# Steel Singlespeeder Home Build



## AdamR83 (Jan 21, 2021)

Cheating a little here as I already made a thread before realising there was a specific frame-building section - oops - but here's a link to the main thread: Luddite 26AD (DIY Frame Build)

And a couple of photos showing the sort of stuff I've got up to so far:





































If anyone is remotely interested, I will update both threads in tandem going forward. Thanks!


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## stuartm2 (Mar 5, 2020)

AdamR83 said:


> If anyone is remotely interested, I will update both threads in tandem going forward. Thanks!


Definitely interested here. I'm at a similar stage to you - just started my second build using tubing from Ceeway after doing the first one last year in ERW. Looks like you have access to better tooling than me though


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## AdamR83 (Jan 21, 2021)

I'd love a 3D printer though... I have put it off for a long time because I think I would probably never do anything else, ha. I also figure the lathe and mill cost me less than a nice custom steel frame, so why not...

Anyway, I have been tinkering away and got a bit further.



















Full details here: Luddite 26AD (DIY Frame Build)


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## AdamR83 (Jan 21, 2021)

Just 'dumping' these here... Happy to explain anything for anyone interested!

Frame is now complete and bathing in a light coat of boiled linseed oil, which will take ~24hrs to dry. Hoping to get a maiden voyage this weekend. Frame came in at 1.98kg / 4.4lbs, bike will probably be around 9.5kg / 21lbs with the chunky Maxxis tyres.


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## speedygz (May 12, 2020)

Great effort. I'm really really surprised you got the frame in under 2 kg in steel. What wheelbase, size & head angle? Did you have to make a realy concerted effot to save weight everywhere to get it down to that?


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## stuartm2 (Mar 5, 2020)

Looking good!


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## AdamR83 (Jan 21, 2021)

Thanks dudes!



speedygz said:


> Great effort. I'm really really surprised you got the frame in under 2 kg in steel. What wheelbase, size & head angle? Did you have to make a realy concerted effot to save weight everywhere to get it down to that?


Frame is about 14" C to C, head angle 65ish, reach 430ish. Wheelbase I am honestly not sure, but it will be pretty short as the stays are 406mm +/-2mm (gear ratio dictated). Maybe 1130ish? 26" wheels. Small frame for a small guy!

I sat down at looked at the weights of individual parts before starting the build, and decided a huge chunk of the overall frame weight wasn't in the tubes themselves, but the lumps stuck on the ends / in between them. So I didn't make a huge effort, but just generally considered weight every time I made a decision.

Dropouts for example - I see some horrendously large and complicated designs (Paragon slider / rocker spring to mind). Big massive lumps of 5-6mm plate, bolted onto other lumps of 5mm plate stuck on the ends of the stays; integrated disc mounts increasing the lenght of said lumps of plate; etc. I don't know how much these weigh, but I can't see it being less than 250g a pair all in. The ones I made are about 70g a pair, including 'chain tensioners' (hub stoppers!).

Head tube - it's short (100mm) due to a short steerer on my forks, but there's a lump saved - in the region of 50g over a 130mm tube, IIRC.

BB shell - an off the peg one is made as easily as possible from a standard sized tube, and nudging 300g. Therefore it has a wall thickness massively more than a) I need for my weight & riding and b) the rest of the tubeset. I've saved over 150g there by making my own in a wall thickness that matches the tubing it attaches to.

I didn't need a seat collar as I won't really use the seat - it's just a regular 28.6mm tube with 0.8mm wall at the top so fits a 27.0mm shim (BMX seat and 25.4mm post). No brace between seat tube and top tube either, it's not needed with the seat being low all the time.

No internal cable routing guide sleeves, no cable mounts for droppers, rear mechs, etc.

No paint.

All of the above saves ~500g over a 'normal' frame.

The filler material was nearly 200g in the end, would have been half that in regular steel wire I'm sure! But I can live with that for the 'unique' look.


