tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14858628043000157512024-02-24T14:46:57.487-06:00Quentin’s Bike StuffDocumentation of my trial and error.Quentinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05883257426674517409noreply@blogger.comBlogger28125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1485862804300015751.post-23512817659999110292020-03-22T14:03:00.002-05:002021-10-17T12:51:55.499-05:00Updated mount for Garmin Varia RTL 510 on Topeak racksIn 2017, <a href="https://qspencer.blogspot.com/2017/03/garmin-varia-mount-for-topeak-racks.html">I wrote about the mount</a> I had developed for attaching a Garmin Varia rearview radar to the existing mounting bracket on Topeak racks. That mount was designed with the original model, the Varia RTL 500, which is horizontally oriented. In 2018, Garmin updated the product with the <a href="https://buy.garmin.com/en-US/US/p/601468">Varia RTL 510</a>. The new Varia offers various improvements on the original, such as a brighter light, and a vertical profile that is more functional when mounted on a seatpost.<br />
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The problem with the new design is that the vertical orientation of the RTL 510 can cause problems for tire clearance when mounted on the back of a Topeak rack when using my original mount, as shown in the photos below.<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpn4pK686_TmYX_IvK7J9cRQWgAfGZrpG7_vihvWqofWNPeRyfRDwWJHyZgy3uUdubZcszJuhpTJHo6Mj22Ev78xPGnzvVM_hI9WTVqeRzKFVaPNZPzuGEZO1ABc3MA6uHJPgDBYQAvAZp/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="852" data-original-width="566" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpn4pK686_TmYX_IvK7J9cRQWgAfGZrpG7_vihvWqofWNPeRyfRDwWJHyZgy3uUdubZcszJuhpTJHo6Mj22Ev78xPGnzvVM_hI9WTVqeRzKFVaPNZPzuGEZO1ABc3MA6uHJPgDBYQAvAZp/w265-h400/DSC_2666.JPG" width="265" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpjZmhhTVpDL5BBaSmcPGAubQmJMStj81KPt-lJghgH7XviVwo4u8G1OOt850GM529q3Kcu2JVB0K8BzGZZGbAUEZiKZ_f0ogwOHNBRWTJOGLmwZz2hyphenhyphenb6HscznPqwZ6mFZrElzOvNcFXe/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="852" data-original-width="566" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpjZmhhTVpDL5BBaSmcPGAubQmJMStj81KPt-lJghgH7XviVwo4u8G1OOt850GM529q3Kcu2JVB0K8BzGZZGbAUEZiKZ_f0ogwOHNBRWTJOGLmwZz2hyphenhyphenb6HscznPqwZ6mFZrElzOvNcFXe/w265-h400/DSC_2667.JPG" width="265" /></a></div><br /></div>
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On this particular bike, it's possible to get the light into the original mount, but it touches the rear tire at the bottom, which is apparent in the side view. The actual tire clearance will depend on the size of the tires and the placement of the rack mount on the frame. On this bike, it touches with no room to spare, but I have the same Topeak rack on a different bike where there is at least 1 cm clearance to spare.<br />
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The new Varia requires an update to the design that moves the center of the Garmin mount vertically. The center channel of the Topeak rack poses a design constraint on how far vertically it can move, because that center channel is used for attaching various Topeak packs which slide in from the rear. So the light should not go higher than the center of that channel. It is possible to design a mount that would allow the mount itself to stay below that level, but the light would go above it slightly when installed. The second alternative is to keep the top of the light below that level so that packs could be installed or removed with the light in place. I chose for the second option, even though it does not allow quite as much additional clearance. To accomplish that, I moved the mount 1 cm vertically. In addition, I replaced my original 3-bolt mount with a 2-bolt deisng that only uses the center and top holes on the rack, as I believe 2 bolts are more than sufficient to keep the mount secure on the rack.</div>
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The mount installs similarly to the old design, with M3 nuts installed in the recesses, M5 angle-head bolts used to attach the bracket to the rack, and the M3 screws that come with the K-Edge bracket used to attach it to the adapter bracket.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglQ_359MNPL6hm6dosY79_VlA95Y17JjOncxhSaejI7QzlML1Wt0T2Vecre5AsfL-NM9wgm8e6Xy8bVUH3XESlNERGa-H8Dd-p9PCpHqa6HhWuFtzN-C0YzkuUvfvHQmJOOJrXkgFetPSq/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="852" data-original-width="1282" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglQ_359MNPL6hm6dosY79_VlA95Y17JjOncxhSaejI7QzlML1Wt0T2Vecre5AsfL-NM9wgm8e6Xy8bVUH3XESlNERGa-H8Dd-p9PCpHqa6HhWuFtzN-C0YzkuUvfvHQmJOOJrXkgFetPSq/" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDwawu6KswH-Nq2NN4FpwQUOaHFe_PvfWZ1jmeC8uUZRTJZkeBHrfk6tNJux6Qd95wtVDbXSDmvrvWfknkKqUkIzAvPjzPHERSXITp6Au-9fFQ3Kp29_4QOF4_VzOAEkaGXkcgXvCLKjqT/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="852" data-original-width="1282" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDwawu6KswH-Nq2NN4FpwQUOaHFe_PvfWZ1jmeC8uUZRTJZkeBHrfk6tNJux6Qd95wtVDbXSDmvrvWfknkKqUkIzAvPjzPHERSXITp6Au-9fFQ3Kp29_4QOF4_VzOAEkaGXkcgXvCLKjqT/" width="320" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5NgCNMjnkap78A9glY1IO_zXFExJkg_2sJ7gZsjcN5WZB5uhDxGM_AjGznBJCA1vwwyT9RZiV_ozJbaO2DT_Tbi7N5eomPmvOpDct0H2B8ftxY4Ouzvn38vrc3wqnbLdSL2I0JxOT8PXu/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="852" data-original-width="1282" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5NgCNMjnkap78A9glY1IO_zXFExJkg_2sJ7gZsjcN5WZB5uhDxGM_AjGznBJCA1vwwyT9RZiV_ozJbaO2DT_Tbi7N5eomPmvOpDct0H2B8ftxY4Ouzvn38vrc3wqnbLdSL2I0JxOT8PXu/" width="320" /></a></div><br /></div>
With the new bracket installed, the RTL 510 now clears the tire on the bottom, with sufficient clearance on top to install rack bags with the light installed. It's not a lot of space, though. If I were going for a ride in the mud, I would probably put on my old RTL 500 even though its light is not quite as bright as the newer model.<br />
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I have already prototyped another variant of this design that allows the light to be moved an additional 1 cm vertically, but would require the light to be removed when installing or removing a bag.<br />
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Links:<br />
<a href="https://www.shapeways.com/product/YKGHCYR2E/garmin-varia-mount-for-topeak-racks-version-2">Shapeways product page</a><br />
<a href="https://drive.google.com/open?id=1vjMQqYpHAKxp8uHubi_TECkNmx-buG8C">OpenSCAD file 1</a><br />
<a href="https://drive.google.com/open?id=1W6aSO294FzoaeTAMjdoxzJNsyXS0Pavo">OpenSCAD file 2</a><br />
<a href="https://drive.google.com/open?id=1lVmBVE01yiHqzDZ-Rdtm9E6nt9Hge4FZ">STL file</a><br />
<br />Quentinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05883257426674517409noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1485862804300015751.post-4867175809854264482017-12-23T15:35:00.002-06:002017-12-23T15:40:07.087-06:00Pepper spray mounting bracket for bikes<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAFP7Bn-m3NJjaZrx54fku1Pqr40SWCEx0e51PrqJGp1z6-3mej7F0HwTXghi4B1tXTmbmgIlSiBFVvo0axav0dALUfcY8q0w_tR4GVaHe_GWzOPa3mLh7Qjn7j-WFbBUQIfXuBaj43KWN/s1600/DSC_8807.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="765" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAFP7Bn-m3NJjaZrx54fku1Pqr40SWCEx0e51PrqJGp1z6-3mej7F0HwTXghi4B1tXTmbmgIlSiBFVvo0axav0dALUfcY8q0w_tR4GVaHe_GWzOPa3mLh7Qjn7j-WFbBUQIfXuBaj43KWN/s400/DSC_8807.jpg" width="191" /></a>Compared to the other places I've lived and biked extensively (Utah, Colorado, Missouri and Illinois), living in west Texas has had one unfortunate feature that the others mostly did not: unfenced dogs. I recognize that this occurs everywhere, but never with the frequency that I've experienced here. I have witnessed one situation where a dog ran into the road and took out a cyclist's front wheel, causing the rider to crash. I have witnessed multiple situations where a curious dog has run into the road because of a cyclist (usually me) and nearly into the path of a car. This has made it clear to me that the carelessness of these dog owners is posing a danger both to cyclists and also to the dogs themselves. I was initially reluctant to use pepper spray on dogs, but I've now concluded that this is the best solution for everyone. It's also clear to me that dogs learn quickly, as there is one particular dog that I see regularly and have sprayed once, who now stays put when I ride by.<br />
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With that introduction, I'm writing here to describe my new preferred solution for carrying pepper spray on rides: a mounting bracket that mounts underneath a water bottle cage, similar to many tire pump mounts. In fact, one of my bikes has the tire pump mount on one side of the water bottle and the pepper spray mount on the other side. This solution makes the pepper spray much more accessible when needed on short notice than a jersey pocket, for example.<br />
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I have bought multiple different brand pepper sprays, and they all have approximately the same dimensions. This bracket should work for any standard pepper spray, such as the one pictured below, which has a diameter of about 21 mm or 13/16 of an inch.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEild1f5uxudEtCkRLLWrx0Il4GK9g6uFdqg-AniFs3U-u_HYN3XAUuuvoEmX5EzA3WafiWYckjBcqhZGZIH-1rhqWEdA4eaMIVGmeHCPjC3kDU1P_mup8MgQPzALIZUyXP4Jp3xhO7FmAEO/s1600/DSC_8808.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEild1f5uxudEtCkRLLWrx0Il4GK9g6uFdqg-AniFs3U-u_HYN3XAUuuvoEmX5EzA3WafiWYckjBcqhZGZIH-1rhqWEdA4eaMIVGmeHCPjC3kDU1P_mup8MgQPzALIZUyXP4Jp3xhO7FmAEO/s200/DSC_8808.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFGPxfhJW7TtLLcUeT4TgBeM9Dy3fMmfpLm-wDBGMXtN08i23JN8JXj4mUTFOAIqlQZimAnadqqRaUJb7CpaWonbKroc6hdyzjxCocqN-wsqx-nSdtud1ynDJ1QcIWIQvw8rAuVwMq0OZo/s1600/DSC_8809.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFGPxfhJW7TtLLcUeT4TgBeM9Dy3fMmfpLm-wDBGMXtN08i23JN8JXj4mUTFOAIqlQZimAnadqqRaUJb7CpaWonbKroc6hdyzjxCocqN-wsqx-nSdtud1ynDJ1QcIWIQvw8rAuVwMq0OZo/s200/DSC_8809.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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Like some of my other 3D printed projects, this bracket was designed using <a href="http://www.openscad.org/">OpenSCAD</a>. It works well for this type of design, though it's not necessarily suited to more complex designs. I got a prototype printed by <a href="https://www.shapeways.com/">Shapeways</a>, and the first version looks like this:<br />
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Similar to many tire pump mounts, this mounting bracket has mounting holes that offer a certain amount of lateral adjustment in the placement, which allows the outer mount to be placed a range of distances from the down tube or seat tube of the bike. This is important because so many modern bikes, particularly those with carbon frames, have bigger diameter tubes in the down tube of the frame than in the past.</div>
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This picture shows the mounted bracket with a water bottle in the bottle cage.</div>
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Here is the bracket with pepper spray attached.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPqS0oInJeiMfcBBnW_lhbQQ1Ve9DPyKoEQga9gxBRvqL74I25U2vpedcbmKIBDowutErgTTYYodBLJfehmdi6CIt4-QMEsuxsafUWXGslqNoMTN9pVSeMwxFKfFZ1guCIxvT5ZF7MePMg/s1600/DSC_8988.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1063" data-original-width="1600" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPqS0oInJeiMfcBBnW_lhbQQ1Ve9DPyKoEQga9gxBRvqL74I25U2vpedcbmKIBDowutErgTTYYodBLJfehmdi6CIt4-QMEsuxsafUWXGslqNoMTN9pVSeMwxFKfFZ1guCIxvT5ZF7MePMg/s400/DSC_8988.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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With the pepper spray in this position, it should be easily and quickly reachable by any rider accustomed to reaching down for a water bottle while riding. It has now been used for some off-road riding and has held the pepper spray securely so far. A bracket like this can be purchased from Shapeways via the <a href="https://www.shapeways.com/product/5S7YSJPN8/pepper-spray-bike-mount">product page</a> I created.Quentinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05883257426674517409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1485862804300015751.post-44780297303733990582017-12-23T11:17:00.004-06:002021-01-30T11:09:25.561-06:003D-printed stem mount for Garmin<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Last year I acquired a Garmin Edge 25. Garmin devices like it come with a handlebar mount, but they are less than ideal. The rubber O-rings that it uses to attach tend to break over time, and the mount tends to flex when buttons on the computer are pushed compared to the other available aftermarket mounts. I recently came up with my own design, which I had 3D printed in aluminum by <a href="https://www.shapeways.com/">Shapeways</a>. This design is meant to attach to the top two stem bolts, and places the computer directly over the junction of the stem and handlebars. The bracket looks like this:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifgVP5OvVPd9xYPlKVWsyzU0jXXpI85UFDF_HlWJazHm6ElD6SxVceIL55ipt-Ur-nGaxincnuJJ0QmB6JbHa0b6nf1jw-1zTcLix3Z6wppN0YZWO1hIBkAsoMA8RR4WI5as5JHaB-TDNI/s1600/DSC_8957.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifgVP5OvVPd9xYPlKVWsyzU0jXXpI85UFDF_HlWJazHm6ElD6SxVceIL55ipt-Ur-nGaxincnuJJ0QmB6JbHa0b6nf1jw-1zTcLix3Z6wppN0YZWO1hIBkAsoMA8RR4WI5as5JHaB-TDNI/s200/DSC_8957.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg7GUNlRov4KCVQ5DyeIAPKXvtWMgrkVWcSVNEe-8L5mk4DyY-rlcq7WFx68rxfLhOE_oR9VY7X7VsVMCx9Cs9pdz0lGBGK-RxaCRgTVAcjHa1jK-tWqStMytXWAhu79PgitqMoAeuzDCk/s1600/DSC_8956.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg7GUNlRov4KCVQ5DyeIAPKXvtWMgrkVWcSVNEe-8L5mk4DyY-rlcq7WFx68rxfLhOE_oR9VY7X7VsVMCx9Cs9pdz0lGBGK-RxaCRgTVAcjHa1jK-tWqStMytXWAhu79PgitqMoAeuzDCk/s200/DSC_8956.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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The bracket uses the Garmin mount inserts made by K-Edge (left), which can be <a href="https://k-edge.com/shop/computer-mounts/garmin-mounts/replacement-garmin-insert-kit/">purchased from their site for $5</a>. The K-Edge insert comes with two M3 screws. The K-Edge mounts are threaded, but mine is not, so installation requires two M3 nuts (right) to be bought separately. These can generally be found at any hardware store.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLm5gx4ScmHawp7qmAxks7bm4jR7hpJ2yUi1uE4FoudNCog3IPIHHWPP0j_OzUFU-EIArmjNSoN2S9q1EVy3X5ZF3gk-arWQVLI2PDRgNw6zD6AYBNsF4hyphenhyphen-FvT-NDv0XYMNAj58PBveqM/s1600/DSC_8964.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLm5gx4ScmHawp7qmAxks7bm4jR7hpJ2yUi1uE4FoudNCog3IPIHHWPP0j_OzUFU-EIArmjNSoN2S9q1EVy3X5ZF3gk-arWQVLI2PDRgNw6zD6AYBNsF4hyphenhyphen-FvT-NDv0XYMNAj58PBveqM/s200/DSC_8964.jpg" width="200" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTQn7IoCqbvxiCdmwIOkljpTx1W3dEuouV4oqeWWqRLBuMlcVG4fZLx11kG98mqoa2f3qAlNaY6LFGE0E3lvUl_bw5drMld4YlzGGBTA-qDbQ4fCToBcKTkEeN5XhobL5SkUgp5OQj_dMK/s1600/DSC_8965.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1243" data-original-width="1243" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTQn7IoCqbvxiCdmwIOkljpTx1W3dEuouV4oqeWWqRLBuMlcVG4fZLx11kG98mqoa2f3qAlNaY6LFGE0E3lvUl_bw5drMld4YlzGGBTA-qDbQ4fCToBcKTkEeN5XhobL5SkUgp5OQj_dMK/s200/DSC_8965.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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The K-Edge insert attached to the stem mount looks like this.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh69WdMIa1yWKuDPRkCm7KDa9mvfLbo4-VPvb0T5LWd7Bv9Evp53qBb6hvToM2ER1J-9qa2JSMpm78zGPn4LlATwd-sVe_pB4tt0uUbA4rCKau8BzIPsXXc2Dil_6yKPolPhQT7jpQiA1QI/s1600/DSC_8966.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh69WdMIa1yWKuDPRkCm7KDa9mvfLbo4-VPvb0T5LWd7Bv9Evp53qBb6hvToM2ER1J-9qa2JSMpm78zGPn4LlATwd-sVe_pB4tt0uUbA4rCKau8BzIPsXXc2Dil_6yKPolPhQT7jpQiA1QI/s200/DSC_8966.jpg" width="200" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmqIN13hTCH4t9o6RxbsTfzcsbalIQRlJPmx6k_rKKohX81mabN_DkZE71OI-WrXRxcIJpz9fifszEaWIBn2412JnJygUv3WRn5Qfpm0EtuAnYpazCRKMmP_frBPex0iIG9Pukwfa4Zszn/s1600/DSC_8967.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmqIN13hTCH4t9o6RxbsTfzcsbalIQRlJPmx6k_rKKohX81mabN_DkZE71OI-WrXRxcIJpz9fifszEaWIBn2412JnJygUv3WRn5Qfpm0EtuAnYpazCRKMmP_frBPex0iIG9Pukwfa4Zszn/s200/DSC_8967.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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Attaching the completed mount to the bike requires replacing the original stem bolts with longer ones.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMX9hkrAqlxBieKzNC2LzG8Ay20TpWx19rSGeURaliwvTfGWIJ_sYzh29040F06cruZ7upJ4UjJUg5MbbIBLaIKLeoRc8G07VRtkFILPhsiBe8XPW13itZGIVR-VxiDaaPlQAl9V2XAMmh/s1600/DSC_8979.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMX9hkrAqlxBieKzNC2LzG8Ay20TpWx19rSGeURaliwvTfGWIJ_sYzh29040F06cruZ7upJ4UjJUg5MbbIBLaIKLeoRc8G07VRtkFILPhsiBe8XPW13itZGIVR-VxiDaaPlQAl9V2XAMmh/s200/DSC_8979.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjOh-GJYjL3n_5luprQu7khVBgOsE_CB_JycuXtH_sLnvHrhjrkeR9aFKzVbeZiVd7AxgWnoHsv7H4pJR_PqP6m8YjSn0WAaVYIm9IUK2nXLqXDN1sGBE1CgAnzaB7fb4iHCNnaWaXUDia/s1600/DSC_8980.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjOh-GJYjL3n_5luprQu7khVBgOsE_CB_JycuXtH_sLnvHrhjrkeR9aFKzVbeZiVd7AxgWnoHsv7H4pJR_PqP6m8YjSn0WAaVYIm9IUK2nXLqXDN1sGBE1CgAnzaB7fb4iHCNnaWaXUDia/s200/DSC_8980.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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This is the installed mount with a Garmin Edge 25 attached.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijvWL41cPu00CsxiwfSu8nS43QEwn_PrDycpua0tCIEa2eU3YDKQrg3Io3gFETl_9mXFCAISXAPDxPP309ujm0cnXeYz2gIPLu4GB-zUFrwA-mY5lssAZF87ECYLpEQiDq6C-n2ns0N5W0/s1600/DSC_8982.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijvWL41cPu00CsxiwfSu8nS43QEwn_PrDycpua0tCIEa2eU3YDKQrg3Io3gFETl_9mXFCAISXAPDxPP309ujm0cnXeYz2gIPLu4GB-zUFrwA-mY5lssAZF87ECYLpEQiDq6C-n2ns0N5W0/s400/DSC_8982.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpw_p4GecM6mhDlMiaGxHZxk6wbryBQBQb1BO505yxAqKpg7nCtK_amiGs_iPvM_omeda_z9yWKk_0e1PhfFD6kX8cHTotYumT29CvB5SvjhkN8xHI8azHcf1V5JgNHkeAQqXdV4kft75b/s1600/DSC_8985.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpw_p4GecM6mhDlMiaGxHZxk6wbryBQBQb1BO505yxAqKpg7nCtK_amiGs_iPvM_omeda_z9yWKk_0e1PhfFD6kX8cHTotYumT29CvB5SvjhkN8xHI8azHcf1V5JgNHkeAQqXdV4kft75b/s400/DSC_8985.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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This version of the bracket is designed for a stem with bolts separated by 20 mm. I have created a <a href="https://www.shapeways.com/product/SYQ9P54BA/garmin-stem-top-mount-20mm-spacing">product page on Shapeways</a> for it. The design is easy to modify to accommodate other bolt spacings, and I hope to add other spacing options to the product page soon.</div>
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Quentinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05883257426674517409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1485862804300015751.post-5737009428834112712017-10-25T18:57:00.002-05:002017-10-25T18:57:50.335-05:00Titanium tandem by Waltly<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I've already documented my previous tandem projects here before. The primary use of the tandems is for family bike rides with the kids. Two years ago I replaced my old <a href="http://qspencer.blogspot.com/2012/10/bike-friday-family-tandem.html">Bike Friday</a> tandem with the <a href="http://qspencer.blogspot.com/2015/12/x-peria-5200-tandem.html">Experia tandem</a> and have been happy with the results. Heather has still been using the <a href="http://qspencer.blogspot.com/2013/01/raleigh-tandem-with-customizations.html">modified Raleigh</a> I acquired several years ago, but it's very heavy and never has been a very good fit for her. Now that the kids are both tall enough to ride a full sized tandem, it is time to consider replacing the Raleigh. The primary challenge is getting a good fit for a tandem pilot who rides a 50 cm road bike, and with the potential to fit a stoker who is taller (our 13 year old is already taller than her mom). The M/S sized tandem by Cannondale comes close, but is still a little big. So, getting a good fit would probably require a custom frame. In order to keep costs down (the goal was to build the complete tandem for a price close a stock Cannondale tandem), I went with a titanium frame made by <a href="http://www.waltlytitanium.com/">Waltly</a> in Xiamen, China.</div>
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I've been following Waltly for a few years as I've considered our options when upgrading tandems, along with <a href="http://titanproduct.com/">Titanproduct</a> and <a href="http://www.xacd.com.cn/">XACD</a>. As I understand it, all three of them build OEM frames for various bike companies, and well as offering custom frames direct to consumer. All of them can be found on Alibaba or Aliexpress, along with a few others that I'm less familiar with. Just during the last few months, Waltly has re-done their web site to be by far the most professional looking I've seen, including a nice form to fill out for requesting a quote.</div>
