FWIW when I was running cheap-ass tektro calipers (OE) on my old road bike bike I used ultegra pads for a bit because they were cheap. I later found BBB roadstop to be an excellent improvement and didn’t pick up as much rim-damaging grit/sand etc.

Obviously not going to be as good as salmon kool stops but way way cheaper.

“That’s like a f*****g hundred bored, cynical, angry ****!….and let’s stop paying attention…”

I thought there were more of us.

Also: I can’t be alone in feeling like 29er tyes are noticeably more lethargic to spin up, can I? It’s an element of the tyre size conversation that seems to get mentioned less and less as time goes on.

Some gravel bikes run 700c or have the ability to do either 700c or road plus type size.

Cutting the 700c compatibility allows the use of short chainstays: “Tukt” geometry. Also more nimble front steering can be accommodated with wide tyres (47mm! Or more!), decent guards and no overlap. The thing to remember is that they are trying to get that more “roadie”ish feeling into the off of roads.

I have trp spyre on the back of a road bike. Bit disappointing. Somewhat improved with jagwire pro compressionless outer. I’ve heard that the standard pads are junk and there are big gains with changing to swiss stop or some other. That is my next move.

Get on the Web chat.

I was buying two rims and two rim tapes. 1 rim + 1 tape = regular postage. 1 rim + 2 tapes = 19.99 for bike delivery. I got on the chat and the bloke tole me he would refund the extra postage once I’d sent him my order number. Took a couple days but he was good to his word. Seems to be a funny automated idiosyncrasy.

Bike24.com have good prices on sks guards.

light blue darwin?

That’s magic. Thanks.

Thank you davidtaylforth and bullandbladder – I will read with gusto on the morrow.

Wow, you guys are really into this – that’s fantastic!

Lots to go through. Let me address the issue of bamboo first:

I understand bamboo is a fantastic structural material for many reasons, not least it’s natural tubular structure. The project, however has to incorporate some form of Computer Aided Design/Computer Aided Manufacture to satisfy the GCSE requirements. So bamboo is out for that reason alone. I can/will suggest Jamie considers using bamboo for some elements of the design, but the bulk of it needs to be machined.

martymac, brassneck and murray – I will check out the linkys tomorrow; many thanks.

Chiefgrooveguru:

Many points. Firstly, thanks – epoxy resin was my first thought, too. I recently watched a youtube video on knife-making where the guy tried various brands/types of epoxy and they were certainly not all equal. I wonder if you have a preferred epoxy resin brand or type?

As for the stability of wood: we will have three layers probably (mimicking current designs of others), either side plus an inner “core layer. This will also allow machining on the insie to reduce weight. The plan is to assemble a rough-cut front triangle with the grain running longtitudinally with respect to the ‘frame tubes’, prior to machining. This should minimise expansion and contraction along the ‘tube’. The lateral expansion with moisture/humidity changes should be minimised by the fact that the width and depth of the tubes is going to be less than 2” (probably, maybe….currently). That’s the theory we are working on – what do you think?

Also we will be selecting woods for their stability as well as strength and stiffness. TBH, we will probably play it safe and copy what others are using – that is good enough material selection justification for GCSE level. Providing we show that other materials have been considered, of course.

The machine we are using is a Boxford CNC router and has the ability to take a 3D model and create a cutter path that ‘steps’ in the way you mention; it will repeat the job using different stepping methods (ie with cutter travelling parallel to x-axis, then parallel to y-axis, then stepping by following contours defined by the 3D shape and then others still) to get us very close to the final shape for minimal sanding.

And I’m afraid I don’t kow what a guitar truss rod is but I promise to do my homework on it tomorrow!

Thanks again to all – your input is very much appreciated on this. I’m sure you understand that this is a very exciting and challenging (and slightly worrying) project for us!

