Current Projects chat and miscellany

I was thinking about asking that just today actually. It was way better when it was on here, the separate site is dead.

I'd much prefer to go back to posting in here too. There just isn't enough traffic to keep people going back to dublinfgss

Also, rogan was right about the stem and seatpost.

Ahh I often see now I presume your gf on that bob jackson on the spice route some mornings.

Always liked the look of that bob jackson

^^Yes, they're straight

The mudguards are the Tokyo Fixed own brand ones attached with p clips

must be weird to ride with? also just curious, what size is the low Rixon?

i'll stop with the interview now.

Saddles on all Rixon >>>>
or is it <<< back. Shift them back.
otherwise. Jelly!

must be weird to ride with?

The fork blades are straight, but angled relative to the steerer axis to provide the same offset as a curved fork where the blades are aligned with the steerer at the crown and then curve away. Steering response is the same either way.

They are zero rake apparently. Yikes.

No fork offset = lots of trail = slow steering.

In other words, no need for your yikes.

i iz confused. Am I right that normal thinking is that steep angles and little rake (which is the same as offset right?) give twitchy/fast steering? Which is what track bikes have.

Whereas slack angles and big rake gives slow and stable steering, which is what eg. Dutch bikes have.

Tester, are you saying this is incorrect? Is there a good online article to explain all this? Wikipedia didn't clear anything up for my stupid brain.

Got one of these forks now. Do I use it with the red Cross Check or stick with the original Surly steel fork? Is the carbon steerer tube more fragile?

i iz confused. Am I right that normal thinking is that steep angles and little rake (which is the same as offset right?) give twitchy/fast steering? Which is what track bikes have.

Whereas slack angles and big rake gives slow and stable steering, which is what eg. Dutch bikes have.

Tester, are you saying this is incorrect? Is there a good online article to explain all this? Wikipedia didn't clear anything up for my stupid brain.

You sort of have things backwards.

Beater got a tad more practical.

They are zero rake apparently. Yikes.

They built it so it could barspin (a very odd choice for Bob Jackson) so as far as I can tell they slackened the headtube, and gave it straight forks. It feels normal to ride, perhaps a little slower steering than my rixon, but not that noticeably.

Beater got a tad more awesome

ftfy

what basket is that?

They built it so it could barspin (a very odd choice for Bob Jackson) so as far as I can tell they slackened the headtube, and gave it straight forks. It feels normal to ride, perhaps a little slower steering than my rixon, but not that noticeably.

Yeah, you can see the headtube angle is quite slack to compensate.

The whole rake/offset/trail thing comes round every now and then on here. Track bikes often have more trail and thus slower steering than road bikes, ostensibly to offset the lower rear end stability that results from the high bottom bracket.

Beater got a tad more practical.

ftfy

what basket is that?

'what basket is that' is the new 'what bars are they'
racks on tracks are the new HHSB
up is down, black is white

I, for one, am glad.

Got one of these forks now. Do I use it with the red Cross Check or stick with the original Surly steel fork? Is the carbon steerer tube more fragile?

I ride a carbon steerer on my pompino and I'm alive. Bike's a lot lighter. Had a crosscheck too, which my better half has now. anywhere you can save weight on it you should.

Just don't do an owenreed.

i iz confused. Am I right that normal thinking is that steep angles and little rake (which is the same as offset right?) give twitchy/fast steering? Which is what track bikes have.

Whereas slack angles and big rake gives slow and stable steering, which is what eg. Dutch bikes have.

Tester, are you saying this is incorrect? Is there a good online article to explain all this? Wikipedia didn't clear anything up for my stupid brain.

You sort of have things backwards.

They built it so it could barspin (a very odd choice for Bob Jackson) so as far as I can tell they slackened the headtube, and gave it straight forks. It feels normal to ride, perhaps a little slower steering than my rixon, but not that noticeably.

Yeah, you can see the headtube angle is quite slack to compensate.

The whole rake/offset/trail thing comes round every now and then on here. Track bikes often have more trail and thus slower steering than road bikes, ostensibly to offset the lower rear end stability that results from the high bottom bracket.

Steeper head tube angle = Faster steering
More rake = Faster steering

Whereas,

Slack head tube = Slow and steady steering
Less rake = Slow and steady steering

Which is why track bikes have really tight angles so they can be responsive and quick, but have to balance out the twitchy steering which gets worse the faster you go (and last time I checked track is fast) with less rake which slows the steering down a tad to make it ridable.

Fast bikes always have a balance of rake and head tube angle (BB drop and chain stay length also effect handling and steering too), which is why tourers, which are generally used at slower speeds, can have actually have much faster steering and handling than a fast road or track bike, as they are used at slower speeds.

Just finished my L'Eroica bike.
Weighs a ton, looks rock hard and cost £65 to build!

The blue bag beneath the saddle contains 2 spare tubs, wheel flop is awful, when you're out of the saddle giving it some, but as long as you stay seated and relaxed it handles OK, but with all that frame weight and superlight wheels (1900g per pair incl. tyres) it rolls like a dream!

^^ It's not the head tube or rake per se, it's mostly about the trail that results from the combination of those factors.

This is probably the article you're thinking of, that mentions the touring bike characteristics:

http://www.cyclingtips.com.au/2011/02/the-geometry-of-bike-handling/

But it's not because they're used at slower speeds. The lower bottom bracket and longer chainstays improves their high-speed characteristics, not worsens them.

I think there's a popular misconception that track bikes are better handling, or faster handling than road bikes. They're inherently less stable, but within such a range that it doesn't create problems for the rider.

wheel flop is awful, when you're out of the saddle giving it some, but as long as you stay seated and relaxed it handles OK, but with all that frame weight and superlight wheels (1900g per pair incl. tyres) it rolls like a dream!

Well, the stem is about 10cm shorter than you usually ride. ;)

Looks great!

Thought it was worth showing my pedals i have ready for my surly, wanted to try those straps on those pedals for ages, haven't ridden with them yet but they feel good already

Bagaboo straps (from urbanhunter.biz)
System-ex toe clips
MKS touring pedals

might try and make some sort of toe cover for those cold wet nights, waxed canvas and a sewing kit maybe

^^True - and it couldn't quite slam either due to the front canti cable hanger.
Pretty much a sit-up-and-beg position by my usual standards, think I'll also have to tip the saddle back a touch too

Is it a Cinelli saddle or a copy?

Also, did you see the Shorter got stolen? :(

^ What the Lo Pro I sold to Marina? - incredibly disappointing

The saddle's a San Marco Frescia D'Oro - basically a blag of a Unicantor.
I know a 50's british bike would have a Brooks, but couldn't bring myself to do it...
Didn't quite manage to shellac the bars to match the colour.

the Peugeot arrived - paintwork is in a poor state, and the yellow is much more amber in the reality. It has Gipiemme dropouts and fastback stays, but other than that no other identifying markers, it's reasonably light aswell. Just waiting for a bb to arrive from wiggle and I can finish building it up

http://www.lfgss.com/picture.php?albumid=820&pictureid=14133