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I initially contacted Waltly through a link on their web page and got a response the same day from Amy. Her English is pretty good, and she generally responded to my mails quickly given the 13 hour time difference. I sent her a picture of a frame with similar geometry and specified all of the key dimensions. Waltly's process is to quote a price, and then to ask for 50% of the cost to be paid up front before their engineers start making detailed drawings.</div>
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I made two key choices that dictated a number of the other details. One was the the Boost through axle standard. This means 148x12 rear and 110x15 front axles. This is an MTB standard that is relatively new, but I think makes a lot of sense for tandems, especially the wider front wheel (rear hubs wider than 148 have been used on tandems before). I did this because I want durable wheels and because I hope the standard becomes sufficiently common (for MTBs if not for tandems) that there will be many stock wheel options available in the future. The second choice I made was to try as much as possible to replicate the geometry of Heather's road bike on the front end of the tandem, but simultaneously eliminate the toe overlap that her road bike suffers from, because I think toe overlap is much more important to avoid on a tandem. Both of these choices led to the decision to have Waltly make a custom fork to go with the frame because no stock carbon tandem forks currently offer the wider spacing, and because I needed a higher than usual fork offset. My original proposal was parallel 73 degree seat and head tubes, but this was putting the front wheel far too close to the front bottom bracket. Eventually I settled on a 71 degree head tube. While this may make the handling a little more sluggish, it is frequently done on smaller frames, including Cannondale's smallest road tandem. With the slacker head tube it is possible to extend the fork offset to 55 mm while still having a reasonable amount of trail. I asked Waltly to allow for 700C tires between 32 mm and 40 mm width, with the idea that I would have the option of 32mm road tires or 40mm gravel tires. The distance between front and rear bottom brackets was determined by two considerations. First, I want the option of a Gates belt drive in the future, and second I want the spacing as far apart as possible to accommodate taller stokers, so I chose the largest spacing that will support a Gates drive.</div>
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After making my initial specifications and paying the deposit, we went through several iterations of drawings before I decided they were ready. Much of this had to do with trying to increase the distance between front bottom bracket and front axle because of the toe overlap problem. Now that I've done this I realize I could probably have used something like <a href="https://www.bikecad.ca/">Bike CAD</a> to figure that out beforehand and get through the process much faster, but Amy was patient and responsive with my continual tweaks. The final drawings looked like this:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKRkLLJNkrwtdM79o7kQt37Xs83KoD6aw44c1kToCu46XV0GbtnBD5u3mamf-vL3nruwVejxMp0MfAQBUvlMA0Un30ndTyrzUpxyeIh4E5yhBkGxg8Kbmv95q2kT-PUQkjo63VnAkqstH-/w2464-h1072-no/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1072" data-original-width="2464" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKRkLLJNkrwtdM79o7kQt37Xs83KoD6aw44c1kToCu46XV0GbtnBD5u3mamf-vL3nruwVejxMp0MfAQBUvlMA0Un30ndTyrzUpxyeIh4E5yhBkGxg8Kbmv95q2kT-PUQkjo63VnAkqstH-/w2464-h1072-no/" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_em4zAV1usGir8ZP-zsHN-w8Z6WTORejCoL5QPkBaioIcYyiGoWqCxkNWSe-CsMD_zsVdws-Clu4DcijhnGf31nBUfRH4d_H9oM6MIJ0s9h8Ux5Mnw2n7ZQr1d6VM06VYgq1rx_Eecn8d/w976-h1406-no/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1406" data-original-width="975" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_em4zAV1usGir8ZP-zsHN-w8Z6WTORejCoL5QPkBaioIcYyiGoWqCxkNWSe-CsMD_zsVdws-Clu4DcijhnGf31nBUfRH4d_H9oM6MIJ0s9h8Ux5Mnw2n7ZQr1d6VM06VYgq1rx_Eecn8d/w976-h1406-no/" width="276" /></a></div>
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In addition to the frame and fork, I asked for an adjustable stoker stem. About 6 weeks after I approved the drawings, Amy sent me an email with a set of detailed photos of the finished product.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim0daGbUbcY71PMgjHrDWbEHldE3cyCOTBHuMGTTiajZ_qyVZ_KQI0uMHfkmKKAmLtwCTZI-MuBkFk8CUFtf4LJb-jflZQ_b0f8HQG5vhAcifey0t7MxJxwlKk-08cA8AGk52RcbeEpyAd/w783-h314-no/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="314" data-original-width="783" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim0daGbUbcY71PMgjHrDWbEHldE3cyCOTBHuMGTTiajZ_qyVZ_KQI0uMHfkmKKAmLtwCTZI-MuBkFk8CUFtf4LJb-jflZQ_b0f8HQG5vhAcifey0t7MxJxwlKk-08cA8AGk52RcbeEpyAd/w783-h314-no/" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRdhNvoi20DsO7KKDmKHn1XRpJIfcybVsyj-bIdQlGJeiHsuEiHc_fk9phGewE6cv7eJsUgPYUVR39TbYZD1PGHxlfXttEdj5GlADaXGyyK8AHgQG-Hm1Bz1IpFwg8ijjfk2CIPrxL3S8K/w783-h568-no/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="567" data-original-width="782" height="464" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRdhNvoi20DsO7KKDmKHn1XRpJIfcybVsyj-bIdQlGJeiHsuEiHc_fk9phGewE6cv7eJsUgPYUVR39TbYZD1PGHxlfXttEdj5GlADaXGyyK8AHgQG-Hm1Bz1IpFwg8ijjfk2CIPrxL3S8K/w783-h568-no/" width="640" /></a></div>
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When I gave my approval based on the photos, the frame, fork and stem were shipped by DHL, and arrived in the US just 3 days later. The build quality of the frame looked great. I'm not an expert on titanium welding, but the welds on the finished frame all look very neat. As I got started on the build I discovered that Waltly had made a mistake on the stoker stem, building it for a 28.6 mm diameter seatpost rather than the 31.6 mm diameter I had specified. I sent Amy a photo, she consulted with the engineers and builders, and they agreed that they had made a mistake. They created a new stem as I had specified and sent it to me at no charge. I commend Waltly for their responsiveness in fixing their error.<br />
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Before completing the build, I added some yellow and green paint using stencils. I love the look of titanium, but wanted to add a little more color to go with the yellow and green trim I was adding to the bike. I think this is a great solution for customizing a titanium frame that's relatively easy to do and still allows the titanium color to show through. The saddles don't match the rest of the scheme as well because they happened to be preferred saddles from previous bikes.<br />
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I built the bike up using a SRAM Rival drivetrain with mechanical disc brakes so that I could add bar-top auxiliary brake levers.</div>
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I used Sugino XD cranks front and rear. We wanted a low gearing range, and don't particularly need high end gears because we don't go that fast, so I used what's currently being referred to as "subcompact" gearing: 46/30 chainrings with 11-32 cassette. This is of course not something SRAM designed their 2x11 road groups for, and I found I had some difficulty getting the front derailleur to avoid overshifting and dropping the chain to the outside. The Sugino cranks are designed as a triple, so I installed a chain guard in the position of the outer chainring, and it seems to have solved the problem for now.</div>
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The one mistake I made in my design was forgetting to specify a front derailleur mount, which was my original intention. There are many clamp-on front derailleurs available, so it wasn't a big deal, except for the fact that the location of the water bottle mounts on the rear seat tube have limited the range of movement available to me for vertical placement of the front derailleur. So far I have been able to get things working. If I were to do it again, I would want either a derailleur mount with a wide vertical range, or put the bottle cage mount in a different location.</div>
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For the captain's pedals, I happened to already have a pair of old Shimano M324 pedals. To go with the yellow color theme, I took them apart and painted the main body with the same yellow paint I used elsewhere, and did the same on the platform pedals I currently have installed on the rear. I also found some gold anodized chainrings for the timing chain. They were originally intended for BMX bikes, so they required a 1/8" timing chain.<br />
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The wheels were custom built by <a href="http://www.prowheelbuilder.com/">ProWheelbuilder.com</a>, using Hope Pro 4 hubs and Velocity Chukker rims. When we discovered that they offered colored spokes, we couldn't resist paying a little extra to get yellow spokes, which turned out to match the existing yellow trim very well. Currently the wheels have Kenda Happy Medium 40mm tires installed.<br />
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I included mounts for rear racks in the design. I built the bike with 203mm discs front and rear for maximum braking power. Waltly only had post mounts available for 160 mm rear rotors, so I used a 160-203 mm adapter on the rear brakes. The fork had IS mounts.<br />
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Even with the 700x40C tires, there is plenty of clearance. I tried inserting a MTB wheel in the frame with 27.5x2.1 tires and they appear to fit, so that will be an option we consider in the future for riding gravel roads.<br />
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Overall I had a great experience working with Waltly and would definitely do it again.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj61imOAAKpWXg-9Gf1U6tckRi0h4kHnjvay77hQNNjDk6WCQ2mRgaexyBgv1-pXnGOb2aI3NGlOP9UJ5aHXrZjj3W9OkjNwwqjPTnqiBmJwvbmR1WQwf1batkyAZvCUk7wCMr5i1Y1Yh8E/s1600/DSC_8480.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1063" data-original-width="1600" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj61imOAAKpWXg-9Gf1U6tckRi0h4kHnjvay77hQNNjDk6WCQ2mRgaexyBgv1-pXnGOb2aI3NGlOP9UJ5aHXrZjj3W9OkjNwwqjPTnqiBmJwvbmR1WQwf1batkyAZvCUk7wCMr5i1Y1Yh8E/s640/DSC_8480.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Quentinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05883257426674517409noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1485862804300015751.post-69017951685994296622017-03-26T14:58:00.001-05:002021-01-30T11:57:29.726-06:00Garmin Varia mount for Topeak racks<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Last year I finally upgraded from the traditional style bike speedometer (with wires and magnets) I had been using for over a decade to a GPS-based computer, the Garmin Edge 25. Compared to the larger and more expensive ones, it's pretty basic, but it does the things I need, and it also supports external sensors. Over the winter I acquired my first external sensor: the Garmin Varia rearview radar. It allows a rider to monitor the location of vehicles approaching from behind within about 300 feet, and also functions as a tail light that gets brighter and blinks faster as cars approach. I really like it, and I think it's especially useful here in west Texas, where there are a lot of narrow roads with high speed limits, and enough wind to make it sometimes difficult to hear vehicles approaching from behind.</div>
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The Varia uses a Garmin quarter-turn mount, and comes with a seatpost version of the mount. Two of my bikes have Topeak rear luggage racks that seem to me better mount points for the Varia than the seatpost. The Topeak racks have a bracket on the rear for attaching a reflector (included with the rack) that looks like this:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiD1MUhh7IXNy116-l_vo-9j-qhsI_3dMf0t8JEylv_KTB0A3K9af0B5D2Ye2lk_QeqnZ9qf5TPxoB5jOjqPrZgRmTJYZWmFHvCz8hbZMv590ZJo275BHFR4AndTonE9C8SQP_PbuHnZ5X/s1600/DSC_8161.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiD1MUhh7IXNy116-l_vo-9j-qhsI_3dMf0t8JEylv_KTB0A3K9af0B5D2Ye2lk_QeqnZ9qf5TPxoB5jOjqPrZgRmTJYZWmFHvCz8hbZMv590ZJo275BHFR4AndTonE9C8SQP_PbuHnZ5X/s400/DSC_8161.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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This seems like an ideal mount point for the Varia, but of course nobody makes a Garmin mount that is designed to attach to something like that, so I designed one. The starting point for the design was the Garmin mount insert used by <a href="http://k-edge.com/shop/computer-mounts/garmin-computer-mounts/replacement-garmin-insert-kit/">K-Edge</a>:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNhwmu1gflv_4XSoMAn7S9xhXM16bsqeTlEAm1deRlSRSWba4qA9t6T28XqJwQHGnawwYFo6IbyqiB_ixktuMNgr4NANjALSAaCwJGQ12w57zLpdhCikMk8KU_HkO25rPtFxiUGIIkuwRd/s1600/DSC_8158.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNhwmu1gflv_4XSoMAn7S9xhXM16bsqeTlEAm1deRlSRSWba4qA9t6T28XqJwQHGnawwYFo6IbyqiB_ixktuMNgr4NANjALSAaCwJGQ12w57zLpdhCikMk8KU_HkO25rPtFxiUGIIkuwRd/s320/DSC_8158.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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K-Edge makes a number of different after-market mounts, all of which use the same plastic insert. I could have tried to replicate this myself, but as I've discovered from buying a less expensive after-market mount, a secure attachment requires getting the dimensions of the interface points right, and K-Edge have clearly already done so, so for $5 I can leverage their design and just focus on the interface with the Topeak rack. As shown in the picture, the insert comes with 2 M3 angle-head screws which are designed to screw into the metal mount. In this case, I needed a bracket that was thick enough to accommodate the screws and hold corresponding M3 nuts on the back side.<br />
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The design I came up with is this <a href="https://www.shapeways.com/product/ZLSGN6TE5/garmin-varia-mount-for-topeak-racks">T-shaped bracket</a>, which I had 3D printed by <a href="https://www.shapeways.com/">Shapeways</a>.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK0DndwlWtN2S4JJdC8Gwp79QtXyNJHziTCBrckZ4FOqWKoXzRCXV1ebhyphenhyphenA-BYGaBOjXVIT4ymoJUGW31o9hQZhjSi79IJWVeTI9BQtWFi6erYSi_7k6PojwNeEcxtRIb7Zybfxzh0BP06/s1600/DSC_8155.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="142" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK0DndwlWtN2S4JJdC8Gwp79QtXyNJHziTCBrckZ4FOqWKoXzRCXV1ebhyphenhyphenA-BYGaBOjXVIT4ymoJUGW31o9hQZhjSi79IJWVeTI9BQtWFi6erYSi_7k6PojwNeEcxtRIb7Zybfxzh0BP06/s200/DSC_8155.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfB045YLR6Ym0m1j08_ImS3bkSVcyOIaZ6_l2GwYCgNucqqNcCIA_DRf8YDMK91Yaqx09b5kQg2brRLT9qrvS4O879RNNXDjEGAKYxTCEfgL9mZ5iohFp9MgQTBZSoc2Pj9EEZ8y_Q6WXH/s1600/DSC_8156.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="141" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfB045YLR6Ym0m1j08_ImS3bkSVcyOIaZ6_l2GwYCgNucqqNcCIA_DRf8YDMK91Yaqx09b5kQg2brRLT9qrvS4O879RNNXDjEGAKYxTCEfgL9mZ5iohFp9MgQTBZSoc2Pj9EEZ8y_Q6WXH/s200/DSC_8156.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
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It is 4 mm thick. The angled rack attachment holes are for angle-head M5 screws. To attach this to the rack requires 3 angle-head M5 screws and corresponding nuts. I used 12 mm screws and nylon-insert lock nuts, but plain nuts will probably work fine. Two M3 nuts are needed because they are not included with the K-Edge mount insert.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj50QuMSW0u218uL_akPiU9G2ovAXEblF769LMQS4lCHJZ-SCh73KKOVLE0Pmpi1r7oO74w7kFUWZ050CQ0XIGHbrCnNSXKE0_tJwfWEo2avG2q2iqlazBpGyXKrDKeqA-u_BI25q50prA/s1600/DSC_8157.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="141" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj50QuMSW0u218uL_akPiU9G2ovAXEblF769LMQS4lCHJZ-SCh73KKOVLE0Pmpi1r7oO74w7kFUWZ050CQ0XIGHbrCnNSXKE0_tJwfWEo2avG2q2iqlazBpGyXKrDKeqA-u_BI25q50prA/s200/DSC_8157.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_ZmNzKFzS4FKnghktCmCpHRd85wOs9p9cBc8Q8Othsi42_xZxkFsWY7Ey5S8pHif_T9pyv-TZSLBD5WOxwSurG75mY00_Ze3Hn9XO_C0NI5GZyO8LcXk568XooEtvnds0f9c4e5Tvr5p6/s1600/DSC_8159.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="141" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_ZmNzKFzS4FKnghktCmCpHRd85wOs9p9cBc8Q8Othsi42_xZxkFsWY7Ey5S8pHif_T9pyv-TZSLBD5WOxwSurG75mY00_Ze3Hn9XO_C0NI5GZyO8LcXk568XooEtvnds0f9c4e5Tvr5p6/s200/DSC_8159.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
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Bracket installation begins with inserting the M3 nuts into their corresponding recessed holes on the back of the bracket.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaljTl7lZonQ_6vvQIUJLR_bSZRuI71vklmK39jVO7Lj1J29pYJ06IgTIDx7ISuQTLsSQtqmU8T1oS2FgEaTX8N2-bhsadLp5zDl3rxfT6I9wcVr7kRNpPqrkFkkUqWVqS3PRMrChCXlPt/s1600/DSC_8160.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaljTl7lZonQ_6vvQIUJLR_bSZRuI71vklmK39jVO7Lj1J29pYJ06IgTIDx7ISuQTLsSQtqmU8T1oS2FgEaTX8N2-bhsadLp5zDl3rxfT6I9wcVr7kRNpPqrkFkkUqWVqS3PRMrChCXlPt/s320/DSC_8160.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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The bracket is then attached to the rack with the 3 bolts.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9bqvqni0keLeGLZmgJg6XlM3EM1lN3x4O2dZFpz1JVTPT_ZokCHvweOGaT2fkqm0ULdOq5w-M1hcn10WuyKwyiYoN2VEZmGrnK2QGj2mO47lpN2-GTSqTDiMpE-KRb66LSbZ-P3VZXzYz/s1600/DSC_8162.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9bqvqni0keLeGLZmgJg6XlM3EM1lN3x4O2dZFpz1JVTPT_ZokCHvweOGaT2fkqm0ULdOq5w-M1hcn10WuyKwyiYoN2VEZmGrnK2QGj2mO47lpN2-GTSqTDiMpE-KRb66LSbZ-P3VZXzYz/s400/DSC_8162.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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The K-Edge insert is attached to the bracket using the M3 screws. This is done after the bracket is already attached to the rack because the K-Edge insert slightly overlaps the top M5 screw.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4Vf2kspaue899armmUcYgehHPuGcROoI5eyT6xIxRhmFmq2R25IHo1ctUMlb5e4fBId-EE44tRKTUPdnRYak-smbuZR56vKbLky8zrhguYGBMVxr4BvmGp_7Vwr5yas1ttDXOTVQKaQ-G/s1600/DSC_8163.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4Vf2kspaue899armmUcYgehHPuGcROoI5eyT6xIxRhmFmq2R25IHo1ctUMlb5e4fBId-EE44tRKTUPdnRYak-smbuZR56vKbLky8zrhguYGBMVxr4BvmGp_7Vwr5yas1ttDXOTVQKaQ-G/s400/DSC_8163.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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At this point, the Varia can be attached.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSwZmj5zA9wUmdS9IlolSmqvfPahx6ucI0smpabcnWGQC5wKKUp_Lbn6gOWP7ktaOcQEyb-9sObudSFnFfHfUzOP6GvBOFgtBm95ARbyyCMsaxQ-oWN9Zk1Dr3igkXbZ0J9IeOZpW-cBvb/s1600/DSC_8164.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="457" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSwZmj5zA9wUmdS9IlolSmqvfPahx6ucI0smpabcnWGQC5wKKUp_Lbn6gOWP7ktaOcQEyb-9sObudSFnFfHfUzOP6GvBOFgtBm95ARbyyCMsaxQ-oWN9Zk1Dr3igkXbZ0J9IeOZpW-cBvb/s640/DSC_8164.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Update (November 7, 2018):<br />
One commenter noted that getting the design printed by Shapeways and shipped outside the US is quite expensive, so I'm also making my designs available for download. I am including an STL formatted file (a format readable by most 3D printers), as well as the original source code that I used to create the design in OpenSCAD.<br />
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<a href="https://drive.google.com/open?id=1_WYiRYCZOSGL1uiUzU5qPMJwD6Sr6c1F">STL file</a><br />
<a href="https://drive.google.com/open?id=1oM12hbFzQYyY7f4NlfH48DFWnvUJqPYg">OpenSCAD file</a><div><br /></div><div>2020 Update:</div><div>I have created a <a href="http://qspencer.blogspot.com/2020/03/updated-mount-for-garmin-varia-rtl-510.html">new version</a> of the design that uses less material, fewer screws to attach, and works better with the new RTL 510 and RTL 515 radar designs from Garmin.</div>Quentinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05883257426674517409noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1485862804300015751.post-57159561047034769452016-09-21T08:08:00.001-05:002016-09-21T08:08:10.771-05:003D printed cable guide for X-Peria tandem fork<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
In my original entry about the <a href="http://qspencer.blogspot.com/2015/12/x-peria-5200-tandem.html">X-Peria tandem</a>, I noted that the fork did not have an obvious method for routing the cable to the disc brake, but that there was a screw hole on the inside of the left fork blade. My solution was a 3D-printed bracket designed to attach to the screw hole and reach around behind the fork blade where the cable would pass through it.</div>
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I used <a href="http://www.openscad.org/">OpenSCAD</a>, a free CAD software to create the design. This is an OpenSCAD rendering:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFruNGw5UCxhaBeR6mMMgOFvUjsB9n4mj-g_IN1hz8rOuuzW0zFegVAXabPhe3zQ9iF9E8c9fQ7n2oXZqrLyZ0_8lFdQi5xMxu_lltXP7lUXDBFHgIaUVwymwDFdUcJo9hS1PuZQL6YLne/s1600/cableguide.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFruNGw5UCxhaBeR6mMMgOFvUjsB9n4mj-g_IN1hz8rOuuzW0zFegVAXabPhe3zQ9iF9E8c9fQ7n2oXZqrLyZ0_8lFdQi5xMxu_lltXP7lUXDBFHgIaUVwymwDFdUcJo9hS1PuZQL6YLne/s320/cableguide.png" width="280" /></a></div>
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Note that the hole for the screw mount has a flared shape to accommodate an angle-head screw, so as to minimize the amount the screw protrudes into the space inside the fork. The OpenSCAD source code for this design is below:</div>
