Eastway ST1 disc conversion by Talbot

You can do a ton of calcs. Even work backwards from power through cadence to gear inch.

But you never know till you ride it. 34:32 will go from too spinny to be usable, to a being a godsend, as soon as you start putting a little weight on the bike.

I started with the same gearing as this on my Straggler. For winter hacking about in the lanes and commuting it was too gappy and spinny, so changed the 34t small ring for a 36t (keeping the 50t) and changed the cassette for a 12-30 10 speed Ultegra. This made just enough of a difference, making for a nicer unloaded riding experience, and is easy to swap back if and when I add load to the bike.

Worse come to worse, a 11-32 will sufficient.

@joel_austen @edscoble @Smallfurry cheers, I think I'll definitely be chopping and changing the cassettes and chain-rings about depending on what I'm doing with the bike.

I think its another reason to get Middleburn cranks, so I can swap chain-rings about between my bikes. I know I could do this with other cranks, but it will help me justify it in my head :)

I'll see how the current set up serves me loaded up in Scotland next week. I'm determined to get up Trooper Lane at the end of the Ronde Van Calderdale this year, so I might just whack a stupidly low gear on for that.

I'm certainly looking forward to experimenting

Put a few miles on it now and it's lovely, the MAXIMUM GAINZ forks are so much better than the orginal ones, it makes me feel a bit smug, sorry.

@t_w did a corking job with the wheels, they really are 'luxury do-it-alls' and disc brakes for 'heavy' people are much better than canti's, in my brief experience, thus far.

I've also loaded it right up with two big bags and Chutney (our Jack Russell) in a carry box on @coldharbour 's trailer. It actually went like a train and I was thankful for the spinny gears.

For those small enough to fit into the dog carrier I will be running a regular Bermondsey to King's Cross service, bedding, biscuits and senic veiws of Farringdon are all located in carriage A.

Ordered some Middleburn RO2's too, so they will appear at some point.

On the train up to Scotland for a week, so hopefully I'll get to take it off road a bit, if Gertrude doesn't blow us away or cover us in snow.

1 Attachment

Here it is 1000 and a bit miles in. Cranks are on now and they finish it off perfectly.

I love it. It's served me equally well commuting/at work and out training/clubruns/pub runs and it's really part of the family again.

The forks are very impressive bits of kit, especially with the SON dropouts. The wheels are a bit of a revelation too. Them HED Belgiums are awesome rims. The brakes are the best thing though. Being 16stone and this being a heavy bike, they work wonderfully well, when I naked this Apex out, I'm def going hydro :)

It was a great experience getting the work done and one I'm very grateful for.

1 Attachment

when I naked this Apex out...

Didn't know SRAM groupsets got that sexual. :-D

LoL - was nude gardening when I took the pic so it must have been Freudian while typing..... :)

Quick update on the mighty
TrainBeik.

I've put a load of miles through it on loads of different surfaces and it's impeccable. @coldharbour did a cracking job modifying it and building the forks to match.

SON 'wireless' Dynamo plates and MAXIMUMGAINZ forks have been faultless and even managed to survive a fellow commuter hitting me head on. Forks didn't even bend, his bike was ruined. (A HED rim was lost in battle though RIP)

I found two things that needed changing. The stem and the tyres.

It now has a 110 -17 on to bring it up to the Rourke's geo, sort of, and the tyres (maxxis mamushi) couldn't really cope on the building site haul roads.

So I've borrowed these 33c Challenge jobs off of @Object and it's spot on.

I love it, it's perfect for me :)

1 Attachment

Which tyres are these please?

Challenge Almanzo 700/33c

Hey @Ecobeard sorry to not really know what’s in the thread ^ but how did Matt get the disc tab strong on the chainstay, is it a new stay & end?

Let me have a look

It’s been retired to Scotland now.

I think it was quite a meaty stay, so he added the tabs individually and braced it.

Will search my photos later, or @coldharbour might remember, although he worked on this many many Mattyears ago

No bracing

Just individual tabs set on the seat stay on the upper inside of the dropout (ish) and then the chainstay

Calliper sits horizontally.

Crap photos below but will take some better ones tomorrow for you

2 Attachments

That’s very neat.

I’m getting Winston to add some to a Thorn and I want to know what my options are. He’s got ISO mounts for seatstay, says adding to chainstay means a new end or something.

Thanks for photos btw!

Winston knows the score and I'm sure its different from bike to bike.

I'd just go with what he reckons, you know you'll get it properly sorted.

Speak to Matt though to see what he reckons?

@Ecobeard - Didn't realise this was the genesis of the Train Beik!

Considering a similar thing with my steel canti cross bike (just the rear, will buy some new forks).

Anyone got any recommendations of who might be able to do this / advice on if it's a terrible idea or not?

Still going strong as well - can’t be far off 10k Miles now was well

Winston or Matt for the tabs?

Which bike is it?

Some photos - as it’s in the room I’m in

3 Attachments

Front

3 Attachments

The all city at the front.

It's a modern frame in some fairly hefty non racy steel.

Would want a 12mm thu axle flat mount drop out.

I'm strongly presuming yours has been used and abused on a range of fashionable surfaces over those 10k miles as well.

1 Attachment

The classic All City Planet-weight promise!

Yeah TrainBiek is good old straight up Reynolds 520 and weighs as much as the sun, but that does mean that its stood up to dogs abuse across everything from tarmac to Scottish singletrack.

Its now probably classed as post-fashion and is probably Art.

Presuming Matt is Matt of Talbot fame?

You might have to give me a clue with Winston.

Either of them on here?

Cheers

Matt is @coldharbour

Winston is Winston Vaz - https://www.varonha.co.uk