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Post by oldroadietehachapi on Feb 23, 2021 20:12:50 GMT
Well working in the shop does have its rewards. I decided I wanted what would now be called a gravel bike, but it would be a classic bike and only use the parts I had lying about. It might be fun to haul around on vacation. I call it what it is, an all purpose bike. I started with a (not terribly sought after) 1982 Trek 500 frame. It has three main tubes of Reynolds 501 (seamed cromoly) with Tange cromoly fork and stays. This was what I call one of their kit frames; Trek built the three main tubes and joined a rear triangle built by Tange who also made the fork. The lugs are by Trek. A good choice for this project as it has a longish wheelbase and can handle fat tires. The rear derailleur is a strange duck, being a 3 wheel Suntour, It seemed a fun choice, Front derailleur and shifters are also Suntour. The crank is an inexpensive triple by Tracer. The wheels are 700c with wide rimes and 700-35 cyclecross tires. It came out weighing a bit porky at 26 1/2 pounds.
I took it on its maiden ride today (despite waiting for a set of drop out screws). It handles dirt and gravel with aplomb. It is smooth over what I call California cobblestone. It is a slug in climbs but rides nice everywhere else. The 3 cog derailleur shifts not Suntour like but more like an old Simplex. If I cannot tune it out I a will slap on a less weird Shimano Deore drivetrain.
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Post by franco on Feb 23, 2021 23:15:08 GMT
Cool project Jim, looks good and a useful ‘all-rounder’.
What is Suntour’s logic behind the 3 wheel RD? Is it an alternative idea to a long cage version? Never seen one before.
P.S. That broken tarmac looks like just about every road where I live!
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Post by wheelson on Feb 23, 2021 23:31:09 GMT
Jim,
That road actually looks like a freshly paved Pennsylvania highway. By the way, where's the snow? Ours may be here till Spring, like the old timers used to say "this snow's waiting around for the next one".
I like the looks of the Trek, everyone needs a good all-rounder. That may be my Cannondale. I'd thought about making a Viscount Aerospace into one, even tried a set of 650b x 38's which actually fit. Only problem might be rear brake reach.
Best,
John "wheelson"
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Post by triitout on Feb 23, 2021 23:45:19 GMT
I've always liked the idea of bang-around bikes. Nothing fancy, just go out and ride. Well done Jim! I'm hoping the Long Island roads look that good after our month of snow. Right now it's a minefield of rim crushing sinkholes by me.
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Post by oldroadietehachapi on Feb 24, 2021 3:48:09 GMT
Thanks to all! A good but not too fancy all rounder was my goal. More upright with fat tires and something I can toss into the back of a pickup and not worry about scratches.
Lets see if I can cover all of the bases. Disraeli Gears has This comment on the 3 cog system. Yes it was an alternative to the long cage derailleur; weird but fun. I think the idea very clever; it only uses two cogs when on the big chainring.
As usual, our snow melts in a few days. Most often we have a cold storm followed by a few days (maybe weeks) of warm weather. I bought a snow blower and the weather seems stuck in warm mode with highs in the 50s (F). Great for riding but we are now in a drought.
The tarmac, sad to hear you have the same problems. A few good freeze thaw freeze and pot holes start to form.
This afternoon I noticed the derailleur cage not being parallel to the rim. I straightened the dropout derailleur mount and hope the shifting improves. I really want to keep the funky derailleur. If the shifting remains a bit hinky I may try a modern Shimano freewheel and a different chain. If still funky, the rest of the Shimano drive train will follow.
Cheers Jim
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Jem
Viscount
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Post by Jem on Feb 24, 2021 11:29:04 GMT
Thanks to all! A good but not too fancy all rounder was my goal. More upright with fat tires and something I can toss into the back of a pickup and not worry about scratches.
Lets see if I can cover all of the bases.
There's room for one of those in everyone's collection. Great work Jim, very functional bike, you've got me thinking now. |
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Post by brianbutler on Feb 25, 2021 1:45:11 GMT
Jim, maybe there is a fault line running under the road right there. I was out today and had to take a detour due to "tree work." Unfortunately the detour was a thawing dirt road through an equestrian farm, a nice two inch thick layer of gooey mud and horse s**t. But I only have one bike that I allow to get caked with dung.
Brian
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Post by oldroadietehachapi on Feb 26, 2021 1:49:19 GMT
Jim, maybe there is a fault line running under the road right there. I was out today and had to take a detour due to "tree work." Unfortunately the detour was a thawing dirt road through an equestrian farm, a nice two inch thick layer of gooey mud and horse s**t. But I only have one bike that I allow to get caked with dung. Brian Since you mention it, I am in California and we have faults everywhere. But the real problem is maintenance; the pavement on that road is 50 years old.
Caked with dung!
Cheers Jim
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ks1u
Viscount
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Post by ks1u on Mar 23, 2021 18:31:24 GMT
Great looking bike. Your roads look like mine here in coastal CT.
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Post by oldroadietehachapi on Mar 24, 2021 5:24:02 GMT
Sad to hear that Connecticut also has crumbly roads. That part of the road (which I ride daily) has now developed a pot hole; I hate pot holes.
