650b Croix De Fer - Congratulations, it's an apple.

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  • rusty water pouring out is fine (not seen a steel bike that doesn't do that during a wet day yet) just drill a hole under the BB to allow it to come out if you're that worried.

    I wouldn't worry too much about rust.

  • I sprayed the inside of my croix de fer with ACF50 anti corrosion spray.

  • @edscoble @user63601 Spraying sounds like a good idea I reckon. Not hugely concerned about it, but seems sensible to sort it out while I'm unable to ride the thing :)

    Nice build, btw! Would love to try some of the bigger tyres but I don't think they'd fit w/ mudguards. Maybe I'll do some experimenting in the summer though!

  • Hi there,

    Just curious if anyone's tried 27.5 mtb tyres on a Croix de Fer (2015)? If so how fat did you manage?

    Thanks!

  • Fantastic, I'll have a look at those. Wouldn't mind trying this over the winter. The flickr link doesn't seem to work, though.

    Thanks : )

  • Hey, found your pictures of Croix with comets via Google. Looks pretty rude. Did you try any other mtb tyres? I'm struggling to see what might fit, as most 27.5s seem wider these days and I'd like to go tubeless. Also, how was the handling? I'd imagine it felt a little bit snappier, with a slightly reduced wheel diameter, or is unnoticeable?

    Apologies for all the questions....

    Best - S

  • I would actually say that because of the heavy tyre/tube and square ish tyre profile it felt like it needed a good lean to get it cornering. Went anywhere though and was fast.

  • @tyeness I just wanted to ask how you mounted the HPX pump under the top tube without a pump peg? I want to do the same but unsure how secure it will be.

  • Hiya! It's just wedged in there under it's own springiness - it's only come loose a couple of times during crashes. Could always get one of those velcro strap things??

  • Thanks for the reply, silently followed the build at the time and now got a Croix de Fer myself (no coincidence). I did want to mount a pump on the NDS seat stay but the caliper kind of gets in the way so good to know under the TT is possible. I have seen a cable tie around the headtube, resting on the headbadge work too.

    Is the bike back up and running after the accident?

  • No worries, hope the thread's been useful :)
    Not been on LFGSS recently but I'll be following your build with a keen interest! Have lurked on your other threads.

    It is up and running after the big crash, but I came off on some ice like an idiot a couple of weeks ago so the new levers are now worse off than the old ones were :/

    Pumps look really nice under the stays and it's kinda dead space back there, but I think my frame's small enough that it also would've interfered. I imagine it's easier with a shorter pump or a bigger frame.

    The cable tie trick is a really good one! I totally forgot about it but I should put one round the seattube - there's a couple of little plastic tabs on the pump head that locate it really nicely against the three tubes at the front.

  • @tyeness any update on the bike... did it ever get the small spruce up?

  • Hiya! Gad I've not been on here in ages!

    It didn't. It did just get a new rear hub after the old one ground to a halt mid-commute and sheared pitlock skewer in the process πŸ˜‘

    I've been riding a bit less generally so it's slipped down my list of priorities a bit although I did the overnighter century thing in Scotland with it, and it's female usurper which was really lush. I'm still really enjoying it ☺️

  • Hi all, new here, found this thread while googling 650B conversions of CdFs !
    A very interesting read !
    I,ve a 2016 Olive CdF in XS size fitted with Spacycles 165 cranks which feels horrible and twitchy on the stock wheels and tyres, and bloody uncomfortable on broken up Manchester tarmac and gravel roads even at 45psi front 50 rear !
    Its killing the enjoyment of getting back into cycling !
    Been told that swapping to 650b would make life better so I,ve got some questions for you all.
    Whats the max width tyre that can be run in the 2016 Cdf frame with guards ?
    I will be using rear shimano 756 hub, T785 dyno front for the wheels, 32 or 36 spokes, for a clumsy 16 stone tourist who likes roughstuff ?
    I like the look of the Ryde Rival 23 rims for a tubeless build, has anyone used/seen them , or are there better ones to use ?
    Thankyou all !

  • Dredging this up as the rust is getting quite bad so I'm getting it stripped and coated and rebuilt. I've been doing very little riding this year (<500 miles so far) so I'm hoping that throwing some money at this will force my hand a bit.

    I really like the green, but it could be interesting to change it up but I'm not sure what colour.

  • Will let you off the lack of mileage due to how cold it's been up until recently. A frugal option could be black so frame and fork match although pos boring. Are you thinking paint or powder?

  • Hah! Thanks πŸ˜‡A mate has been caning it all year but crashed about 4 times and cracked some ribs in the process so I don't feel tooo bad.

    I'm gonna get it coated and the forks are going in too as they're starting to show a little surface rust themselves πŸ˜‘

    Currently thinking about a darker, more olive- green or a very dark metallic grey.

  • A small update to say it's in for powdercoat.

    I overspent by about 100% after adding the tubus rack & light bracket to the job, and because they didn't have any nice greens and the metallic colours were pricey. I wanted to go right into NAHBS Wank territory and get my frame pump done too, but there was a little plastic bung in the end that I couldn't get out :(

    The phonecall from the mechanic as he was stripping it was also a lot of fun. It had:

    1. Seized front skewer (now destroyed)
    2. Stuck seatpost
    3. Stretched chain
    4. worn chainring
    5. and a pretty much brand new derailleur that's incompatible with my
      shifters.

    I thought it was just mis-shifting because I hadn't set it up well enough.

    Anyway hoping to get it back in for the service/rebuild on Monday or Tuesday :)

  • random question but, why "congratulations, it's an apple" in the thread title? always puzzled me

  • Because it was my wee Granny Smith coloured baby!

  • I think I started the thread before I got the frame and edited that title in later once it arrived and was green.

    This is roughly my maximum level of wit.

  • Doppelpost

  • All sounds like a quick turn around, can I ask where you're getting the coating done? Ahhh budgets are there to be blown, at least it's getting sorted properly. Look forward to seeing what colour you went for.

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650b Croix De Fer - Congratulations, it's an apple.

Posted by Avatar for tyeness @tyeness

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