Saffron Frameworks Dream Bike

I've also recently started erring towards the idea of using a stainless tubeset.

Chrome-plating the rear triangle, forks and lugs would be wildly expensive and the money I'd save by not bothering would more or less pay for the upgrade to stainless.
And let's face it, stainless won't rot and can still be painted snazzy colours or polished.
Having sold my kidneys to pay for The Dream Bike, I feel like I should at least feel happy riding it all year round and not have to get a winter bike as well.

Cicli barco do lovely frames with stainless steel rear stays. Mixing Columbus tubeset.
They polish up just as good as chrome, as well as saving weight and rust issues.

Max forks aren't stainless however.
How heavy are you? Whilst a framebuilder may have built disc forks with max for one customer, riding style, intentions and rider weight would have been a factor in that decision

Indeed not, which is probably why they're not polished on that Bishop. Which is a shame but maybe I can deal with painted forks. Maybe!
I'm about 60kg... I asked about the Max forks in the framebuilding section and apparently they are non-tapered so have 0.9mm wall thickness all the way down, which is the same thickness as other Columbus 'for disc' fork blades. Normal Max fork blades are 0.9mm towards the crown and then 0.6mm all the way down.

They're the nicest looking option I can find so far.... until someone is daft enough to release a 1" carbon disc fork : )

Normal Max fork blades are 0.9mm towards the crown and then 0.6mm all the way down.

Yeah that's true

0.9mm wall thickness all the way down, which is the same thickness as other Columbus 'for disc' fork blades

Not necessarily that though. They're all 1.2mm at the crown, tapering to 0.9 or 1.0 from a quick glance at the catalogue but I'm sure the non butted max blades would be fine for you at 60kg

Interesting, cheers : )

Probably better to go with the disc specific ones even if they're a little heavier... at least they'll feel trustworthy. Plus I'm already 40 and I'm not planning on curbing the pies any time soon.

A friend had Max disc forks which couldn't hack it (not sure which spec), best to err on the side of caution. @TM's pics.

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Shit.

Do you happen know if they were the thicker version blades?
And what kind of bike it was on? Looks like they have front pannier braze-ons....
Maybe it makes a difference if it's a fully-loaded tourer.

going ahead with this

Looking good!
You're no longer considering these sweet top eyes?

Subbed

Isn't this @badboybjorn s bike? Maybe he will share an even better photo.

Ps - don't go for disc brakes.

why not?!

Yup, probably still going for them.... although must admit the fastback / wishbone options are gaining traction : )

But I definitely do like the idea of the new frame making little nods to some of my past frames.

The braking performance isnt massively better, the maintenance is a hassle, they look worse. Also #dbad.

The braking performance isnt massively better

Performance is consistent in all conditions in a way that rim brakes aren't, modulation is better and you cannot beat discs for sheer stopping power.

the maintenance is a hassle

If you are a half way competent home mechanic, then it really isn't.

they look worse.

Ha

So, for what it's worth, this is my thinking on brake choices:

What I want is a set of wheels that are light, aero, stop in the rain, have completely black rims with no silver brake track, and are of high-enough quality / fancy enough to meet the Dream Bike™ remit.

So these are the options:

Caliper brakes:

One set of fast wheels + one set of 'bad weather' wheels.
So Maybe Zipp 302 + Boyd Altamont Ceramic

Pros: Rim brakes look normal on this kind of frame, I can have whatever forks I like.
Cons: If I want Dream Wheels™ then I need to get a sensible set for winter as well, which is obviously more expensive and creates clutter. And at some point in the future I'll have to replace the rims / wheels - probably at a point when it'll be impossible to source anything compatible with the rest of the by now fully redundant build.

Disc brakes:

One set of fast wheels.

Pros: Only one set needed, no rim wear, better braking performance in the wet, disc brakes are more interesting on this kind of frame, and I get to feel like I'm at least trying to drag myself into the modern world.
Cons: It fucks with my choice of forks. If I go with Max then they're not stainless and they might fail, if I go with 853 they'll look like they belong on a crust bike.

So I still don't know, basically.
If I can figure out a safe 1" threadless disc fork that looks good, I'll go with discs.
If not I'll go with calipers.

twit twoo!

I don't know I'm afraid. Found a post on the original build. I think he's had a rando bag setup on a front rack before.

Edit: 1" steel disc forked build popped up on here the other day.

Thanks @GideonPARANOID, both of those links are super helpful.

I guess at the end of the day I'll leave it to Winston to decide if he's happy with the Max option. Tbf those 853 forks don't look so bad...

I usually don't like the curve on 853 disc forks (like on this Beaumont) but those Varonha ones are maybe marginally better - the bend seems slightly smoother and nearer the dropouts, but maybe that's just the photo...?

If it's possible to twin them with a more sympathetic crown (actually like the Beaumont) then I might be tempted... if it's possible to get them done straight I'll be 100% convinced!

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For comparison:

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A great project and I love the way you’re approaching it without compromise for the aesthetic you’ve had in mind. Subbed.

Or option C, carbon forks with disc brakes.