Brian Rourke Tarck > Road > TT

The time has come to overhaul my Brian Rourke track bike.

It currently more or less looks like this

This was the perfect sensible set-up for London, but now I reside in a very hilly part of Australia with a 60km round commute. As much as I would love a nice fast crabon thing I just can't afford it at the moment.

Then I remembered, this bike used to have gears! From what I know (http://www.lfgss.com/thread107316.html), the original owner had this bike modified to take gears. When I purchased the frame I had it resprayed by Armourtex and all the braze ons removed. In its current state it could do with a respray anyway, as the paint was damaged on the flight to Australia. So, I will have the frame resprayed again and have cable guides and hangers added (again).

This will be my first foray into gears, so I will have lots of questions. I've thought roughly about groupset - SRAM rival seems like a good option. I have no idea about wheelset, so suggestions are very welcome. The only other thing on my list is a new Chris King headset. I think that is it, if I'm overseeing anything please do let me know, and this will probably be a slow project while I accumulate the bits I need.

Cheers!

What part of 'straya xsvcx?

Perth hills! Are you in OZ?

I dont think its worth converting this to a geared bike; keep it as is and get a geared bike perhaps?

Aha! Where in Perth hills?
I live in Perth flat-lands, but spend more time in the hills than anywhere else on the bike. Know where bayswater is?

get a clamp on friction shifter, a clamp on derailleur adapter and a geared rear wheel so you can run 1x8 - be cheap and pimp

like this

https://www.flickr.com/photos/tomcutting/7886521702/

Is there a hub gear that could go in the back of there?

+1 no gears!
This bike is proper cool

Aha! Where in Perth hills?
I live in Perth flat-lands, but spend more time in the hills than anywhere else on the bike. Know where bayswater is?

Darlington/Glen Forrest :-) It's a lovely area, with some decent hills. My knees aren't too impressed though!
I do know where Bayswater is, if I'm commuting into the city I'll go along the bike path through there. Might catch you ;-)

Undoubtedly; as you past the train station, I'm in the lovely little red bike store on the corner opposite - small world, eh.

Cycles Bespoke? I was actually planning to pop in there - you wouldn't happen to know someone in Perth who could do a respray and cable guides/hangers?

Very small world!

Go in! Ask for Chris Jones who runs the place (and spent many-a-year in the UK) is actually a framebuilder, so should be happy to chuck some braze-ons for you. We also have at least two painters that we work with externally who could respray too.

MOST of the shops here are very very commercial, probably only Quantum cycles in the city and Bespoke are tooled up to do such a thing/work with nice steelies and the like.

Edit: tell them Nic sent you.

Ah, brilliant. Thank you!!

This bike is too awesome for geared conversion imo and the track geo might make things odd, it won't be hard or much, if any more expensive to find a small steel road frame.

I dont think its worth converting this to a geared bike; keep it as is and get a geared bike perhaps?

This! Maybe a Canyon? I hear they're a cracking bike to ride.

maybe a Canyon? I know they're cracking bikes.

ftfy

Second hand market in Perth is ridiculous, for $1500 you could have a decent carbon road bike with a 10 speed group. Must be plenty of nice steel for less than that too.

Also if you're running gears, try this route, nice alternative to the weir.

I've been scouring gumtree and the bay for the past month - not really much has come up in my size. I don't even know what size I should be looking for in modern compact bike, so to have a bike fit as well is more $$$. There was a colnago C40 frame (in midget size) for sale a little while back, should have sold my kidney for it.

And cheers for the route, I did a lap of the Weir today and it does get boring rather quickly. Will I die doing that fixed? Won't be getting gears for a while..

try bike exchange, worked for me when I was over there (I'm 172cm so not tall either). For sizing, top tube length is the first place to start. Most modern stuff comes with a height recommendation which is normally enough to start with, then do the rest with seatpost/stem changes (unless unusual body shape). Over there I picked up a small tcr advanced, whacked a decent stem on it and have been riding it since (now in NL).

As for the route, its hilly but on par with the weir. You can come up red hill on the way out if it isn't enough, and then loop back to Chidlow and John Forest. the small parts of toodyay used to connect up aren't too bad for a highway, wide enough for the road trains to not be too much an issue.

You'll need to measure the rear end width,if it's been re-set for track/fixed it may only be 110/115mm,if so you'll need to have it re-spaced to 130 if you plan to use 8/9/10 speed cassette setup.

I'm 165cm, so thinking I will need a xs/small. Top tube certainly no longer than a 51. The Rourke has a 49 top tube with a 90mm stem and I don't feel too stretched on the hoods. Does that sound right?

I mapped it out with gmaps-pedometer, a long and narrow route from my place to the 'Death Valley' loop going via Stoneville Road and John Forrest national park is 80km. Going to put a 19t cog on, then attempt it :-)

If you havent read already there is some good resource here:

http://www.lfgss.com/thread126717.html

http://www.lfgss.com/thread46928.html

You'll need to measure the rear end width,if it's been re-set for track/fixed it may only be 110/115mm,if so you'll need to have it re-spaced to 130 if you plan to use 8/9/10 speed cassette setup.

I measured shortly after purchasing the frame. It's been respaced to 130 already, so I don't need to worry about that. Only reason I can run it fixed now is with the washers on the inside. Just noticed today my chain line is ever so slightly out, oops..

And thanks Amey, will re-read those threads.

@xsvcx

This is being sold in melbourne, as a complete, for $550 (I reckon he would go at $500 but, or even less), courier to WA is approx 60-80$
Reynolds 853 half fillet half lugged. Groupset is oooold 105 but would probably do until an upgrade? Would look smashing with 6800. I don't even mind the purple, to be honest. Made in Aus.

Edit: It's approx 50x50