Thanks for the responses so far. To answer a few questions:

AlexSimon:
I’m struggling to state the goal because the kids get a range of briefs to choose from and I am not sure which one he has chosen. Common to all projects though is simply to follow the design process from brief through market research, design, fabrication and evaluation.
We are using wood because we have the facilities here for woodworking. Metalworking kit went away some years ago. I think we need metal parts incorporated to support bearings and threaded parts (ie bottom bracket) and I was a bit wary of trying to make the dropouts out of wood as they would have to be quite thin to fit between the hub and the locknut.

I’m sure Jamie would love to use carbon fibre but I think the time it would take to run trial builds/build jigs and moulds/learn to lay up properly is probably too much. He is only supposed to spend 40 hrs making this thing and I think he will already have his hands full. Nice idea though.

I will defo check out the NAHBS information and look into Bespoked – thanks for those leads.

willyboy:

I personally would be in favour of birch ply. It would be much easier and I think give good, consistent strength. We use it extensively in school for many projects. It doesn’t lend itself to an aero frame though, and aesthetically a solid wood would be preferable. The final decision is Jamie’s and I think he has settled on solid wood.

I agree totally about not relying solely on the adhesive/resin/whatever bonding agent. We will be looking at some form of mechanical fixing method too. I will check out Ceeway – thanks for the tip.

As for the glue/whatever, I will have a look at data sheets – perhaps we will do some load testing of joints too. I was jumping straight on the resin track, but you’re right about not discounting normal woodglues – they will be included in any testing we do.

Again – thanks for the responses and Jamie and I will be keeping an eye on this forum. I may repost some of the specific questions under separate topics too, to try and broaden the audience.

Just ordered the Craft peformance bike stretch from startcycles, along with Orca velo torque merino bib longs and a Scott minus pro gilet.

Will report back with opinion after a bit of use.

Don’t worry about the cassette – that’s easy enough to change and most rear mechs up to 105 level (I’m guessing you won’t be getting ultegra at this price) will handle a 30T.

Also, just my point of view – mechanical discs are excellent, and speccing them opens up more options.

Hmmm. Sticky freehub, eh?

thanks donk and grenosteve. I will investigate, though it has done it from new.

I’m on 1×8 (53 x 11-32t, on 26″x28mm tyres) and my chain drops off the chainring all the bleeding time. I’ve found the solution is to keep pedalling harder.

But really, can anyone explain why the chain drops all the time, regardless of: the gear I’m in; how clean/dirty/new my drivetrain parts are; whether I’m mid-shift; road surface? Seriously, sometimes it drops on perfectly smooth roads, in a gear where the chainline is near perfect and all parts are clean and freshly lubed, just because I stopped pedalling for a couple of seconds.

After a year, it’s become slightly annoying.

I’d be wondering most about if the calliper can be aligned over the disc. Possibly 2mm either side is correct (I would defo check that first, then calculate any adjustments, if needed) but if you need to space assymetrically, you may need the get the wheel re-dished.

Maybe an experienced wheel builder on here can advise if a shift of a couple of mm is likely to be possible without replacing spokes for different lengths?

I disagree about the genesis being a lower spec overall – just a shift in priorities.

Seems to me it has much better wheels and a steel frame; the trade-off being tiagra vs 105. Brakes match the best of the rest. Finishing kit is supposed to be pretty good on Genesises.

Comes down to whether you value a steel frame or not. FWIW, I do and would have an equilibrium if I could (I’m building a kaffenback ATM).

I just hope having a Hope adaptor doesn’t clash too badly with your lovely shimano brake…only you will know.

Anyway, hope it sorts the “less than impressive” braking issues you’ve been having.

But isn’t that sort of like admitting defeat?

also found this which is from a US seller, but perhaps you could find this magura version in the UK?

ebay

when i select the 203mm option, the photo shows a part with exactly the shimano code you reference, but as you say, the part itself looks different to the drawing on the shimano docs…

I’ve had this. Sometimes just happens once (rarely). Usually turns out to be a shy puncture that didn’t want to reveal itself.