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<pre style="background-color: #eeeeee; border: 1px dashed #999999; color: black; font-family: "andale mono" , "lucida console" , "monaco" , "fixed" , monospace; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14px; margin: 10px 50px 10px 50px; overflow: auto; padding: 8px;"><code style="color: black; word-wrap: normal;">guidelength = 20;
width = 15;
cablesize = 5;
thickness = 1.5;
screwhole = 5;
len1 = 5;
len2 = 5;
th2 = 2.5;
angle = 70;
bendradius = 10;
$fs=0.01;
$fa=3;
r2 = screwhole/2+4;
cr = cablesize/2;
ofs = width/2-r2;
d = (guidelength-width)/2;
rotate(angle) {
difference () {
union () {
// cable guide outer
translate([0, 0, -d]) cylinder(guidelength, r=cr+thickness);
// connector section 1
translate([0, -th2/2, 0]) cube([len1, th2, width]);
// connector bend
translate([len1, -th2/2-bendradius, 0]) rotate([0, 0, 90])
rotate_extrude(angle=-angle) {
translate([bendradius, 0, 0]) square([th2, width]);
}
}
// cable guide hole
translate([0, 0, -d-0.01]) cylinder(guidelength+0.02, r=cr);
}
// connector section 2
translate([len1, -bendradius-th2/2, 0]) rotate([0, 0, -angle])
translate([len2, bendradius+th2/2, width/2]) rotate([90, 0, 0])
translate([0, 0, -th2/2])
difference() {
hull() {
cylinder(th2, r=r2);
translate([-len2/2, -ofs, 0]) cylinder(th2, r=r2);
translate([-len2/2, ofs, 0]) cylinder(th2, r=r2);
translate([-len2-1, -width/2, 0]) cube([1, width, th2]);
}
translate([-len2-r2, -width/2-0.05, -0.05]) cube([r2, width+0.1, th2+0.1]);
// Screw hole
translate([0, 0, -0.05]) cylinder(th2+0.1, r=screwhole/2);
// flared hold for angle head screw
translate([0, 0, -1]) cylinder(screwhole/2, screwhole, screwhole/2);
}
}</code> </pre>
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The part was printed in white ABS plastic by <a href="http://www.shapeways.com/">Shapeways</a>. I have produced other parts using Shapeways before and have found the results to be very high quality. A couple of weeks after placing my order, the cable guide arrived.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhU-lHMBmjIaCrsTc6ZrsRTBtdCoFjdbMkzTZI1jTW9r0KkxD6Ct3eZl-juN-0PubYPxhoxaZcFcW6czom-S-5xkGT6EkT7fC7gb279lc4YJ4mZaA6frxeTGURsAiclVLvKf7f1LTiciAF/s1600/DSC_7274.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhU-lHMBmjIaCrsTc6ZrsRTBtdCoFjdbMkzTZI1jTW9r0KkxD6Ct3eZl-juN-0PubYPxhoxaZcFcW6czom-S-5xkGT6EkT7fC7gb279lc4YJ4mZaA6frxeTGURsAiclVLvKf7f1LTiciAF/s320/DSC_7274.JPG" width="319" /></a></div>
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The hole for the cable was actually just a little too tight for the cable to fit, so I widened it slightly with a drill. This is actually the second version of the design, the result of some changes I made to my first design after I had a chance to test it on the bike. Here is the final product, installed on the bike.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPIajfOqcniD46wnkAu6LU0eJ6N5Lo-hfX5nUT5vioGMRULpGSy5hYS_ULWVPjVyUX-NDaVS4fdWAEq9tRI4uXE4PUFENH5FTWass4VQ63kvv3PtKtvqAHz4Rw76bE3fgqpx5NMCBXiyDt/s1600/DSC_7285.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPIajfOqcniD46wnkAu6LU0eJ6N5Lo-hfX5nUT5vioGMRULpGSy5hYS_ULWVPjVyUX-NDaVS4fdWAEq9tRI4uXE4PUFENH5FTWass4VQ63kvv3PtKtvqAHz4Rw76bE3fgqpx5NMCBXiyDt/s400/DSC_7285.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp5OsJJnt-C6WlA6dATz13icRNXWuiLWKYpEt9w4c5KWaST9wwgJiswpMcaBVDtItps0yYdj2ZUbACT0vrz6zc837JUdThKNrf5qJtJyhVPt97Bk0CpQoXe90Y1Ys0kEAf50t0vH80-c15/s1600/DSC_7286.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp5OsJJnt-C6WlA6dATz13icRNXWuiLWKYpEt9w4c5KWaST9wwgJiswpMcaBVDtItps0yYdj2ZUbACT0vrz6zc837JUdThKNrf5qJtJyhVPt97Bk0CpQoXe90Y1Ys0kEAf50t0vH80-c15/s400/DSC_7286.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br />Quentinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05883257426674517409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1485862804300015751.post-19614692494945547612016-09-19T20:42:00.002-05:002016-09-19T20:42:39.828-05:00Custom mounts for Topeak Explorer rackI have the Topeak Explorer rack on two of my bikes, the <a href="http://qspencer.blogspot.com/2012/08/vintage-raleigh-project.html">Raleigh Olympian</a> and the <a href="http://qspencer.blogspot.com/2015/12/x-peria-5200-tandem.html">X-Peria tandem</a>. This rack comes with adjustable steel rails that attach to the upper part of the rack.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiunkAPeNgsAKSc5cimzUXeuBbZhljRAGgLmCx_u-h_0VK3uddTOfeOmdLtuyUWMgldRmjuahudOlyMfk6sbNHc7GIATbNr1OXtqInC3nz2FMf-r2VHCihIPRhld7nFZNz8isx6f1_lDON1/s1600/IMG_20160911_163524.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiunkAPeNgsAKSc5cimzUXeuBbZhljRAGgLmCx_u-h_0VK3uddTOfeOmdLtuyUWMgldRmjuahudOlyMfk6sbNHc7GIATbNr1OXtqInC3nz2FMf-r2VHCihIPRhld7nFZNz8isx6f1_lDON1/s320/IMG_20160911_163524.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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These rails are designed to be bent to fit the particular frame on which they are mounted, and can fit nearly any frame, provided there is a set of mount points to attach to. In the case of both the Raleigh and X-Peria tandem, there are no upper eyelets, so in both cases I made my own mounts to attach to other available mount points.<br />
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In the case of the Raleigh frame, I used the rear brake mount. The custom mount was made from 1/8" (3.175 mm) aluminum sheet. Because I intended for the mount to be specific to this bike and therefore not adjustable, I cut out the shape I had in mind in paper first to ensure that all of the holes were in the right place. I cut the aluminum to the shape I wanted with a circular saw (a fairly crude tool for this sort of job, but it's what I had available and it cuts the aluminum of that thickness relatively easily). I drilled the holes, and used a sander to smooth all of the edges. Bending the aluminum sheet to the desired shape takes a lot of leverage, so I used the holes to attach the ends of the cut out piece to some long pieces of scrap wood. I was eventually able to get the mount into the shape I wanted, but the aluminum got pretty scratched up in the process, so I did some more sanding on the finished product to remove all of the scratches, leaving it with a brushed look.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNctMWQyvT3oWs3BeBHq39wa-zhxHdDD5-HXVlJfjdUyqKJVy3COE9lOttwyGtR8oKmQE2g3w9jvPKHzjFB0vQUJ6PjfWp_nuYtaV7FxpC9Wjeb5woOl8prOu_GF12BQyBsxVk1OhNdSVK/s1600/DSC_7284.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNctMWQyvT3oWs3BeBHq39wa-zhxHdDD5-HXVlJfjdUyqKJVy3COE9lOttwyGtR8oKmQE2g3w9jvPKHzjFB0vQUJ6PjfWp_nuYtaV7FxpC9Wjeb5woOl8prOu_GF12BQyBsxVk1OhNdSVK/s640/DSC_7284.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Here's the whole rack, held perfectly level by the custom mount.<br />
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The X-Peria tandem does not have dedicated upper rack mounts, nor does it have a caliper brake mount in the rear, since it is a disc brake frame. As I noted in my <a href="http://qspencer.blogspot.com/2015/12/x-peria-5200-tandem.html">original blog</a> about the tandem, there is a seatstay bridge where one would expect a caliper brake mount, which has a threaded hole underneath, possibly for mounting a fender. I used the same method and gauge of sheet aluminum to create the fender mount for the X-Peria. Since I happened to have some white paint close to the color of the bike, I painted this one.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4bhouoMPsSnyU8dOZAYkiNBfysyFR8z_4QyljWzyLogpBaAHcUT_MhbA6JiQnCjfCHg1MBiGqy7MM1tTj-77pkVVC7o-L7bT1XgViGSuTKouUkD6zyugCPobrNx49PeJLaP-h-7k6nFHV/s1600/IMG_20160109_170841.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4bhouoMPsSnyU8dOZAYkiNBfysyFR8z_4QyljWzyLogpBaAHcUT_MhbA6JiQnCjfCHg1MBiGqy7MM1tTj-77pkVVC7o-L7bT1XgViGSuTKouUkD6zyugCPobrNx49PeJLaP-h-7k6nFHV/s400/IMG_20160109_170841.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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The threaded hole on the frame is for an M4 screw (similar to what is used on water bottle mounts), but there is not a lot of clearance, so instead of a standard water bottle bolt (below left), I used an angle head screw (right).</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLFH8sBCjkW7KTBDL3EhyHbFdks8NohmTOFMZ9ABgpPOvIuV7a24OmFtfLVCMHI2MvIyCA6uZl3RXoogrE44YnLOo5wjb1gGOXeQGje1g2-r9HX1Ah3fBnjyEtG7zjFRj3_ZCx0VgYa0pg/s1600/DSC_7308.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLFH8sBCjkW7KTBDL3EhyHbFdks8NohmTOFMZ9ABgpPOvIuV7a24OmFtfLVCMHI2MvIyCA6uZl3RXoogrE44YnLOo5wjb1gGOXeQGje1g2-r9HX1Ah3fBnjyEtG7zjFRj3_ZCx0VgYa0pg/s200/DSC_7308.JPG" width="199" /></a></div>
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Combined with a hole to match the shape, the screw protrudes only a minimal amount, leaving more tire clearance.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwaq4SRCFPs1Oj1PnXGjUBQWVmykWi6U3EzsLpWK6dxP-eE1BRMKklRt1QHv3yoE9Q8X7JChu8lTFzQ-SBclIM6fLygqNHoJPfEEOHQONw1FyHwgYAhxiHa6h2hepD-oX3LhFxhAL0xdhI/s1600/DSC_7287.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwaq4SRCFPs1Oj1PnXGjUBQWVmykWi6U3EzsLpWK6dxP-eE1BRMKklRt1QHv3yoE9Q8X7JChu8lTFzQ-SBclIM6fLygqNHoJPfEEOHQONw1FyHwgYAhxiHa6h2hepD-oX3LhFxhAL0xdhI/s400/DSC_7287.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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This is what the finished product looks like, installed.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI28iZrTzp2RUb-mWrFnSyjlISpq61AHY_iliqvrpDNmLc8CbVXP-ej08AFRr1Ykk-aHU-RAEitwYz2xqSiod4PkyJUJ4yKJSbBAM_WgFZj06rngpgFhw3B38U-7b8pnFFuDu2zlmmcq3F/s1600/DSC_7288.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI28iZrTzp2RUb-mWrFnSyjlISpq61AHY_iliqvrpDNmLc8CbVXP-ej08AFRr1Ykk-aHU-RAEitwYz2xqSiod4PkyJUJ4yKJSbBAM_WgFZj06rngpgFhw3B38U-7b8pnFFuDu2zlmmcq3F/s640/DSC_7288.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Quentinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05883257426674517409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1485862804300015751.post-27515450701812871412016-08-24T19:45:00.000-05:002016-08-31T08:04:48.510-05:00MC286 with SRAM 1xSRAM has been pushing their 1x groups for road use lately, and has taken it a step further with the recent release of the SRAM Apex 1x group. One important aspect of the new group for anyone trying to build a cyclocross bike on a budget was the release of a new version of the PG-1130 cassette: a 11-42 cassette that is compatible with the 10-speed freehub standard that is found on older road wheels and is still in use on MTB wheels.<br />
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At the time I was buying the frames and parts for these bikes, I noted in my <a href="http://qspencer.blogspot.com/2015/05/mc286-component-considerations.html">post about components</a> that my choice to buy Mavic's budget-oriented Crossride MTB wheels forced me to use only 10 of the 11 cogs in the Shimano 105 cassette because MTB wheels are still using the 10-speed freehub standard. Building a cyclocross bike with the Crossride wheels and SRAM 1x at the time would have required using an XD cassette and buying the XD driver that is available for this particular Mavic hub (which retails for $100). The ability to use a wide range cassette that is compatible with the built-in freehub on stock MTB wheels reduces the cost of a SRAM 1x build significantly.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWn4pTtYrZPeyzEC8uuIl2_jYANFveLPm1oiaUAiWWSQhGEi3aY6kRzIckaQuF9SifZg00YZJArQQOtSYjK0fNIvNgewXbpMPawt-fvg4qo0Vt_rEFJG9kNI7-9SM5qheZIdgxu93Jxf8w/s1600/DSC_7237.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWn4pTtYrZPeyzEC8uuIl2_jYANFveLPm1oiaUAiWWSQhGEi3aY6kRzIckaQuF9SifZg00YZJArQQOtSYjK0fNIvNgewXbpMPawt-fvg4qo0Vt_rEFJG9kNI7-9SM5qheZIdgxu93Jxf8w/s400/DSC_7237.JPG" width="400" /></a>Since Heather likes the SRAM shifters on her road bike better than Shimano, this summer I decided to convert her cyclocross bike to SRAM 1x so I could use the Shimano 105 group on another bike. For the conversion, I used SRAM Rival brake levers and right shifter, Rival crankset with 42t chainring, Apex derailleur, and the aforementioned PG-1130 cassette.<br />
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<span style="text-align: center;">The original setup consisted of a 50-34 crankset and 11-32 cassette. The new setup results in a lowest gear (42/42 for a 1:1 gear ratio) that is slightly lower than the original 34/32. The highest gear, a 42/11, is approximately equivalent to a 50/13, meaning that the new setup replicates the original setup minus the highest gear of 50/12 (since the 11 tooth cog was never installed). Having ridden my cyclocross bike for over a year, I don't believe I've ever used the 50/12, so I don't believe this is particularly important for the type of riding we do (or most riders do) on this kind of bike.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY70BWQFVfhfTl2TJ3rQufnTWHpO8vsJFCEr7ZiPjvdKeGdnxPHDca8xaluv92fu3xYz5ql8Q0y9yn-tuHuD9rW0ArUlu88gtgKX1FhMKBz_gBMShnEpn2n_YP62kdOLpEqaa9rhlJ6juf/s1600/DSC_7235.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY70BWQFVfhfTl2TJ3rQufnTWHpO8vsJFCEr7ZiPjvdKeGdnxPHDca8xaluv92fu3xYz5ql8Q0y9yn-tuHuD9rW0ArUlu88gtgKX1FhMKBz_gBMShnEpn2n_YP62kdOLpEqaa9rhlJ6juf/s400/DSC_7235.JPG" width="265" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxvitMrLKEAKrDffXkr3bvb6oLi-XIC5QfgtrqchJya_iDfMqOUNndFtslne_GDh_B0I3j2QcLw85UZ2_X8dAon40qJgf72o-ljH8KhIB1BJGOnV3_ExZewDEfmpWFTkfXDZZnind-P79q/s1600/DSC_7236.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxvitMrLKEAKrDffXkr3bvb6oLi-XIC5QfgtrqchJya_iDfMqOUNndFtslne_GDh_B0I3j2QcLw85UZ2_X8dAon40qJgf72o-ljH8KhIB1BJGOnV3_ExZewDEfmpWFTkfXDZZnind-P79q/s400/DSC_7236.JPG" width="265" /></a></div>
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Gearing range is clearly not a problem, but the other possible caveat to a 1x conversion is gear spacing. I did some spreadsheet analysis of the gear ratios on the original 2x10 setup compared to the 1x11 setup and found that the difference is not that large. The 12-32 cassette has a maximum jump in gear ratios of nearly 16%, between the 19 and 22 tooth cogs. The 11-42 has a maximum jump of 18%, between the 13 and 15 tooth cogs. Perhaps more importantly, that larger jump is closer to the edge of the range in less used gears, where the largest jump was previously in the middle. The difference should not be particularly noticeable to most riders.</div>
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Based on our experience so far, I think the SRAM 1x groups are an excellent choice for cyclocross and gravel bikes. It's not surprising to see so many bikes coming out with this setup from the bike bike brands.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmEAg24XTSJgNqJLZ3q6MEiRAbWKNynIta403h9EpkNYQCkXnMwj1AiqfzsQI3yAE5VStIzhbu-p9ehqtkvu_3wU5nWXmJ7zg6ENiHA9Dk6AttRtucPwfi71mPXy62S24XQ5j9dJxHKSgq/s1600/DSC_7238.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmEAg24XTSJgNqJLZ3q6MEiRAbWKNynIta403h9EpkNYQCkXnMwj1AiqfzsQI3yAE5VStIzhbu-p9ehqtkvu_3wU5nWXmJ7zg6ENiHA9Dk6AttRtucPwfi71mPXy62S24XQ5j9dJxHKSgq/s640/DSC_7238.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
Quentinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05883257426674517409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1485862804300015751.post-7496837305828746962015-12-20T14:05:00.005-06:002016-08-31T08:05:43.876-05:00X-Peria 5200 Tandem<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9aJAcKsD8VQYmiTPYf2UG1ekwxbrHxM36NobLX9yENrWEsF9kafpmQH2g30M5hY-fQQOrJH2gMSxATsjh70GUikQdHFq7JWGPWcu2tD3Cy7LJc5XM-0y9wPRk534w6TncwBhAX7um_JmN/s1600/DSC_5705.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="140" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9aJAcKsD8VQYmiTPYf2UG1ekwxbrHxM36NobLX9yENrWEsF9kafpmQH2g30M5hY-fQQOrJH2gMSxATsjh70GUikQdHFq7JWGPWcu2tD3Cy7LJc5XM-0y9wPRk534w6TncwBhAX7um_JmN/s400/DSC_5705.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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It's now been over 5 years since I bought the <a href="http://qspencer.blogspot.com/2012/10/bike-friday-family-tandem.html">Bike Friday Family Tandem</a>. I have no regrets about it, but I'm ready for something new. I eventually gave up on the <a href="http://qspencer.blogspot.com/2014/05/new-shifters-and-derailleur-on-bike.html">conversion to drop handlebars</a>, because even with the various tweaks I made, shifting never worked quite as well as the original shifters did, so I put the original flat handlebars back earlier this year. The telescoping seatpost was important when my kids were shorter, but now the kids are tall enough to fit some full size tandem frames. I also found the Bike Friday to be fairly heavy (around 50 pounds) and I felt that the frame lacked stiffness, a feature that can be partly attributed to its geometry.<br />
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My requirements for a new tandem were:<br />
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<li>Full size frame that's a reasonable weight.</li>
<li>$1500 or less. I don't know how long my kids are going to be interested in riding with me on the tandem, so I want to avoid putting too much money into something that might not be used much.</li>
<li>Fit a tall rider (me) in front and a shorter rider in the rear.</li>
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The Cannondale Road Tandem 2 comes in over $3000, and newer used ones routinely sell on eBay for nearly 70-80% of that. One other option is the KHS Milano, which has a list price of $2000 for an aluminum road tandem with disc brakes and Shimano Tiagra. The only way to get a good road tandem for less than that is to buy used. The problem with most older used tandems (with the notable exception of Cannondales) is that most 1990s and early 2000s tandems had level top tubes that work great for two riders of similar size but would be much to tall in the back for me. Sloping top tubes that can accommodate a larger height differential have become much more common on tandems in the last 10 years, but many of those newer tandems are usually out of my price range. There is a steady stream of used tandems on eBay, but the number of older used road tandems of the appropriate size and price range turns out to be relatively small, and the number of those sellers willing to ship a tandem (a necessity when you live in west Texas) is smaller still.<br />
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After searching eBay for some time, I eventually stumbled onto a listing for the <a href="http://x-peria.fr/index.php/route-road/48-tandem-route-road-x-peria-5200-trekking-touring-cadre">X-Peria 5200 tandem frame</a>, which was being offered new for somewhere around $500 by the French online bike shop <a href="http://www.cr2v.com/">CR2V</a>. The frame is offered in two sizes, the larger of which is pretty close to the correct measurements for me. At this price I decided I could build my own for something close to my target price. CR2V has a number of eBay listings for frames that they offer to ship internationally, but there are more options available directly on their web site, which is how I eventually ordered my frame. The site is completely in French, so I had to navigate it with the help of Google translate at times. It turns out the $500 price tag included the eccentric bottom bracket but did not include a fork, however they do offer a package with BB, fork and headset for about $90 more. Shipping to the USA is not available as part of the normal checkout process on their site, but after some emails back and forth with them, they offered to ship to the USA for an additional 100 EUR. Total cost was just over 700 USD including shipping. When I placed the order, they had just run out of stock, so there was some delay while a new frame was ordered from the manufacturer, which took nearly 3 weeks. After the frame was finally shipped, it was only a little more than a week until the frame arrived.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKgFEc5WqK2fP2hcjJtjciqYhHYkYtuZt-4URlvScvG1gHKP0IyQ5I8PW17XcNskwXLn5PDp8nLF4N7GF6uyZa-OHWMM5e5YnAiPMPH9xXmkBwt0VAUPov9vKZwkLXH3kDzoeOpEmhyCeM/s1600/DSC_5706.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKgFEc5WqK2fP2hcjJtjciqYhHYkYtuZt-4URlvScvG1gHKP0IyQ5I8PW17XcNskwXLn5PDp8nLF4N7GF6uyZa-OHWMM5e5YnAiPMPH9xXmkBwt0VAUPov9vKZwkLXH3kDzoeOpEmhyCeM/s320/DSC_5706.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
At first glance, the frame has a lot in common with a Cannondale, but a closer inspection shows that the welds don't look nearly as clean as can be expected on a Cannondale. I would compare it to the quality of frame one typically sees on lower end aluminum road bikes in a local bike shop. While X-Peria is clearly a French company, it's not clear to me whether the frames are made in France or somewhere in Asia. Regardless, as long as the frame holds up, it suits my purposes just fine. The combined weight of frame, fork, headset and eccentric bottom bracket is about 9 pounds.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTPI3fHAuH_mwX7jrwP9e_n0Hhm4wfuguyHnWSaiAsCgUOHFh85GfyE3Hn-rbTKbSFIaYhBV60IOqySwLCdpUmT-6FYLwhyphenhyphenAh9x4umXogL0qHmYzVafeB6MgU3_ZLpc53qGTKhyypbV-Ku/s1600/DSC_5697.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTPI3fHAuH_mwX7jrwP9e_n0Hhm4wfuguyHnWSaiAsCgUOHFh85GfyE3Hn-rbTKbSFIaYhBV60IOqySwLCdpUmT-6FYLwhyphenhyphenAh9x4umXogL0qHmYzVafeB6MgU3_ZLpc53qGTKhyypbV-Ku/s320/DSC_5697.JPG" width="320" /></a>The specifications on X-Peria's web site do not specify whether the fork is aluminum or steel, but I believe it is steel because the fork blades look too small to be aluminum, and the junction of the steerer tube (which is clearly aluminum) and fork crown suggests an interface between two different metals rather than a single continuous piece of metal.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD8HLFSJwr3YxFGVAsgvZviQTySn22cKqfKxXZSO5-2kdS4gCYow1lEjxMRueioo721_Dll5C-XTxafB1nqREmgo4EJm0kamkhXogeLpk1zD8qojPx7Pma6Pe2cMQV3QuLpGuqveMhXANT/s1600/DSC_5703.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD8HLFSJwr3YxFGVAsgvZviQTySn22cKqfKxXZSO5-2kdS4gCYow1lEjxMRueioo721_Dll5C-XTxafB1nqREmgo4EJm0kamkhXogeLpk1zD8qojPx7Pma6Pe2cMQV3QuLpGuqveMhXANT/s320/DSC_5703.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