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## Joe Nation (May 16, 2007)

Looks like you got a bit of welding around the HT/DT joint (pic 12). Normally I'd say it looks like really patchy penetration and a failure waiting to happen, but since you've brazed the whole joint I'm hoping it's ok.

Nice dropouts (technically frame ends as the wheel doesn't "drop out" but who's counting?). Is that a 10mm bolt-in Hope hub? I'm guessing the adjustment range is small enough not to effect brake alignment too much.


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## AdamR83 (Jan 21, 2021)

Nice spot! The areas of full penetration are from when the frame was tacked together (regular TIG). I figure some discolouration on the back is normal with TIG brazing... though there are definitely a few areas where my skills came up short and I got things a bit too hot, melting some parent metal into the filler. I'm hoping these areas won't cause issues!

Ha - good point. I'm just so used to calling them dropouts, you are of course right!

It is a 10mm bolt in Hope hub, yes. Total adjustment is 8mm, but I should be sitting within the middle 4mm of that, so given the angle of the disc mount and dropouts (there I go again... frame ends) I don't think it'll cause issues.

I bitched out a bit on the disc mount too, deliberately leaving it a couple of mm too 'low' so I can shim the caliper up to match the rotor perfectly.


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## AdamR83 (Jan 21, 2021)

Another photo dump.

The main things to note:

I cracked the frame after about 10 mins playing around on some rocks / low walls, on the disc mount. This was really disappointing... but I was able to repair it as I caught it so early, phew!

I've used Campag Record 9 speed chain. I normally subscribe to the 'fit a cheap chain and change it often' train of though, but I figured it was worth trying one of these as it was cheap. Nobody wants 9 speed any more! Its the first chain I've ever used that hasn't stretched hugely after the first ride, and I don't think its a coincidence...

It rides phenomenally well as a bike. Super responsive to power inputs, such little inertia when out on the trail, and the compliance / filtration of vibrations is astonishing. I love it! 

Time to get some miles in and see how it lasts...


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## AdamR83 (Jan 21, 2021)

Had a couple of rides this week and I love how this thing rides! I've never had a 'decent' steel frame before, but I totally get what people talk about now. It transfers the power really well, yet filters out all that trail 'noise' that is normally annoying and can be fatiguing.

Went out for a little play at the local spot this morning too - perhaps after seeing the below video it will be more apparent why I've built the bike in the way I have... I still love crunching the miles, but with a trials background I really enjoy having a responsive bike for this sort of messing about.


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## AdamR83 (Jan 21, 2021)

Well, thought an update was due, mainly for my own records as I appreciate nobody cares about a rusty bike with the wrong sized wheels and no fancy tech ?

Bike has done about 650 miles now and still in perfect mechanical shape. Still adore the feel of the frame.

I fitted a set of Fox 32s for a bit but took them off again. Enjoying rigid too much. Love the responsiveness, both due to lack of squish and lack of weight.

Campag chain lasted about 550 miles before it got to 0.75% wear, impressive!

The modifications I made to the rear hub have done the trick. The bearings are still running smooth and the freehub grease was still blue after an inspection at about 550 miles! (Previously would get 1 ride before the freehub sounded ****, and 2 months max out of a set of bearings.)

The BB bearings didn't last long. The BB shell is a bit ovalised from distortion, and with them not being C3 spec (no clearance for press fit) they didn't enjoy lift. Popped some Hope ones in and they feel much better, still smooth after ~100 miles.

Currently trying some Crossmark II tyres and really like them. Bike weight dropped significantly and the feedback through them is excellent due to the low tread height. They are still fine as long as the mud isn't really sloppy.

Treated it to some eeWings. Man maths told me the cranks + fork cost is still the same or less than most people, so that was enough justification.

Been on some 'big mountain' rides (over 3000ft, long, rocky descents) in the UK Lake District, obviously there is some hike a bike and descents aren't as fast as a burly full susser, but the rides are no less fun!

