Preuss Columbus MAX frame tube/lug disassembly and Road to Road/Track conversion

Hi there,
sharing the current state of a project I am working on for longer now: it's a french Preuss road frame made of Columbus MAX which had a loose seatstay near the seatcluster lug.

Originally it was STxTT 61x59cm (both CTC) and had quite slack angles and clearance, so I decided to take it apart and completely re-think the whole geometry.
It's new purpose will be a short-distance commute bike, and the main feature of the new geometry is that everything became super-tight and with steeper angles, and the top-tube has been shortened to 55.5cm and got a slight pursuit-like 2° negative slope.
The forks have been made shorter, too, so they are tighter and have less rake.
The other unusual feature are the new dropouts, the old standard road dropouts have been replaced by a special kind that look like track dropouts, but with a hanger (found at ceeway), so this will be used with gears, but the dropouts and the geometry are supposed to still lend it a HHSB track like appearance.

Still lots to do, but as I am not a framebuilder (I only know how to disassemble, not to braze, haha), this will now be given to an actual framebuilder to finish the work.

Very interesting. Any details/more pics of the disassembly and work done shortening the tubes?

Nice work. Who's done the brazing

Uhm, if you're not a framebuilder, I highly doubt that you know how to properly 'disassemble'

Looking forward to this being brazed up before realising no wheels/tyres will fit any more.
Spoiling it imo

Uhm, if you're not a framebuilder, I highly doubt that you know how to properly 'disassemble'

I didn't realise that it only framebuilders are allowed to have metal working skills...

Looking forward to this being brazed up before realising no wheels/tyres will fit any more.

as you can see on the image, wheels and tyres fit nicely

I can see from the image it looks ridiculous. Do you have dwarfism of the arms?

Uhm, if you're not a framebuilder, I highly doubt that you know how to properly 'disassemble'

What I know is that everything's fine as long as you keep the temperatures below a certain level (dark red for Columbus Niobium material) and that one shall always heat up the lug and not the tube itself, evenly all around without generating hot spots.

Feel free to share your magic extra knowledge.

I can see from the image it looks ridiculous. Do you have dwarfism of the arms?

To me, long frames with riders stretching out look ridiculous. So, it's a matter of personal taste. Many people forget that road and track frames actually have a inadequate geometry when they are used in city traffic, as you actually need a much more upright position there.

And yeah, I am old, my back is even older, and my legs are super long, so I need that kind of T-Rex geometry.

Toverlapophobia is strong with this one.

I know, but this will be ridden with gears, not fixed, so I think it will be acceptable. Shouldn't be more overlap than any other 55cm TT frame.

looks crazy, in a good way. I remember you are also in Berlin? who's doing the work? I might need a downtube replaced somewhere near spring..

I might need a downtube replaced somewhere near spring..

I too hate it when my downtube wears out just around the time the weather starts to get better.

Rodolfo: the fork has been shortened by me and brazed by Tom at meerglas.org, and hopefully I can convince him to do the rest, too ;-)
But, his website is saying something like he absolutely does not take any more repair orders and the likes at the moment, so I guess he is pretty busy.

I like the gaffa tape look, has a je ne sais quoi (or Ich weiß nicht was?)

the downtube has already failed, and the frame is under my bed. front ended by previous owner, death by me.

I might wanna scratch the njs rat summer ride scratch, hence, I might wanna get. the downtube replaced.

I love it when I start justifying myself to an internet stranger without wit and humor. I am afraid this German thing is getting too me..

Wenn du in Rom bist...

There's a guy that advertises bike repairs on some FB flohmarkt groups, maybe worth a shout?

thanks for the headsup. I remember @brameses also getting some brake bosses brazed on here in berlin. will ask him too.

looking fwd to the results!

working on that german already aye?! we talk bout that next tiem we meet! xoxox

Anyone of you guys at the usedfun fleamarket during Berlin Fahrradschau this sunday? I will have a stand (see thread in General section)

Where's this? Got loads of Uni work and fuck all money but might have a scout about...

https://www.lfgss.com/conversations/318578/#comment14154990

utfs grubz

Durch, für, gegen, ohne, um.

Mit, nach, zeit, von, zu.