Current Projects chat and miscellany

Just a regular metal file will do it?

Also what is the advantage of an especially narrow q factor?

what is the advantage of an especially narrow q factor?

Ask @xavierdisley (http://etheses.bham.ac.uk/5523/) but it's not "especially narrow" which is advantageous, it "self selected" and most people not bound by off the peg cranks will self select something significantly narrower than the 145-150 imposed by normal road cranks, and possibly something even narrower than the 131mm of Campag Pista

If you're shopping for a file for this job, try to find one designed for aluminium. Common files designed for steel will cut aluminium, but they clog fast so you spend more time cleaning your file than actually filing.

Generally speaking if you fancy a lower Q Factor aim for something around 140mm, no need to go super narrow to start with

Love this, how does it ride?

Strong

Koga almost done, sorry for a shit phone pic. Will get a gold Deda tape that will hopefully match the decals. The bike needs an inline post (too much setback on this one) and I need a bike fit (mostly for setting the clieats, but maybe I need a shorter stem as well). Better pics when it is all done.

Clits or cleats? ahahha
that's what she said

(removed, shitty connection so for some reason it double posted?)

haven't been on this site for so long. wow.
Thought I'd share the stages my daily bike went through:

1) Yellow bar tape, drops: brand new from the shops
2) Sweeping back handlebars, yepp mini for front carrier, claris mtb style shifters
3) Red bar tape: And we're back to drops, this time with rack and mounting plate for yepp maxi the rear child seat

The sti nicely covered by some electrical tape, because the rubber hoods start to dissolve from the australian sun, and i also sacrificed one gear to a bolt and nut for the rack, as the mudguard eyelet had a stripped thread even though I have never mounted anything in it.

Considering upgrading to claris sti's and using a helicoil to deal with the stripped thread situation.

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Love this, how does it ride?

Rides great man. Stiff, light and responsive. Wheelset is very forgiving.
Climbs on it's own basically.

Climbs on it's own

Did you buy it from Femke Van den Driessche?

No but she put in a good word & got me in contact with Vivax

Asked similar before but I have a clearer idea now, what size chainring, and what rear derailleur/cassette do i want if i want to go 1x10 with my sram red shifter and force 110bcd cranks? I think i want like 36t or maybe even 42?? cassette? whats the 'go-to' for max £200 all in

1x10 with my sram red shifter

Red 10-speed levers will work with 10-speed MTB rear dérailleurs, so you could use a #tester_approved X7 short cage* and go up to 36T on the cassette. Work from there for the chainring, how low do you want your bottom gear?

*Well, you could if any bugger actually had them in stock. As far as I can tell, the one they're now advertising as 9-speed is the same thing, although the part number is slightly different. The GX is supposed to split the difference between X7 and X9 in terms of quality.

I currently have 36 28 at my lowest and thats more than enough. I currently have a 46t 11 and very rarely use 11, so maybe ill go 44..

What stem is that?

I currently have 36 28 at my lowest and thats more than enough

You could stick with the 46 (46/36 is a small fraction lower than 36/28) and get the 12-36 cassette

ritchey classic

New hoops, 29er disc rims with dura ace LF. The poor mans Ardennes Plus.

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Still need to dial in the saddle (shoutout to the SMP thread!), but it's mostly finished.

full res

looks like good fun to me !

Looking forward to getting back on this after a few months of the bike.

(Post wash crappy phone pic)

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I've been riding this for the last couple of months as a commuter / winter training bike, but I only just really finished it. When I first got the frame I was sure the head tube would be way too big, but it actually turned out to be quite comfortable.