Entered an XC race at the end of September. Looks like a field of lycra-clad whippets on 29ers, so if I don't come last I'll be happy enough.

I'm absolutely sold on rigid SS, at least for the time being, so have sold my Yeti SB140, converted my road bike to SS and bought a used OnOne Inbred at a great price for commuting (SS rigid, obviously). These simple bikes are so good for my brain.










Getting a touch rusty. Perhaps needs a strip down, brush up and re-coat over winter










(19.8lbs for those who still work in old money!)


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## speedygz (May 12, 2020)

That's a great read. Top effort. Really like what you've done. Respect


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## JackOfDiamonds (Apr 17, 2020)

> The BB bearings didn't last long. The BB shell is a bit ovalised from distortion, and with them not being C3 spec (no clearance for press fit) they didn't enjoy lift. Popped some Hope ones in and they feel much better, still smooth after ~100 miles.


I don't have much hope for your Hope bearings either (see what I did there) and I can tell you why.

First of all, on a normal size bike I would just use a standard threaded BB shell every time, because it's easy, interoperable since like 100 years, and works great. Doing things that are easy, interoperable and work great is basically my religion as an engineer. I don't know why you wanted to blaze new ground here, so serves you right.

That said, I am only slightly more worthy because I've done at least half a dozen iterations of the custom press-fit BB idea, and it's a pretty subtle problem, but I think I have it figured out by now. I do make small bikes for kids that I need to have a narrow Q- factor. I want the entire Q-factor to be less than 68mm, so a 68mm BB obviously won't work and is too heavy anyway so I make a 35-50mm wide press-fit or eccentric BB. i.e. at least I have a reason to go through all this.

First of all realize that we are pressing bearings into tubing. Even if the tubing is thick, like way thicker than you would use for a bicycle, a tube is still technically not suitable to be a bearing seat. It's just too thin and flexy. It will not allow the bearing to reach its maximum rated loads. If you talked to a bearing applications guy he would look at it right away and say all bets are off, because the bearing is not sufficiently supported. Bearings are not structural by themselves and are supposed to be pressed into a bearing bore that will be 1) round to start with and 2) take all expected loads without distorting. If not the bearing will be destroyed quickly because the bearing outer race cannot hold its dimensions unless it's pressed into a round bore.

So we are in "all bets are off" territory but in a biking application the forces, temperature, and RPM are pathetic so the question is, will it work anyway. This is what I've found to make it work anyway.

Let's address first 1) "round to start with". It is way more important for the bore to be round than it is to be the correct interference. You can press a bearing into a tight interference fit that takes like tons of force on a hydraulic press, a degree of interference that would be impossible to achieve on a bike, and it will still spin fine if the bore was round. But if the bore is even literally 0.001" out of round, it will spin roughly and self destruct. There are two issues with achieving a round BB bore on a bicycle. There will always be some amount of distortion from welding. So there's two ways to handle it.

*A) if the BB is super thick,* then it will distort less and also you can ream it out afterward and get something like a round bore. This is hard though. Even if your reamer is sharp, the BB itself will deflect while you are reaming it, and it will return to out-of-round after you pull the reamer out. Then it will be the right size, but it won't be round. This is how it usually is for headsets. If you mic a head tube after reaming, especially a noodly road bike head tube, you will find it's still out-of-round after reaming. It's ok though, because when you press the headset in will spring back to round, and a couple thousands of out-of-roundness is perfectly fine, because actually your standard headset cup is much stiffer than plain ball bearing outer race is. They are literally designed to be pressed into bike frames. So this is OK. But if you tried to press a bare bearing into that bore, even a few thousands of non-round compression on the bearing will spring the bearing oval and kill the bearing faster than you think. *Bearings need support*. So one solution is to use a very thick BB, so you can ream a nice round hole in it, and it will support the bearing, but then it will be heavy as a rock. But it could be OK for a BMX bike or something. The good news is that if the BB is super thick, it probably won't deflect much in operation either.