The frame has post mounts for 180 mm brake discs front and rear. I used 203 mm brake discs with 180-203 Shimano adapters and Shimano BR-R317 cable-actuated brakes.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw2fWjvMwdynMTDvzzJzMxSV2Wfb8dLPpbzk7D7IRUicqu-8N_5GWobd01aCGyf7wLGwW5m1Ciarg8e0xgwx8WcUzy1-7JQcwAG7_t8Hc6Q8KBbQrfNHMr6fLtv-fuXisP1gpz7XqzXrGT/s1600/DSC_5696.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="136" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw2fWjvMwdynMTDvzzJzMxSV2Wfb8dLPpbzk7D7IRUicqu-8N_5GWobd01aCGyf7wLGwW5m1Ciarg8e0xgwx8WcUzy1-7JQcwAG7_t8Hc6Q8KBbQrfNHMr6fLtv-fuXisP1gpz7XqzXrGT/s320/DSC_5696.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg6KQCh8YAsHe_85Lmasgrq9rtxU2nBOw_9G-z2jk0BwQ39U12NipX_mapYl98bL8bd1ce8-t9cSqPAC6jR1idIAShDOwsaoyaNN9SXmQuhce5OpeC-zmJTstoX3T-DavR-eIo-MrWrZ9O/s1600/DSC_5695.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg6KQCh8YAsHe_85Lmasgrq9rtxU2nBOw_9G-z2jk0BwQ39U12NipX_mapYl98bL8bd1ce8-t9cSqPAC6jR1idIAShDOwsaoyaNN9SXmQuhce5OpeC-zmJTstoX3T-DavR-eIo-MrWrZ9O/s200/DSC_5695.JPG" width="200" /></a>The rear dropout spacing is 135 mm, so it's compatible with 29er MTB wheels. Nearly all higher end 29ers now use through axles, so most quick-release 29er disc brake wheels are targeted at less expensive bikes, which gave me a number of good options at a reasonable price, particularly since cost and durability were higher priorities for me than weight. I ended up with these 32-spoke WTB SX19 wheels. 36 and 40 spoke wheels are common on tandems, but it's difficult to find pre-built wheels with more than 32, and I think these will be sufficient for me. The tires shown here are 37 mm Continental Contact, though their actual width appears to be a bit less than 37 mm. Both wheels fit in the frame easily. The fork could easily fit 40 mm tires or bigger, but the rear doesn't have much extra space.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUjKQAcz4jDbDn2dX6Zq88Fhr0WbWFBmgrqcXzIOiRerSoopa1N-bZCAe0iGh0-dNjvEy304P8_l8nj6stqZyofKjljd9-8u_GQ6Oylwx3edtNdhUaEu064vc40UAQXiAGrea_oLeYDFc8/s1600/DSC_5698.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUjKQAcz4jDbDn2dX6Zq88Fhr0WbWFBmgrqcXzIOiRerSoopa1N-bZCAe0iGh0-dNjvEy304P8_l8nj6stqZyofKjljd9-8u_GQ6Oylwx3edtNdhUaEu064vc40UAQXiAGrea_oLeYDFc8/s320/DSC_5698.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
For the drivetrain, I bought used Shimano Ultegra 6603 shifters (3x10 speed) and a 9-speed Shimano Deore XT rear derailleur. (Shimano 10-speed road shifters will work with 9-speed MTB derailleurs but not 10-speed MTB derailleurs). I set it up with single-side drive, which means I'm only using 2 of the front shift positions, but I have the option to use a triple in the future. The reasons for single side drive were keeping cost down (I already had one of the cranks I needed) and size options. I am using a 180 mm front crank and 165 mm rear. When the kids get a bit taller, I will probably eventually go to 170 rear and 175 front with regular tandem cranks.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTWmgpOU-9zbHLRdfQVH4o7cFBh5luOD7U-arhjnEesQoAvi2M3KgCaMZkqbh168q5hWZpnBy-qHDphgOPWSLyZ-HfwagZ74Kl9lH_gDbUHHvT39bfxDKpyh8eH_cy-XCbZO3_ylQjJCH6/s1600/DSC_5699.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTWmgpOU-9zbHLRdfQVH4o7cFBh5luOD7U-arhjnEesQoAvi2M3KgCaMZkqbh168q5hWZpnBy-qHDphgOPWSLyZ-HfwagZ74Kl9lH_gDbUHHvT39bfxDKpyh8eH_cy-XCbZO3_ylQjJCH6/s320/DSC_5699.JPG" width="320" /></a>The rear crank is made by <a href="http://www.origin8.bike/">Origin8</a>. It's inexpensive and also comes in even shorter lengths, an ideal option for someone setting up a single-side drive tandem for a short stoker. I used 39 tooth chainrings for the timing chain because I already had one in that size. The inner two rings pictured here are 48 and 32 tooth rings, which have been paired with a 11-32 10 speed cassette. This gives a gearing range just slightly lower than a 50/34 compact road crankset with similar cassette. The 1:1 ratio of the low gear should be enough for moderate climbs and the high end is more than enough for how I anticipate using the bike.</div>
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The finished bike comes in at 38 pounds as pictured, a full 12 pounds lighter than the Bike Friday. I don't have an exact cost total, but it came in somewhere between $1600 and $1700. It is probably possible to build one of these in a similar way with true tandem cranks (such as Sugino XD) for under $1800.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7XrjpbRDoq0XIkQ7Rn0OXbSaMo5iA75dNlJuu3DXXe4aD0qpkmJ_xIvjstXqOuNUAJstcwn_WGBpSEUPs59P1SUgXxzEC6YkaVCJr5MoTxKdTaMnT_HLWdnfSoRXyV7vhguKjcGFEsw-W/s1600/DSC_5694.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7XrjpbRDoq0XIkQ7Rn0OXbSaMo5iA75dNlJuu3DXXe4aD0qpkmJ_xIvjstXqOuNUAJstcwn_WGBpSEUPs59P1SUgXxzEC6YkaVCJr5MoTxKdTaMnT_HLWdnfSoRXyV7vhguKjcGFEsw-W/s640/DSC_5694.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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The frame has a few quirks that I didn't expect. None of them are serious flaws, but things that might have been helpful to know about in advance:</div>
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<li>shift cables are routed for a top-pull front derailleur. As far as I know, this means most road derailleurs won't work.</li>
<li>only 2 water bottle cage mounts.</li>
<li>no guide for brake cables on the fork, as would be expected on a disc brake fork.</li>
<li>There are double threaded eyelets on the rear dropouts, but no rack eyelets at the top of the seatstays. There is, however, a threaded hole underneath the seatstay bridge and chainstay bridge, which is presumably for mounting a fender. I'm working on a custom bracket for attching a rack I have that uses this hole.</li>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn3qZewKT6vT6fbCakwgS2hPy1lAIs0RctLDQi_zeeAE0LsJbbCd4apJ66AlQ_kWxb_kxhehUvuvo1EG7N9JJWVxNSFehlyzLbuRoNFFCXjsUNwifWQeEloOCcie8plQ4vOcnqX7uJoVUo/s1600/DSC_5701.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn3qZewKT6vT6fbCakwgS2hPy1lAIs0RctLDQi_zeeAE0LsJbbCd4apJ66AlQ_kWxb_kxhehUvuvo1EG7N9JJWVxNSFehlyzLbuRoNFFCXjsUNwifWQeEloOCcie8plQ4vOcnqX7uJoVUo/s320/DSC_5701.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
Quentinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05883257426674517409noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1485862804300015751.post-25001029681774271102015-05-31T17:22:00.001-05:002016-08-31T08:04:48.507-05:00The completed MT-MC286 bikes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I have finally completed assembly of both bikes, so here they are. First, the 58 cm bike that I will be riding.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT_3SPgLSID6KAFzZMheGwdMoT-WGLUM53Y10VTp-IiUMekJqT8299XV3DfaHi7h1KgcxUICJa5inpdDFH7KEutJqft5HHb8FRy_HMPcoKDsCvQCGmscZKZQCX2UuApX7wgisxymC8vNZy/s1600/DSC_3775.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT_3SPgLSID6KAFzZMheGwdMoT-WGLUM53Y10VTp-IiUMekJqT8299XV3DfaHi7h1KgcxUICJa5inpdDFH7KEutJqft5HHb8FRy_HMPcoKDsCvQCGmscZKZQCX2UuApX7wgisxymC8vNZy/s640/DSC_3775.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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I will eventually put SPD pedals on this before doing any serious riding. The flat pedals are for purposes of riding around the neighborhood while I get the shifting and brakes adjusted. This bike has the narrower than expected Continental Contact tires that I <a href="http://qspencer.blogspot.com/2015/05/mc286-component-considerations.html">wrote about previously</a>. They will probably be a good tire for riding on roads, but that's not the primary purpose of this bike, so I will probably eventually get something wider. For those who are interested in such things, I weighed the bike and it came in a little under 22 pounds as pictured. The handlebars were wrapped with Bike Nashbar's handlebar tape. I used two rolls of it (white and "nuclear green") to get the striped pattern, spacing them fairly close together so that I used about 2/3 of each roll. That has the effect of making the padding about 50% thicker than normal. The green color turned out to be remarkably close to the green color we used in the frames.<br />
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Here is the 48 cm bike that Heather will be riding:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWwJkfWXLYIr55hMFazXSFEFXKhx2cMuLhOOuJTtKjnm7KxGy0L8gpWatBJl2tivrWXnFJgYaVx4FKdp8L7oX-6pxfO6DdLXcVeb7shhsxQf-q5BpYDiBbVeM34ozZfZTvJEC-BNhkOz1r/s1600/DSC_3770.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWwJkfWXLYIr55hMFazXSFEFXKhx2cMuLhOOuJTtKjnm7KxGy0L8gpWatBJl2tivrWXnFJgYaVx4FKdp8L7oX-6pxfO6DdLXcVeb7shhsxQf-q5BpYDiBbVeM34ozZfZTvJEC-BNhkOz1r/s640/DSC_3770.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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The two notable differences on this bike are the fatter tires and a big set back on the seatpost and saddle. I wanted to go with carbon seatposts because they are supposed to be more comfortable (I don't have personal experience--I'm still using an aluminum seatpost on my carbon road bike), and I knew this frame was going to require significant set back because of the steep seat tube angle. The geometry chart for this frame can be seen at <a href="http://miraclebikes.com/products/path0143/path0163/FirstLook-3A2015ThruAxleCyclocrossBikeNewestCycloc25052933/">Miracle Bikes web site</a>. The 58 cm frame has a 73 degree seat angle (the same as my road bike), but the 48 cm frame has a much steeper 75.5 degree angle. That has the effect of moving the seat forward about 2.5 cm. So, for the 58 cm frame I bought a zero set back seat post and for the 48 cm frame I bought a post with about 2 cm of set back. I originally got a different saddle for this bike, but I was not able to get it back far enough, so I eventually swapped it out for this one that came stock on a Giant road bike and has longer rails. I understand these kinds of compromises are necessary on shorter frames, but in this case I don't think the seat tube angle needed to be this extreme.<br />
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This bike has a pair of 700x40C WTB Nano tires. They were tried with some success by someone on the <a href="http://forums.mtbr.com/cyclocross/chinese-2015-cyclocross-bike-frame-142mm-thru-axle-927553.html">forum discussing this frame at mtbr.com</a>, so I thought I would get a pair and try them out on one of the bikes. So far I've only bought one pair, but if we like them after using them a bit, I'll probably get a pair for the other bike. Miracle Bikes specifies the maximum tire width as 38 mm, so this is technically exceeding that by 2 mm. The fork is clearly not the limiting factor here, as it appears to have more clearance than in the rear.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCmhjDYw9T8HKawmtMsedQjeOKVStrobq-xZgGSi0gvPpw_ubmOPrh8sBgSMDMyltWFRk7lvLMaCDZsVozjjDFQ8nSn7gcKLVs5Sw-mZRRj3Z_1HMGr8G-MQjEzOs7M2UlIpvmFVQRp97N/s1600/DSC_3771.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCmhjDYw9T8HKawmtMsedQjeOKVStrobq-xZgGSi0gvPpw_ubmOPrh8sBgSMDMyltWFRk7lvLMaCDZsVozjjDFQ8nSn7gcKLVs5Sw-mZRRj3Z_1HMGr8G-MQjEzOs7M2UlIpvmFVQRp97N/s320/DSC_3771.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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In the rear, things are a bit tight behind the bottom bracket, but I think it will work.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_vjEW1UeKs_VW0hoe9wXWuCnyLSNeXfFk_77lzwAZ1tZsx_9rmmLqCvol9U7iTdqozmPkqN0y_R5WqGudFETNJZyFReFV_bKHbXPT-AE4tB1FSO38z3feYlWV-bYqxq8_3bUARFXb9hkS/s1600/DSC_3772.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_vjEW1UeKs_VW0hoe9wXWuCnyLSNeXfFk_77lzwAZ1tZsx_9rmmLqCvol9U7iTdqozmPkqN0y_R5WqGudFETNJZyFReFV_bKHbXPT-AE4tB1FSO38z3feYlWV-bYqxq8_3bUARFXb9hkS/s320/DSC_3772.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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The seat stays also offer barely enough clearance, which I find strange because there is no particular reason not to make the clearance in this part of the frame more generous.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjky_Dm86q4glFY8njl0B3iFGaJquYC3j_gv_Y6SlGHiggI8kJU011ML3mi4w2DW6vnkWwE7zcSRmWw9CDMWhNpPBkC9jzL1xoVT1rDFYG0T0HWIuOFG7yrcW_bmjF_MGXO970_303oo9QH/s1600/DSC_3773.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjky_Dm86q4glFY8njl0B3iFGaJquYC3j_gv_Y6SlGHiggI8kJU011ML3mi4w2DW6vnkWwE7zcSRmWw9CDMWhNpPBkC9jzL1xoVT1rDFYG0T0HWIuOFG7yrcW_bmjF_MGXO970_303oo9QH/s320/DSC_3773.JPG" width="212" /></a></div>
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So, I think this frame will work with a 40 mm tire in dry conditions. Mud might be another story. The frustrating thing about the clearance in the rear is that there is plenty of clearance between the seat tube and rear tire, implying that the unusually steep seat angle on the 48 cm frame was not actually necessary. I think it could have been 1/2 to 1 degree less steep without making the gap between seat tube and rear tire the limiting factor in clearance, which would offer much more flexibility in choosing saddles and seatposts.<br />
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Based on my experience assembling the bikes, here are some things that I would change about the frame design:<br />
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<ul>
<li>Reduce the seat tube angle by 1/2 to 1 degree in the smaller frame sizes.</li>
<li>Make more tire clearance between seat stays. This is easy and doesn't compromise anything else in the frame.</li>
<li>Make a little more clearance between chain stays. This may not actually be possible without some very creative engineering such as that being done by <a href="http://www.opencycle.com/">Open Cycle</a>, but I'd love to put an even fatter tire on this bike if it were possible.</li>
<li>Move the exit hole in the left chain stay for the brake cable forward a bit. Right now the cable has to make a bit of an awkward bend to get to the rear disc brake (Avid BB7 on these bikes).</li>
<li>Taller head tubes. Nearly everyone on the mtbr forum thread discussing this frame that has posted pictures of their completed bikes has had 3-5 cm (or more) of spacers between the top of the headset and stem. I think this is a sign that the head tubes on this frame are probably shorter than they need to be. However, this frame is designed for cyclocross, and I don't really have experience with cyclocross frames, so it's possible that this is normal geometry for cyclocross racing, and that I and many others who are buying this for dirt road riding just have higher handlebar preferences than your average cyclocross racer. </li>
</ul>
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Having said that, none of these are serious problems, and I fully anticipate that we'll have a lot of fun riding the bikes.</div>
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Quentinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05883257426674517409noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1485862804300015751.post-8453339586122456272015-05-04T18:54:00.001-05:002016-08-31T08:04:48.517-05:00MC286 component considerations<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The logical choice for components for the MC286 is to install a road drivetrain and a set of mountain bike wheels because 142x12 rear wheels for mountain bikes are readily available for reasonable prices. It turns out one of the great challenges of making this frame work on a reasonable budget is the incompatibility between 11-speed road cassettes and mountain bike hubs.</div>
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When 11 speed was introduced to road components a couple of years ago, it required a slightly longer freehub body. (Note that this is all just from reading rather than experience; my road bike is still at 9 speed.) Mountain bike components didn't introduce 11 speed until more recently, and so far they have stuck with the old freehub body dimensions. This means that using a standard mountain bike wheel won't work with an 11 speed road group. There are very few road-specific wheels available with a 142x12 rear axle at this time, though I'm sure that's likely to change soon enough. The 142x12 standard is relatively new to cyclocross bikes and to my knowledge is not used anywhere (yet) on regular road frames. I suspect most cyclocross bikes being sold by the major brands that include 142x12 rear axles are using proprietary wheels. Because this standard is being introduced on higher end bikes, there aren't likely to be many budget-oriented options right now.</div>
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I did a lot of research and considered several options for wheels:</div>
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<ul>
<li>Use a mountain bike wheel with the new Shimano XTR 11 speed cassette and a road group. Aside from the high cost of XTR, this may not be workable because it's only available with a 40 tooth large cog, which likely exceeds the capacity of the road derailleurs. This could become viable in the future if Shimano were to offer more options (in price and gearing ranges).</li>
<li>Use a Campagnolo 11 speed cassette. According to <a href="http://velonews.competitor.com/2013/09/bikes-and-tech/technical-faq/technical-faq-drivetrain-compatibility-for-10-and-11-speed_301392">this article by Lennard Zinn</a>, the Campagnolo 11 speed freehub bodies can fit on most 10 speed road hubs. However, this requires finding a hub that has both 142x12 and a Campagnolo freehub body available as options. I don't know whether this exists, and if it did, it would be very expensive and also quite restrictive in the available gearing ranges.</li>
<li>Find a wheel specifically built for cyclocross and through axle wheels. Right now the only thing I can find off the shelf is the <a href="http://www.notubes.com/Iron-Cross-Comp-Wheelset-P1355.aspx">Stan's Iron Cross wheelset</a>. The new <a href="http://www.dtswiss.com/Components/Hubs-Road/240s-db-en">DT Swiss 240S DB</a> hub is also designed exactly for this purpose, but I don't know what the cost is, and haven't yet found any wheels for sale based on this hub. In both cases, however, I think the cost is higher than what I was hoping to spend.</li>
<li>Use a standard mountain bike wheel and install only 10 of 11 cogs from the road cassette.</li>
</ul>
As far as I can tell, only the last two options are even likely to work, but the last option has many more price options available because there are so many wheels available for 142x12 29er mountain bikes. I ultimately chose the Mavic Crossride wheelset because it looks like a good reliable set of wheels and is half the price of the Stan's wheels.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
