Orange O2 drop bar

[Frankenorange]

I have gone back to my trusty Tacx pulley wheels(spec updated). My thinking with the Garbaruk wheels was they would not clog up with muck and be easier to keep clean, due to the open lattice structure, and they do look a bit snazzy instead of plain old black plastic. I spend more time riding than looking at the things though so function has to trump form.

I got them cheap and they really should be the price i paid as In reality the bearings are absolute rubbish and you can snap teeth out of them, very easily, if you get some stick or something between the teeth and chain. The Tacx have well sealed ceramic bearings, spin for an eternity, and I should have just stuck with them as they just friggin' work!

Ride was slightly delayed but not ruined, which is the important thing

 

[Frankenorange]

The Celo Cinta tape dropped a few days ago. It has quite a pleasing texture to it and not smooth like the old Benotto tape i used back in the 80's. The blue is a reasonably close match to the brake arms, too, so happy days. That is very important

Tape isn't on yet as I will make some changes to the front end and i don't want to goose the tape. I have no idea how old it is and it is going to be a bummer if it is brittle, or something, with it being some kind of plastic.

Not many photos so far so here is one.



I still can't get over the colour match to the orange frame of a fork from some random bike and how the diameters of the headtube, headset, and crown are all the same. Very swish and if the blue on the fork was darker i would be even happier. It will certainly do though

The fork mounted hanger is a Kona P2 jobbie. I shaved a bit off the back of it , to fit a previous fork, so the main cable and straddle were in a nice straight line.
On this fork the cantis sit a little more forward so i am going to put a standard Kona hanger on, to line it all up. The standard hanger is grey and might match the fork, too. At the same time i am going to do away with the in-line adjusters, that i have on the brakes, as the straddle adjusters work just fine.

 

[Frankenorange]

Following a bone jarring, tooth loosening, ride at the weekend i have decided to go back to tyres with more volume, to smooth things out a little. Comfort is more precious than a bit of extra rotational weight!
My tyre of choice is the Continental RaceKing and i have a pair of the racesport version inbound. Am interested to see how this version compares to the non-racesport folding tyre.
A set of TRP Inplace brake pad holders are also on the way, to help dial in the brakes. The main reason for getting these adjustable holders is to deal with the r/h rear canti boss which Orange have welded on the p!ss!
Also will fit a new star nut as the current one is a little too far into the steerer than i would like. i can't play with spacers under the stem as the ahead cap bolt will not engage in enough threads. Going to try the drill out the center section as a way of removing the current star nut.

When i have got around to doing all of the above i will take a pic, or two

 

[Frankenorange]

I found some barely used Conti Raceking Racesport 2.2's on the bay so they are on for a pillowy ride. 20psi seems to be a pretty good pressure for mixing road and byway. Mad grip levels on tarmac, for a tyre with knobs
For even more comfort i have flipped the stem and the bars are now an inch higher. The old setup was great for smashing out mostly road miles, but i have started doing alot more offroad and my last big ride i thought i was going to die, from the battering i was taking. Now it is more relaxed and balanced for a variety of terrain with a little less weight pushing the front end into the ground.
Whilst all this was going on and needing to re-cable the bars, with the inch rise, I decided to fit a XT 11-42 11 speed cassette to replace the bitsa 10 speed. I thought i would get too much rub on the chain guide with 11 cogs but it is tickety-boo . The short cage X0 mech, on its short hanger extender, is also very happy dealing with the cassette.
The TRP Inplace adjustable pad holders are on, too, and plenty of toe-in has cured any squeals and the braking is improved. All finished off with some fresh blue Celo Cinta Professionale vinyl handlebar tape. I am not sure how old it is(80's-90's) but it is lovely stuff and wraps very well. It is slightly textured for grip if you don't wear gloves. It also matches the blue Frogleggs pretty well, too

Anyhow...it now looks like this



I must try and take pics against something else that hasn't got bars and tubes!!

 

[Frankenorange]

So....have made some changes.

First change was going up a size in chainring from 42 to 44. I think the gearing is perfect now after ALOT of back and forth and trying various options. I have everything covered from steep offroad , at walking pace, to 30mph road work at 100rpm. Happy daze

Second change is going back to the XTR cantis. I like Frogleggs but the chuffing brass bushings, that hold the arms together and run on the bosses, wear really quickly and the brakes get super floppy.
They start off a bit baggy from new and it doesn't take much for them to get worse. Still using the BXP pads, but now i don't need the Inplace pad holders, and i also fitted new canti bosses on the forks.

Third change was finally finding a narrower bar so that is now on. It isn't much narrower, than what i had, but feels very right to me. I think it is my closet track sprinter trying to get out . The blue tape and white hoods are staying as i like it. Off course the XTR cantis are aluminium in colour and not blue, but i am going to sleep perfectly well

The fourth and final change, which is an experiment that think is going to work well, is running a SpeedKing 2.2 on the front instead of RaceKing 2.2's at both ends. The SK is a very good tyre for gravel/dirt/tarmac so ideal for the front and the RK has the knobs for steep uphill tracks that are a bit loose, or wet. It is also no slouch on tarmac so might be the perfect mix.
I ran SK's for a while at both ends, but it is a tyre that wears too quickly , as a rear , and cuts very easily if you are locking up riding down flinty/stoney tracks. It is very much a raceday tyre for dry conditions, but as a front tyre it lasts very well as an allrounder.