*B) If the BB is thin, what we might call "normal" in the bike world, *then it will be even harder to ream it round, you will have to give up on getting it round at all at rest, because it will be more oval than the thickness of the tube often. But then it will stretch back to round easier when you press the bearing in. Now it's a contest between how thin the BB shell is, and how much ovalization force your bearing can take. If you have a big burly bearing and thin shell then it might work for a while, but I will tell you it generally doesn't look good for the bearing. It might work but not for long. The thin BB shell will probably also distort dynamically while riding.

Two solutions present themselves.

*Solution A Loctite that MFer-- *if you make the bore a few thousandths oversize, you can loctite the bearings in with the correct sleeve retainer compound. Some compounds are rated for gaps up to 0.010" or more. You can also let the loctite set up while the spindle is installed and everything so everything is in perfect alignment with no stress on the bearings. Some people have strong feelings about loctite, but to me it's valid engineering choice and this is what these compounds are designed for. I have a bike like this on purpose and the BB has been going for years but it's not my preferred solution for maintenance reasons if nothing else. And if the BB distorts dynamically while riding, I guess this won't help.

*Solution B supplemental bearing cups -- *Just incorporate aluminum bearing seats/cups. This is analogous to the headset situation. Almost any such cup will have much more strength to resist ovalization forces and dynamic forces than a plain bearing will, while giving the bearing a nice round bore at all times. You can jam these into an ovalized bore and it doesn't matter, it just springs back to round. This is how BMX cranks traditionally worked. I remember pressing crank bearings+cups into BMX BB shells that were so out-of-round they visually looked oval, but by the time you press a big burly aluminum cup in there, it's fine. When you make the bearing cup, don't make it just an outer sleeve but leave an inner flange with a bore only slightly bigger than the spindle. With that much material, it's impossible to spring the cup out of round. This is my preferred solution because it's easy to make bearing cups to fit odd size tubing and gives good results all around. It's funny how old school BMX actually got something right.

*Solution X -- *when I was figuring this out I had built a bike with a thin BB shell that couldn't be reamed round because of the spring-back problem. So I had a problem because even though it was the right bore size, and the bearings pressed in with light pressure (slightly more than hand pressure, seriously), the relatively small amount of ovalization force was still enough to make the bearings run rough enough to feel. In that case, I turned some steel washers on an arbor to a light interference fit, about the same OD as the bearings. I pressed those into the BB shell just inboard of the bearings which forced the shell round. Then I pressed the bearings in and they spun fine and so far, are still going. The steel washers should shield the bearings from dynamic distortion as well. I suppose you could try this on purpose instead of for rework but I prefer just to use the aluminum cups if I have space.

The bottom line is that normal radial ball bearings can take much less ovalization force than you would probably think, even if it's tiny fraction of the loads the bearing is rated for, so you either need an impractically thick BB shell, reamed perfectly round, or put the bearings in protective bores/cups. Here's some BB cups for 16er and a 20" tandem.


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## AdamR83 (Jan 21, 2021)

JackOfDiamonds said:


> I don't know why you wanted to blaze new ground here, so serves you right.


Not sure if it was intended this way, but that came across pretty rude. I think it's pretty obvious that I don't want to do things the same way as everyone else, given that I have: TIG brazed a frame when the whole internet said "you can't", used 26" wheels when the whole MTB industry says "that's old!", fitted rigid forks when (nearly) everyone is riding suspension, raised my BB and shortened my chainstays, and gone down on tyre size and prefer it. With the BB specifically, a 68 / 73mm wide screw in system wouldn't have worked with the clearances I needed, the tubeset I had, and my skill level.

I'm clearly not a moron, and I know press fit is a bit crap without serious care and attention to detail, but it's working well enough here. I'm still getting ~twice the mileage out of this system than a traditional 24tpi screw in DUB setup (granted those BBs are utter garbage), with replacement no more expensive and possible at home without expensive / specific tools.

Anyway - thanks for writing everything out that I couldn't be arsed to / didn't have time to, a very useful post for others to find in future.

I like the kids BB setup btw, nice to see someone properly considering ergonomics and not using off the peg 'solutions' with stupidly huge Q factors that leave kids riding like John Wayne!


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## AdamR83 (Jan 21, 2021)

OK so, next update...



















First crack found. Right through the middle of the braze. Going to put this down to an inclusion / my poor skills, and the head tube being very short.



















Melted the braze material to hopefully remove the crack, then laid another line of filler over the top. Also added a bit more at the ends of the downtube gusset, it was a bit shy previously and found two micro cracks there as well.

Surprised at how shiny and nice it looks when cleaned up, I may well do the whole frame over winter!










BB is still running smooth with the latest bearings, but I have a crafty idea to try when they die again...

SRAM PC-971 chain is dead after about 300 miles, stuck another Record C9 on.



















Sprocket and chainring are doing OK, flipped the rear one over to match the new chain.

Rear hub still working perfectly, and I still love the simplicity of the frame ends when the rear wheel needs to come out or chain tension needs adjusting.

I am also trying a set of the Fasst Flexx bars. A bit of a unique product but I think they suit rigid applications well. Forgot to get a photo of these but I'm sure Google will sort out anyone interested!

So far I've only done 3 loops of the same trail to try 3 different stiffnesses of elastomer. First impressions are great, but I plan to use up the 30 day trial period (can send them back within 30 days of you don't like them) and then will leave a more considered opinion.

Also grabbed one of the Timber! bells which seems like an awesome product. Already come in handy a few times for groups of walkers, giving them a gentle and increasing warning of my approach. Have a look on YouTube for an explanation.

Enjoyed a chat with Thomas at Cyclorise (UK distro) about both of the above items yesterday, great to speak with a fellow detail nerd about some unique products!

Ready to roll again this weekend


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## Ben.land101 (Dec 25, 2012)

You probably already know this, but definitely keep an eye on where you melted / welded over that crack. If you didn't get 100% of the crack re-melted and repaired it will crack again very easily.

Also, in the other thread you mentioned the brazing rod was a "SIF Phosphor Bronze No8". Is that correct? Kind of a strange choice. Although, tig brazing a bike frame is also a strange choice. Lol.

I would definitely try to get some Silicon Bronze if you can. 
The Silicon Bronze is around ~340 MPa, while that Phosphor Bronze seems to be more like 260 MPa from the stuff I can find online.
I can't find much about the other mechanical properties of that stuff though. I am just biased towards Silicon Bronze, since I have a lot of experience with it. 

I think we chatted briefly about this in another thread, can't remember where though. I'm still planning on doing a bike one day with Tig Braze over regular tig welds, purely for the coppery goodness looks though. I don't want to rely on it for the strength. Haha.


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## AdamR83 (Jan 21, 2021)

Thanks @Ben.land101 , I knew this and thought I'd take the chance on a quick and dirty repair...

Turns out the die grinder and a proper repair will need to be employed, and maybe a gusset. Its lasted about another 60 hard miles but reared its head again.










Can't remember exactly what filler I used in the end, but I am fairly sure this crack is down to human error (rather than lack of ability of the materials) given its location. Would be cool to see a frame done in the way you describe though, especially someone skilled doing the brazing to give some nice even forms!

We have had a spell of dry weather here in the UK for a few days, so I've hit the baked trails pretty hard to make the last of summer. The bike developed a bunch of creaks and the Flexx bars got a thorough workout! Some findings / adjustments...

The ovalised BB shell ended up not supporting the bearings properly even with bearing fit used. I could have stuck them back in as the bearings felt ok, but decided to have a crack at Plan C Rev 1 (a lump of steel to do Rev 2 is on the way!).

