Big Ted’s Second Midlife Crisis Build

My wife was on her socials and saw a post from a friend we haven’t seen for about 10 years. He’s now building frames and I asked, half jokingly, if he’d build me one - he said he’d be delighted to for the cost of materials and consumables and my wife, in a rash move she instantly regretted, said she’d pay.

Game very much on!!!!

Discussion has been back and forth, the Ceeway website pored over and thinks are taking shape (in concept rather than reality so far):

• steel frame
  
• Carbonda CFO606 fork (so clearance will be for 700 x 50c front and rear)
  
• 1 x groupset
  
• slightly curved seat tube
  
• rack and top tube box mounts
  
  

Geometry wise, it’s based loosely around an XL Open W.I.D.E. with some changes based on existing bikes plus no dropped chainstays (Reynolds and Colombia don’t seem to make them, or at least don’t offer commercially) so alternative plan for the stays to still get the desired clearance

One thing I’m very in two minds about is whether to go hydraulic or cable discs (hence daft question in the AliExpress thread about faux Paul Klampers). The Luddite in me leans towards the simplicity of cable discs - I can do cables - but it feels like I should go hydraulic (in which case the rear would be internally routed).

Still plenty of time for prevarication and mind changing….

Force AXS 1 x is looking mighty tempting

Don't bother with cable discs. They work perfectly fine but they require constant fettling to keep working in my experience. Hydro is almost fit and forget, albeit more effort to do the initial fitting.

This ^. All day long.

Makes sense, will just out source the initial set up

Impulsively the Force groupset has been ordered, plenty of opportunity to regret the decision later.

Is without cranks though - what options should I be considering?

Apart from Force 1x, obvs

Easton EC90 SL??

Tell that to the leaking, ineffectual Shimano hydraulics on my Bullitt while my BB7s soldier on

Absolutely but with the RRP would have to be second hand.

Rotor?

Hope?

Would XTR be total dog shit?

Leaking and ineffectual are my middle names.

Haha well everyone has anecdotes. I went into the side of a car which turned across me into a junction from the other direction. I had the priority/right of way going straight on but I still couldn't stop in time because of my shitty cable pull discs which had deteriorated to being very ineffective. Took them off the same day. I've had various SRAM, Shimano, hope and magura hydro brakes and whilst they can be a pain, require messy bleeding, all of them stop on a dime, every time

Sram red exogram cranks for lightness

Genuinely don't understand this, all you have to do is twiddle the knobs every so often? Sorry for your crash

I think it was TRP spyres. The pad adjustment seems fickle at best or just doesn't do anything at worst so I never could adjust them better. Agreed on bb7s though. I had some at one point and they were a lot simpler.

Was years ago now anyway, I won't bother with anything but hydro or rim brake now

I vaguely recall that the pad adjustment backed out on early Spyres? Bit of a crap design

The Force AXS 1 x has arrived so that’s resolved the hydro/cable dilemma for this build

I’m fine with a non-matching chainset but if I go with SRAM then I think it would need to match

I just need someone with some spare and competitively priced Rotors

Don’t go for the Eastons! I have a set I bought 2nd hand and after 4K km they have developed play in the drive side crank which if you do a google search unfortunately seems pretty common for them and there’s no real fixing it.

Which ones are you thinking about?
Which axle/BB standard?

I've got Spyres on my All City. Maybe they're a different model to the ones you had but they're a piece of piss to adjust, literally takes a minute with an allen key. I'm quite tempted by hydros if I suddenly find myself to be unexpectedly flush but I like the fact that even someone as thick as me can set up and maintain the Spyres.

Thanks, good to know that they are best avoided!!!