Maybe remove the valve core and check/slightly lube the seal?

Really appreciate all this advice.

ATM I’m swinging towards the craft PB stretch jacket (and something like a pearl izumi barrier for heavier rain)

I was hoping to find one single jacket that would cover all winter conditions (ie breathable but proof against downpours), but I think that’s not going to happen in my budget.

My current “best” jacket is a Madison Telegraphe (too loose fit, too sweaty and I get wet arms when it rains, but still tolerable) and I think the night vision evo and the humps suggested would be similar in fit and breathability (hope I’m not being unfair to them). My “warm” jacket is an Aldi Winter cycling jacket which I really appreciate on the coldest days. I also really appreciate the coldest days in this jacket because they avoid the sweatiness of the milder days that are still too cool for just a (aldi) winter jersey.

I’m well up for layering, and could do with better base layers (bought my first merino base layer tonight from…you guessed it…aldi) as most of my bases are standard thermal undergarment tops from George at Asda. Looked at the gore phantom and would love one, but my internal pauper keeps telling to buy the Craft. And my external pauper agrees with me.

Anyway…going to check out the Decathlon stock tomorrow

Just been in Evans and quite like:

Specialized pro racing long sleeve jersey £90 (not keen on all that logo though)
Gore bike wear element windstopper jacket £95 (though up at £107 in-store)
Altura Transformer windproof long sleeve jersey £72

So there’s a two-in-three chance I don’t want a jacket at all!

(opinions/experience on any of the above would be welcomed)

Thanks everyone – some great suggestions there. I’m going to have to get round a few shops and try some on.

Thanks lemonysam,

My commute is around the 1 hour mark and I do ride hard enough to arrive sweaty no matter the season. I’m really liking the sounds of the Craft, esp at that price.

I should probably add that I’m looking for something waterproof and breathable (isn’t everyone?) with some insulation but a fairly close fit. Emphasis on close-fit, warmish, breathable. I can live with having to carry a light waterproof shell, if the main jacket is not torrent-proof.

Pockets are nice but not essential. Hoods are completely unnecessary for me.

Thanks guys. If I may ask:

MoreCashThanDash – how breathable/boil-in-the-bag do you find the Night Vision Evo?

lemonysam – how waterproof/leaky do you find the Craft?

Rule #9

ahwiles – Member

mickolas – Member

5mm on a 170mm crank is only 3%

10mm on a 340mm turned circle is still only 3%

Quite so.

For sake of argument, say 170mm is my ‘ideal’, and anything between 165 and 175mm is ‘tolerably good’, for me. If you will allow, I suggest that anything less than 150mm would be unacceptably short for me and anything over 190mm, unacceptably long.

That gives me a ‘tolerable’ range of 5mm either side of optimum and an an ‘acceptable’ range of 20mm either way. In this context, that 5mm change becomes a 25% movement away from optimum, within the range of possible acceptable sizes.

That is not to make any particular point, except that these figures can be argued in many ways and I don’t think it is useful to discuss %age changes in crankarm length.

I believe the metric to really be considered is the angle of the knee (and maybe hips too) at full extension, minimum extension and throughout the power stroke; for different crank lengths. Again changes in this measurement should be looked at, not as %ages of the whole, but as %age movements within a certain range.

It’s also important to remember that we are talking about a 4-bar linkage system (5-bar if you count ankle movement;6-bar if you count the ball of the foot) and relatively small changes of angle in a member can produce large differences in the distribution of forces within the system. That is why MTB manufacturers can produce bikes with very similar suspension systems that behave quite differently.

I ride bikes with 42cm and 44cm handlebars (C-C). This is only a difference of 5%, yet one feels right, the other is okay but not quite right.

In some ways it is fairly pointless to discuss any of this outside the context of a serious ergonomic study which would need to take into account a hefty amount of researched anthropometric data and results of efficiency tests/long-term joint-wear tests specifically and scientifically aimed at the action of cycling.

