Damn just read this thread- some serious power there!
Do you power lift??
Yesih. About 3 months ago was when I last picked up a barbell. Work changed gyms and the new one is more of a “health and beauty centre” 
I’m currently shopping for Colossi frames. Wiggle has 35% off the cinelli mash histogram frameset but it still seems pretty steep at 1200 AUD. Was hoping to salvage components from my current build and just add a new frame/fork combo. chris king/sugino/shimano components that I’ve collected over the years so it’s not a bad build. The wheels aren’t the best though. might shell out some more for those.
Any other suggestions on the frame? Low//, Colossi, Leader were my shopping preferences.
btw, the total tally is 2 bottom brackets, 3 rear hubs, 1 crankset, 2 handlebars, 1 frame, and a set of BO pedal straps (with the 2nd set starting to tear as well). It’s really not economical.
buy a BT
Jesus, I cant even find a price. I didn’t want to go over 1500 for a frame.
A history of failure.
Here’s the first. 300 dollars and you just KNOW she’s going to fall to pieces. after a bottom bracket, warped crankset and crunched bearings on the rear hub (and the snapped handle bar), they dutifully accepted my request for a full refund:
cute little aside, I decided to hire a fixie from mission bicycles in San Francisco when I visited. 30 minutes into the ride and the rear wheel had slipped loose. I was rescued by a spin class studio right after the golden gate bridge (haha)
Out comes the surly and she was fine until I decided to take on the spit bridge in manly. I topped the hill after the spit (what a bitch) but then got stranded in manly because the bearings in the bottom bracket disintegrated on the way up
I had a fairly big off around a corner in erskineville as well. Strava said I was going 40 when I hit head first, a parked car (totally my fault). The bike was fine, my helmet wasn’t and my face suffered. I got a cool helmet out of it for shits and giggles:
The steamroller held together pretty well. the rear hub and bottom bracket fell to pieces once each (I had the rear hub completely swapped out) after about 2 years and poor choices in components (I guess) I achieved my 2nd broken handlebar:
After the handlebar, I swapped out the bearing cartridges in the bottom bracket and rear hub (At this stage, I’ve resigned myself to maintenance costs) and also suffered a strap failure riding up Liverpool st in Darlinghurst pic:
I’m now at my wit’s end with a busted frame and desperate for a decent shoe and pedal combo (flippers for feet means that D, and sometimes even E shoes don’t fit most of the time).
I thought maybe my poor maintenance schedule was to blame, but really, no amount of cleaning would have prevented the kind of failure I had with the frame. My friendly mechanical engineer friend suggested metal fatigue at the weld that propagated to the bonded metals. Handy diagram as well:
Forgive the spelling and retrospective editing. I’ve been drinking to numb the pain. I have to catch a train for at least the next week and the thought offends me.
Bro stop fighting your bike and work with it. Zen and stuff.
maybe look at getting a FGFSishbike with mtb level components, they still go fast. the fact that the bullhorns keep breaking seems to indicate you might be better off with a longer stem, to get a bit more of your bodyweight off your arms and onto your feet and saddle, because no-one should be breaking handlebars like that regularly!
Planet X Pro Carbon, Dolan DF3/DF4.
Buy a hardcore track frame with hardcore components.
If the likes of Chris Hoy, Robert Forsterman, Perko etc aren’t blowing up frames and Super Sugino 75 running gear, then you should be right.
It’ll be exxy, but it should last, and maintenance extends beyond just cleaning. A lot of good open ball stuff is easy to service and should last a long time.
I have a dolan df3 in Canberra you can have for $1100
The mind boggles.
But I agree with Rhys. Stop fighting your bike, have a bit of mechanical sympathy.
Sounds tempting, but I’m pretty short. the surly’s a 49cm frame (top tube) and I just clear it in stand over height.
I guess I could take it easier on the bike but its just boring pottering along.
It’s nothing to do with being boring and pottering along. Just be smoother. Smashing the cranks isn’t going to make you any faster, it’ll just lead to failures like you’re describing.
Or upgrade to full on track sprinter gear as noted above.
Maybe try an external BB or a decent square taper like heavymetal suggested^
Also, try using your core for stability, not your upper body. Practicing sustained efforts with your hands close together near the stem will stop you flexing your upper body.
DF3 geo is very long and low. Has the same ST length as a surly steamroller in 49cm.
Dave, do you have any pics? I’m interested.
I think I’ll get my cycling australia license and play around with the Dulwich hill club. fix my form I guess.
It is unequivocally a technique issue. I used to ride with people who could probably throw a Volkswagen 30m and they never broke anything.
There is a reason pro’s ride 33, 35cm bars now. Science shows that you use the core for power not your outer arm muscles. 44cm bars are best left for steering boats.
Ride a spin bike in the gym, or try and sprint on some rollers without fishtailing everywhere. This will tip you off as to what you need to do.
Truth bombs.
Here is my old ad in the FS section. Travel to Sydney reasonably often so could bring it up for a look next time I’m there.
Geez it is tiny.