TiHabanero

Built a new frame over the past 8 months. Wanted long chain stays, low BB height, and 72/73 frame angles. Can't get it off the shelf so I built one myself.

Just a perfectly fitting bike, rides just like it should, and there is plenty of stand over clearance. Rear panniers are centered over the rear axle with plenty of heel clearance, and bosses for 4 H2O bottles.

Chain stays are 47cm and handle bumps very nicely. Turns are slightly wider, but when touring who cares? BB drop is 9cm, 1.5cm lower than most touring rigs, and there is plenty of stand over clearance. Running 38mm tires, but there is room for 40mm tires if needed.

Really liking this bike, and hope to put some miles on it come spring.

bikemig 

Wait you posted a thread on a new frame and bike that you built and no pics?

TiHabanero

Bikemig, I will see if I can snap a few quick pics tomorrow. Didn't think about it until you mentioned it.

mstateglfr 

Pics man, always pics. Especially of built bikes!

ThermionicScott 

+1! Been interested to see more of this bike since you mentioned it in the Framebuilders forum.

TiHabanero

Went to take a pic and the camera app on the phone is messed up. Have to do a hard reset. Android lives up to its reputation once again.

djb

You know hab, I've been a Mac guy from the early 90s, never use Windows, but I've found android phones and tablets to be incredibly reliable and intuitive, sold on android for ages now as a robust, reliable tool.
Can't comment on your why's, but surprised.

Back on topic
I find it totally cool that you made your own frame. Very impressed and must feel great from an accomplishment angle. Enjoy it, and yes, look forward to seeing pixelated evidence.

DanBell

Totally agree with this. I have assembled several bikes on my own and it's always a good feeling knowing that I selected all the parts and got the thing up and running with my own hands. Building a frame takes that to another level. I met a German guy in Peru who was bikepacking on a bamboo fatbike he had made himself (from a bamboo bike kit, of course). Inspiring stuff.

djb

My folks have a friend who made a wood bike, but one day something broke up front, head tube who knows, fork, and he smashed himself up right proper. Kinda put me off ever riding a wooden bike.
But isolated experience aside, very very neat actually building a frame.
Cheers

Tourist in MSN

From the little bit of welding that I have done, I am quite sure that if I made a frame it would collapse at precisely the worst possible time. That is why I bought frames made by people that know how to make frames and I limited myself to what I know I can do and built up the rest of the bikes from parts.

I have great respect for those that can make a frame themselves, whether it is brazing lugs, silver soldering lugs, fillet brazing, welding, or any other methods that I can't even name.

Now my fleet of bikes is more than adequate, even if I found a great deal I would probably pass on it as I would not have a place to store it.

alan s 

This thread is worthless without pitchers. GO NATS!!!

TiHabanero

Djb, I am a Windows user, came from Macs. Honestly once one knows their way around either OS, it is all good. As for droids, all I can say is they are buggy for me. IPhones certainly don't have issues like droids. I think it is bloatware causing issues. If I go droid next time around it will be an Android One, however I am fairly certain it will be an iPhone.

Anyway, did the reset and all is well again. Will take a pic later today.

TiHabanero

Posted pic, but it didn't make it. Must have clicked the wrong button! Fenders still need adjusting to follow the curvature of the tires correctly.

Tourist in MSN

Very nice. As mentioned on another thread a day or two ago, I use those same XT rear derailleurs that are a few decades old. Looks like an older Surly fork, have you considered stripping the decals off and painting it to match the frame? Is that a Brooks Cambium saddle?

djb

Neat, and very individual colour also.
The old style hoods have that vintage look, but if you ever find them not as comfortable as you'd like, tektro makes some models that are close to modern sti brifters hoods that are very comfortable.
My gevenelle shifters are basic tektros but the shape isn't bad (but I realize this was probably an aesthetic choice on your part)

Neat seeing the 4 bottle cage setup.

TiHabanero

Saddle is the Cambium C17, Works perfectly on this bike, not so much on my road bike. Not sure why other than it is positioned further behind the crank and the bars are higher than the road bike. Really like it and will order one soon. Notice the VO post, it allows the saddle to be properly supported in the middle of the rails. Couple 30mm setback with 72 degree seat tube angle and 175 cranks, and it allows this to be done.

Must mention the Surly fork. 1 inch threadless Crosscheck fork. One of the only Surly products I like enough to use myself. Rides super smooth on the rough stuff. Hard to beat, even if I were to build my own.

The brake levers are Superbe Pro with Rustines hoods. Had the original hoods, but they were fried and bubbly, and really gooey! Rustines are very nice. These levers coupled with the XC Pro canti's it is like having power brakes. Very low effort and stops really well with the stock pads.

All my touring frames are built with 4 cage placements. Only makes sense from a touring point of view, and quite honestly, daily riders should have at least 3. So much easier to reach down to the upper mounted one while riding instead of the lower one. Not sure it can be done well on frames under 54cm, but someday I will draw one up and see.

