190 lbs of Viking. 33 lbs of Moustache.
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
Duran Duran
.....not the band, or doctor, but the bike. Its pretty retro, even for a 29er, what with the curved stays, the down tube cable routing, the steep head angle, and 9 speed thumb shifters. Hence the name. This is the latest incarnation of the bike I first built with slightly updated geometry and some futuristic features like a tapered head tube and a direct mount front derailleur. The plan is to make this into a new bike packer and add some load carrying ability, a super retro handlebar and fork, racks, a frame bag....you get the idea. This one climbs like a space ship and for heavy biking that's the idea....Something that will find a line and keep the wheels planted as long as you can keep the pedals turning. The BB is high to keep the pedals from clipping and the gearing is low to keep the legs spinning. High and Tight. Like a lot of my earlier bikes.
I like the horizontal dropouts for the adjustable wheel base with a load and for the ability to make a single speed if you wreck your derailleur in the middle of nowhere. The low mount disc keeps rack mounting easy though I assure you fabricating and brazing that custom disc mount and compound bend chainstay is anything but.
The rack bosses are 6mm and are drilled clear through the stays and brazed on both sides for maximum thread contact.
I look forward to the evolution of this bicycle. The first rides were great and this one is sure to see many miles. Thanks for reading....
"......hungry like the wolf....."
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
Another Green Monster
Green seems to be the go to color of late, with differing shades of course. Seems to be a fitting color for monsters. And this is my biggest monster to date. The rider is 6'5" and all leg so it led to an interesting fit and geometry. People always ask how short the stays are as a single component of a frame and I answer that stay length is just one part of a greater system that is the whole frame working through its various functions (climbing, descending, pedaling, coasting, steering, leaning, etc.) to serve the rider in its various uses.
So while this frame as one rider may describe it could be considered quite long, this particular rider is a big fella and his center of gravity while riding is going to be waay off the ground and way back over the back of what a production bike would be. The result is what you see....super slack angles, a shorter than expected top tube, longer stays than most people reading would want, bringing this rider a package that should allow super confident descending down the steepest loosest terrain Flagstaff has to offer while still being able to get up the mountain with some time to hit the play lines in between.
Add to that a 130 mm fork, direct mount front derailleur, horizontal dropouts for geared or single speed use, clearance for 29 x 2.4" rubber, and "Brass Knuckles" cable routing for use with a dropper seatpost and the limits of this bike are only within the rider's ability. I'm super excited to see this bike built up and and pointed down the local trails.
Thanks for the cool project, and enjoy your new bike Chris!
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