Breezer dropouts.
And agree with tt cable routing for sure.
Avid ultimate cantis or v brakes are just soooo tech looking.
Is that good or bad.
Best looking V-brakes would have to be the Paul one’s eh.
I’ll be building this beauty of a bike
Good to hear some of the suggestions you guys are making, I’m taking it all on board
This is something I have already decided on, breezer dropouts with a replaceable hanger in case Liam tears the hanger off on a tree stump or something.
I’m leaning towards not using Discs for all the discussed reasons and due to some of my other research, I could build up the bike for Pauls brakes, they require a proprietary mounting though so Liam would be using them forever (probably not a bad thing!!) Obviously Liam has the final say in these matters though!
Tubesets just cleared customs yesterday, and I’m building myself up a CX frame at the same time as yours Liam, to similar spec, all this discussion has got me excited to build one for myself too!
The motolites? They are pretty sick, for sure. Personal taste would split em.
I had another thought about internal cable routing. If you are really keen on it Liam, then try to find a way to make it work for you. The vanillas and speedvagens have had some pretty sweet internal routing, so if thats something that can be replicated, maybe go for it.
Other questions that I had were about the fork. Is a fork happening? And I noticed, Brakefree, that you TIG on your blog, which makes me wonder if the fork would be unicrown if? Are you talking about the Paul Racer brakes when referring to specific mounts? I think they look cool, and would be great on a lot of bikes, but wouldnt be my choice for a build like this. Dirt/mud would have a field day in that set up.
Forks will be happening, for now its most likely I Liam will get an off the shelf carbon job, just because my fork jig is about 6 months off arriving.
In the long run though Unicrown or segmented forks ( like this Forks | geekhouse) are both options, Or I could braze something, I don’t only TIG weld
Another bike I got a chubby over:
Seven Cycles | Cyclocross | Mudhoney SLX
I am not 100% completely sold on the internal cable routing, it was a pure aesthetic reason for me but if it is going to cause problems down the track with moisture getting inside the tubes then I think I can make do without it.
Brakes… I would prefer not to get cantis to be honest, after reading a lot of comments on this and elsewhere. Mini v’s seem to be the go?
I Love those mudhoneys, I like it how your inspiration bikes are all Titanium!
If we go with internal cable routing, its not really going to act as a way for water to get in, as I will weld (with stainless filler) in a stainless steel sleeve, so if water gets in, it will only get into the stainless sleeve
But really routing across the TT in my opinion is just as good an option, using some of these Paragon Machine Works it can be done easy
Yup! The Ti bikes are all nice, classic looking bikes. They look like they are there to get the business done and nothing else.
We will have to chat further about this stuff. Like I said, I am in no rush at all to get this done as I want a well thought out bike from my end as I often just slap things together because I just want to ride it!
you could go disc on the front, V’s/cantis/etc on the rear. you need more braking power at the front and for cx it’s pretty easy to lock the rear anyway on mud
I would not do the breezer dropouts, they foul the quick release skewer and has to point down.
Which does not look good on a custom frame IMO.
There are plenty of other options that look good and are as easy to attach stays to, eg the PMW low mount disk.
http://images.goemerchant.net/StoreData/p/paragonmachineworks/Images/P10_DR1030_2.JPG
I have the same frame as the pureblood, well it is a pre-production that i believe was just after the pure blood. Couple of things tweaked a bit. I got it from Bikepro. I am running APEX gearing, cannot fault. I found i didnt need the 11/34 rear, so just using an 11/28. I bought the 50/34 and swapped the big ring for a 46. Wanted the 34 for singletrack and techo stuff. I have a solid set of wheels, for commuting duties, velocity deep v’s laced to velocity disk hubs. heavy, but strong. coming from fixies i know these rims are good. Only downside is cant run tyres too low in dirt or pinch flat. perhaps one day ill build up a set with stans rims or somethign for more offroad riding.
In saying that, this thing excells in many ways. feels stiff and fast to get up and boogie on teh road, nice and soft feel thanks to steel and takes out the bumps offroad. Runs well in offroad fireroad/heritage type trails, i can honk along for a couple of hours at 35km/h piece of cake. Singletrack and techo stuff it feels a tad long but i have done a lot of trails i do on my hardtail, and will be racing it in the Jarrahdale 6 hour this weekend in perth.
Its a tad heavy with those wheels, but that makes for better training and stronger legs IMO. That is what i wanted it for, to do long rides to get stronger on the mountain bike, and a solid commuter for when i dont wanna ride my fixie to work and about.
