End to End Build AND Ride

[jackosbournesnr]

Re: End to End Build

Groovy.

 

[jackosbournesnr]

Re: End to End Build

Went for another fully loaded 40 miler today great fun again... Once I got on the road.

This is my first experience of a Hope Headset and in all bar one element, it's a great piece of kit.

The finishing is great, the split crown race is a welcome relief from hammering races on, the bearings seem super smooth and the seals look good. So what's the bad bit?

The Head Doctor.

What a stupidly over-engineered pointless piece of shit that thing is. I spent over an hour setting it up when originally putting the bike together and have redone it completely since. When I checked the bike this morning it was loose again... which did not please me.

I spent 10 minutes trying to get it to stay put but it just wasn't having it. I've cleaned the outside of the "doctor", stripped the inside of the steerer and done everything short of potentially damaging methods like roughing the steerer or resorting carbon assembly paste.

It took less than two minutes to fit a spare star fangled nut (excluding rummaging time) and all is now well.

 

[kingbling]

Re: End to End Build

Simple things eh That reminds me I need to start getting in some miles and you should really bring loud cougar to Dun Fell you'll still be getting the miles in.

 

[jackosbournesnr]

Re: End to End Build

If the forecast looks like it's bone dry and warm for days either side, I might.

No way I'm putting strap on guards on that paintwork!

 

[kingbling]

Re: End to End Build

Don't blame you one bit, No mudguard eyelets No mudguards.

 

[jackosbournesnr]

Re: End to End Build

Dowdy Cougar is powder coated, and also 653 (which I love) so thats a possibility if it's soggy... I have part stripped it though and I think I'm at least a bottom bracket short.

We're away next weekend so I think whatever bike I bring will be an "off the shelf" one as I'm not going to have much time to fettle.

 

[jackosbournesnr]

Re: End to End Build

Took this up Great Dun Fell yesterday with a fine bunch of retrobikers. I made it up, slowly... And not without stopping.

I'm carrying an extra stone at the moment and when I got back tonight I weighed the bike to see what I'd lugged up Britain's highest road...

Bike including rack and lights. 15kg
Plus rackpack, Haribo, tools GPS etc 17kg

My lightest retro-roadie is a shade over half of that.

 

[hamster]

Re: End to End Build

Excellent! Glad it's made the difference you hoped for.

Even a 96 vintage 9 speed mech should go to 28, so the hanger on your Litespeed must be tiny!

I'm guessing it was designed as an all out racing machine and therefore wouldn't have anything bigger than a 21 block on the back!

Can you share a couple of photos with/without the hanger extension? I'm intrigued by both the frame design and how the gizmo looks when fitted.

I'm running Shimano cassettes at the back on this bike (disc brake hubs) so I'd be unlikely to use it to revert to full Campag, but it does open up possibilities on my other bikes or if Campag spaced Shimano fit cassettes appear back on the market.

Here's the photo:

As you can see it's a very short drop hanger on the frame - getting even the skewer end past the mech is a bit of a struggle.

 

[jackosbournesnr]

Just over a week to go before the tyres hit Cornish tarmac in earnest. The kit list is selected, the bike tested and all that remains are a few tweaks.

I've learned a lot about this bike over the last few weeks, particularly in how it handles. Maybe it's because it's designed specifically as a tourer, but this bike is really only happy with a load. Going up and down Great Dun Fell with only a kilo or two on the back was clearly not what this bike was designed to do and the handling was a real challenge... Particularly on the way back down.

On the way up, I had to fight to keep the front end down and found riding out of the saddle almost impossible. On the way back down, the back end was all over the shop while the front wanted to go in straight lines rather than round bends.

I have subsequently climbed many a hill and find it quite happy on double digit inclines with full panniers and it also steers and descends well with a loaded rear rack. Getting it to do over 30 on descents ain't easy though!

I have a couple of 80 milers planned for today and tomorrow and then I'll ease off on the mileage. The bike will get new tyres, chain and brake pads (heat resistant ceramic ones) ready for the 13 hour train trip to Penzance on Saturday.

 

[hamster]

The handling sounds odd. In my experience well-designed tourers handle like boring trucks unladen (uninvolving if secure) and then rather nicely when loaded up.

My record downhill with 4 panniers and a barbag is 47mph...