So maybe just ride what you like the feel of, eh? Personally, I spend far more hours commuting than I am comfortable with. This leaves me obsessed with clawing back any marginal efficency gains and I am sensitive to the cumulative effects of small changes.

i am simply saying that 165-175 is not a wide enough range to reflect actual differences in height/leg length/bio mechanics.

I completely agree with this. I am very glad to be a mediocre-sized person and to be able to take advantage of falling within this small range that is available to us.

ahwiles – Member

jamcorse – Member

I have 175 on my hardtail and 165 on my FS (Low bottom bracket) and I use them both a lot…. can hardly tell the difference

that’s because there is very little difference.

But sometimes a little difference can make a big change. 5mm at the crank-arm will make an overall change of 10mm in the overall vertical movement of the foot during one pedal rotation. When I make 10mm adjustments to my saddle height, I can certainly feel the difference in my legs while pedalling. I reckon that when I am approaching the ideal position, I can feel the difference with 5mm adjustments.

And that’s without even considering the fore-aft 10mm.

I read a considered explanation reasoning that too short doesn’t really matter, but too long is bad.

That article recommended 170mm for me (I’m 5’9″ too) and I currently have 170mm on my commuter and 165mm (bought due to cheapness more than anything) on the mtb.

I prefer the shorter cranks for spinning on the mtb as my body movement is less and I find this helps with balance.

I used to run a 175mm crank on my older commuter and I think I preferred it for stand-up efforts in the big ring up shortish hills.

Of course it could all be in my head

here is the article I referred to (pretty good site for explaining various bike-fit issues)

You should be be looking at the a-c (axle to crown) dimension for length.

A kaffenback fork won’t be far different from the tdf, I wouldn’t think. You would have to measure yours and check against planet-x spec because I can’t find the info for the tdf inline.

I agree with Sponging-machine about the problem with tyre clearance on the rear. A new frameset is possibly the way to go. Ribble do a cheap alloy CX frameset that would accept most of the components from your current bike.

Main difference would be the move to cantilever brakes (in which case you could sell your brakes with the frameset); possibly a different seatpost size; you would need a new headset as well.

http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/sp/road-track-bike/frames-frames-cyclo-cross-ribble-7005-cx-frame/ribbfrax205

http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/sp/road-track-bike/forks-forks-cross-ribble-carbon-cross-blades/ribbfors205000000000

OTOH….
these forks have only a 371.3mm a-c. Surely that should be fine? (rear tyre clearance notwithstanding)

Current trend is for wider rims on road wheels anyway. From what you’ve said, your rims are a 16mm internal width. For example, H plus Son Archetype rims (commonly considered the go-to rim for decent, but not excessively expensive builds) have a 17mm internal rim width and are fine for tyres down to 23mm. So, fit whatever you like I reckon.

I’d have thought clearance would be a bit tight between the tyr and the rear brake caliper. If that’s not a problem, then go ahead.

FWIW, I fitted a kaffenback fork to a hybrid frame (both using disc brakes) and it works great for light off-road duties. Cheap too.

When I suggested a staff changing room at work, my grounds manager said, with a completely straight face, we could put up a curtain in the (completely transparent, outdoor) bike shelter.

And :D MoreCashThanDash

I reckon that anywhere there is a rail line, there should be a cyclepath/pedestrian route running parallel to it.

With regular shelters for fixing punctures/donning waterproofs/waiting out the rain/sleeping in when the missus has had enough.

Also re-open all those closed rail lines from the eighties.

And bring back trams.

And stop giving all the rail discounts to people who rarely use the train – help out the daily commuter. Stop rail companies claiming buying a weekly ticket saves x% when they know full well that it won’t be used at weekends.

And more free bikes please. And tyres. And less rain. And wind. Especially less wind.

If the post has been removed, just remember to grease when putting it back in…

42

Yeah, sorry. Wasn’t familiar with that one – I just meant rear

:oops: