Yellow Beast

Spoke decision made. CX-Ray. Now considering count and patterns.
Thinking radial front, 28 or less. For quirks, rear 4x ds 2x nds, 32 maybe less.
Still not settled on hubs. If DA, I'm going with the theory that the non radial stipulation is a Shimano arse-covering-exercise.
Any experience with Ambrosio track hubs?

I am taking my time to decide upon and select parts and am shopping around for best prices. Some parts I may get second-hand, though am inclined to get all the 'working parts' (BB, hubs, chain, etc.) new, though I feel no need to replace the headset included in the sale.

In the meantime, I do not want the Beast to languish. The more time I spend with it and doing things to it, the better I will get to know it and to feel it is mine, insomuch as anything can be.
So, in-between bouts of parts research I am applying coats of wax to it. It is advised to leave at least 24 hours between coats, so now seems like a good time to get some on.
I got some of this a while ago for my black Raleigh and it's quite impressive stuff.

It comes out of the bottle pink, like this:

Smear it all over your bike and let it sit for a while. Use one corner of your cloth.

Soon it hazes and looks like this:

Next, using a different corner of your cloth buff it and voilà:

The shine is of course more noticeable and impressive on black, but from experience I have seen that it is very good at repelling dirt and grime that would show up all the more on bright yellow and multiple coats really do help.
On the bottle it recommends leaving 30 to 45 seconds to haze before buffing. I have tried this and have also tried leaving it up to 24 hours to stiffen before buffing. 45 seconds doesn't seem very long for that to happen. The extra time didn't really seem to add extra shine, however nor did it seem to have any detrimental effect. Perhaps what may be worth giving more time to is the hardening after buffing and before applying the next coat. 24 hours is definitely enough.
I bought the microfibre polish cloth from the same brand when I bought the wax, although I suppose any decent polish cloth will do.

I find the best music to have on whilst waxing a bicycle is 17th century French military music, on period instruments of course.

Oh, by the way, make no mistake; this will be no 'Show Pony'. When this bike is ready it will be beasted.

wax the welds while youre at it, maybe some bit will come off

wax the welds while youre at it, maybe some bit will come off

...all over your bike...

Done and no.

There is literally no point in leaving it for 24hrs, you just need enough time for it to dry out.

I detail my bike the same way I detail my bike, I am very, very sad..

I am happy to provide some bicycles in need of detailing, if you chaps still feel the need.

Appears I may be sad too .. Nothing like a good coating of wax to protect the paint!

On the stem front have you considered the NITTO UI85BX ?

Haha 24hrs is crazy, a few minutes is enough with that stuf, we sometimes use it in the shop on a bit more expensive bikes.

On the stem front have you considered the NITTO UI85BX ?

Thanks for the suggestion Oswald, but the angle isn't right.

I'm looking for 75 degrees or less / 25 degrees or more.
The UI85BX is 83 degrees / 7 degrees.

I'm pretty settled on the Cinelli and Nitto with a shim, unless someone comes up with a combo to achieve similar angle, drop, curves, and colour without shim.

Thinking about rims now. The Velocity Pro Elite is heavier than I would like. Doesn't seem much out there alloy aero tubular (unbuilt rims).

I am not sure how you are calculating the stem, but these days the degrees are related to the headtube angle, i.e. stem listed as 0 deg will be at 90 degrees in relation to the headtube.
cinelli you listed is 17deg.
sorry if you knew that already, I am just unsure what you mean by '25deg'.

I'm glad you've asked me about that, so that I can make it completely clear. During my search I have seen stem angles described in two different ways. Let's call them angle a and angle b. I have found a stem described as having a 65 degree angle; in this case I believe they must be referring to angle b. If described with angle a, it would be 25 degrees.

Allow me to illustrate:

http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u237/christophergill/Yellow%20Beast/354db982-e293-44dd-8234-e9088b409118_zpscd4669f2.jpg

ah ok, thats what I thought. What stem is that?

Cinelli Pista stem

25 degrees angle a, 65 degrees angle b

my mistake, I hought i comes in -17 only.

Nittos do an OS version of 123 btw, and Deda Pista bars are of the same specs as nittos (109reach, 170 drop +- 2mm).

Didn't know that. B123AA OS would be best if I can find it black.
The Deda Pista bars I cannot find in less than 40cm width (ctc). Besides, I prefer the more continuous bends of the Nittos.

glad to see the carpet make a return

Doesn't seem much out there alloy aero tubular (unbuilt rims).

That market for aero tubular rims has largely moved to carbon fibre these days I suspect.

cleaning and removing the stickers is a great first step. hope it will look a bit different to tm's build and all the other hhsbs.

...

hed3 front and rear!!!!

no, it would be porn, not only in a hhsb-way

Anyway, loving the bath time... I gave it quite a thorough clean by my standards before sending it, glad to see its gone to an adoring home.

....

i didn't meant that negative tm!. it was just that if a frame changed from on to another forumenger a different build up would be more interesting. your build up with the hed3 were still pron.

Deda makes the Pista stem, less steep than the Cinelli, just 20 degrees

and if you want to try the measurement i have a spare Cinelli pista 110mm to lend (or sell)

Spoke decision made. CX-Ray. Now considering count and patterns.
Thinking radial front, 28 or less. For quirks, rear 4x ds 2x nds, 32 maybe less.
Still not settled on hubs. If DA, I'm going with the theory that the non radial stipulation is a Shimano arse-covering-exercise.
Any experience with Ambrosio track hubs?

I haz 32h Ambrosio track on the front of a (not entirely dissimilar bike), Though I've gone for a more trad 3x config.
Hub is an excellent choice - decent bearings that last well, good plating on axles/nuts/cones (i.e. not much rust for everyday use) reasonably good looking and dirt cheap (mine was a fiver).

Don't think I'd lace it radial though - I ran Hope Mono 28h radial (against manufacturers wishes) for ~20,000 miles - around Christmas, one of the flanges broke off - luckily I wasn't riding, but it did make me a bit cautious about using non-forged hubs radial.

re: whacky spoke lacing - to me it's a bit like non-white art galleries or non-skinny catwalk models - If you have a good justification go for it... In younger years I rocked a crows foot (the impetuousness of youth)..
Great bike btw - look forward to seeing how it turns out.

and if you want to try the measurement i have a spare Cinelli pista 110mm to lend (or sell)

Thanks. That is a helpful offer. I may just take you up on that, I was thinking of getting a few different lengths to try and to return those not right. However not just yet, I don't have bars and have only barely started considering post and saddle, though I have a post and saddle on a different bike I will probably use temporarily for fitting.
I much prefer the plain simple look of the Cinelli.

I haz 32h Ambrosio track on the front of a (not entirely dissimilar bike), Though I've gone for a more trad 3x config.
Hub is an excellent choice - decent bearings that last well, good plating on axles/nuts/cones (i.e. not much rust for everyday use) reasonably good looking and dirt cheap (mine was a fiver).

Don't think I'd lace it radial though - I ran Hope Mono 28h radial (against manufacturers wishes) for ~20,000 miles - around Christmas, one of the flanges broke off - luckily I wasn't riding, but it did make me a bit cautious about using non-forged hubs radial.

re: whacky spoke lacing - to me it's a bit like non-white art galleries or non-skinny catwalk models - If you have a good justification go for it... In younger years I rocked a crows foot (the impetuousness of youth)..
Great bike btw - look forward to seeing how it turns out.

That's a tidy looking bike. I like the all black of those hubs. Regarding lacing; it has been said that only the drive-side flange transmits torque. Having some faith in the chap that said so, it has crossed my mind to lace radially on the non-drive-side and three or four cross (which ever gives closer to 90 degrees) on the drive-side. As some off the peg wheels do nowadays. I have a feeling however that it's probably not worth the risk with expensive spokes and a home made wheel, which is why I've stated two cross non-drive-side.
My mind is pretty set with radial front, so steering away from the Ambrosio hubs and getting more settled on Dura-Ace. I read somewhere that they are not forged, cast or milled, but spun. Apparently, somewhere out there, there are 24h high flange front DA hubs, I don't think I'll find these and I doubt it would be much fun getting the spokes up to the necessary tension in non eyeleted rims anyway.

I've been considering the rims today and I have decided to get non-machined sidewalls front and back. I have already wondered how I might get the bike to and from this or that track (just Herne Hill for now) and that it might not be the most sensible plan to ride across London and back on fancy tubular tyres with about one millimetre of tread. The best plan is probably to use some cheap and durable clinchers for travelling and to put the race wheels on my back. May later make some faster street wheels.

I have been trying to check the compatibility of an Omnium chainset with a dura-ace rear hub and sprocket and I'm still not 100% sure. I think a single sided hub should give me any adjust-ability I need.

It feels a bit like not much is happening with this bike in the physical world, but it is all squirming around in my head; compatibilities, weight, durability, sizes, colour, prices, skid patches, even or odd total number of teeth, reach, angles...
It's starting to settle and soon once I've found good prices for everything it'll all be here and then together fast. So many variables it probably won't be spot on at first, but I'm eager to get going.

Just my paint geek coming out but if you want this thing to really shine..

. clean frame using warm soapy water, rinse thoroughly
. purchase mcguire's clay bar and slide along well lubricated (with water..) until smooth
. machine polish using Mother's 3 point polish, get the polisher going fairly quick so it warms up
. finish with Collinite 476S wax, apply it with your hands, covering the whole frame
. buff off with a micro-fiber and enjoy

keep maintained with a good quality speed detailer. When you ride and your bike gets 'dusty' it's not dust on the road, it's salt which will eat away at your paintwork and frame, be it steel alu or carbon.

...sorry, I have a bit of a 'thing' for detailing cars and bikes..