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For components, I considered Shimano 105 and SRAM Rival and eventually settled on Shimano 105 because in part because I was able to get a great price on the complete group without brakes from <a href="http://starbike.com/">Starbike.com</a> in Germany. They were one of the few retailers I could find anywhere that offered their road groups with brakes optional, and they also had a great price on the Mavic wheelset I wanted. Starbike's prices are such that I'm sure they would have been competitive even a year ago with shipping from Germany to the US, but the strong US dollar vs. the Euro right now made the price even better. For two wheelsets, two component groups and several other miscellaneous parts, shipping was only an extra 10 Euro for what turned out to be two very large boxes. The parts arrived in less than two weeks.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhM427UxTBRHoIMeEARtjDaZzd53Lf5c5QOiY6gF7ZXjGTtcPhZwbq5wEvqdXW-YZHa_oHSY34hFeBHXA5-wtKP7bm32zFAJeto9PYsMpQHB8aEdb9L6whx_XMeJEW-PZ8c78QcGjl9f8Z/s1600/DSC_3643.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhM427UxTBRHoIMeEARtjDaZzd53Lf5c5QOiY6gF7ZXjGTtcPhZwbq5wEvqdXW-YZHa_oHSY34hFeBHXA5-wtKP7bm32zFAJeto9PYsMpQHB8aEdb9L6whx_XMeJEW-PZ8c78QcGjl9f8Z/s1600/DSC_3643.JPG" width="111" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAvTP17jqD_xoVaMaKGFY0Vd2T1zRnxy5TcnjyYqZo9jeQvFDU1ORx0zjN3XLggDw8yfSDh9WUPnUtuq9No7gbD63cP-kBBsPedlSQhYUo10m87i9QBqD-O04heov0HgxdFRD3DbdgLrlE/s1600/DSC_3646.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAvTP17jqD_xoVaMaKGFY0Vd2T1zRnxy5TcnjyYqZo9jeQvFDU1ORx0zjN3XLggDw8yfSDh9WUPnUtuq9No7gbD63cP-kBBsPedlSQhYUo10m87i9QBqD-O04heov0HgxdFRD3DbdgLrlE/s1600/DSC_3646.JPG" width="320" /></a>This is the drive side of the Mavic rear wheel. The freehub came with the sticker on the right wrapped around it, warning against using cassettes that use individual cogs as opposed to a carrier. I got a 11-32 cassette with my Shimano 105 group, which uses individual cogs for the first 8 cogs and a carrier for the last 3 cogs. The reason for this warning is the aluminum construction of the freehub body. Individual cogs will eventually dig into the splines of the aluminum feehub body, where the carrier spreads out the load and avoids this. Using the cassette that I have chosen will therefore have a risk of damage to the freehub body over time, particularly in the middle cogs, which will be subjected to more torque than the smaller cogs. For now I'm going to accept the risk and try it for a while.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtUmGug5UI_E4XfyGWoEI8dIXNl2lbjc6FD63vRu4APox4t6vG67-V8LSMF13w50qbeSbk843AVS529YzPnwWTqUyBXelSfVFf4e6f-ljuJEDhjL2piT28mObnzGXYJf9W85bWps-Zc3lk/s1600/DSC_3648.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtUmGug5UI_E4XfyGWoEI8dIXNl2lbjc6FD63vRu4APox4t6vG67-V8LSMF13w50qbeSbk843AVS529YzPnwWTqUyBXelSfVFf4e6f-ljuJEDhjL2piT28mObnzGXYJf9W85bWps-Zc3lk/s1600/DSC_3648.JPG" width="320" /></a>This is the complete 11 speed cassette set in place on the freehub without the lock ring. The last cog spins freely in place because the splines are not tall enough to engage it. In addition, the threads do not extend far enough to properly engage the lock ring. It's possible to get it on, but it will only catch about 1/4 turn worth of the thread. So, it's clear this won't quite work.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhntyfCrZwd1zrciF9flOY0evCwMAmJB_6Ek9UYymLicHLE92_xQGJm9KtgiekBD9kG0-VvebUeFJyIYTCskLim0S0tdV-eSCVvBHS9iiPAnUjS65iuk_j_LSAZfGN1_kbhQWV1HBopBsOH/s1600/DSC_3652.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhntyfCrZwd1zrciF9flOY0evCwMAmJB_6Ek9UYymLicHLE92_xQGJm9KtgiekBD9kG0-VvebUeFJyIYTCskLim0S0tdV-eSCVvBHS9iiPAnUjS65iuk_j_LSAZfGN1_kbhQWV1HBopBsOH/s1600/DSC_3652.JPG" width="212" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY9z2v5cpvCEgiKH6qMMAKJXFyaAI9vS8gx4VfQunJn-eKXcfqPTPdG2baElkfr7wqOXC2wuxYgrn15DSw4JOuVFxR45UJs1asDqr4aLZeKY8EXHoWY22edbjqMo7UnBqXgO66Engo7XHK/s1600/DSC_3650.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY9z2v5cpvCEgiKH6qMMAKJXFyaAI9vS8gx4VfQunJn-eKXcfqPTPdG2baElkfr7wqOXC2wuxYgrn15DSw4JOuVFxR45UJs1asDqr4aLZeKY8EXHoWY22edbjqMo7UnBqXgO66Engo7XHK/s1600/DSC_3650.JPG" width="212" /></a>The excessive stack height of the 11 speed cassette is made clearer by attempting to install the wheel with the whole cassette on it in the frame. The picture on the left shows all 11 cogs in place, and the picture on the right shows only 10 cogs. With 11 cogs, the lock ring rubs against the dropout so that it would not be able to spin with the cassette, and the smallest cog is so close to the dropout that even without the lock ring problem, the chain would likely rub against the frame. On the right, there is enough space for everything to work properly, just with one fewer speeds. Because the first two positions each require special cogs, doing this properly requires buying both a 12 tooth first position cog and 13 tooth second position cog, and using them to replace cogs 11, 12 and 13. However, someone wishing to not buy the cogs could theoretically just remove the 13, leaving a 11, 12, 14 ... combination, which would leave an unusually big jump in gearing between the 12 and 14. The picture above shows the 12, 13, 14 combination, which added an extra $20 or so in costs, but made it possible to keep the total cost of the bike down by quite a bit.<br />
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The last important consideration for this bike is tires. The Miracle Bikes web page for this frame specified that the frame could handle a 38 mm tire. I went ahead and bought some 37 mm tires and installed them on the rims. I looked at a lot of tires trying to find a balance between smooth center for riding on pavement and some kind of tread on the sides for riding off pavement. I decided to try the Continental Contact, which is really more of an urban/commuting tire. Here it is installed in the frame.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOKDW9FqHjqvdy-1nthAcWmyQnXT_v_c6jgRrzIWXuGJDQL-sQzdcynep-lJZkZeWBBIA7Uz1mLxdGNKiw926wv-90K9odUCMtzNhgBYSJS-4xaETq7ZDets5c93NDU6qnP22whqEMzq-F/s1600/DSC_3656.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOKDW9FqHjqvdy-1nthAcWmyQnXT_v_c6jgRrzIWXuGJDQL-sQzdcynep-lJZkZeWBBIA7Uz1mLxdGNKiw926wv-90K9odUCMtzNhgBYSJS-4xaETq7ZDets5c93NDU6qnP22whqEMzq-F/s1600/DSC_3656.JPG" width="265" /></a></div>
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My first reaction is that I wanted something wider than this and there appears to be a lot of room. By my measurement the tire is closer to 32 or 33 mm. I measure about 50mm between the stays, and similar clearance at the bottom bracket and top of the fork. This made me wonder if I could have gone wider and knobbier, so I'm going to try a set of 40 mm tires instead.Quentinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05883257426674517409noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1485862804300015751.post-85208603647435072422015-05-03T17:27:00.001-05:002016-08-31T08:04:48.520-05:00Arrival of the MC286 frames from Miracle BikesThe MC286 frames arrived earlier this week.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJozuYa549plwUjLE1XF_AbOX8-7krsGCwzTI0C6NoLdPArcUy4Y1t47j_tVgPdfjI0JJdAJ34rn1oNJ1CuBERBP6ihTJNNN8RVfBjkObcNgw-C26nk67oVRiTSh_hiRoCXlaIdUqN24Ow/s1600/Frames.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJozuYa549plwUjLE1XF_AbOX8-7krsGCwzTI0C6NoLdPArcUy4Y1t47j_tVgPdfjI0JJdAJ34rn1oNJ1CuBERBP6ihTJNNN8RVfBjkObcNgw-C26nk67oVRiTSh_hiRoCXlaIdUqN24Ow/s1600/Frames.png" height="400" width="640" /></a></div>
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The total time from placing the order to arrival at my doorstep was a little over 7 weeks. Most of that time was the custom paint job. I was warned it would take a while, but it took a little longer than I was planning. After about 5 weeks, I emailed my contact at Miracle Bikes asking about the status. She sent me a photo of one of the completed frames, and a couple of days later sent me a shipping number. The shipping numbers can be tracked by the US postal service, but often there is a lag (in this case close to a week) between receiving the number and the USPS tracking system recognizing it. The time from receiving the shipping number to arrival was just over two weeks, so I imagine a buyer not wanting custom paint could receive a frame in less than three weeks.<br />
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The bikes look great, a nearly perfect rendering of the artwork I sent them, and the quality of the paint looks really good. The through axles I had added to the order were already installed in the dropouts. They seem to be specific to this frame design (which is also the consensus on <a href="http://forums.mtbr.com/cyclocross/chinese-2015-cyclocross-bike-frame-142mm-thru-axle-927553.html">this thread at mtbr.com</a>), any prospective buyer is advised to order them with the frame. I didn't think to ask about it during the process of purchasing the frame, but headsets were included. I'm waiting for a few more parts and then will be ready to start assembling them.Quentinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05883257426674517409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1485862804300015751.post-74473134688458396172015-03-17T19:37:00.001-05:002016-08-31T08:04:48.514-05:00MT-MC286 from Miracle BikesLast summer, I moved from central Illinois to west Texas. I've done some riding since then, but not as much as I'd like to because I just haven't found the riding very enjoyable here, the primary reasons being narrow roads with fast traffic and a surprising number of loose dogs. Like central Illinois, the area is crisscrossed with small farm roads, but the farm roads here are mostly unpaved. The dirt roads are readily accessible from where I live, and I've found them to be much more traffic and dog free, so I've concluded that riding the dirt roads is my future, and that I want a bike designed for such riding. That is the origin of my next project, a cyclocross bike, or rather two cyclocross bikes so Heather and I can ride together.<br />
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My first plan was to find some kind of inexpensive cyclocross bike from someone like bikesdirect.com, where aluminum frame cyclocross bikes with disc brakes start at about $900. We both like our carbon road bikes a lot, and since my last experience ordering a frame with custom paint job direct from China last year was relatively painless, we eventually decided to spend a bit more and go in the direction of carbon again.<br />
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I had three requirements for the frames: the size range needed to go as far as 48 cm and 58 cm (60 would be preferable, but I can make 58 work), disc brake compatibility, and through axle dropouts. Because I haven't owned a mountain bike made more recently than the mid 1990's, I really don't have much prior experience with disc brakes and through axles, but based on all of my research, this is the direction cyclocross bikes are going, with road bikes likely to follow soon. Some major brands, such as Giant, are already selling cyclocross bikes with through axles. My primary motivation for doing this is forward compatibility: through axles and disc brakes make it more likely that the wheels and frame will be interchangeable with future wheels and frames.<br />
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It took some time to find someone selling a frame that met all three criteria. Nearly everyone has a disc frame, and several manufacturers appear to have recently introduced through-axle compatible frames, but I could only find one that offered all of the sizes I wanted: the <a href="http://miraclebikes.com/products/path0143/path0163/FirstLook-3A2015ThruAxleCyclocrossBikeNewestCycloc25052933/">MT-MC286 from Miracle Bikes</a>. The frame is also listed on Alibaba.com, which is how I contacted them. I got a reply pretty quickly, and I went back and forth for a few days with the person about what I wanted. The base price of the frame was quoted to be $480. I don't know whether this represents any kind of a discount over the price of only buying one frame. A custom two-color paint job was quoted at $70. Shipping is effectively two for the price of one because the frames will ship in a single box. (The frame I bought last year was in a box probably big enough for two.) They requested payment via PayPal, and add 4% to the cost to cover the fee that PayPal deducts. Total for the two frames came to $1300. I was told that they have a bit of a backlog of up to 20 days on their painting (apparently due in part to Chinese New Year). All of this is pretty consistent with my previous experience, so I wasn't too worried.<br />
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Before sending money, I thought I should read some more about them. I didn't know anything previously about Miracle Bikes, but after doing some research I did find at least <a href="https://guyjonestriathlon.wordpress.com/2013/10/27/a-guide-to-chinese-carbon-part-2/">one blog</a> that discusses importing frames directly from Chinese manufacturers, and he lists Miracle Bikes as one of the ones he considers to be reputable. Given that and the built-in protections that come from using PayPal, I decided I was ready to give it a go.<br />
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We've decided to get matching frames, so we came up with a design, and sent the following image to Miracle Bikes:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw6DXfSO-O5u2D2HOlMyI3QvT4a2dA-SkZPlCjMevwRvbbS-2kdETrB06peT8_2Z2KVuJ4Ugaov0k-msHcf3zSJ07Zv8xj5Jy36wuTZ29iddUATD-_w_jqMOzVBvzK20HUXWKTotUTU-no/s1600/MC286-paint7.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw6DXfSO-O5u2D2HOlMyI3QvT4a2dA-SkZPlCjMevwRvbbS-2kdETrB06peT8_2Z2KVuJ4Ugaov0k-msHcf3zSJ07Zv8xj5Jy36wuTZ29iddUATD-_w_jqMOzVBvzK20HUXWKTotUTU-no/s1600/MC286-paint7.png" height="240" width="400" /></a></div>
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I placed the order a little over a week ago, and I'm hoping that it will ship within about 2 weeks.<br />
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I'm in the process of finding components to go on the frames, but one persistent question in my mind has been what kind of through axle to use. It's my understanding that there are different types of through axle designs, and they need to match the dropouts of the frame, but there's very little information online about what is compatible with this frame. I eventually found <a href="http://forums.mtbr.com/cyclocross/chinese-2015-cyclocross-bike-frame-142mm-thru-axle-927553.html">this very helpful thread</a> on the forums at mtbr.com. A number of commenters on that thread have already bought this frame from Miracle Bikes, and some of them bought through axles from Miracle Bikes with the frame. I contacted Miracle Bikes and was quoted a price of $29 for a set of axles, so I have added that to my order. Now, I just wait...Quentinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05883257426674517409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1485862804300015751.post-22940239664635401912015-02-19T22:53:00.001-06:002016-08-31T08:04:48.504-05:00Tire clearance on the VB-R-027<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I've become a believer in riding on the widest possible tire for the application. After many years riding very skinny tires, I decided to try 25 mm road tires a few years ago after fixing one too many flat tires at the side of the road. The reduction in pinch flats since the change was quite dramatic, so when I bought my new frame from Velobuild, I hoped it would allow me to go one step further to 28 mm tires, given that their model VB-R-027 was a bit more relaxed in its geometry than some of their other frames.</div>
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I can now report that 28 mm tires work fine, as long as they aren't really 28 mm. I got a new pair of Continental Grand Prix 4 Season tires this winter in the 700x28C size.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj37dPC7wSC0BqLCQvqAHy51mEGjMdaCa00caDY0iruXiTKhfUp-Qvw9y43HksR1GdsTyywDACQxqeocsHvrCN9Jlcfe4bP28VPENNjGEQWTXTJrhntaaFXTCbAOvBjXL7bhTGjPni1xqS_/s1600/DSC_3225.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj37dPC7wSC0BqLCQvqAHy51mEGjMdaCa00caDY0iruXiTKhfUp-Qvw9y43HksR1GdsTyywDACQxqeocsHvrCN9Jlcfe4bP28VPENNjGEQWTXTJrhntaaFXTCbAOvBjXL7bhTGjPni1xqS_/s1600/DSC_3225.JPG" height="265" width="400" /></a></div>
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The problem is, I don't think they are actually 28 mm wide. They seem to be about the same size as the old tires I removed, a less expensive pair of tires that were marked 700x26C. A relatively rough measurement using a ruler and eyeballs seems to confirm that they are about 26 mm wide. (This also appears to be confirmed on various forums I've read).</div>
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Here is what the Continental tires look like in the fork:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6cgFOEB2N4m3s3rCCtT0K9Use8k6oRnXBs1LhstvTXLf8jvUMjTZQcwxKtRWSLKF78FnXVdOd3eYRyqhmE_TFYyD_9D5pES3oBJScMXE81lmsAYRtBXHatFEPtgmYJzLP9CwU4effKfUb/s1600/DSC_3219.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6cgFOEB2N4m3s3rCCtT0K9Use8k6oRnXBs1LhstvTXLf8jvUMjTZQcwxKtRWSLKF78FnXVdOd3eYRyqhmE_TFYyD_9D5pES3oBJScMXE81lmsAYRtBXHatFEPtgmYJzLP9CwU4effKfUb/s1600/DSC_3219.JPG" height="212" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1Yu3NG1p-3bwItYeG8z8l4VGi3XTs88O0zeyNPABf4wxEovU_4Z5P3iSaYxltm3C6WT8XzjZGMdechXfE6NfY4jmTwqffSOopA1bUgi3xBV-f8GWa10wLAo21oKQNk9pcEKo3ABqpJC6f/s1600/DSC_3220.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1Yu3NG1p-3bwItYeG8z8l4VGi3XTs88O0zeyNPABf4wxEovU_4Z5P3iSaYxltm3C6WT8XzjZGMdechXfE6NfY4jmTwqffSOopA1bUgi3xBV-f8GWa10wLAo21oKQNk9pcEKo3ABqpJC6f/s1600/DSC_3220.JPG" height="212" width="320" /></a></div>
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There are maybe 2-3 mm to spare all the way around. Clearance is similar behind the bottom bracket:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEz5DV8Kdn8tbuGhmG116BHTfxQILY1z0HpmvbPFp_qvZ-zaTtpWcXFw6vEWTJINx2wUhLBUpa6iAPD62r5X-qM-F9L3NXX1wQET2wzk2V7Aif1kFHS-sw9mqgKn-1K0sA8RS4j1sstQCG/s1600/DSC_3222.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEz5DV8Kdn8tbuGhmG116BHTfxQILY1z0HpmvbPFp_qvZ-zaTtpWcXFw6vEWTJINx2wUhLBUpa6iAPD62r5X-qM-F9L3NXX1wQET2wzk2V7Aif1kFHS-sw9mqgKn-1K0sA8RS4j1sstQCG/s1600/DSC_3222.JPG" height="212" width="320" /></a></div>
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The worst clearance on the frame is the rear brake bridge, which in my opinion should have been 1-2 mm higher.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOq3joGYtZSzWbB1Lau4A938yDRH3FghiQd5hpzV_TpJpox5tniqhbJ7Kz6LnuS5gO_Lw5OUh0rOKrETyWOxzCYFrF9YrL5V9_Or0p3quTbX4WPklsJ5plMxrjSZA_8-LuFWJHc_ONcGM0/s1600/DSC_3221.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOq3joGYtZSzWbB1Lau4A938yDRH3FghiQd5hpzV_TpJpox5tniqhbJ7Kz6LnuS5gO_Lw5OUh0rOKrETyWOxzCYFrF9YrL5V9_Or0p3quTbX4WPklsJ5plMxrjSZA_8-LuFWJHc_ONcGM0/s1600/DSC_3221.JPG" height="212" width="320" /></a></div>
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I forgot to photograph the seat tube clearance, but it's about 2-3 mm. The 28 mm tires that are really 26 wide work just fine on this frame. A true 28 mm tire might work, but it would be very, very close. For this reason, I'm perfectly OK with the tires being slightly smaller than advertised.<br />
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I have occasionally had problems getting the rear wheel in and out of the frame. The angle of the dropout combined with the size of the nut on the very old quick release skewer I'm using forces the wheel forward enough that the tire rubs a bit on the seat tube and chainstay bridge. I compared it to another carbon frame made by Giant and discovered that its dropout is angled differently and avoids this problem. This isn't a very big deal for me, but if someone were worried about quick wheel changes in a race, it could be a problem.Quentinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05883257426674517409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1485862804300015751.post-3745780751891466922014-10-21T23:50:00.000-05:002014-11-11T23:11:29.040-06:00VB-R-027: the completed bikeI finished assembling the bike just a couple of weeks after my last posting about the frame's arrival, but I have been very busy (including moving to a new house) and didn't get to writing about it until now.<br />
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<h3>
Assembly</h3>
Assembly of the new bike was pretty easy. I had read online about headset installation and expected to need special tools to get the headset bearings installed into the fork crown. I eventually figured out that the headset included with the frame (which did not come with any instructions) just snaps into place with no tools required.<br />
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The shift and rear brake cables are all internally routed, and have liners built into the frame. The shift cables were very easy to install, while the brake cable hit a bit of a snag (literally) because the liner didn't seem to line up perfectly with the exit tube. Eventually I discovered that I could get a cable into the liner from the reverse direction. Using a reverse inserted cable to hold the liner in place while I threaded the cable through in the forward direction finally got the cable in relatively easily.<br />
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As noted in a previous post, my old frame had a 59 cm top tube, while this one appears to be only 57 cm (despite VeloBuild's geometry chart claiming 58 cm), so I replaced my 110 mm stem with a 130 mm stem, and have been able to replicate my position on the bike pretty well.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJcjmEOm76hVDPvXl4HEA18Cpk8riYDPlWDrA1UCobl4TVFE4VTaie7DZGO5b_Q9ZjgwbhMRf262oDhx0LXltzstXdc3hZnfaBJ4IClM2uMf-fDTKIwPZCRMdmP1EkTdc-S9xMQx_lWd9j/s1600/DSC_2514.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJcjmEOm76hVDPvXl4HEA18Cpk8riYDPlWDrA1UCobl4TVFE4VTaie7DZGO5b_Q9ZjgwbhMRf262oDhx0LXltzstXdc3hZnfaBJ4IClM2uMf-fDTKIwPZCRMdmP1EkTdc-S9xMQx_lWd9j/s1600/DSC_2514.JPG" height="320" width="212" /></a></div>
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At the moment, I've got quite a stack of spacers on the steerer tube. I'm still considering going 1 cm higher with the stem, and then I may trim about 1 cm from the top of the tube to reduce the number of spacers.</div>
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The components to build the bike were taken off my 2005 Fuji Roubaix Pro, which had a 9-speed Shimano 105 group. The old bike was an aluminum frame with clamp-on front derailleur, but this frame has a bolt-on derailleur mount, so I needed a compatible derailleur. Shimano Sora is now 9 speed (and probably made with the same machinery as the old 105 parts), and the derailleur can be bought for about $25 on Amazon, so that's what I bought.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAqUIW9x331r5nQiDTXhE7-hkFh6m43I8-8Yk1m51hR4AzbpYXsz51NYdYqwhGCzUnCVnbXg_Mhrqsc8CCpLvtPwh7e0tU2YK04fT2VZjhJ8VpCr25nypwZyflzeqno3-Sm1zPb0Auwktr/s1600/DSC_2513.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAqUIW9x331r5nQiDTXhE7-hkFh6m43I8-8Yk1m51hR4AzbpYXsz51NYdYqwhGCzUnCVnbXg_Mhrqsc8CCpLvtPwh7e0tU2YK04fT2VZjhJ8VpCr25nypwZyflzeqno3-Sm1zPb0Auwktr/s1600/DSC_2513.JPG" height="212" width="320" /></a></div>
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<h3>
Finished Product</h3>
