1998 Breezer Twister

[FirstFlight]

The Sweet Spot bikes always had a pretty nice look to them. Haven't seen too many of the Breezer versions. These originally had pretty mid-level components but since we got this one as a frame, we built it up with nicer parts.

 

[Repack Rider]

I called Joe this morning and forced him to register at MTBR so he could look at the photo thread.

I'm trying to get him on here next.

 

[retrobikeguy]

Nice, weren't these similar to a bike called catamount ?

 

[Mr. Zero]

Yes, the Catamount also utilized Castellano's Sweet Spot. Apparently it was a very underrated performer.

Here's a 16.5" Breezer Twister which I recently completed the build on. It includes an Interloc TL5 fork, also the design of John Castellano, which was OE on the '98 Breezer Tornado and is a fine compliment to the Sweet Spot rear suspension. The method by which additional standover clearance was achieved for the 16.5" Twister made for a pretty interesting looking frame.

I've seen a few Twisters, but does anyone know if any Tornadoes actually made it to the general public?

 

[Breezin]

Jeff,
Nice work with your Twister.
We sold our Twisters the first year, 1997, as bikes with LX-ish parts, and also as bare frames. In 1998, we added the Tornado SweetSpot bike, which had XTR-ish parts.
BTW, you've got the Alps5 shock in my originally intended configuration. At the last minute, Fox modified the design and it needed to be flipped end for end. Perhaps this frame has had some "custom" modifying? Looks like it works...
Mr. Zero, love your Twister too. And love your thumbnail art...where's that from?
I'll try to attach a photo of my MTB ride.
And yes, it's true, CK's been pestering me to join up here (and at MTBR). Finally got me in a headlock...
No, actually, this past weekend, I saw Elvis Costello perform in SF with his original recording band, Clover--Marin's top rock and roll home band from the '70s. Figured it was high time to do my part for Marin-Anglo retro relations...
-Joe Breeze

 

[Joe]

Nice bike Joe
I see you like the newer hite-rites

I've always fancied riding a bike with that styleof rear sus, just to see what it's like. and as for the linkage forks - they just make sense to me.
I really wish I could persuade Rory at USE to make a SUB with modern internals

 

[Joe]

I've just spotted the clever bit on those forks - it looks like the top linkage acts as an anti-dive linkage!

I suppose I should have known that earlier

How odd - my two favourite forks,one leading link,one trailinglink, both have anti-dive features!

 

[jango]

I always half fancied one of those...maybe one day.

 

[Breezin]

Yes, the IRD fork does have anti-dive.

RE internal hubs: Maybe Rory still has a bad feeling in his nethers from the last time he rode a Sturmey 3-speed.
Aside from being a planetary transmission, a Shimano Nexus hub is not to be compared with a Sturmey, except in extremely favourable ways.
--Nexus has no Monkey Gear (the cause of Rory's discomfort).
--Nexus can be shifted under loads similar to the best derailleurs--read: performance shifting.
--Nexus hubs hang together. I've got 15,000 miles on my latest Nexus7.

When the Nexus7 hub arrived in 1995, I wanted to build a line of bikes around it. I did! Now, besides Nexus 7 (and 3-speed) hubs there are Nexus8 (and Premium "red line" hub as Breezer specs) and Alfine hubs.

-JoeB

 

[Joe]

Yes, the IRD fork does have anti-dive.

RE internal hubs: Maybe Rory still has a bad feeling in his nethers from the last time he rode a Sturmey 3-speed.
Aside from being a planetary transmission, a Shimano Nexus hub is not to be compared with a Sturmey, except in extremely favourable ways.
--Nexus has no Monkey Gear (the cause of Rory's discomfort).
--Nexus can be shifted under loads similar to the best derailleurs--read: performance shifting.
--Nexus hubs hang together. I've got 15,000 miles on my latest Nexus7.

When the Nexus7 hub arrived in 1995, I wanted to build a line of bikes around it. I did! Now, besides Nexus 7 (and 3-speed) hubs there are Nexus8 (and Premium "red line" hub as Breezer specs) and Alfine hubs.

-JoeB

I meant the fork internals actually - the mono-pronged SUB still run on a light spring and an englund air-cartridge beefed up to take a higher psi!
most of the damping is through the stiction in the white-metal bushing!