+1 for Robin Mather

“At low speeds, you do steer the bike. At high speeds you don’t. In between, it’s a combination of the two.”

This is only partly true. I know it’s not quite the same but there was a huge discussion about this on uk.rec.motorcycles. Basically, because a bike has a tendency to remain upright (once moving) in order to get it to turn you have to turn the bars to initiate a lean. From then on, leaning will steer the bike. This was proved by building a bike with two sets of bars, a normal set and one that didn’t turn. Trying to turn the bike by holding the fixed bars and leaning had no effect.

More information about tyre sizes than you could ever wish to know, here:-

http://www.mtbtires.com/specs/schwalbe.html

Pedant mode

If the fork is shorter then it will steepen not slacken frame angles.

Pedant mode off

Compare to an Eriba puck for the retro version

QR’s – checked
Chainring bolts – checked
Seatpost – dry – greased
headset- tightened – not tightened enough after recent new stem
knees – hmmm

Creaks gone
Thanks

I’ve posted this previously but it seemsrelevant to re-post it here:-
According to Mark Lynskey Ti is Ti:-

“As to the raw materials; did you know that everybody’s starter materials (tube hollows) come from either Russia or China. Yes that includes Sandvick, Haynes, Wolverine, and Reynolds. Yes the tubes that these companies create using Chinese and Russian raw materials do in fact go to aerospace/defense use as well as bicycle frames (including ours). “

Read the whole comment here.

http://weightweenies.starbike.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=49167

Don’t think it’s the seat pin as it still creaks when I’m out of the saddle.

Mrs Nicknoxx

I thought Schmidt SON Nabendynamo was the king of hub dynamos and that the Edelux was the dogs in LED lights.

I’ve lived in Colerne which is pretty close for a couple of years. Most of my local rides are on the lanes between here and the motorway. There are a few bridleways you can ride but most of them are either short or get churned up by the horses. I’ve not discovered anything that you can’t easily find on a map.
The ‘kids’ play in the woods above Box.
It’s frustrating to live in such a rural area with nowhere decent to ride, but at least we’re less than an hour by car from south Wales, the Quantocks, the Chilterns and the Mendips.

Anybody have any suggestions for the South West/Bristol area?

Does anyone know who the Russian manufacturer that Burls use to make their titanium frames is?

Lugs do determine frame angles and filing them is used to make them look pretty not to alter the angles. There are lug sets which allow a small slope on the top tube ( usually 6 degrees) but with a bit of ingenuity, in this case by turning a lug upside down, amazing things can be done:- lugged cruiser

There are some cranks advertised in thsi month’s mag which are adjustable between 170 and 175. Don’t have the mag in front of me and can’t remember who made them, but someone will be along who can,

Phil Wood Titanium?

3263442 and I work in tv and do xc

Damn should reload the thread before answering

The thing is, it probably doesn’t really matter which tool you learn if you want to get into bike design. What matters is getting some real experience in designing bikes that make it into production. How you manage that is anybody’s guess.

I’ve drawn one I plan to have made next year:-

Mtb carbon forks are probably rated for off road use. You’d probably be fine on the road

Take no notice of them. You’re as old as you feel (and judging by the way you rode up those hills in the Q’s, you feel pretty good)

I did a mechanical engineering degree, and while it would have helped with the structural part of bike design and to some extent, materials choice, it wouldn’t help at all with the handling. This isn’t really an exact science and geometry issues like frame angles, rake, trail, chainstay length, top tube length Vs stem length, bottom bracket height, etc, etc, etc are really a matter of trial and error.

I’ve never seen a course, but there is loads of information on the internet:-
http://www.kinetics.org.uk/html/the_reading_list.html
phred
mtbr frame builders
frame forum
and so on

According to Mark Lynskey Ti IS Ti:-

“As to the raw materials; did you know that everybody’s starter materials (tube hollows) come from either Russia or China. Yes that includes Sandvick, Haynes, Wolverine, and Reynolds. Yes the tubes that these companies create using Chinese and Russian raw materials do in fact go to aerospace/defense use as well as bicycle frames (including ours). “

Read the whole comment here.

http://weightweenies.starbike.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=49167

Ok, I’ll bite. Decent internal cables routes have a tube (often copper) running from one end to the other so you can push a cable through. Just drilling a hole at either end is going to make threading cable a nightmare.

So that’s a ‘yes’ then?

Mefty – Great idea. My LBS has just agreed to do this for £15

It’s a right hand crank unfortunately.

It’s square taper already but cranks is 86mm BCD so finding a single crank is unlikely.

If I have to replace chainrings will that mean replacing chain and cogs? What about derailleur?

You might want to bear in mind that when fitting full mudguards (which I consider essential on a commuter) with discs, it can be difficult to find an elegant solution.

racing ralph – can you point me in the direction of a Hope caliper as all the current ones I can find are Post mount?
Thanks

I don’t want to use an adaptor because like you, I want to mount my caliper on the chainstay and there’s not much room

You could do that sort of distance on any bike. This one isn’t cool but hub gears and disc brakes for £300 is great value.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=330321187103

Yebbut, the Middleburn DH rings are fugly.

TJ – You’re right of course:-
100mm fork equates to 455mm
130mm fork equates to 477mm

I use revs on mine and wind them down to 100mm for climbing but wind them right up to 130mm for going down.

Typical 100mm forks have and axle to crown distance of 480mm which equates to 360mm with 25% sag.
Typical 130mm forks have and axle to crown distance of 510mm which equates to 382mm with 25% sag.

Mine’s a Rohloff but it’s the same principle.

My wife shouts “Up yer buuuuuuuuuuuuuuum”

I use Panaracer Paselas on my commuter but they’re probably a bit heavy for racing.

It’s not your imagination the Inbred is quite a bit slacker than the Soul, especially with 140mm forks which is how mbr tested it this month.