Rude lunchtime Rudy

Have you used those halo tyres before? I've used them on a fixed gear and a cargo bike and hated them on both! They don't seem to have any grip at all until they're quite worn in.

Argh, no! I did see some reviews about lack of grip but they seemed to relate to downhill and off-road complaints. I figured for commuting in cold shitty conditions they'd be fine?

That's not my experience. The 700c version I had were fine after a few weeks but absolutely useless before then. The ones on the trike we use at work went in the bin because they kept getting punctures. Having said that, that's obviously not their intended use.

Well they’re definitely shouty.

Very thin in between the treads as well, I think I can see why you picked up punctures @ltc

1 Attachment

Right, this is pretty much ready to go again. Just need to make a few tweaks before I go home and I should be able to take it on its first proper ride - in the shitty weather.

Pretty sure I just need to shorten the chain a few links, move the chainring inboard, saddle height and check everything is done up tight.

1 Attachment

check everything is done up tight

BRAKE LEVERS

Well that was a slightly frustrating ride home. Stopped a couple of times to get the ride position spot on. What I couldn’t do was find a sweet spot where the gears didn’t keep jumping. I tried both ways on the adjuster and even set the cable up from scratch on the roadside last night in the sleet. I just wonder if the derailleur took a bash when I had it stored at my old work and maybe it’s running a bit out of line.

Positives: it feels much more stable on wet slippery roads covered in crap. Last night it was pissing it down with rain and sleet and it felt way more sure-footed than my track bike which I normally commute on. It’s comfy and soaks up the bumps (though needs a lot more effort to pedal). Brakes feel nice and low effort.

Need to look at those gears before I can ride it again though. I might look into a bit more chainring as well. I think it’s a 32 on there but I think a 36 will make better use of the cassette.

Gears adjusted. Now done about 30 miles with flawless shifting. I clearly don’t need anything above the 17t on the cassette, which leaves 5 redundant gears for most riding, so I might have a re-think about the gearing!

1 Attachment

Last picture of this for a while. Frame is going up in the loft and running gear coming off for my cargo bike.

1 Attachment

That's sad

That's sad

Sort of sad, but I'm really glad it never sold because it's a really nice ride. It used to bug me when I saw it in the loft, but now I've put some miles on it I know it's a keeper.

Rebuild time.

1 Attachment

yes! the rebuild is rad!

Always loved this build so I'm glad you've resurrected it. I just read through from the start and your thinking behind this is exactly how I'm think when building my daft Aquila Tri bike at the minute.

New drivetrain etc is 10-speed 105 with TRP Eurox cantis, 3T stem and Ritchey bars - all pinched from another build that didn't work out. I'm just waiting on a canti hanger for the front. I was going to go for a fork-mounted one but I'd have to unwrap the bars and re-do the cabling to make that happen, so I've gone for a steerer mounted one and I'll see how it goes. Can always change the cable later if it's a problem.

This really needs a salsa stem

I need a shorter 100mm stem. Quill stems are tricky on this because of the 1-1/4” steerer and all the bars I have for this bike are o/s. Did Salsa do a 1-1/8” ahead stem for 31.8 bars or just for 26mm bars?

I think they have done both. They mainly appear on ebay in the US tho -

https://www.ebay.com/itm/SALSA-1-1-4-x-130-x-26-THREADLESS-CrMo-STEEL-STEM-BLACK/272944323973?hash=item3f8cbfdd85:g:YWEAAOSw4P1Z2Pv3

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Salsa-Mountain-Quill-Stem-1-1-8-25-4-130/303478755407?hash=item46a8be504f:g:1-EAAOSwnKFeP0kn

Back with a bang

Front brake attached and canti hanger fitted. Brakes sort of adjusted. Saddle adjusted. Bar tape patched up. Spare bar plug not found. Quick pic before the Hamax kiddie seat goes on and me and the boy hit the local paths tomorrow!

1 Attachment

Did a nice couple of miles this morning with the boy on the back, then did a 20 mile round trip emergency food delivery for some sick friends.

This thing is waaaaay more stable with some weight on it than my GT is. The GT wiggles around something chronic with the Hamax seat on it. I think it’s a combination of things. The weight is a lot further back on the GT because of the shorter wheelbase and it can get a bit of a springy pendulum going at slow speeds. Also I think while the GT is very stiff in the up/down direction, it’s not very stiff side to side and I can feel this in the steering. The Rudy feels much more solid.

1 Attachment

The brakes are ok but I had the straddle cables very low and clearance over the tyre was a bit on the tight side. I’m new to cantis so I followed the Park Tool guide, though there seems to be a bit of opinion on the correct height e.g. GCN.

https://youtu.be/G_tDym0G6zo

Haven’t ridden it yet, but pushing it along the floor it feels like it needs a little less pressure on the levers - but also now appears to squeal the brakes. Hopefully that’s not a thing.

So rad. Glad it made a comeback.

@matteroftaste cheers!

Been doing quite a lot of local riding with the child seat onboard and generally exploring all the places a road bike won't go, but finally got a ride out by myself today. Did my local 25 mile hilly loop. This thing flies and the big tyres make it great wherever you take it. There's a long section of road being resurfaced and I could just batter over it without even slowing down and that would have trashed any of my other bikes. Bumpy road? What even is that.

No squeal on the brakes which is good news. V brakes definitely work better but these look cooler.

Been using this bike for practically everything at the moment. It’s... just bloody capable on everything you ride it over.

Switching up from a 32 to a 34 chainring because I think it’ll fill a gearing gap I have between the top two gears on the flat and I won’t keep getting stuck between the two. Please excuse the BRIGHT CHINESIUM RED ANO but it was already in my box and was basically free. If it works out I’ll get a nicer black one for the longer term. Also have a fresh box of red Specialized Roubaix bar tape to go on, to replace the stuff on there which is falling apart a bit.

2 Attachments