Bike is slightly portly due to component choice, but in the long run it will be durable and problem free for many miles to come. Had it out Sunday and simply fell in love with it. Beats out my Miyata 1000 and is smoother than the Fuji Touring Series V, which is the softest riding frame I have had up to this point. The long chain stays plus bigger tires are the difference.

mstateglfr 

The spoons on those stays are legit! Miyata would be proud.

DropBarFan

Sleek classic look & nice distinctive color.

indyfabz

Hot.

himespau 

Nice

bikemig 

That's a heck of a good looking bike. What's the crank? A really like suntour xc pro cantilevers and this generation of Deore XT derailleurs.

Does the double water bottle set up on the downtube work when using 24 ounce bottles or do they work better with the smaller water bottles?

TiHabanero

The crank is an XC Pro set up with 10 speed rings 24/34/50. Perfect gearing for pushing a loaded bike. All the bottle mounts will take the largest size H2O bottle. The underside down tube mount will easily take a small H2O bottle, however it will also accept a large one. On smaller frames it is limited to the small size down there and on the upper one topside of the down tube.

I got this idea from a Moab ride my good friend, Jim, took back in 87. He had bottles strapped to the top tube and one extra on the seat tube. At that time he said he wished there was mounts for 4 bottles on his frame. Thought about adding a 5th mount above the one on the seat tube, but decided against it.

Was going to include spoke holders on the non drive side chain stay, but really did not like the look of it. The spoons on the seat stay caps are a bit different and come from scraps cut from the stays. Was going to do fastback stays, but that would have narrowed clearance at the tire by 10mm. I personally like fastback stays more than traditional side mounted stays.

Rode it again this morning and really like the long stays as the rear wheel trails over rough stuff so nicely. Someday it will take me on a cross country bucket list ride.

djb

re the 50/34/24. I agree that its a great setup for a loaded bike. I run a 44/32/22 on my heavy touring bike with 26in wheels and it works great for where I have toured on it a lot and what I had to carry (lots of mountainy and more stuff than usual)

and I also ride a 700c bike for my commuter with a 42/34/24 , a low end crankset without crankbolts, ie rivets, but I find it to be a great setup.
I realize that manufacturers dont like smaller cranksets because its "wimpy" and doesnt fit visually and or for slow cadence folks who dont ride much--but for years Ive always wished a 46/34/24 or 22 was available as is, as it really is a nice mix of chainrings (to me anyway, I realize Im in the minority)

Im surprised you still went with a 50t, was that more of an availability thing, or cost, or not using it that much so not worth getting a smaller one?

funny you say you dont like the look of chainstay spoke holders, my old touring bike from 1990 has the two same spokes on the driveside from 1990, and I both like the look of it,and the fact that theyve worked as paint protectors all these years too. I think it looks classy with them on it, but hey, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

not sure what fastback stays mean, but no matter, again a cool looking bike.

TiHabanero

All of the chain rings were what I had on hand. Put them on there to see how I liked them, and it was a huge improvement from the half-step gearing on the Fuji and Miyata I have. Now, I have only loaded it with 30 pounds, so don't really know how the 50t will play out, but so far so good. I suspect a 46t will be better for me as I don't need a 50x13 or 14 on a touring bike. As it is, I don't use the 50x13 on it now as an unloaded bike. Spinner, not a pusher.

djb

when riding with a load, I rarely use the 50t. One of my bikes has a 50/39/30 changed to 50/39/26, and the 39 is always a bit too tall overall, but I rarely ride that bike loaded up, so its my "go (somewhat) faster" bike. Its 50/11 with 700x28's does get used on downhills, and unloaded I do use the 50, but its pretty rare to use that big a chain ring on the flat unless I have a tailwind or a slight downhill.
In general, I find having a top end of a bit over 100 g.i is fine for me for loaded riding (have about 103 on my old 1990 tourer and my Troll) , as long as I can spin up to a bit over 50kph Im happy, and then just let the bike go to whatever I can get it to after that.

I can say with complete confidence that it is extreeeeeemly rare that I can actually pedal at more than 30kph for any length of time more than a minute when touring, so this is why a top end of 100 and a bit gear inches is totally fine, which in any case even with that, if I had a huge tailwind, I could still easily pedal comfortably at 35or 40kph---but I've never had a tailwind that lasted long anyway, or not at those speeds....

re 10 speeds. There is a nice 11-36 cassette, and if you like tighter jumps and can live with a 30t, theres a nice 11-30 or 12-30 that is has really nice short jumps. Its the same as my 9 speed 12-27 but with the 30 added on with the 10 speed.
I use a 9 spd 11-34 on my troll, and my wifes 10 spd 11-36 has slightly closer jumps--but then as noted, there are many 10 spd 11-32 or 34 type cassettes that your rd could probably handle.