This meant turning down a couple of headset cups and pressing them into the BB shell...



















With the crankset axle being 30mm and a 1 1/8" fork crown also being 30.0mm, that means it all fits together just like a headset, with the preload collar on the cranks taking care of the, er, preload. I am certain this system will be tough enough to take the static loading (imagine how much leverage a set of forks offer!) but only time will tell if the angular contact bearings like lots of rotational cycles. The ones I used are fairly cheap, but have about 50% more balls than the Hope / Enduro BB30 bearings that have come out. They are also 41.8mm OD as opposed to 42mm, so they aren't being squished / ovalised by being pressed into the frame as previous iterations.

There is a bit more friction doing things in this way, but if it lasts and doesn't creak I don't care. There's still less friction overall when turning the pedals backwards than, say, a 1 month old DUB setup with a clutch rear mech.










If this works then Rev 2 will use steel 'cups' pressed into the frame, reamed in situ to address any potential misalignment issues, and a pair of Hope HS120 crown races which have an additional seal. I'm hoping the combination of these tweaks will be enough to cover the problems identified so far... only for more problems to crop up again! 

The bars... I like them so far. The easiest way to describe their feel is like an ultra plush 30mm travel RST fork from the early 2000s. By that I mean they are a bit bouncy, get softer with heat (ambient and throughout a long descent) and are unbelievable over those awful vibration / stutter bumps that shake your eyeballs out when riding rigid with 'normal' sized tyres.

I actually commented to my riding mates that I couldn't see any benefit for a rider who currently has sus forks, but immediately changed that point of view after a fast cobbled descent. I've ridden Pikes, Lyriks (both of these with and without a Luftkappe) and 2021 Fox 36 recently, all with compression damping turned right down, and none of these have the same small / repeat bump sensitivity. I guess its to do with the hysteresis involved when the damping circuits change from compression to rebound - they just can't do it fast enough. So that has been a massive win and a bit of a surprise.

Larger bumps - well I had dabbled in my head with the idea of a set of Fox 32 Step Cast gravel forks (40mm travel IIRC), but glad I tried the bars first as the weight penalty, cost and (I guess) maintenance is about a third of what the sus forks would be. You can definitely feel the bars working when you charge into a set of braking bumps, or clatter a lone exposed tree root. They really take the sting out of the trail, allowing mistakes (mistakes on a rigid bike include not finding the smoothest line possible!) to be less punishing or allow me to charge through chop with more confidence and vision intact!

The changing geometry of the bars is a little weird and has taken some getting used to, but I'm there now. For me, the key has been finding the right elastomer setup - for my riding / weight - that allows the bars to not move during normal riding, but give out when you hit something, or preload for a bunnyhop etc. A bit like firm XC type forks with a bunch of low speed compression damping wound on.

The elastomers are black, red, yellow, blue in order from hard to soft. I had settled on the yellow as I'm pretty light and obviously not hucking off huge stuff. They felt exactly as above, with a nice bit of preload, but then after 2 rides got progressively weirdly soft...



















Hmm. The elastomers had taken a 'set', effectively decreasing their height and thus preload. That would explain things.

Also this. Double hmm.










Red elastomers now fitted and heading out for another ride today. Will do a further write-up on the bars at a later date - I found some other small nuances that affect the setup and performance which I haven't seen mentioned elsewhere.


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## mickuk (Jul 6, 2007)

Thanks for posting - Loving the updates! 

I'm completely of the same mindset - keep riding the thing (no matter how ratty) as you learn so much from what does or doesn't break. Every time I make a new mtb, the old one gets reworked with mudguards and fat slick tyres for life as my abused, neglected and corroded commuter. My first e-stay 29er from 2011 is just about to hit retirement (and apart from some issues around the seat clamp it never broke). 

