Search results for:

We'll look into it Horatio. And by look into it, I mean ... umm ... well I read it. That's a lot like looking into. AT = INTO. I tried.

Yeah, I spent 17 years in Saskatoon. Still think of it as the closest I have to a home town. Where were you in Sask?

Chris: Hateraid is my drink of choice for polo. Really gets the team spirit flowing.

They seem pretty cool, but I'm always kind of leery of companies introducing more and more spoke systems. If the trend keeps going toward proprietary spokes, soon you won't be able to get your wheels serviced in a shop, or do it yourself. Special tools. Special parts. Minimal performance gain. I'm happy with the tried and true.

And I'd guess you'd have no problems converting this to an SS wheel, so it's not way out of place here.

Well, I wouldn't rule out international shipping. We've shipped frames to Chile, Australia, and all over North America so far. If you want to get a quote for shipping, contact Will and Thom (the company owners) directly at INFO at STEELWOOLBICYCLES dot CA or call them at 1-613-288-0155. They sell direct through their bike shop (Tall Tree Cycles), and will get you the best shipping price they can.

As far as our relationship with the forums goes, I think we'll be okay. We're all pretty young (I'm the youngest at 25) and we're all veterans of internet forum stupidity. I think we'll be able to cope with whatever might come up. Hopefully without involving lawyers. Of course, we'd much rather any dissatisfied customers let us know personally before they air out the proverbial dirty laundry. In my experience, a lot of the situations spiral out of control when people complain about a company without giving the company a chance to reasonably address any problems. But hey, when did the internet have anything to do with reason?

At the end of the day, we're just a bunch of bike nuts who want to put out a quality product, and we want all of our customers to be happy with our products. So let us know what you need us to do to make you happy. We love feedback.

Glad you don't mind me coming along to post.

The EBB actually has quite a bit of throw - just over an inch. The shell itself is 55mm wide, internally. This years EBB insert is slightly more eccentric than last year. The result is that you should be able to get any gear combination to work without any real difficulty. In real world use, 99% of the time you'll be able to get it going easily. I did a build with a fairly worn chain, and I found I needed to use a half link, but I think if I had used a new chain, this would not have been an issue. But it's a transferred winter build, so I didn't want to sink new parts into it. Come spring, I'll be setting it up without the half link, and a new chain.

As far fit goes, Velocity Boy is absolutely right that your fit will change a bit as you move the EBB. However, in real world use this will rarely be a problem. Most urban riders have one or two gear combinations they might use, and even then switch fairly irregularly. For myself, once I've found a gear I like for a particular city, I rarely change it unless I move to a different city. But if you do make drastic changes to the EBB position, it is true that you will have to adjust position.

However, on the flipside, careful positioning of the EBB lets you customize your geometry a little. You can effectively shorten or lengthen the chainstays while slakening/steepening the seat tube, offering a more aggressive or relaxed feel. You can also choose to place the BB high or low, changing pedal clearance and the centre of gravity on the bike.

Basically, for some people, the EBB will be absolutely awesome. I'd go so far as to say most people. However, if you are someone who likes to change gearing a lot, you may find it less than ideal.

As far as the weight concerns go, the 2007 EBB is 110 grams. The shell is a bit larger, but the chainstays, seattube, and downtube are all very slightly shorter, so it probably comes out pretty close to even in that regard. 110 grams more weight is negligible for the majority of the target market for Steelwool.

Thanks again for the warm welcome. I'll do my best to keep the company lawyers in check.

Hi there,

I'm a sales rep for Steelwool Bicycles, and thought I might be able to explain the choice of the EBB (Eccentric Bottom Bracket) a bit better.

Soweto - you are absolutely right - it would have been a lot easier and cheaper to produce the same frame with horizontal dropouts / trackends. The EBB was not chosen because it was cheaper, or simpler to produce.

However, for the intended use of the frame, the EBB is simpler in actual use than horizontals. The Steelwool Tweed and the Sweet City limited are very much designed as functional city bikes. The EBB adds only a few grams to the frame weight, but makes the frame a lot simpler to use. How is it simpler? Flat tire? The wheel drops straight down, and out of the frame. No interference problems with fenders or brakes. And when you put it back in, the chain tension is identical. The wheel always goes in straight. No more worrying about chain tensioners. Quick release friendly. And properly set up, you should experience no slipping from the EBB. And you can adjust it with a little allen/hex key instead of carrying a big wrench with you.

I've been riding a Sweet City all winter in a brutal Canadian winter--tons of snow, filth and salt. I'm a heavy (220lbs) fixed gear rider. The EBB never slipped. I only adjusted it once to accommodate for chain wear. No creaking sounds whatsoever. No real maintenance. Just make sure you've got a load of grease or anti-seize on it when you put it in and don't worry about it. Maybe once a year pull it out, clean and re-grease it, and reinsert it. No worries.

With all of this, keep in mind Steelwool had no intention to design a true track frame. The bikes are meant as functional city bike for real world use. Big (huge) tire clearance, fender mounts, brake mounts. Normal road geometry. Dedicated to fixed or SS.

Anyways, let me know if you have any questions. ANDREW at STEELWOOLBICYCLES dot CA