It's finished I needed to get it built before Christmas
I was a little disappointed in some ‘quality’ aspects but overall, it looks and rides OK
As you probably guessed, I have built it to the highest standards - all the bolts were treated to anti seize etc. To list the build related issues I was a unhappy with :
• Some of the bolts were crap quality – damaged the heads very easily.
• Some of the bearings feel a little rough – especially (surprisingly) the pedals and headset :?
It rides quite well but the brakes are nowhere near as good as expected ? A little spongy and quite poor performance, bordering on dangerous … :shock: I could also do with lifting the seat a little to get a bit more comfy.
I have to say it attracted a lot of attention on my test ride, I went past the local drive through and even the girlies couldn’t help but have a good look, probably a combination of the bike and my arse in lycra …
Only one picture at the moment, I will get some more posted up soon :
All threads, male and female, will have Park anti seize applied.
All hidden bore / shafts (steerer, bb spindle etc), will have Park anti seize applied (for corrosion protection).
All grease will be Finish Line ceramic.
All oil will be Finish Line ceramic.
* Frame dusted off.
* Sticker protection removed.
* GT85 wipe down.
* Ti frame brake studs torqued, I used this method as it was the only way I could think of ? :
* Same for Ti fork studs.
* Chain stay protector fitted (tricky to get the Velcro wrinkle free ?).
* Forks fitted with Ti headset spacers and Ti stem etc (damn, need a thick wall ally spacer to seat the King scuff washer nicely – brother came to the rescue with a 5mm black Hope ).
* Black King top cap fitted – looks better than the Ti one I had now the black spacer is in there.
* Bar shim and faceplate assembled with the double sided tape :
* Applied brushed finish to all Ti stem bolts.
* Fitted bars and torqued up.
* Torqued top cap and stem etc.
* Applied brushed finish to all Ti brake bolts, including M3 adjusters.
* Assembled brakes with tie wraps to help adjustment later, I can just pull the tie wrap to keep them against the rim :
* Fitted and torqued up rear mech.
* Stuck the front wheel in and pushed the crank through the BB just so I could have a look, proportions look good
* Removed front wheel for return storage to the spare bedroom …
The Ti brake pad mounting hard wear is a very tight fit on the studs ? Needs reaming out.
I thought I would get a bit more stick than that …
Pad mounting hardware reamed out, cant say I would recommend this method but it worked well and quickly :
Fittings held in a piece of old leather belt to add grip and protect my fingers …
Ti seems to heat up very quickly ? Even when just polishing the stuff ?
All done, along with cable clamp bolts and washers :
I want to start mounting the controls tomorrow night but couldn’t decide on grips (oury or grab on) and the mount position :? I didn’t want to be messing around / scratching the nice blasted finish so I dug out some old bars and had a measure :
17cm in will suit both grips nicely and allow the lever clamp to sit just nice before the bend in the risers
I think I will use the grab on's … ? Or maybe the oury's … ?
Stick??? I've had several bikes since you bought this frame!
Really looking forward to seeing it finished! Was an awesome ride and i'd have another in a heart beat! You'll love it... i hope :shock:
I hope I like it to :shock: It's certainly looking good …
* Mounted controls – tricky to get them level (especially not wanting to move them around much on the bars) as the left and right are different sizes so they throw your eye out.
* Mounted grips (soapy water). Feel nice and went on well. They seem to be solid even after a few hours. Blasted Ti finish will probably help them grip ?
* Banged the end caps in – now my palms hurt …
* Both wheels now on to stay, pending punctures …
* Swapped valve caps to grey – look much better
* Set fork pressures to standard / default settings.
* To dark and the house lighting isn't good enough to mount brake pads :-(
I found a nice trick for levelling the brake levers (wish I would have found it earlier … ). I was checking that there would be no top tube contact with the bars and found the end of the brake lever was about 35mm off the tube. Bingo ! Spin the bars around and measure the clearance on the other side. My eye was about 1mm out ... I didn't alter the lever …