Have you cut a cross section through some practice TIG brazed joints? Would be interested to know how much brass penetrates across the mitre faces. I'm on propane and an oxy-concentrator and tend to sweat round the joint before second fillet pass (would rather more heat and fully penetrated than a cold single pass). 

You mentioned Lake District - are you out that way (I'm in NW)?


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## AdamR83 (Jan 21, 2021)

No problem - thanks Mick!

Nice work on the 29er, that's had a very good life (a lot better than anything I've built, that's for sure ).

I did chop up some joints, yes. They looked good to my untrained eye, with the brae material flowing right down into the root. Can be seen (just about) in this pic...










Yes, I'm not far from Preston / Chorley kinda way. Where are you @mickuk ?

In 'related to the above' news... I''m pretty sure I know why the frame cracked where it did, in the way it did (twice).










After having die grinded it all back, there's a pretty significant hole (plus a few other small ones)! My lack of skill, lack of good gas coverage in a tricky location, I dunno. But it needed scraping right back and my fingers crossing for a successful repair... Had a ride last night and can't see a new crack. Yet


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## AdamR83 (Jan 21, 2021)

*Caution: Full nerd mode ahead.*

So after riding last night and being underwhelmed by the Fasst Flexx bars with the new Red / stiffer elastomers (may or may not have had something to do with a horrible gym session on Monday which totally ruined my upper body, thanks to my mate Mark...), I decided to have a play around with Mr Lathe and Mr Grinder today...



















Mr Digital Torque Wrench wanted to play too.




























And to complete the set, Excel got involved. He did some lovely maths involving threaded fastener clamping loads and stuff, which allowed him to churn out some pretty graphs, one of which is below. I may do another more useful one which plots Hand Force Vs Travel when I've been able to get some measurements off the bars...










The torque wrench only starts at 3.2Nm so there's nothing down to zero, but basically what this shows is how much force is required to compress each of the elastomers a known amount. The Yellow line is out of sync - as I thought by 'feel' - I think the elastomer has taken a 'set' or got fudged by being hammered too hard, so it is basically behaving like the Blue.

Good news though, the chamfered Red ones turned out pretty much exactly as I wanted - a little harder than Yellow, but not as hard as standard Red. I also have a spare set of the Red (huge shout to Thomas at Cyclorise for the excellent support) to play with in case the chamfered idea totally buggers them. Shouldn't do though, as pretty much every vehicle suspension bottom out bumper ever looks a lot like that.

So yeah, I'll report back for the thousands of people who are interested.

In related news, the big question on nobody's lips - can you fit a mountain bike in a Toyota MR2 Roadster without removing either of the wheels? Yes, yes you can. Sort of.


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## mickuk (Jul 6, 2007)

Mmm, rust stained car seats 

Coincidence of location is quite spooky - I work in Leyland! Cord who sometimes posts on here is also fairly local. Small world. I'll drop you a message sometime (bit flat out with the day job for the next week or so).


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## AdamR83 (Jan 21, 2021)

A few small updates...

The crack came back, through the tube this time. Too many heat cycles I reckon. So it got drilled and welded up.










And gusseted.



















No photo of the other side...






Then yesterday I decided to enter my first ever MTB event, a 6hr (pairs) XC race. This was the start line...










Felt a little out of place rigid, SS, wearing baggies and with flat pedals 










My team mate was also in the same attire, and even rode the first lap in body armour with a full face lid (which was hilarious to see), aboard a 160mm travel enduro bike. Somehow we ended up 4th out of 22 male pairs, 20 mins ahead of 5th and the same distance away from 3rd, putting in lap times in the top 25% of the whole field. No idea how that happened, but we had a great day and keen for more in future!










Oh, and the frame held up, result!

Bars are still too hard, the elastomers need a further tweaking.

Also bought a complete OnOne 456 Carbon SingleSpeed bike for buttons to have a play with while I replace the downtube in this frame.


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