Things i recommend:
-avid bb7’s, i like em anyhow
-disk mounted on inside of triange, clutter free and looks neat
-salsa woodchipper, works for me both in drops and on hoods, had to mess about but finally got the positioning of hoods i wan now to be comfy.
-id perhaps build up wheels with some combo like hope pro2’s and stan rims for a sick tubeless offroad set of wheels, and light too.
-full outer cable length mounted outer, easy to maintain
-APEX, can get uber cheap these days, and if its good enough for CONtador, its good enough for me.
-35c racing ralph’s for offroad, but i have found wont last much more than 3-4 months onroad… eww.
things id change about my frame
-toe strike, has a tad. watch this if custom building.
-if you want bigger than a 46 fornt ring check your b/b height if you wanna do singletrack with logs etc.
-check and think about cable runs, some of mine worked out a bit skew but we all learn hey. still works a treat.
If you wanna ask any more q’s PM me, but im stoked with this sort of frame, its a swiss army knife bike.
Definitely! Just let me know when you want to go for a ride, a beer or both
A little bit of inspiration
Lee,
I’ve had a couple of frames custom made for me, and have a lot of production bikes as well. My experience with this sort of “do it all” bike leads me to a few recommendations:
-
Disc only. They’re powerful, consistent, alloy you to use lighter rims, and are the way everyone’s going. Compatibility for discs will become the norm in future, cantis and Vs will become less and less common, even on CX bikes. I’ve had a (copy of a) Kogswell Randonneur custom made for me in the past, and have had disc mounts retro-fitted to it in order to gain some versatility later on. A mess to retro-fit. Do it first. Your builder will have to do it all throughout his framebuilding career and has to learn that jig somewhere
A 135mm rear end goes without saying, but I’ve said it anyway. -
Test ride the SRAM Apex group on another bike (you know where) before buying it. I hate the shifters, so so much. Some others agree with me, some others love them. Get it right first time - Shimano 9 speed shifters are still available, and give you great options on derailleurs/cranks/cassettes/whatever. I’ve got a 9 speed set operating a 34/46, 11-34 with XT derailleurs.
-
Tyre clearance, you need clearance for big tyres. Your stays have to be long enough to take a rear rack and panniers anyway, so you’ll have some space behind the BB shell to put a big tyre in.
-
External cable routing. Always always always. Internal routing is heavier, makes your frame heavier, shitful to install and change cable, lets water in as has been mentioned, and is generally gay.
This is the bike you should be aspiring to, IMHO:
It’s the most versatile frame I’ve ever come across, and I’m lucky enough to have one. Takes 2.25" tyres, EBB, disc only, full cable routing (external), rack and mudguard mounts etc etc. You can ride mine if you like, and copy whatever geometry/features you enjoy.
The most important piece of advice I can give you regarding your custom frame is to make it versatile, multi-purpose. The sort of bike you’re into now will not be the same as what you’re into 2, 4, 10 years down the track. If you have a custom frame which holds great sentimental value, it’s important to be able to use it for whatever cycling you’re doing at the time.
- Joel
Singular Cycles - Peregrine
I think I saw someone riding one of these at lysterfield the other week.
Naisseeeeeee
Those Peregrine frames do look really practical. Ty built one up for his Japan touring buddy, no doubt it will come back full of praise.
I guess Joel hit the nail on the head with a few of his points as well. Because I intend this bike to be my do it all bike (Road riding, commuting 50km each day, Canberra firetrail exploring… maybe someone will even talk me in to touring one day??) It needs to be future proofed in that matter. From the local guys who’s opinion I value on here, you have swayed me in the direction of external cabling (sorry Keith!).
Thanks all for sharing your opinions and expertise so far.
Thats cool, I was favoring external routing routed across the TT like in the 6-11 I posted above
So the frame is getting close now and I am starting to buy things to get it in riding condition. I just got a couple of 32 spoke Hope PRO2 hubs and will be looking in to rim, spoke and nipple options. If anyone has any suggestions here - let me know!
As far as the group set goes. I am 90% sold on SRAM Force.
Brakes - Avid BB7 seem to be the norm. Are there any other options out there?
BB7s seem to be the choice for mechanicals. But how about these new CX hydros?:
V-Twin - Hope V-Twin Product Details
… aaaaand now looking in to Hope brakes. Absolutely love them, I run them on 3 of my MTBs. Thanks Dice!
Check the set up on them.