The next changes are going to be stem related. I want the bars between where they were and where they are now, with the flipped stem. I will see how it feels with the new bars and decide angles, height, and length. Then i must get on and build some new wheels for next year.

 

[grantoury]

So the frogleggs turn out to be a bit fragile. How do you like the XTR in comparison?

I wouldn't want a narrow drop bar on an off road machine, but to each their own, of course. How wide is it, 42cm?

 

[Frankenorange]

So the frogleggs turn out to be a bit fragile. How do you like the XTR in comparison?

I wouldn't want a narrow drop bar on an off road machine, but to each their own, of course. How wide is it, 42cm?

Tbh the Frogleggs worked alot better when i first used them with Campag 9 speed levers. I think there is a cable pull difference and the Campag levers being much stiffer. The 1st gen Sram levers are a bit flexy which is why they changed the body of the lever, where the blade pivots. The modulation is good though with the Sram kevers. The XTR cantis seem to need the brake pads much closer to the rim, but the braking is better when it really counts.

42cm ...... swap the numbers around and you are on my hoods. 33cm in the drops. It is the aluminium Worx WX-R handlebar that was used by alot of trackies and loads of mags tested them out, on road bikes, and alot of people were sick on their keyboards.
I started out with 46cm because that is what the internet told me i needed offroad(i used 42cm back when i was a roadie teenager), for my shoulder width, but it was all kinds of wrong. I then went onto 40cm bars and that felt wrong, but not long after i found the rarer wider WX-R bar. That one is 27cm hoods and 36cm drops. That felt great, but after a year started feeling wide so i went all the way when i chanced upon the narrow version. It took a while to get to this point as i rarely buy new kit and wait for bargains.
Handling wise, offroad, it hasn't been an issue at all. I wouldn't dare do a downhill course with them , but for road and gravel they work. For me, anyway.
I posted a vid a long time ago of some loon doing downhill and mega jumps on a gravel bike and a couple of times his hands are just either side of the stem, when he his leaping about, so narrow can do the job. They look pretty weird front on it has to be said. The big difference, as all the mags found, is aero. On the road they make a hell of a difference for the same amount of effort on a bar, say, 10cms wider. Like mph's difference and you really notice the advantage on the hoods grinding into headwinds.

I think i will never shake my time trial and track past. It am just taking some of that offroad with a retro mtb bent.

 

[Imlach]

Tbh the Frogleggs worked alot better when i first used them with Campag 9 speed levers. I think there is a cable pull difference and the Campag levers being much stiffer. The 1st gen Sram levers are a bit flexy which is why they changed the body of the lever, where the blade pivots. The modulation is good though with the Sram kevers. The XTR cantis seem to need the brake pads much closer to the rim, but the braking is better when it really counts.

42cm ...... swap the numbers around and you are on my hoods. 33cm in the drops. It is the aluminium Worx WX-R handlebar that was used by alot of trackies and loads of mags tested them out, on road bikes, and alot of people were sick on their keyboards.
I started out with 46cm because that is what the internet told me i needed offroad(i used 42cm back when i was a roadie teenager), for my shoulder width, but it was all kinds of wrong. I then went onto 40cm bars and that felt wrong, but not long after i found the rarer wider WX-R bar. That one is 27cm hoods and 36cm drops. That felt great, but after a year started feeling wide so i went all the way when i chanced upon the narrow version. It took a while to get to this point as i rarely buy new kit and wait for bargains.
Handling wise, offroad, it hasn't been an issue at all. I wouldn't dare do a downhill course with them , but for road and gravel they work. For me, anyway.
I posted a vid a long time ago of some loon doing downhill and mega jumps on a gravel bike and a couple of times his hands are just either side of the stem, when he his leaping about, so narrow can do the job. They look pretty weird front on it has to be said. The big difference, as all the mags found, is aero. On the road they make a hell of a difference for the same amount of effort on a bar, say, 10cms wider. Like mph's difference and you really notice the advantage on the hoods grinding into headwinds.

I think i will never shake my time trial and track past. It am just taking some of that offroad with a retro mtb bent.

Don't see any problem with narrow for offroad, much more direct steering. Although I've since moved on to much wider bars, I still love the directness and responsiveness I get when I got on a narrow flat bar bike. I find twitchiness to be a small price to pay to be able to get round stuff much easier. I see why wider is king now, for the serious offroad descents with those capable monsters they ride. But I think, for gravel, narrow is still better - especially with less beefy tyres as it allows you to microadjust as you ride far better than the sluggish wide bars. Not sure how it translates into the world of drop bars. No pics of the machine since the changes?

 

[Frankenorange]

No pics of the machine since the changes?

Not yet. I gave it a sound thrashing the other day over 45miles of road and gravel , in ALOT of rain , and all was cool for school. The mixed tyre combo is very good

 

[Carge]

Loving this build - so much detail - and the O2 IMHO is an under-rated frame.