Cotic Simple - commuter SSMTB

After trying to get back into gears for one final time, I've decided to sell up and focus solely on fixed/SS bikes, which I just find so much more enjoyable to ride.

Selling my last geared bike (well, I haven't actually sold it yet but hey ho) frees up budget and space for something new I've been considering for a while:
Disc / hydro / risers
Steel
Ability to take big tyres & potentially different wheel sizes
SS specific

Primary purpose is a fun commuter, with the option to swap out wheels and take it off road for some XC when I have time. Something my Pompino would've just about been fine for, but I wanted something a bit more exciting.

Anyway, picked up a Cotic Simple and then some cheap One One rigid forks on eBay and will be building around that.

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Liking how it looks so far with some random stuff chucked on to check out the geo. Wasn't really considering using 700c wheels (26er f&f) but there's actually loads of clearance and it looks kinda good. Just wondering if the BB height of around 31cm is going to make handling weird for a primarily road going bike. Got some 650b wheels I can use if so.

Next steps:

• Getting a HT2 BB and fitting the XT cranks I got on eBay (prob will run around 36x15)
  
• Getting a much longer inline seat post
  
• Sorting some brakes... probably Clarks M2 unless I can sort something decent 2nd hand.
  
  
  
  

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Did someone from Cambridge drop this to you?

Yeah... were you planning to get some brakes off him?

Looks dope

Nice plans!

Got most the stuff I need minus brakes so will be building up this weekend to check sizing.

Sold the bike the 700c wheels were off, so will be running 650b x 42c, which should drop the BB below 30cm.

Got a cheap XT double off eBay, will be pleasantly easy to change to SS, no smaller chainring bolts needed.

Stem that came with the bars is surprisingly quite nice but probably a bit too long, will check it while I wait for the brakes (first Amazon purchase in about 4 years, didn't realise the postage would take 2 weeks...).

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yes, I fucked up .. I thought they were M820, they were M810 :( Got XTR in the end.

subbed. looks great

This looks great. I had a Simple, miss it.

Bike is in a rideable state... but it's been one of those builds where too many things seemed to be slightly harder/more annoying than they should be.

Started off well, first smashing the wishbone on a tyreless rim, and then dropping the whole frameset sideways onto concrete. No real damage but some sweet paint chips straight off the bat. Glad I didn't buy new.

Then foolishly tried to put 47c tubes into 42c tyres, cue about 40 mins of trying desperately not to get pinch flats and failing thoroughly. Got some appropriate tubes today and all good.

After the bad start, everything went fairly smoothly until the brakes. Easy install but loads of rubbing. Front sorted but still not spinning. Wheel off eventually to adjust the cones and all relatively ok.

Back wheel just generally a pain in the arse. Track ends + disc I guess is never going to be that easy, but even after a million adjustments it's still rubbing so much - is there any way to back off hydro brakes (Clarks m2) in the same way as you'd back off a cable brake? Tried pushing the pads back a bit but not much effect.

I've read this expected to an extent and that they bed in eventually - but not sure what's considered fine and what isn't.

Anyway, got them as good as possible and set up the chain to finish up, only to find that they'd sent 2 male(?) bits of the masterlink and no female. Temporarily put in a 1/8" female plate just to test ride...

...and it's making a fucking racket. Chainline seems ok, everything is new/almost new. I wonder if the XT double ring is incompatible with a regular 3/32" 8 speed chain? Could be the masterlink but would expect that sound to be sporadic rather than constant.

...And the hoses are really bloody long and I don't want to have to start bleeding things.

But enough whinging... geo seems nice, it's actually pretty light, around 9.5kg. Will take some pictures tomorrow.

Still need (apart from the above gripes):

• Grips
  
• ~90mm 0 degree stem
  
• Seatpost & seat - going for a Romin & plain inline post.
  
• Nicer top cap and spacers, transferring off another bike.
  

Regarding the brakes... You could try and re-align them. Loosen the bolts holding the calliper to the frame, then squeeze the brake lever firm so - the pads will orient themselves and the caliper will true itself in relation to the disc. Keep the lever squeezed and tighten the bolts.
If that doesn't work and your pads are still rubbing, try pushing them back in again, but give it some welly...and use something flat and preferably plastic so as not to damage the pistons (i believe they're made of soft metal).
I just had to push my pistons back today. Somehow the pin had fallen out of the calliper and the brake pads fell out. Pretty scary way to find out your brake wasn't working cycling into traffic.

Cheers - did try all that but not much luck.

Here's where I am now - got the brakes to a maybe-ok-to-bed-in level but still very tight per photos.

Found a 100mm stem which I'll probably keep for now as the reach isn't that long and I'll mainly be on the road.

Just need to sort out the grips and work out where this goddamn chattering is coming from!

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that sucks, it took me hours to get my brakes set up properly. I can empathise ... :(

All set for tomorrow's commute, think I've even got away with not cutting the hoses.

The chattering was a knackered sprocket, forgot how worn it was. Occam's razor ahoy.

Borrowed grips, seatpost and seat from another bike, rides great! Fun to be able to do endos again. Looking forward to the ride in. Praying that the rubbing subsides.

Oh yeah, forgot about the masterlink. Hopefully I won't die but definitely will need to swap it over ASAP.

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Very cool bike, hope that post and saddle work out for you.

Let me know if you fancy a swap/PX on that C2 stem, i have a 100mm Ritchey 4-axis that would match the seatpost nicely!

Good looking bike!

Have had a couple of commutes on it now, absolutely love it - exactly what I was after. Took a little detour round Beckenham Place Park on the way home, blasted down some paths and dirt construction roads, brilliant fun though the tyres obviously aren't great on the looser stuff.

Pretty much done now. Got a Romin which looks good and fits well (thanks @jono84) and some proper lock on grips. No more bits borrowed from other bikes.

Even the hateful brake rubbing is down to an acceptable shing shinging after I freed up a stuck piston - the Clarks M2 are amazingly cheap and actually pretty awesome, but annoying to have that from the off. Hopefully won't come back.

Had grand plans to get some braze ons to fit a pizza rack, but got a decent bar bag so don't think I'll bother for now. Next up in the future will probably be knobbly bigger tyres and a smaller ratio if I get time to take it properly off road.

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very cool little bike

What bar bag is that?

https://www.tweekscycles.com/uk/topeak-frontloader-handlebar-bag-euktbp-fl1b/

That looks so fun! Like a big bmx

Thanks. The bike looks superb.

Had the opportunity and inclination to finally take this off road today, around some woods and paths near Biggin Hill.

Such a lovely bike to ride on bridleways and singletrack; so completely inappropriate with those slick tyres and 13t sprocket when there was any sort of mud, incline, camber, bends, etc.

Still loved it and want to start doing it more, with some proper mtb tyres and a ratio a bit closer to 2:1.

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