST rims or Stan’s rims work the same, and perform the same and tyres inflate the same. The biggest difference is the tyre – UST and TLR are fine but tyres not designed for tubeless have been a disaster.

All my recent wheels now are Stan’s – UST rims are harder to come by and don’t offer any advantages.

Yetiman – I’m happy with it but I just have to remember to overshift slightly to get the chain up a gear. Once it’s on the larger ring it runs silently and doesn’t want to drop back down. But the worst shift is 5 to 4 i.e. moving off the SRAM block onto the General Lee.

Far better than having a front mech to bother with, and a perfect range for what I want to tackle.

Oooh very nice, how much?

Depends on your build, exact spec. etc. but not cheap. Take your guide from the Curtis website, and then head north.

After much faffing and one ride I get the same as Yetiman on my SRAM version. Shifts fine going up the gears (larger rings to smaller ones) but hesitant going into larger rings, especially up to the first General Lee (gear 4) and the third (gear 2).

I can’t remember what shims it came with other than one very thin washer type shim that I placed between the two General Lee blocks.

I did feel guilty getting it dirty on its first outing, and I’ll cry when I scratch it.

Experiments with pressure scheduled for tomorrow, I think.

Thanks for the help.

Shimano I know … I’ve got a couple of XTRs and they’re lovely, but for this build I’d rather have the fit & forget of cartridge bearings.

“Quiet” and “Hope” only get used in the same sentence with “not”.

OK, if that works for you iainc then my pressure is way too high!

Good point … Solo air so not one thing to get done.

Anything by Piers or Samurai.

Mine binds when used as a replacement ODI or when mounted independently. As soon as it’s tight enough to stop the unit rotating it binds, and it’s not just a very light pressure to release it. I’ve now taken it apart and look at filing it a bit to take some of the lacquer off to see if that frees it up.

Just unpacked my KS Lev and started installation.

The remote seems to bind on the bars when vaguely tightened enough to stop the whole unit rotating. Anyone else found this? Any simple solutions? Or will the spring tension be enough to overcome it (doubtful from the feel of it)?

Thanks

midlifecrashes – like this? PM me if you want it!

Phil Wood.

End of thread.

Get rid of the clamp and get braze-ons done instead? You won’t need a QR with a dropper anyway.

Is that theory or evidence, jam bo? There does seem to be a lot of spline to my non-engineering eyes.

Ooooooo …. Another Curtis 29er. Gary’s building my XC9 now (a replica of Candodavid’s beautiful machine but with 44mm headtube, 30.9mm seat tube & Paragon-style sliders). Belated 50th from me to me, and new bike to ride after nearly a year off with a duff knee.

Great process getting a custom frame, and you won’t find anyone nicerer to deal with than Gary.

I’m going for the raw clear powdercoated finish. I might spend quite a bit of time just looking at it!

Phil Wood external BBs on mine. As near fit and forget as you’ll find.

Thanks all … When I got my original Mac I didn’t bother but then did after a few scare stories. Maybe I’ll risk it.

+1

Good stock levels, quite delivery, keen prices, easy site to navigate.

Been running UST since 2003, and TLR for the last 2 years or so. 3.1s, 819s, Flows, Arches, Crests all used. Always used Schwalbe tyres, and I’ve mounted every single tyre on every rim with a track pump only; agreed it’s not always easy but I’ve always managed with no more than 10 minutes of swearing and a single calm-down-and-have-a-brew break. That’s about 100 tyres.

UST Alberts have survived everything (including Peaks, Dalby, CYB, BYC plus more usual bridleways); UST Nobby Nics failed twice in 3 trips to Dalby. Will be trying TLR Hans Dampfs and TLR Racing Ralphs on my 29er soon.

1993 Cannondale M700
1999 Stumpjumper
2002 Orange Sub 5
2003 Turner XCE
2004 S Works Enduro
2004 Kona Explosif 18″
2005 Kona Explosif 19″
2005 Turner 5

The best full susser was the Enduro (even though I’ve kept the 5 Spot from new and still have it today), but if I had to keep one bike it’d be the 19″ Explosif.

But I have high hopes for the Curtis XC9 I’m drooling over and waiting for.

Coastkid – you’re welcome to it but Royal Mail postal prices probably don’t make it worth the postage these days. Happy to hand it over on Edinburgh, London, York or Bristol as those exotic locations are where work takes me. Email in profile.

Many thanks. Short cage it is.

Same here – off to buy a new one tomorrow 🙁

Seems to be the inboard one as it gets adjusted far less than the outboard. it is the easiest to remove and grease up, so that’s what I’ll do next time. Second one to go, too.

^+1

I commuted for 4 years on tubeless with latex which deal with most things. When a flint got in or the hole wouldn’t seal then the Panaracer kit did the trick (external rubber strip, covered in vulcanising glue and inserted with the tyre in place). No problem with latex in the tyre.

I took off one worn out tyre with 7 of these in, and never had a single problem with this way of working tubeless. I use Stans latex – I haven’t tried anything else as it works so well.