You are reading a single comment by @Linc and its replies.
Click here to read the full conversation.
London Fixed Gear and Single-Speed is a community of predominantly fixed gear and single-speed cyclists in and around London, UK.
This site is supported almost exclusively by donations. Please consider donating a small amount regularly.
@Linc
I've clocked up about 100 miles on the bike this weekend so here's the first road report. All my observations are compared to my Condor Pista steel frame as both frames have an identical geometry and similar sort of components.
It handles pretty much identically to the Pista frame in cornering and general maneuverability. On the straight it also feels similar. I can't really feel any significant loss in speed compared with the Pista but it is noticeably smoother and more comfortable. I think the internal damping within the wood absorbs general road vibration very well and gives a very smooth ride. It is also by far the quietest bike I've ever ridden. The only noise is an eerie whistling that comes from the spokes in the front wheel over 23mph. Never had that before.
I haven't measured the lateral stiffness yet compared with the Pista frame but it doesn't feel nearly as lively when I get out of the saddle on hills which makes me think it is probably a fair bit more flexible. The frame is a bit heavier (I haven't measured that yet either) but I was riding without a water bottle and that's about the same as the weight difference so I doubt the weight is the reason it feels different. The rear stays do feel quite a bit more laterally flexible than a steel or alu frame so this is probably the reason. If (when) I build another one, I think I'll try filling in the gap between the seat stays all the way down to the wheel to stiffen up the back end. Alternatively making them a bit thicker would do the trick but I don't want it to look too heavy.
One other thing that I'm going to have to get used to is the size of the top tube. At 50mm wide it is a lot bigger than any bike I've ridden before and I tend to rub my knees on it especially when out of the saddle.
I'd like to go to Regents Park and do some back to back laps with the 2 bikes to see how they compare.
Overall, it rides reassuringly similarly to the Pista frame and I'm pretty pleased with how it's turned out.