Here's the completed bike.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJZB4FBXRJKeIBDJhrcNST6VOZ5G1Tt-OLWDH_s3O4MW2X-uXZHEiB27IWkgt67_-KLYfPED8R6cV5Y9RkAzmIJMLCm7sPFU-tRdLuXKc3_Hb_4sjN-wtjxmiGREkwcvi40C0HggYBPoUy/s1600/DSC_2511.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJZB4FBXRJKeIBDJhrcNST6VOZ5G1Tt-OLWDH_s3O4MW2X-uXZHEiB27IWkgt67_-KLYfPED8R6cV5Y9RkAzmIJMLCm7sPFU-tRdLuXKc3_Hb_4sjN-wtjxmiGREkwcvi40C0HggYBPoUy/s1600/DSC_2511.JPG" height="424" width="640" /></a></div>
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I've taken it out for a few rides now. With careful measurements, I succeeded in replicating the position I had on the old bike pretty well, so I haven't really had to adjust anything. It's a very different feeling from my previous aluminum frame--the increased stiffness and responsiveness to pedaling is immediately apparent. I don't have many points for comparison in terms of ride comfort. It seems at least as good as my old bike (aluminum frame with carbon seat stays), but I don't doubt that more expensive frames could further improve on it. It's a fun bike to ride, and I have no regrets about buying it.</div>
Quentinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05883257426674517409noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1485862804300015751.post-84580781606443483112014-06-21T20:03:00.000-05:002014-06-21T20:03:48.654-05:00Arrival of the new frame from VelobuildMy new frame arrived from China last week, about 4 weeks after placing the order. As far as I can tell, the shipping only took just over a week, and much of the remaining time was spent on the custom paint job. I suspect an order without custom paint might be quicker. After sending Chris at Velobuild a picture of the paint job I wanted, he contacted me about two weeks later to ask whether I wanted glossy or matte finish. I responded, and then heard back again about a week later with shipping confirmation and tracking information.<br />
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I had to go to the post office to pick up the box, though I think they would have delivered it to my door if anyone had been home when they came.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcv_0QeSoNCLfpQMHJNJbH3P87UzZjbUl0xF25Cfnh0ZYItrImKINIKX_QsLxuecSGdct2Vz_yCRhbgtxHz59lVnzfue_zm1fX1C2XuwPhRmxz8sbTk5XiN2WivvfVjXtUvG74mjr2vGaX/s1600/DSC_2126.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcv_0QeSoNCLfpQMHJNJbH3P87UzZjbUl0xF25Cfnh0ZYItrImKINIKX_QsLxuecSGdct2Vz_yCRhbgtxHz59lVnzfue_zm1fX1C2XuwPhRmxz8sbTk5XiN2WivvfVjXtUvG74mjr2vGaX/s1600/DSC_2126.JPG" height="211" width="320" /></a></div>
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I got a large box that was taped shut very securely, but despite prominently displayed arrows pointing which way goes up, the side of the box was a bit dented, and featured several prominent foot prints.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlPhozSYKZOuyBXjWCt-9t8BrvTOnPiEeBJjcIxpY-coOIwuVH2VsEgQ-Ad5MhyphenhyphenKi4OvvE3ky0ukRLGBE1lpCqRrOmHm-UpKBwt0OK23BOfd0x95opdtvdkCwV9I0-Pks2tujQlsyBCObh/s1600/DSC_2128.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlPhozSYKZOuyBXjWCt-9t8BrvTOnPiEeBJjcIxpY-coOIwuVH2VsEgQ-Ad5MhyphenhyphenKi4OvvE3ky0ukRLGBE1lpCqRrOmHm-UpKBwt0OK23BOfd0x95opdtvdkCwV9I0-Pks2tujQlsyBCObh/s1600/DSC_2128.JPG" height="212" width="320" /></a></div>
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Despite my occasional frustrations with the US Postal Service, I'm inclined to trust that they are more competent than that, so I'm blaming this one on China Post. The frame inside was wrapped with some foam padding, and as far as I can tell, did not suffer any damage from the mistreatment of the box.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlfcA6okAvUXWbmCUWyJGX0nKne3w21-xPZHTCvMMSFiwPG7Pefr5G1D6PxYhqkIrEBT6DgTeDHVPAq_Paq2h-KX7Jl_WuLEzR7OEAOFx6szRo7NTQKSa7tff9S79Zs6VKXLIyaSkUKbee/s1600/DSC_2133.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlfcA6okAvUXWbmCUWyJGX0nKne3w21-xPZHTCvMMSFiwPG7Pefr5G1D6PxYhqkIrEBT6DgTeDHVPAq_Paq2h-KX7Jl_WuLEzR7OEAOFx6szRo7NTQKSa7tff9S79Zs6VKXLIyaSkUKbee/s1600/DSC_2133.JPG" height="424" width="640" /></a></div>
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Here's the finished frame. For the most part, the frame looks great. The colors look more or less like what I was expecting, and the paint looks like it should be durable. A comparison to the <a href="http://qspencer.blogspot.com/2014/05/my-next-bike-vb-r-027-from.html">picture I sent them</a> reveals that they made one small mistake: the blue region on the chain stays is a little too long compared to the blue sections on the other tubes, but I think it won't be too obvious when the complete bike is assembled.<br />
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The only other disappointment so far is that I don't think the frame perfectly matches the claimed geometry specifications. The specifications for the <a href="http://www.velobuildmall.com/product-p/vb-r-027.htm">frame</a> on <a href="http://www.velobuildmall.com/">Velobuild</a> say the the top tube length on this frame is 58 cm, which is one centimeter shorter than my existing frame. After measuring the frame, I think it's closer to 57 cm. I think I can compensate for this by getting a stem that is 1 cm longer than I was planning, and still get the same position on the bike that I had before.</div>
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Aside from those two details, I don't have any other complaints about the frame or the process of buying it. I'm still awaiting a couple of parts I need to assemble the new bike. I've already got a new seatpost and stem for the new frame, as well as a new set of brake and shifter cables. I forgot until I'd already got everything else that I'll need a new front derailleur, because my old one is the clamp-on type, which is not compatible with this frame. When that arrives, assembly will begin.</div>
Quentinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05883257426674517409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1485862804300015751.post-84825901460998274592014-05-17T23:06:00.001-05:002014-05-17T23:06:15.993-05:00My next bike: a VB-R-027 from 梅 辉辉<div>
Over the last couple of years Heather and I have been riding together more, and we've been doing more rides with the kids on the tandems. More riding inevitably makes me start thinking about how much fun it would be on the latest new bike. Last year Heather upgraded her old aluminum bike to a new one with a carbon fiber frame, and she thinks it's a substantial improvement in ride quality over the old one. I'm not going to be able to buy my dream bike any time soon, but I've become curious enough about carbon fiber frames to look around at some of the less expensive carbon frames. People who ride and write about the super expensive bikes are all convinced the extra cost buys a better quality ride, but carbon fiber frame construction has advanced so much that I think even the inexpensive ones may now be well ahead of where any type of frame was 10-15 years ago, including my current road bike, a 2004 Fuji Roubaix Pro.<br />
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At some point in the last few months I became aware of a whole new world I didn't even know existed: cyclists who buy bike frames direct from the manufacturers in China. I first stumbled into this when looking for tandem frames, thinking that if I could buy just a frame I could upgrade one or both of our tandems at a lower cost than buying the whole bike. It turns out that hardly anyone sells tandem frames except for expensive custom builders, and a few Chinese frame shops that will sell direct to consumers (in addition to the frames that get resold under other brand names). The process of buying a custom titanium frame from China is well documented by the <a href="http://www.spanner.org.uk/">Spanner Bikes</a> blog, which is a fascinating read. I'd like to do that some day, but titanium is beyond what I can spend right now, so I started looking at carbon fiber frames from China.</div>
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Since I have a birthday coming up, I've decided that this year I'm going to get a carbon frame (thanks, family!). To keep costs down I'm going to (for now) put the aging Shimano 105 group off my Fuji on it. After doing a fair bit of research I concluded a few things. First, there are a few sellers that seem reputable and are even willing to offer warranties nowadays, but the process of sending a broken frame back to China is probably slow and expensive, so I'm still accepting a bit of risk doing this. Second, I decided I don't want a frame that tries to imitate a brand name frame. There are outright counterfeits and frames that are just similar looking to famous name frames, but I want to respect the R&D those companies put into their designs and I'm not doing this to pretend it's something it's not. Third, it appears the main benefits of ordering direct from China are selection and customization. You can now get a generic carbon frame from a US distributor like <a href="http://www.nashbar.com/">Bike Nashbar</a> for as little as $500. I decided to buy from <a href="http://velobuildmall.com/">Velobuild Mall</a>, which offers a dozen carbon fiber road frames in the range of $320 to over $500, but shipping from China is $80, so the cost is not that different, but with more frame options and custom paint jobs.<br />
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The majority of frames offered by Velobuild only go up to 58 cm, while my existing road bike is a 61 cm frame. However, some of the frames have top tube and head tube lengths that are similar to my existing frame, so I should be able to replicate my fit with the right length seatpost. I'm not interested in aero frames because they are generally considered to have a harsher ride. Those constraints left me with two or three frames that could work and I went with the "VB-R-027" model, currently selling for $349. In addition to being less expensive than the other frame I was considering, it had slightly longer chainstays, which will hopefully give me the biggest possible tire clearance. I'm happy with the 25 mm tires I'm using now, but I'd like the option of bigger tires if they will fit. Since I'm going to the trouble, I decided I might as well get a custom paint job. I went with 3 colors for $70 (1 or 2 colors cost less). I put the frame, seatpost collar, and custom paint in my cart, and proceeded to checkout, at which point the shipping and some tax (I'm not sure which government is getting that) were added. A few seconds later I got a confirmation email from PayPal saying:<br />
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<div style="color: #c88039; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold;">
You sent a payment of $517.96 USD to 梅 辉辉.</div>
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So there you have it. I just bought a bike frame from China. The checkout process didn't provide a way to specify what I wanted in my paint job, so I sent an email to chris@velobuild.com to ask. Chris advertises his email prominently on Velobuild.com, and he responded within minutes. He asked me to just email him a picture of the paint scheme I had in mind. I had already prepared artwork for my proposed paint scheme using <a href="http://www.inkscape.org/en/">Inkscape</a>, so sent it off. The drawing includes a head tube logo I designed, but apparently doing that level of detail would have added extra cost, so I told him to skip that part. The finished product should look something like this, minus the head tube logo:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLZjHaxoatMj1QByGNVF2u5zjauiahGvi68IBU6K779Rh5Ly-80ZGWX4POPKjwI4J0wKoSNFM1boB9ZNBP9e0h5_fOV7JGo8v3-MFSfuDiqWKTD5w5JzmX4vGzk2ZNydOKCiNEZyjfDKmG/s1600/VB-R-027-paint.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLZjHaxoatMj1QByGNVF2u5zjauiahGvi68IBU6K779Rh5Ly-80ZGWX4POPKjwI4J0wKoSNFM1boB9ZNBP9e0h5_fOV7JGo8v3-MFSfuDiqWKTD5w5JzmX4vGzk2ZNydOKCiNEZyjfDKmG/s1600/VB-R-027-paint.png" height="372" width="640" /></a></div>
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Quentinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05883257426674517409noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1485862804300015751.post-63983374860187562592014-05-17T12:18:00.000-05:002016-08-31T08:05:43.872-05:00New shifters and derailleur on the Bike Friday tandem<a href="http://qspencer.blogspot.com/2013/10/bike-friday-tandem-customizations.html">Last year</a> I switched the Bike Friday tandem to road-style drop handlebars. The Sachs (now SRAM) Dual Drive system has a 3 speed internally geared hub with 7 speed rear derailleur. The system came with Grip Shift shifters, which work great, but are for flat handlebars only. At the time, I had read a couple of sources that I consider to be reliable claiming that any 7-speed Shimano drop bar shifter is compatible, so I found a set of 1990s vintage Shimano RSX 3x7 shifters on eBay. The triple left shifter worked great on the internally geared hub, but the 7 speed right shift lever never seemed to work quite right despite several efforts to readjust it. It seems that the cable wasn't pulling the derailleur far enough to get all 7 gears, so it would work OK for 2-3 gears but not the rest.<br />
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Initially, I assumed that one possible reason for the poor shifting was that the RSX shifter mechanism was simply wearing out due to its age. At some point recently I discovered that in the last year or two, Shimano has started selling a 3x7 drop bar shift lever set for the first time in many years. The 7 speed Tourney group appears to have been available for a few years and is found on various low-priced bikes, but only last year was a drop bar shifter made available. So, my first solution was to try swapping out the RSX shifters for a brand new set of Shimano Tourney 3x7 shifters.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHipKnewIT0iheB9kZGwkLblouhHIK0ConNsth7O4nfjjsHR0MStTfzOPj78u_FpI9GdSLbLqKbaZnQVU4BaDDRo0qbUEDqqgss2oQzS4uhUKmG2rB1vYNLzlyD4r6PU1Zdo1RCxE_i8WJ/s1600/DSC_2120.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHipKnewIT0iheB9kZGwkLblouhHIK0ConNsth7O4nfjjsHR0MStTfzOPj78u_FpI9GdSLbLqKbaZnQVU4BaDDRo0qbUEDqqgss2oQzS4uhUKmG2rB1vYNLzlyD4r6PU1Zdo1RCxE_i8WJ/s1600/DSC_2120.JPG" height="265" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIQEsqHenWNZUnLQ-XtzDZKev8VeJ1LuzrGo7bcI-iONuaYofc13f_XOJ48v10nlox4rNDmQ3IuKZJmulW0uk_SZbQCYMkpjxFFEzZjcnCVOjy0NVxUNxtybC_yZho0aY6H50m876RQHpy/s1600/DSC_2121.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIQEsqHenWNZUnLQ-XtzDZKev8VeJ1LuzrGo7bcI-iONuaYofc13f_XOJ48v10nlox4rNDmQ3IuKZJmulW0uk_SZbQCYMkpjxFFEzZjcnCVOjy0NVxUNxtybC_yZho0aY6H50m876RQHpy/s1600/DSC_2121.JPG" height="265" width="400" /></a></div>
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These shifters sell online for about $90. Amazingly, after buying these I sold off the old RSX shifters on eBay for $65, so this swap ultimately only cost me about $25. I'm constantly amazed how much some vintage bike parts will sell for. The Tourney shifters have the thumb lever like Shimano Sora did until about a year ago. I prefer the "behind the brake" location for the upshift lever, but this works fine. These also have the "indicator" that shows you what gear you're in, another feature I associate with lower end Shimano road groups, and which I always assumed I didn't need. As it turns out, it's actually been nice to have the gear indicator on a tandem because it's not as easy as it is on a single road bike to know how many gears you have left just by looking down.</div>
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The Tourney shifters didn't solve my shifting problems. At this point, I started measuring how far the shifter pulls the cable compared to the original shifter that came with this bike, when it finally dawned on me that the rear derailleur on this bike was expecting a different cable pull (known as "actuation ratio") than the shifter was pulling. I had assumed that because the spacing of the 7 rear cogs was identical to Shimano 7 speed systems, a 7 speed Shimano shifter would work with this, without giving any thought to the rear derailleur.</div>
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The original derailleur is labeled "Sachs Centera". I can't find any documentation on this old shifting system. Sachs was bought by SRAM in 1997, so I'm assuming this bike and Dual Drive system was made around that time, because I don't think it's much older than that.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw2XucO7YGydAg98SedHnHAiSP3vvuaY8FdCHDXFjCfGlU2x8AkyWojS1IalhbVp29E4WZSihL3v-oGeYWmO7KQ9_YHMUo_A9Yb5qK7OUUY1sGtcCME9a_xWCnHhB0XqqWZGg7inILSqw7/s1600/DSC_2124.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw2XucO7YGydAg98SedHnHAiSP3vvuaY8FdCHDXFjCfGlU2x8AkyWojS1IalhbVp29E4WZSihL3v-oGeYWmO7KQ9_YHMUo_A9Yb5qK7OUUY1sGtcCME9a_xWCnHhB0XqqWZGg7inILSqw7/s1600/DSC_2124.JPG" height="265" width="400" /></a></div>
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Regardless of the technical details, I was pretty sure the derailleur was the problem, but didn't want to spend a lot of money on trial and error. All I needed was a derailleur that's compatible with Shimano road shifters. For $15 on Amazon, I got this "SunRace R80", which claims to be Shimano-compatible.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN9IGflq1jIUNJjvKF15VKHWTg40MsId7oaPZ2LZRpebfDAUXNilRmLFM__Z3ipt6Ds1tqaXg5XQRRjJXSURBtqfHlIjOo-g_Mry5ramlI9lnlmXmv29QQnYj1T7oWhZdryF4_j1L5euCc/s1600/DSC_2123.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN9IGflq1jIUNJjvKF15VKHWTg40MsId7oaPZ2LZRpebfDAUXNilRmLFM__Z3ipt6Ds1tqaXg5XQRRjJXSURBtqfHlIjOo-g_Mry5ramlI9lnlmXmv29QQnYj1T7oWhZdryF4_j1L5euCc/s1600/DSC_2123.JPG" height="640" width="424" /></a></div>
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This is designed for an 8 speed system, but Shimano 7, 8, and 9 speed all use the same cable actuation ratio, just with the clicks spaced closer together, so in theory this derailleur should work with any of them as long as the shifter is compatible with the spacing of the cogs. With the new derailleur installed, I can now finaly reach all 7 gears! Shifting is still a little sluggish sometimes. The derailleur hanger is slightly misaligned, so I'm going to try fixing that, but it could also be that this is just how a $15 derailleur shifts. In any case, I'm happy enough with this setup that I'll stop messing with it for now.</div>
Quentinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05883257426674517409noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1485862804300015751.post-17903427632384782102013-11-18T14:51:00.003-06:002013-11-18T14:51:58.280-06:00Custom headset caps<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Ever since threadless headsets became standard on most new bikes (maybe 15 years ago), headset caps have become a popular way to customize bikes. A few years ago when I needed to replace a cap on my road bike (it broke due to overtightening), I considered some of the options from <a href="http://www.purelycustom.com/c-36-headset-caps-amp-screws.aspx">Purely Custom</a> but eventually just got a plain one. I couldn't think of any text interesting enough to put on a cap, and none of the artwork options interested me much. Heather recently got a new road bike, and I was looking for something creative for her bike on her birthday when I discovered <a href="http://kustomcaps.com/">Kustomcaps</a>, which will make a cap with completely custom artwork in addition to various text options. In trying to come up with designs that fit the circular area, I realized that Celtic knots are well suited to this, and Heather happens to be a fan of these type of designs, as she has several pieces of jewelry featuring them. So, I came up with a couple of designs:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsye5sLP9SHLkWLDFya3VxtR08FGEAFYcZLxciR7XYDNs54plzCZqlm629jFSC89Gtow8GmjeB4ACELtWasRVrLrYs4zzbuiGAcRa4Xvi0KYmdwBxGEBkXxfQrPi8CPA_s_hycx2MVR3ID/s1600/Knot+1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsye5sLP9SHLkWLDFya3VxtR08FGEAFYcZLxciR7XYDNs54plzCZqlm629jFSC89Gtow8GmjeB4ACELtWasRVrLrYs4zzbuiGAcRa4Xvi0KYmdwBxGEBkXxfQrPi8CPA_s_hycx2MVR3ID/s200/Knot+1.png" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzukVo8qq-kpgcxvo0jSM0Pgt679lBRfHXPztzryeshGqkkY4l8KMRxUbSDJOXSeOwb0f6457Aj1vyWuA94fHRnO7M8W7d-rRoO8G8abX201AX9SdXGTF94mIa8-Xoc0S_9tmtlxlD3BLb/s1600/Knot+4.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzukVo8qq-kpgcxvo0jSM0Pgt679lBRfHXPztzryeshGqkkY4l8KMRxUbSDJOXSeOwb0f6457Aj1vyWuA94fHRnO7M8W7d-rRoO8G8abX201AX9SdXGTF94mIa8-Xoc0S_9tmtlxlD3BLb/s200/Knot+4.png" width="200" /></a></div>