Cheers Jim |
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Post by brianbutler on Mar 24, 2021 11:36:59 GMT
The street in front of my house has a crack running across it. When I visually extend it to my house it coincides with a crack running through the foundation walls and across the concrete garage floor. I have lived here for 32 years and it has always been cracked and growing a millimeter a year. At some point I may get a tax abatement for having a detached garage, or at least a detached half-garage. If I lived in California I would be worried aboiut a fault line but I live on a gently sloped glacial outwash that is still creeping after 12000 years.
Brian
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Post by franco on Mar 24, 2021 20:45:39 GMT
I’ll have to get some pictures of our glorious road surfaces next time. Currently out of action yet again though hence my lack of activity here.
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Post by brianbutler on Mar 24, 2021 22:27:28 GMT
I’ll have to get some pictures of our glorious road surfaces next time. Currently out of action yet again though hence my lack of activity here. Sorry to hear it. I hope you are back in soon with the nice weather coming. Brian
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Post by franco on Mar 24, 2021 22:40:18 GMT
I’ll have to get some pictures of our glorious road surfaces next time. Currently out of action yet again though hence my lack of activity here. Sorry to hear it. I hope you are back in soon with the nice weather coming. Brian
Thanks Brian. |
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robt
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Post by robt on Mar 27, 2021 21:48:53 GMT
Sad to hear that Connecticut also has crumbly roads. That part of the road (which I ride daily) has now developed a pot hole; I hate pot holes.
Cheers I'm not keen on potholes either, or failed highway repairs...  Untitled by RMT@261, on Flickr This one was completely filled with water after very heavy rain, so looked like a regular puddle, before I rode into it during of one of our local club rides in November 2019. It turned out to be 6 inches deep, causing my bike and me to come to a very sudden stop. Fortunately, I was riding with friends who called an ambulance and my wife (I am the crumpled heap in yellow behind the far bike's front wheel - it's as much as you'd want to see of me at that moment!). I spent three days in the magnificent Birmingham Queen Elizabeth Hospital having my upper jaw and 6 teeth reassembled, followed by some skilful dental reconstruction work. At least I'm in distinguished company. The council responsible for maintaining the road claimed a defence under section 58 of the Highways Act, by demonstrating that they operate a 'maintenance regime' at the location - an annual visual inspection. Despite, to my mind, the council failing a number of the tests listed under s58(2), the legal team acting on my behalf did not feel able to pursue any claim. The council's s58 defence relies on them being able to demonstrate that they weren't in a position to know that the defect had arisen since their last inspection. I'd therefore encourage UK members to visit www.fillthathole.org.uk and download the free defect reporting app onto your smartphone. The app will identify your location and the relevant council, enable you to provide a photo of the defect to the council, and let you know when it has been fixed. I have the app and have reported a number of dangerous defects, which have usually been filled within a couple of weeks (in one case, within 24 hours) of reporting it. I guess that the councils prefer to maintain a safe road surface when they know there's a problem, but if they don't, and there is a record of them being informed, at least an injured party might have a chance of being compensated for any loss. I have to say my experience has put me right off cycling in the rain, so I'm looking forward to spring turning to summer over the next few weeks, and then a DFR. Where shall we meet? |
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Post by brianbutler on Mar 27, 2021 22:06:28 GMT
Wow, that was a nasty crash.
Brian
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Jem
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Post by Jem on Mar 28, 2021 9:13:01 GMT
Rob - I feel queasy just looking that photo and reading your report. I had heard about that app , but haven't downloaded it, but will do now. We have some equally dangerous road surfaces here, and good to know if prompts them to sort it and would offer some legal protection to someone unfortunate enough to hit one, if it had been previously reported.
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Post by franco on Mar 28, 2021 10:36:54 GMT
That’s frightening Rob and glad you are now okay.
I find some days out on the bike are that bad it puts me off road cycling, what with close passes and poor road surfaces. But then you have the good days and faith is restored. I’ve about stopped doing night riding altogether now because it’s almost impossible to avoid every pothole.
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Post by wheelson on Mar 28, 2021 15:35:17 GMT
That’s frightening Rob and glad you are now okay. I find some days out on the bike are that bad it puts me off road cycling, what with close passes and poor road surfaces. But then you have the good days and faith is restored. I’ve about stopped doing night riding altogether now because it’s almost impossible to avoid every pothole. Rob, You’re lucky/blessed to have survived that one. Potholes are a huge problem here in Western Pennsylvania USA. My helmet shattering incident was similar to yours, but lesser injury - a concussion and a radial head fracture of my left humerus, resulting in a permanent slight bend in that arm. The second incident was the result of an unopened but untagged bridge on the local rail trail. Yes, around dusk, on the bridge no problem. Off the bridge, about a two foot drop. Over the bars, another helmet destroyed, sports glasses shattered, concussion, broken nose, lower lip held together by skin only, cuts all over face with 48 stitches on lip and face. Fortunately I stayed conscious and was able to find a house nearby where a terrified lady called my wife. No doubt if I had lost consciousness, I would have bled to death on that dark deserted trail. Moral of the story: be careful, be safe, and wear a helmet. I kept my first helmet as a reminder to wear one, the second was just too gross. As far as compensation, good employer and great insurance. If I had sued the local trail alliance I would have no doubt put them out of business, and that for me was not an option. Best, John “wheelson” |
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