Woodrup fixed utility commuter

Reader: I bought it.

This feels like a cheat project because, in theory, everything that is in the bike in the background (with a couple of exceptions) is going on the bike in the foreground.

So this could be over quite quickly.

Couple of changes:

1) Drops not bullhorns, with some SRAM S500 levers courtesy of @furious_tiles.

2) Rear brake. Mainly because the flapping brake lever and cable guides would annoy me otherwise. I'm hoping @übé®_grübé® hasn't sold those gunmetal force calipers, and I reckon they'd go nicely with the PDWs.

1 Attachment

Lovely frame, good to see my spare going to such a worthy cause

Some progress. Discovered the chainstays on this one are about half an inch longer!

1 Attachment

I thought I might get away with this saddle. I was wrong.

1 Attachment

Interminable faffing with mudguards and brakes. The front PDW mount didn't fit under the headset with enough tyre clearance. The rear guard mount fouled the brake caliper.

Much bodging and swearing, but should be fixed now. Mudguards don't get pictures. Mudguards don't deserve pictures.

Progress.

Mudguards felt like they were close enough to cable the brakes properly, so that was this evening's job. Bought a set of Jagwire Elite. Had never used it before but it seems like excellent gear. Outers cut fine. I like the idea of a sealed system and the individual bits seem to fit quite well together. Will see how it works in practice.

Only other issue for now is this mudguard meets brake Bridge conundrum. There is a weirdly small amount of clearance here for 25s, given the rest of the geometry. Coupled with having had to flip the PDW bracket, it's left the rear binding slightly on the tyre. If I can improvise a bracket to close the 4mm gap at the bridge itself, I should be OK.

Otherwise I'm a half-arsed tape job away from having something to show to the class!

1 Attachment

Front. I stealthed the bars with acetone but that little white line you can see through the stem clamp is now annoying me.

1 Attachment

Also discovered there's a memorial ride for the guy who used to own this frame. Is my interest in this a bit mawkish or are we OK with that?

http://calderdalectc.org.uk/uncategorized/john-radford-memorial

Lookin good all things considered, I like the modern group on lugged frame style. Can't speak on the memorial ride, why not though right?

It looks like you've got the Road, rather than City, PDW: intended for 23mm tyres.

A felt tip should deal with your annoyance.

Thumbs-up for front-left/rear-right cabling.

His bike; his ride: sounds fitting to me.

More mudguard fun. I tried to bodge a different bracket down to size to deal with the situation on the rear. You're absolutely right @Scilly.Suffolk they are the Road, but I've used them with these exact wheels and tyres in the past quite happily. It's now sitting with a piece of Blu-tak between guard and brake bridge. I genuinely think the solution is going to be a blob of Sikaflex in that position as a semi-permanent fix.

Otherwise, cables are cut. Hoping to take it out for a spin round the block tonight before taping the bars.

More or less finished.

Went for a shakedown with @mashton a week or so back, only to find that Sikaflex does not function in the same way as a mudguard bracket, and that you really have to pay attention to how you clamp a Thomson X2 stem. Returned home with a rattling rear guard, bars at a funny angle and my tail between my legs.

In the end I followed @Scilly.Suffolk 's advice, as I happened to have a spare wider rear guard in the shed. What do you know: no more guard rub.

The bar end plugs that come with Supacaz tape seem weirdly ineffective for the complexity of the design.

Also switched to an inline post as the geo is a bit more easy rider than I'm used to.

Other than that, the next stage is to ride it round for a bit to check I'm happy with bar height, measure twice cut once. Will be my first time twatting a star fangled nut with a hammer, so that's something to look forward to.

1 Attachment

Looking great! So glad you sorted out the rear guard. I hope it runs silently now.

Apologies for more mudguard chat, but they would look great with a couple of scoble flaps. Are they compatible?

Also, remind me why the lever are the "wrong" way round?

Guards already have flaps on! Is there any merit in a double flap?

Levers: the cables just ran much more easily that way. Both to the front caliper and to the cable stops, which, strangely, run along the left hand side of the toptube.

Sorry the black background obscured the flaps.

As you were!

Levers: sure the inverse muscle memory will kick in, eventually!

There are one or two folk around these parts who have done the John Radford memorial ride on one of his restored bikes. You would be made very welcome I'm sure. Great to see the frame having some TLC after hanging around in my garage for the last few years.

If the dates work out, I'm up for a trip to Huddersfield for this ride.