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These designs were created using <a href="http://inkscape.org/">Inkscape</a>. The procedure for creating the weave pattern is very helpfully described in this <a href="http://cryosphinx.deviantart.com/art/Knotwork-Tutorial-for-Inkscape-157172738">tutorial</a>. Eventually, I settled on the second design, which allowed a little more space to add some text. Here's the result (with a blue bolt to go with it).</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnccZZiO88aaJPQsfcuqHoHU9XKdDqvfa-CjJoxXa9ewY-XXudza6x-WIHGcA86ygWZy8udPxWM5hAR6MEW36WlHw3TCmrk1KQXrHZ6tJUJtixzYgy4RbW1D3xuEdZMdrRjpC1Sw-aSbwG/s1600/DSC_1433.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnccZZiO88aaJPQsfcuqHoHU9XKdDqvfa-CjJoxXa9ewY-XXudza6x-WIHGcA86ygWZy8udPxWM5hAR6MEW36WlHw3TCmrk1KQXrHZ6tJUJtixzYgy4RbW1D3xuEdZMdrRjpC1Sw-aSbwG/s400/DSC_1433.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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I liked it so much I decided I needed one for my own bike. As it happened, we recently made a trip to Ireland, and inspired by the Celtic knot on Heather's bike and my own Irish heritage, I was on the lookout for interesting and unusual designs. I found what I was looking for in the floor tiles of St. Patrick's Cathedral in Dublin.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0WlnIgj1THugdD5ogCn7-vqPTR-ue97OQq6yUkV3WIhXVf4oz7u8Rlf1p-_WQULYWvn0GFdsaJL3RC5KeGrnL7DufxSNrz5T0GSYRdPdkC-l4Oln6AWP3aqN7yycnmj_iIbUIlzIHaERU/s1600/DSC_0647.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="display: inline !important; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0WlnIgj1THugdD5ogCn7-vqPTR-ue97OQq6yUkV3WIhXVf4oz7u8Rlf1p-_WQULYWvn0GFdsaJL3RC5KeGrnL7DufxSNrz5T0GSYRdPdkC-l4Oln6AWP3aqN7yycnmj_iIbUIlzIHaERU/s200/DSC_0647.JPG" width="131" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ6kysuTyN7TEby62L9VHDyRqHydxYZ4jpnDeCPq0flchnUtypSNuADpzuA3I80QR0DQ2B4qGLKTwvSJ-NzbxTZH_OR2pwHwhOcsHVeji_NWIeamZp3SbPlhYQBrorD-dzAFIwa25DQlCz/s1600/DSC_0630.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ6kysuTyN7TEby62L9VHDyRqHydxYZ4jpnDeCPq0flchnUtypSNuADpzuA3I80QR0DQ2B4qGLKTwvSJ-NzbxTZH_OR2pwHwhOcsHVeji_NWIeamZp3SbPlhYQBrorD-dzAFIwa25DQlCz/s200/DSC_0630.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
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This was one of many very interesting patterns from that particular floor that we took pictures of. I had to stretch the proportions and add or remove parts in order to get the square pattern to fit a circle better, and I came up with two different candidate designs for a headset cap.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjf0wS6MTCUtd4hdhY1Wc0qamW4BOW7Z2sDr2gma-DMmF419HVfxYn-Cca4ywhvEUvxWbnIeQokqoDbU-OzZSzpxt1PnVZDsUjMQvLnHAouY064k7o6eTMbcsNQhTEqEGEbzCZsqTqGY9y/s1600/StP2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjf0wS6MTCUtd4hdhY1Wc0qamW4BOW7Z2sDr2gma-DMmF419HVfxYn-Cca4ywhvEUvxWbnIeQokqoDbU-OzZSzpxt1PnVZDsUjMQvLnHAouY064k7o6eTMbcsNQhTEqEGEbzCZsqTqGY9y/s200/StP2.png" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWhSwqbOljr_m7sPWzOQ5QaKtEJ3RwIdl1_6RY8SsbQLc7eCy2kjX5pDZpunnsr0VS3iz9BSiMAKNpKO3_zJb_tefDOL0LskoD9lTIKwvB3K3d7rMdODoEYlzblBXAvFvkFtYCansuYs2v/s1600/StP1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWhSwqbOljr_m7sPWzOQ5QaKtEJ3RwIdl1_6RY8SsbQLc7eCy2kjX5pDZpunnsr0VS3iz9BSiMAKNpKO3_zJb_tefDOL0LskoD9lTIKwvB3K3d7rMdODoEYlzblBXAvFvkFtYCansuYs2v/s200/StP1.png" width="200" /></a></div>
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These designs were also created in Inkscape, in this case by importing the photo and using the "trace bitmap" feature to get an outline of the pattern, which then required considerable tweaking. I ultimately chose the second of the two designs. Here it is installed on my bike.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhQDuW0ArIvFofzNBKUQMXJcDqloUIdy_QgeMZs_RZdgPB4xuKee4vzjW5zWjALPN9sb6AsYKYbwm3aUQlGPi8tSwNYzadqnyhs0kEixZxkdGgjgLSL6lcPqzFgddOGFvVuMfrIebZgLSL/s1600/DSC_1438.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhQDuW0ArIvFofzNBKUQMXJcDqloUIdy_QgeMZs_RZdgPB4xuKee4vzjW5zWjALPN9sb6AsYKYbwm3aUQlGPi8tSwNYzadqnyhs0kEixZxkdGgjgLSL6lcPqzFgddOGFvVuMfrIebZgLSL/s400/DSC_1438.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Now I don't think I can go back to a plain cap on my bike.Quentinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05883257426674517409noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1485862804300015751.post-56637160603962849242013-10-22T20:44:00.003-05:002016-08-31T08:05:43.868-05:00Short Cranks for Kids on Tandems<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
In <a href="http://qspencer.blogspot.com/2012/10/bike-friday-family-tandem.html">my first post about my Bike Friday tandem</a> from last year, I showed a picture of the Ride2 crank shorteners I first used for making the rear crankarms a more suitable length for riding with small kids on the back. Crank shorteners get the job done, but they are a bit expensive ($110 on Amazon right now), and they have the effect of spacing the pedals out further away from the bottom bracket (the so-called Q factor). I would assume this is more noticeable to riders with short legs, so I think it's a less than ideal solution. Since the Bike Friday was already set up with single side drive due to the DualDrive shifting, the rear cranks can be replaced with any standard crankset.</div>
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When we acquired another tandem last year, I put the crank shorteners on that bike and tried using a short crank on this one. The cranks pictured here are made by Sinz, who make parts for high-end BMX bikes. These cranks are available for both square taper and ISIS bottom brackets, in lengths from about 130 mm to 180 mm in 5 mm increments. They can be found online for about $60, and occasionally less. The ones in the picture are 145 mm ISIS cranks. (Note that the bike comes with square taper bottom brackets, but I found an unusually good price on an ISIS crank and happened to have an extra ISIS bottom bracket.) The cranks have a 110 mm bolt circle diameter, which matched the old cranks, so I just moved the original chainrings over to the new cranks.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA6sCdKSOfTaCy24Ql5CvkbnQsmlmmG7rlf_dQcFrpZutSMkCeSECDnGYCdgEpTTmuWVXYvjYyRQlffyjd9wrcoT9ntr3qHgptvGcr9bapA8sCkDLwCovqysjSdOoD1J0DgkO7EThcuDV9/s1600/DSC_0586-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA6sCdKSOfTaCy24Ql5CvkbnQsmlmmG7rlf_dQcFrpZutSMkCeSECDnGYCdgEpTTmuWVXYvjYyRQlffyjd9wrcoT9ntr3qHgptvGcr9bapA8sCkDLwCovqysjSdOoD1J0DgkO7EThcuDV9/s400/DSC_0586-001.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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I think this is a superior solution for tandem riding with kids. It's not adjustable in length like the crank shortener, which has three different lengths. However, it is possible to buy two Sinz cranksets in different lengths for not too much more than the cost of one pair of crank shorteners. If I did it again, I would do that, getting them in lengths of 145 and 155. Using this approach requires single side drive, but in this era of compact road cranksets and 11-speed gearing, one could theoretically convert even a standard double side drive tandem to use cranks like this without losing much in terms of gearing range.</div>
Quentinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05883257426674517409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1485862804300015751.post-25362578391849883602013-10-22T20:30:00.001-05:002016-08-31T08:05:43.858-05:00Bike Friday Tandem Customizations<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I already wrote previously about my <a href="http://qspencer.blogspot.com/2012/10/bike-friday-family-tandem.html">Bike Friday Family Tandem</a>. I used it for over 2 years in the configuration it came in: flat handlebars with Sachs (now SRAM) 3x7 Dual Drive shifting. I prefer drop handlebars, so last winter I decided to switch out the handlebars.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRaRKupGQMNWfEc_TasiAPnIwzJHSnQ77qfQHry2sHAXZ31gbYGQW8zn570Gs9fJ_ZpGzhjK8mMBGhusy5hJkkGf033FuxI4zB1tb-3kmFYFvo3VEik4V4PXt01bwrHweennH26Mar_3xL/s1600/DSC_0591-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="328" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRaRKupGQMNWfEc_TasiAPnIwzJHSnQ77qfQHry2sHAXZ31gbYGQW8zn570Gs9fJ_ZpGzhjK8mMBGhusy5hJkkGf033FuxI4zB1tb-3kmFYFvo3VEik4V4PXt01bwrHweennH26Mar_3xL/s640/DSC_0591-001.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Switching to drop handlebars on this bike requires a few other changes. First of all, I needed a pair of 3x7 Shimano STI brake/shift levers, which various online sources claim are compatible with the older DualDrive hub/derailleur combinations. Shimano hasn't made a 7-speed shifter for a number of years, so these have to be bought on the secondhand market, but even then they are hard to find because Shimano had already gone to 8 speed on their high end drivetrains when they introduced STI in the 1990s. The one exception is the RSX shifter, which presumably was sold on some lower end road bikes in that era, and comes in a 3x7 configuration. I found these RSX shifters on eBay.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPcrEnkqrSMRFzV4aBPcTwAKHZtEDT_XPuHAiArCmnPIwUcq_D4iko9W_pj8dcDLrHBZu2t2Juy_sCB7_ZDxfkokjg5btFuxsAVlXz6BqRyKyGU_Ip-_-N9VRiBewhaEEgVR_Jnil2nS4K/s1600/DSC_0587-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPcrEnkqrSMRFzV4aBPcTwAKHZtEDT_XPuHAiArCmnPIwUcq_D4iko9W_pj8dcDLrHBZu2t2Juy_sCB7_ZDxfkokjg5btFuxsAVlXz6BqRyKyGU_Ip-_-N9VRiBewhaEEgVR_Jnil2nS4K/s400/DSC_0587-001.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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One problem these shifters had when I bought them was that the smaller levers (the ones that shift to a smaller chainring or rear cog) did not engage. This apparently is a fairly common problem with these shifters and it is caused by the old grease getting sticky. I can confirm the claims made by others on the internet that this problem can be fixed relatively easily by spraying degreaser into the shift mechanism a few times, followed by a light lubricant, which eventually frees up the mechanism.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaNYEWkzaCLhDPbh-hzham4uz8oxAF3_x4ghgCKuwvGQWtCKpVdcDqvsnx1x7sfZwes0sC2q0dF0u7BQlGZOBSYDrInf726PPZ3-PzYUXUUU4Z76FawEiRpkLlsOk1SSwA8P29Md5YsQ-k/s1600/DSC_0589-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaNYEWkzaCLhDPbh-hzham4uz8oxAF3_x4ghgCKuwvGQWtCKpVdcDqvsnx1x7sfZwes0sC2q0dF0u7BQlGZOBSYDrInf726PPZ3-PzYUXUUU4Z76FawEiRpkLlsOk1SSwA8P29Md5YsQ-k/s400/DSC_0589-001.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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The brakes on this bike (drum brake front, V-brake rear) expect a longer cable pull than STI shifters are capable of generating, so it is necessary to add the Problem Solvers Travel Agent. I've used them on another tandem already and they work great. They come in two varieties, one for V-brakes and one for disc brakes (or drum brakes), so I installed one of each type. Here's the rear V-brake with Travel Agent installed. It replaces the curved "noodle" normally installed between the cable housing and brake.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh22bmYiQYWsiAixVPZuri5Sb0EEHiw7AUDGCtrfyMKfXSN_WIrC-4hDnkGYF8LYkYe2fcHBWM3QlLSAmwM7srYuF9n-aiBWFjutpe3hL7ffDefemUckiFoASH3CK_VWa4UFd7mtNHOj2Lb/s1600/DSC_0588-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh22bmYiQYWsiAixVPZuri5Sb0EEHiw7AUDGCtrfyMKfXSN_WIrC-4hDnkGYF8LYkYe2fcHBWM3QlLSAmwM7srYuF9n-aiBWFjutpe3hL7ffDefemUckiFoASH3CK_VWa4UFd7mtNHOj2Lb/s400/DSC_0588-001.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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The disc brake version comes with a hole at the top so that it can be attached to the fork using a cantilever brake mount. This fork doesn't have cantilever mounts, so I attached it to the fork with zip ties and used a piece of inner tube around the fork blade to prevent scratching the paint and hold it in place. So far, braking performance both front and rear with the travel agents installed has been great.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit6m6WWfghmnWs4uZOgfoqHDI1nQquBGA1ovr9t5ze3Sw-_srlaQgyeKJT949LRjYYgGNdcHjwxRqTZyVp_MCTTkWIpI58EJ_131isvkaxMcGo_q3CRijr5BQzkSIksvBFMh_eh43xrg-w/s1600/DSC_0590-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit6m6WWfghmnWs4uZOgfoqHDI1nQquBGA1ovr9t5ze3Sw-_srlaQgyeKJT949LRjYYgGNdcHjwxRqTZyVp_MCTTkWIpI58EJ_131isvkaxMcGo_q3CRijr5BQzkSIksvBFMh_eh43xrg-w/s400/DSC_0590-001.JPG" width="265" /></a></div>
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The left shifter, which normally goes to the front derailleur, has worked fine operating the 3-speed internal hub. It takes some getting used to because when connected to this hub, its operation is backwards from a front derailleur: the large lever shifts to a lower gear rather than a higher gear. The combination of the right shifter and rear derailleur has been less than ideal so far. The cable pull for each click isn't quite enough for the derailleur. It's adjusted so that it works OK in the middle of the gearing range, but starts to miss shifts as I get out to the edges. It's possible the derailleur or shifter are just old, but the original grip shifter that came on the flat handlebars worked better.</div>
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Quentinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05883257426674517409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1485862804300015751.post-58986891597435361292013-10-22T20:24:00.000-05:002013-10-22T20:26:30.646-05:00DIY Winter Cycling GearSome time in the late 1980s, I bought this neoprene headband from the Performance Bike Shop in Boulder, Colorado. Since then, it's been used for countless miles of winter cycling, including two years of 12 mile commutes during college, and many other winter outdoor activities. It's been great for cycling in particular because it's quite thin and easily fits under a helmet while keeping my head and ears warm for any temperature above freezing. Colder than that usually requires additional headwear.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4Se5sIQBdut25rYTu0ng226NWF0yZo696ct_Wy00nZKwdAOZ_Af3m354LZqfzJivYeujoP0ik1O5TfCUY539iIoojKeLJU2zo24PgJM5LlMHooaiViJJjrmNZUXB-FikryM5m3XdSS9xp/s1600/DSC_0594.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4Se5sIQBdut25rYTu0ng226NWF0yZo696ct_Wy00nZKwdAOZ_Af3m354LZqfzJivYeujoP0ik1O5TfCUY539iIoojKeLJU2zo24PgJM5LlMHooaiViJJjrmNZUXB-FikryM5m3XdSS9xp/s400/DSC_0594.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Its design is incredibly simple: a single peice of neoprene with a single seam at the back stitched together using a zigzag stitch.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKfcpzehQscO9J8KWwzTko4Xj8DbmJmZugT__MA4j4otAAV7okUW0hMyKkFcE8SJEQbXcJg6HnFfigtV-C5jEV3ItPRtFVS0C0iYGL5sb7u2ukz0RB0DLe1K1cY1wMc227HyySN5QpyZdL/s1600/DSC_0595.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKfcpzehQscO9J8KWwzTko4Xj8DbmJmZugT__MA4j4otAAV7okUW0hMyKkFcE8SJEQbXcJg6HnFfigtV-C5jEV3ItPRtFVS0C0iYGL5sb7u2ukz0RB0DLe1K1cY1wMc227HyySN5QpyZdL/s400/DSC_0595.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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As is evident from the first picture, it's starting to show its age a bit. Some of the foam material has started to break down so it doesn't feel quite as thick as it used to. I'd have bought a replacement years ago if I could find one, but have never seen anyone selling anything like it. Last year Heather and I started doing more winter rides and it became apparent that her fleece headbands were often not enough. It occurred to me that my headband should be quite easy to replicate. Neoprene fabric can be bought in small quantities online from various sources. I bought a 1 foot by 4 foot piece of it from an eBay seller for about $15. I estimated the thickness of the fabric used in the original to be about 2 mm thick, so I ordered the material in that thickness, but it appears to be a slightly thicker than the original. It's possible the original was actually 1.5 mm (I think the fabric is also available in that thickness), or that it's just thinner due to deterioration over time. In any case, 2 mm seems like about the right thickness for me, but others may prefer something in a different thickness.<br />
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I have a relatively large head, and Heather's is relatively small, so based on the original headband, I created two separate patterns, to fit large and small head sizes. In case this is useful to anyone, I created this PDF document with patterns for both sizes.<br />
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<a href="https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B1d8umCA7UdPX3ppNTdGaFdFSzA/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhosrd2iuh8PxET7LdkTrib2pILfNwnWomkv3lsU2O9e9BeMc45vCo5E7BRx4wpfPYqp0xYRBomP97Yq8nG5yVz-jweyN9olchj9yakjaPERsxV0YSA2FMGgj67eHram2BKzcVu_1buIZC6/s200/HeadbandPattern.png" width="154" /></a></div>
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Note that the patterns reach relatively close to the edges of letter-sized paper, so check the print settings when printing it out. Some viewers by default will try to shrink it to add extra margin at the edges. In Chrome PDF viewer, uncheck the "fit to page" option. To make sure the printout is the right size, I've added measurements to the diagram so the size of the printed pattern can be checked before using it to cut fabric.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDX-k4xWVlA5ETzGOh-JNE4qnGVIQX8zo-_9nY3osMh1VnFB1HVkY-mcbOdxdgbMAtRGrFRCMEMvD7afhaeSwGrI81K29b_3HKPNOKOjQG_uex0KO-ZPgbbxvxr9azlblFn_pTF5UKzAKG/s1600/DSC_0598.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="152" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDX-k4xWVlA5ETzGOh-JNE4qnGVIQX8zo-_9nY3osMh1VnFB1HVkY-mcbOdxdgbMAtRGrFRCMEMvD7afhaeSwGrI81K29b_3HKPNOKOjQG_uex0KO-ZPgbbxvxr9azlblFn_pTF5UKzAKG/s320/DSC_0598.JPG" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikdxCQuktfkP6MBEaGgoVEe7KmMiDuXgVEtqt90FJr9oMHWb0l2C7roy5RRLBdsBO1PozhFGVP9wpA_g6saWZzzX38unkwhLGo9cIA6jttFjDylHlzb1m5fLgk3xrj7QdGcxapAm968ucl/s1600/DSC_0597.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="171" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikdxCQuktfkP6MBEaGgoVEe7KmMiDuXgVEtqt90FJr9oMHWb0l2C7roy5RRLBdsBO1PozhFGVP9wpA_g6saWZzzX38unkwhLGo9cIA6jttFjDylHlzb1m5fLgk3xrj7QdGcxapAm968ucl/s320/DSC_0597.JPG" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikdxCQuktfkP6MBEaGgoVEe7KmMiDuXgVEtqt90FJr9oMHWb0l2C7roy5RRLBdsBO1PozhFGVP9wpA_g6saWZzzX38unkwhLGo9cIA6jttFjDylHlzb1m5fLgk3xrj7QdGcxapAm968ucl/s1600/DSC_0597.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikdxCQuktfkP6MBEaGgoVEe7KmMiDuXgVEtqt90FJr9oMHWb0l2C7roy5RRLBdsBO1PozhFGVP9wpA_g6saWZzzX38unkwhLGo9cIA6jttFjDylHlzb1m5fLgk3xrj7QdGcxapAm968ucl/s1600/DSC_0597.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
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Here's the end result. It basically looks like the original, except that it's clear my pattern cutting skills weren't quite good enough to get the bottom of the seam to line up perfectly. Since I made them in two sizes, I stitched my initial into it in order to tell them apart coming out of the laundry. I made a total of 3 of these using about 1/3 of the neoprene fabric I bought, so for about $15 in materials (probably about what I paid for the original headband), someone could make 9 of these.Quentinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05883257426674517409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1485862804300015751.post-33394660072581908582013-01-13T18:58:00.001-06:002016-08-31T08:05:43.865-05:00Raleigh Tandem With CustomizationsI wrote a couple of months ago about acquiring a <a href="http://qspencer.blogspot.com/2012/11/a-new-tandem.html">second tandem</a>. As I noted then, the Raleigh tandems look like a great option for riding with children because they are reasonably priced and can accommodate relatively short riders with just a few modifications.<br />
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Fit Customizations</h3>
The most important modifications are to get it to fit its riders. The goal was to be able to comfortably fit an 8-year-old on the back and a 5'4" rider on the front. It should be possible based on my measurements of the frame, but the suspension seatpost that came installed in the rear made it impossible to get the seat down as low as I needed. Furthermore, the oversized seat that came on the bike added some extra height of its own.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTFBxXMB_q2IOHcXS0zFZ-BGRXWuA-yI872suIRx33FZtcstCY8HP-cP0uwdeDSHrPGgaAn2ZS604HU_kHaj-HlGyRpwon5zewvT5gYj9SqoGJyRAXZVqY-WB8IFER03yCnAltpvQkPVHT/s1600/DSCN6431-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTFBxXMB_q2IOHcXS0zFZ-BGRXWuA-yI872suIRx33FZtcstCY8HP-cP0uwdeDSHrPGgaAn2ZS604HU_kHaj-HlGyRpwon5zewvT5gYj9SqoGJyRAXZVqY-WB8IFER03yCnAltpvQkPVHT/s320/DSCN6431-001.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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In the front, the seat went low enough, but the reach to the handlebars was a bit far for a shorter rider, so I wanted to reduce that by moving the front seat as far forward as possible and installing a shorter reach stem. The set back of the stock seatpost on the front limited how far forward the seat could move, so I moved that seatpost to the rear and installed a smaller saddle I happened to already have. The challenge, then, was to find a seatpost for the front with the right diameter and no set back that didn't cost a lot. The diameter turned out to be 29.2 mm, which appears to be common on tandems, but in general is a somewhat non-standard size.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2p8qGhMAKaeH6vdESkPXBPRbPDcMywxkFdJbxAwrHJwcx1S1q3DheLL07r1JFm92Pnp-mZG-6ppr2uU-z69jbGiemlIM3_-htaUWHpT5hkTxa3C2ljDrrOCDoPXEZHcZSNkognzEJG4DV/s1600/DSC_9501.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2p8qGhMAKaeH6vdESkPXBPRbPDcMywxkFdJbxAwrHJwcx1S1q3DheLL07r1JFm92Pnp-mZG-6ppr2uU-z69jbGiemlIM3_-htaUWHpT5hkTxa3C2ljDrrOCDoPXEZHcZSNkognzEJG4DV/s320/DSC_9501.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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This seatpost made by Origin8 comes in a huge variety of sizes, including the 29.2 mm that I needed. While it didn't matter in this case, it's also very long at 400 mm, so it would be easy to set up this tandem for a very tall rider using the same seatpost. The relatively relaxed seat tube angle of the frame means that putting the seat all the way forward like this will result in a position that will not feel unusual to a rider accustomed to typical road bikes.</div>
