Current Projects chat and miscellany

I have a alu fixed that I think I finally might have got the position sorted on, and was thinking of buying a steel frame for the sake of trying it out, but every time I see a sorted CX bike, I can't help but think "That looks a lotta fun, I wonder..."

Damn you Damnit for making me do it again!

^I'm on the lookout for a singlespeed disc CX bike/frame. 135mm rear hub, so I can use a bolt on cog & run mtb hubs. Thankfully I haven't seen one yet :-)

Both of you should do it- they really are the most flexible bikes going.

I do quite a lot of road training miles on mine, I did Paris-Roubaix on it, I rip round Richmond Park on it, then change the tyres and fall off it in the mud.

Lol! You're very convincing! ;P

^^I still haven't tried riding fixed! I would like a really solid Winter/English weather trainer..... Fixed with disc seems to fit that bill. I was planning to experiment with a bolt on cog with my old Explosif frame first. If I don't get on with fixed, then singlespeed + disc brake + reliable/servicable freehub would still work.

change the tyres and fall off it in the mud.

Change to a different tyre?

I've got a few different pairs, I was using Michelin Mud 2's when I crashed, I'll give the Maxxis a go next time.

^I'm on the lookout for a singlespeed disc CX bike/frame

On-One Pompetamine would do, surely?

^ 6' 7" :-(

Effective top tube on XL frame is 576mm. I'm usually comfortable between 600 - 610mm

6' 7"

https://bigandtallbike.3dcartstores.com/Zinn-Magster--Magnesium-Cyclocoss-frame-for-67-rider_p_224.html

^Thanks*, it looks hideous though & at that price I'd go custom. I do notice a few manufacturers producing larger frame sizes for the freak market lately, so I'll just wait for now.

*Aware that you might be taking the piss :-)

*Aware that you might be taking the piss :-)

It doesn't have disc mounts anyway. I just saw your height and thought "Zinn"

Hi guys, totally newbie to this but I'm just begrudgingly selling my tvr to get into cycling. I got donated a Reynolds 531 Overbury's frame a couple of years ago that has sat doing nothing so have thrown some new wheels on and a pretty crazy colour scheme (will post pics when I can)

I've got issues with the crank though, I'm changing it to a fixie but the crank won't come off as its threaded. Is there any clever way, other than a puller, of getting it off or is just out with hacksaw ? Other than it being threaded I'm told it's a nice crank so it seems a shame to destroy it.

Any thoughts would be awesome !

AJ

Welcome. ^^^^^^ I suggest you go to local bike shop, who will have correct tool. Are you sure you mean crank and not bottom bracket? Try Sheldon Brown website, too.

I think he means the threads on his cranks is stripped so he cant get them off. An experienced bike mechanic can deal with this, involves a lump hammer.

Got good news for you AJ, bikes are much cheaper than cars, pretty much a negligible cost to keep. You can hold onto your TVR.

Assuming the cranks are square taper and you dont care about the crank arm just take the crank bolt off then ride it around for a bit.

Not that I've tried this but iirc it's Sheldon's suggestion.

I just saw your height and thought "Zinn"

I tend to associate massive cross bikes with Ryan ( endless leg ) Trebon.

I did see this converted cross check on mtbr. I wouldn't go as far as fitting disc mounts to the frame. I could easily swap the fork, stick a canti/v brake on the rear ( which may not be needed much if run fixed )

Or could just wait till surly get round to making the disc version, as they have with the disc trucker.

Out of curiosity ( as you appear to be the LFGSS sage ;-), what do you think of Mr Zinn's opinions on crank length?

Custom made up to 220mm long!

Is there any clever way, other than a puller, of getting it off or is just out with hacksaw ?

https://www.lfgss.com/post2993401-63814.html

what do you think of Mr Zinn's opinions on crank length?

He's right that very long-legged riders can use very long cranks, he's wrong to suggest that they need to. All the hard science points to crank length being irrelevant within quite a wide range, certainly wide enough that there is nobody alive so tall that they would be disadvantaged by being stuck with the widely available 175s.

^ Thanks. His inseam x 0.216 calculation puts me between 195 - 200mm long. I've had nothing but 175mm for about 15 years now & much prefer having a wide range of crank options.

*weight/strength/style etc...

Ultegra 12-27

Out of interest, are you having to space this road cassette to take into account the 135mm spacing? I ask, as I intend to fit a Tiagra 10sp cassette to my hope hubs when I get them back next week.

Nope, I suppose the whole cassette is 2.5mm to the right of where it would be on a road bike, but in terms of where the cassette is from the mech, it's identical to a 130mm frame- i.e. the mech/cassette relationship is unchanged.

I have been running 11-32 cassettes on this bike, using the Ultegra is something of an experiment, as the gaps between ratios on the 11-32 are pretty huge in some cases.

I got up Zoncolan on 34/27 so that should be low enough for anything the UK can throw at me!

Although, at 9.53kg it is a little heavier than my road bike.

^ 6' 7" :-(

Effective top tube on XL frame is 576mm. I'm usually comfortable between 600 - 610mm

I havent looked at the measurements, but what about a 29'er frame, as you'd expect those to be more suited to the taller fellow.

.. thinking of buying a steel frame for the sake of trying it out, but every time I see a sorted CX bike, I can't help but think "That looks a lotta fun, I wonder..."

PX uncle johns are cheap and practical. The new blue colour is quite nice too IMO.