So after deciding early this year that I wanted to build my own SSCX bike, spending months collecting parts, and dealing with my terrible fear of not getting something right the first time, I have finally started my first ever bike build.
My goals are:
Learn more about how bikes work
Put together something decent on a budget by keeping an eye on deals and being selective on where to spend more
Have a useful commuter bike for the flattish run to work, following the southern part of the Capital City Trail
Meet people and talk crap.
So here goes… I’ll post something for each chunk of the build.
Day 1: Saturday August 22.
I bought a slightly second hand On-One Pompino v4 from Angry in February or so, already fitted with an On-One Smoothie headset.
AL9000 kindly gave me a used BB (FSA Ultimax Cr-Mo 68 x 103) to get me going, which I fitted at my friend’s place and torqued up appropriately.
Question: How do you torque up a left hand thread to spec? Are there special kinds of torque wrenches for this?
Yeah. My torque wrench is a ratchet drive. Just flick the ratchet.
Personally I wouldn’t stress too much about it though and just do it up tight without a torque wrench, especially if getting it torqued is going to hold up the build.
Brake Levers: Tektro RL340 (new), specifically chosen to match the mini-v brakes I bought
Handlebars: Scott Road Pilot (used)
Stem: Deda Zero 2 Stem Black 80mm (used)
Spacers: Ebay China crabon (is that what you call it around these parts?)
I am a little concerned that the stem will be too short, but will see once I have fitted it all up. Sorry for the crap photo quality!
Thanks! My friend’s torque wrench can only measure torque in one direction, but we made do. He’s handy enough to have a good feel for how much to tighten these buggers anyway.
I have made a little more progress, but will post more on that tomorrow.
Lots of Pompino love makes me feel a bit better about my craziness in being so picky about what I wanted!
I am a short-limbed 166cm tall, and still intend on continuing with my love of this old beast I have had for nearly 20 years…
It’s 92’ish Apollo Kosciusko, owned since around 96, hacked into a commuter. Photo on its way…
I just measured and it’s a 56cm top tube, with a 100mm stem, and straight seat post. The Pompino (M) has a 52cm top tube, aforementioned 80mm stem, and a layback seat post.
Having read other people’s stories, a stem length change can seemingly make a world of difference!
Maybe measure a few things like saddle to bar distance (crow flies) and saddle to bar drop (vertical) and play with those in the pomp to imagine stem length.
Charge Chopstick 27.2mm seat post, thanks to the very friendly Mulger Bill from BNA
Trans-x (yum cha) collar, from Velogear
Ritchey Streem saddle, Ebay
Mulger Bill passed the seat post on to me with the caveat that he had a problem with it sliding down his seat tube as it was a smidge thin. We will see how we go with that.
After working from 13 hours overnight and getting 4 hours sleep since, I decided to do some work on the bike to cheer myself up.
Added the following:
Sugino RD2 Messenger crankset, 44T, 165mm, from Cyclingdeal. Weirdo 45mm chainline. These have been attached but not torqued up properly.
Used Shimano R500 front wheel from Barrels. It already has a 23c Schwalbe Lugano tyre on it, which I will most likely swap for the 28c I already bought.
New Halo Aero-rage rear wheel, Dicta Ez-Off 18t freewheel both from Velogear, and a spacer from AL2000 to help get the chainline right.
Continental Gatorskin 700x28c tyre on the Aero-rage wheel. Fitting this has left me with blackened raw stumps where my thumbs once were.
I then sat on the bike and felt proud. It now sits inside where I can glance at it admiringly while I work…
Cranks
Tyre (pain not shown in picture)
Bike and garage clutter (including Giant Boulder photobomb)
Bike glamour photography (sans lens Vasoline)
Next up I think I will fit the chain, so that I can get ready to fit the rear brakes and align them.
My OCD side wanted me to get the label about half way between where it says HALO and AERORAGE on the wheel, but after the agony I encountered fitting the bloody thing it can stay right where it is for now.
I assume your reasons for this are either aesthetics, or for puncture-hunting. Correct?
Noted. Will save the change for when I’m feeling masochistic, and will also ensure I do it on the front wheel the first time around. For now I am currently content staring at the thing lovingly in its current shapely state, before I head to the pub via some kind of functional Melbourne PT…