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The remaining fit-related customizations included the installation of this short reach stem. It's a Profile Design Boa with a 65mm extension and relatively steep angle (45 degrees if I recall correctly), which brought the handlebars in about 8 cm closer than the original stem did.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiEkSws04BoMBMBlXB-27q-2MUPteP6qhMvKbJyc0VljkZvvurBQ7d_lJLXZkJPNQjQUDibfrIJlmh2XOrkv9k_UEU-QtiXv_3LugykeUWfHAsa4q37dMG0oBcSzj6rg7i3qg7I4nzVEs-/s1600/DSC_9500.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiEkSws04BoMBMBlXB-27q-2MUPteP6qhMvKbJyc0VljkZvvurBQ7d_lJLXZkJPNQjQUDibfrIJlmh2XOrkv9k_UEU-QtiXv_3LugykeUWfHAsa4q37dMG0oBcSzj6rg7i3qg7I4nzVEs-/s320/DSC_9500.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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I also added Ride2 Crank Shorteners to the rear cranks. The pedals are currently installed in the outermost hole, which results in an equivalent crank length of 145 mm. These shorteners were transferred over from my other tandem.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgavSnrCgRKtNG9S2RO-I9_fZWTNKb8oz0NrDLnRR7yTfPOjBWf_PZxiJ5yMSrCfeVcfe47y3x1cneL5k4V4-8LpFdcjFVeRY9coRTA20l6JdyreuosTFD4igxva_rmUXePWBKucCBhkJKM/s1600/DSC_9503.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgavSnrCgRKtNG9S2RO-I9_fZWTNKb8oz0NrDLnRR7yTfPOjBWf_PZxiJ5yMSrCfeVcfe47y3x1cneL5k4V4-8LpFdcjFVeRY9coRTA20l6JdyreuosTFD4igxva_rmUXePWBKucCBhkJKM/s320/DSC_9503.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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With these customizations complete, the bike was basically ready to ride, but I wasn't done changing things yet.</div>
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Optional Customizations</h3>
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The other customizations made to this bike were purely based on our preferences. I replaced the 26x1.95" tires with more touring-oriented 26x1.25" tires, which are better suited for the type of riding we do. I replaced the stock pedals in the front with different ones that would take toe clips. Heather and I are both used to road bikes with drop handlebars, so I also replicated that setup on this tandem. The existing drivetrain is a 24-speed Shimano setup, so I got a used pair of Shimano Sora 3x8 speed brake/shift levers, Tektro auxiliary brake levers, and a used road handlebar.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIAZEzutauLF42qIJngRZuu5Sg-vAdMVER4wA-kh8W5aCnnLFV8yDwZ5vwAFjvcMN6WDxfyknt3nvawbOqbSfNbhTHw08lYj251IqKMrH3thTMRMiiA7K9dZoHKEGEKvdSNxgGgBugEzFw/s1600/DSC_9498.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIAZEzutauLF42qIJngRZuu5Sg-vAdMVER4wA-kh8W5aCnnLFV8yDwZ5vwAFjvcMN6WDxfyknt3nvawbOqbSfNbhTHw08lYj251IqKMrH3thTMRMiiA7K9dZoHKEGEKvdSNxgGgBugEzFw/s400/DSC_9498.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Because road and mountain bikes use different shaped cable ends inside the levers, I had to buy new cables as well. The extra cable lengths required for a tandem required that I do a lot of careful measuring before I bought anything so I could be sure everything was long enough. In the end, I concluded the least expensive option was a complete road cable kit plus an extra cable for the rear derailleur. I bought the Jagwire Racer XL kit, which had brake cables that turned out to be long enough for both front and rear brakes on this frame. The derailleur cables were not long enough, but the rear cable was long enough for the front derailleur on the tandem, and for the rear I bought a Jagwire stainless steel cable in a length of 3100 mm.<br />
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The linear-pull cantilever brakes (also known as V-brakes) that came on the bike require a longer cable pull than typical road brakes. In order to match the shorter pull of road brake levers with the longer pull required by the cantilevers, Problem Solvers makes this little pulley called the "Travel Agent". The cable wraps around the smaller disc and then jumps to the bigger disk, effectively doubling the distance traveled by the cable as it comes out. The second hole at the top is so that the effect can be reversed if someone wanted to use mountain-style brake levers with road-style caliper brakes. It works great. The Jagwire cables (except for the extra rear derailleur cable I bought) come with a black PTFE coating that makes them super slippery, and all of the braking and shifting on this bike is really solid.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN7Ci6WLyd47NItE2j_65hXnSuIkxyG_oQgrzOl5qE5nbjhDymMOKnJrehLyKJCXDQICc_crLNDS9T5xDZEQdl-AJrGUAf7VWzfT0kihMND_WfGvn9v2-7r8KAXZVbuHAHifjyr_ISPPlr/s1600/DSC_9499.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN7Ci6WLyd47NItE2j_65hXnSuIkxyG_oQgrzOl5qE5nbjhDymMOKnJrehLyKJCXDQICc_crLNDS9T5xDZEQdl-AJrGUAf7VWzfT0kihMND_WfGvn9v2-7r8KAXZVbuHAHifjyr_ISPPlr/s400/DSC_9499.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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The choice of red accents actually started with the water bottle cages. I was searching online for some inexpensive bottle cages to go on this bike and found something that came in black, gray, and red. We liked the idea of red and bought those, and subsequently got the cables and handlebar wrap in red. I think it looks great with the otherwise monochromatic black, white, and gray color scheme.<br />
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Completed Project</h3>
Here's the tandem with all of the customizations complete.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWlf950D5dWygGSfyOxDkiH_nO8zFz6diAkt4H-8BHHetoEP6NzWXQN8paHICHSFntpDTje71una37A7dEWXXxTqcH9S-WyddnJZXTng0f0UD7CApZkkbUcXrNaPBX_MgF3Z_rWuBA7gz8/s1600/DSC_9497.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWlf950D5dWygGSfyOxDkiH_nO8zFz6diAkt4H-8BHHetoEP6NzWXQN8paHICHSFntpDTje71una37A7dEWXXxTqcH9S-WyddnJZXTng0f0UD7CApZkkbUcXrNaPBX_MgF3Z_rWuBA7gz8/s640/DSC_9497.JPG" width="640" /></a><br />
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The tandem was bought for $200. The most expensive part of the fit customizations are the crank shorteners, which run around $90. Adding a seatpost, stem, and smaller saddle brought the size customizations to a total of around $150. The other customizations probably added more than $200 more, with the shifters being the most significant cost, even buying them secondhand, but the total cost of this tandem is still well below what I spent on my <a href="http://qspencer.blogspot.com/2012/10/bike-friday-family-tandem.html">Bike Friday</a> tandem, so I consider it money well spent.<br />
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Part Sources</h3>
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We don't have many bike shops in Champaign, Illinois, and even a bigger city is unlikely to have a bike shop that stocks a lot of the items I've described here, so I do a lot of shopping online for parts. Given Shimano's constant gear inflation, finding shifters for older drivetrains is something that mostly has to be done on the second hand market, and eBay is an important source for that. For the other items, the one source that seems to consistently have almost everything I'm looking for, no matter how obscure, is Niagara Cycle Works, who I buy from through Amazon marketplace. They don't offer super fast shipping, but everything has always arrived by the date promised, the shipping charges are reasonable, and they usually have the lowest available price of the Amazon marketplace sellers, or are close enough to it not to bother buying from someone else.</div>
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Quentinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05883257426674517409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1485862804300015751.post-32540848012578377302012-11-03T01:18:00.000-05:002016-08-31T08:05:43.861-05:00A new tandemAs noted in my <a href="http://qspencer.blogspot.com/2012/10/weeride-co-pilot-bike-trailer-dont.html">prior posting</a> about tandem trailers, I've decided they aren't safe and have given up on the one we have. With my children currently at the ages of 8 and 6, we're still a few years away from the age where they can keep up on longer rides, and where I feel comfortable with them riding their own bikes on certain roads (such as the narrow bridges near our neighborhood). As I've already written, I'm a big fan of the <a href="http://qspencer.blogspot.com/2012/10/bike-friday-family-tandem.html">Bike Friday tandem</a>, but it's hard to find even a used one for less than $1000 on eBay, so I decided I would spend the winter looking for alternatives that might cost a little less. I've decided I'm less concerned about the portability offered by Bike Friday tandems, so I'm mainly concerned that the rear seat go low enough for a (relatively tall) 8-year-old.<br />
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A few weeks ago, I found a local Craigslist seller selling this Raleigh tandem for $200:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkxloQ2-SNQ8lAvhgWU4Po3zp8TeIFi2ehXwsxm0bKE08fwIfIezdaM1L1nXliQvaYqiiJVhb1DAyaDpZ1dXFu27dNG8WVbbIjJbn4-3WNomQtl6yqpXSIXZBAemNbWoxHI9iG103Vv5Qt/s1600/DSCN6430.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkxloQ2-SNQ8lAvhgWU4Po3zp8TeIFi2ehXwsxm0bKE08fwIfIezdaM1L1nXliQvaYqiiJVhb1DAyaDpZ1dXFu27dNG8WVbbIjJbn4-3WNomQtl6yqpXSIXZBAemNbWoxHI9iG103Vv5Qt/s640/DSCN6430.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Amusingly, the seller listed the bike as a Schwinn, complete with a similar picture to this with the Raleigh logo plainly visible. Based on some internet research, I was able to determine that this model is from 2002, and is called the "SC Tandem". The frame is a blend of chromoly and high-tensile steel. It appears from Raleigh's web site that they have sold a similar tandem for the last 10 years or so, with varying model names, but more or less the same frame geometry. For a while there was an aluminum frame version that retailed for around $900, but the steel frame version has usually sold for about $650. The official specifications for the frame size are 19.5 and 16.5 inches. Based on my seat height measurements of the other tandem, I concluded that 16.5 inches might be low enough for my needs, so I took a risk and bought the bike.<br />
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This closeup of the rear triangle shows the somewhat odd design choice of what amounts to two sets of seat stays. The rear brake is mounted on the lower ones, making the top one more or less unnecessary (though it does have mounts for a luggage rack). The quick release seatpost collar is removable, so in theory it would be possible to cut off 1-2 cm of the top of the rear seat tube to get the seat lower, but it appears that will not be necessary for my 8 year old. If I were trying to get this tandem to fit a smaller child, it seems feasible to simply cut off the upper seat stays and more of the seat tube. This being a steel frame, some paint or rust protection for the affected areas would be necessary, but the result would be a frame with a geometry not much unlike some of the other common tandem frame designs out there.<br />
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There are a number of things I plan to modify on this bike. In particular, the rear seat has a suspension seat post, which does not appear to be functional, and will not allow me to get the seat all the way down to the frame where I need it. So, I will be replacing that and making other changes to bring the front seat and handlebars closer together to accommodate a 5'4" rider. I'll write more when I get that far.<br />
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Also, at some point I'll consult the owner's manual to learn why night riding is dangerous.</div>
Quentinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05883257426674517409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1485862804300015751.post-83408957027435960992012-10-18T10:34:00.000-05:002016-08-31T08:05:43.878-05:00Bike Friday Family TandemAfter buying a tandem trailer, we used that in conjunction with the child trailer for one summer, with each parent pulling one of the trailers. At the time our children were 5 and 2. As our son turned 3, he started to be jealous watching his sister pedal, so we occasionally let them switch places. He couldn't really turn the pedals on the trailer bike all the way around, but he seemed to enjoy it anyway. However, it became clear that soon enough neither of our kids would fit in the trailer very well and that we needed a long term solution. We could have probably got another tandem trailer eventually, but at some point I started doing research on tandems. <a href="http://sheldonbrown.com/tandkids.html">Sheldon Brown</a> wrote a great article about tandems and kids. There were two primary features I was looking for in a tandem:<br />
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<li>The rear seat had to go low enough for a 5 year old.</li>
<li>It had to be easily transportable.</li>
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In retrospect, the transportable aspect has been less of an issue than I expected because most of the family bike rides we do are from home anyway. My research has turned up a number of very interesting options:</div>
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<li><a href="http://www.bikefriday.com/">Bike Friday</a>. A maker of folding and travel bikes that has several tandem models.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.browncycles.com/tandems.htm">Brown Cycles</a>. I particularly like the "child in front" bikes they make, a feature I'm sure my kids would want if they knew it existed.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.co-motion.com/index.php/tandems/models/periscopes">Co-Motion's PeriScope line</a>. In particular, the PeriScope Trident Convertible is something I wish I had sometimes, but it's a serious investment. </li>
<li><a href="http://www.circecycles.com/duo.php">Circe Helios</a>. It looks like a great bike, but they are in the UK, so getting one in the US would probably require expensive shipping.</li>
<li><a href="http://dirkbonne.blogspot.com/2012/08/child-stoker-in-front-tandem.html">Build your own</a>. If I had the welding equipment and expertise, I would totally build one of these.</li>
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Of all these options, Bike Friday's tandems end up being one of the least expensive, <a href="http://www.bikefriday.com/bicycles/tandem/322">starting at $1500</a>. That's still a lot, so I started looking at used ones. Having watched several Bike Friday tandems auctioned on eBay, I have concluded that any opportunity to buy one of these for under $1000 is a good deal. I ended up paying somewhere between $1200 and $1300 for a bike that originally retailed for around $1800, but shipping costs brought it close to $1500.<br />
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This is what the bike looked like I first got it in 2010. The long stem on the rear handlebar was originally on the front, but I needed it in the back to get the handlebars closer to the rear seat. The rear seat is in its lowest possible position in this picture, which is low enough to fit an average 4-year-old, with one exception: the crank length. This bike has standard 170 mm cranks, while the typical lengths on children's bikes are 135 mm for 16 inch bikes and 145 mm for 20 inch bikes. We tried one short ride and it became clear that the adult length cranks were not going to work. There are two solutions out there. One is the "<a href="http://www.precisiontandems.com/artkidbackinstall.htm">KidBack</a>", which is essentially an additional bottom bracket and cranks that attach on the seat tube. It's designed more for full size tandems, though so the second (and less expensive but still pricey at $90) option was what I did: the Ride2 crank shortener. This device attaches to the crankarms through the pedal threads, and provides 4 alternate mounting locations. From my fairly inexact measurements, they subtract 25, 35, 45, and 55 mm of crank length, giving lengths from 115 to 145 mm on this 175 mm crank. The downside of crank shorteners like this is they increase the space between the pedals (sometimes referred to as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Q_factor_(bicycles)">Q-factor</a>) <span style="font-family: serif;">by an inch or so</span>, which might make it harder for small legs to pedal.<br />
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My bike came with SRAM's DualDrive system, which pairs an internally geared 3-speed hub with a 7-speed derailleur (newer models are 8 speed, but my bike is over 10 years old). For tandems, this makes it possible to put the drive chain and timing chain on the same side of the bike.<br />
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This gearing system actually makes it possible to use a less expensive solution for short cranks, which I hadn't considered at the time I bought the crank shorteners. BMX products maker Sinz makes a <a href="http://store.sinz-racing.com/products/category/9303.0.1.1.1007375.1007400.85082.0.0">crankset</a> for square taper bottom brackets that comes in a huge range of sizes from 125 to 180 mm. They retail for around $60, but I've sometimes seen them available for less. They have a 110 mm bolt circle diameter, which fits a large range of road chainrings these days, including the ones on this bike, and they allow for the installation of two chainrings. I've read that the spacing of the chainrings on Sinz cranks will put them too far apart to work properly with front derailleurs, but this is not a problem for the DualDrive system.<br />
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Had I bought the bike directly from Bike Friday, they would have customized the size to fit me exactly. By buying used, I had to figure out how to make it fit. One problem that became clear after a couple of rides that the handlebars were too low and too close. I found this stem which seems to fit me well, and is adjustable, making it fairly easy to modify the setup to suit another rider.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieHbLfRWo9gCP6vZI0FUJKhlSvZ5yunEdGlatSaflMF6f8G17zMyUukx7VQD7EtbZc_My2AFIdRNhb_zVj-PFx1WdSTQ0GMDefQpDVbxTvbRcbkDSRUxuxxIFv-UYBYlw03bCwSDRfeVgH/s1600/DSC_7731.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieHbLfRWo9gCP6vZI0FUJKhlSvZ5yunEdGlatSaflMF6f8G17zMyUukx7VQD7EtbZc_My2AFIdRNhb_zVj-PFx1WdSTQ0GMDefQpDVbxTvbRcbkDSRUxuxxIFv-UYBYlw03bCwSDRfeVgH/s400/DSC_7731.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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At one point I decided to get a pump and a traingle cargo pack for tools for this bike. As it turns out, neither fit without modifications. The Park frame pump, which is adjustable to a wide range of frame sizes, was a quarter inch tool long at its shortest setting for the pump peg on this frame (I hope newer versions of this bike have fixed that). I eventually was able to modify the pump to fit. Likewise, the triangle pack was a little too tall for the frame, so it took some modification on a sewing machine to take the lowest 1 inch off.<br />
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Below is the bike in its current setup. Note that my kids have got taller in the last 2 years, so the rear seat is higher. I have moved the rear water bottle cage to the handlebar. My kids found it was a long reach down to the top tube of the frame, especially with the horizontal orientation of the bottle. I've also added the luggage rack and bar ends. Even for a 10 mile ride (most of our rides with the kids are in the 10-20 mile range), I need to be able to change hand positions. I may eventually try to install a drop handlebar, which is what I would have got if I had ordered a new one of these custom.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM8PE236BWRUBtbFPJ0Pc3p5YFV1SpOo-n6qNInuLCyyR1YRAbGlnVfpwGodSy8Ua9wQtH0bfDWxI2WMCCNLtMuaFqDB1_fbpEQkZ0Hr2M0UP_ujBjo_C5AEsIA5HNQ41JKU_EMsTt0K8V/s1600/DSC_7726.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM8PE236BWRUBtbFPJ0Pc3p5YFV1SpOo-n6qNInuLCyyR1YRAbGlnVfpwGodSy8Ua9wQtH0bfDWxI2WMCCNLtMuaFqDB1_fbpEQkZ0Hr2M0UP_ujBjo_C5AEsIA5HNQ41JKU_EMsTt0K8V/s640/DSC_7726.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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As noted in my last entry about the tandem trailer, I think I should have bought one of these earlier and never bothered with the tandem trailer. This is a much more significant investment, so it's not for everyone, but if you want to do bike rides as a family, I think the Bike Friday tandems are an ideal solution for kids who aren't yet big enough to keep up on long rides. This is also a good option for larger families because you could theoretically pull a child trailer behind one of these (up to 3 children per parent!). I do have a friend who has pulled a child trailer behind a tandem trailer, but I've been soured on tandem trailers enough that I don't think I'd recommend that to anyone.</div>
Quentinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05883257426674517409noreply@blogger.com2