Six jours

I've got the Son hub/Schmidt E6 now, along with a front bag instead of the saddlebag, so it's nearly a dead ringer for an old Frenchy. Still need to make another fork to stabilize the handling with a loaded front bag, but I'm nearly satisfied. Which is nice...

You still thinking about framebuilding, Mike?

Six jours

Thanks mate! I'm awfully happy with it. I have only 500 miles or so on the tires, with no flats and no sign of wear. So far I am very impressed with them, but it's much too early to say anything really definitive. The tread is different -- much thicker -- than the Grand Bois Cypres that I like so much, so I hope them to be less punture-prone. I'll update when there's something more to say.

The blue frame is hanging forlornly in the garage now. I'm thinking of turning it into a traditional French-style porteur.

bmike

for sure. soon as i figure out being a daddy.

Six jours

Yeah. I'm glad I got started when I did; it would be too late now!

Has the blessed event occurred yet?

Lamplight

Which bag are you planning to put on it? Will a lower-trail fork be more stable or less?

Six jours

I've got an Ostrich brand bag from Velo-Orange on right now. It's okay, but a little longer front-to-back and shorter top-to-bottom than the good French bags. It was almost $200 less, but I might still bite the bullet and get a Berthoud.

Trail is an interesting little bugger. In this instance, decreasing trail by increasing rake makes the bike less stable, but also decreases wheel flop. The front bag definitely increases the sensation of wheel flop, especially at low speeds, and in conjunction with the wide tires also tends to slow directional change. So in this case, decreasing trail kills two birds, in the sense that I want both a slight increase in sensitivity to directional inputs and a decrease in the tendency of the bike to lean off in unwanted directions at low speeds, especially when riding with hands off the bars.

Lamplight

The Ostrich bag seems to be a great deal compared to the Berthoud bags. I really wanted a Berthoud but I just couldn't justify the expense, plus the exact size/color combo I wanted was proving hard to find. I'm trying to learn more about frame geometry, trail, etc. so that I'll have a clue when I try building a frame myself. Thanks for the info!

bmike

waiting... waiting... almost worse than being on hold with customer service.

Six jours

Yeah, that was exactly my thought about the Ostrich bag. My only real problem with it is that it is quite a bit larger front-to-back thn the traditional bags, so it looks a little funny. I have read that having weight forward of the front axle has a negative effect on handling, as well, but don't know if this is the case. I am probably going to pop for a Berthoud bag at some point...

FWIW, if you like this kind of bike and plan on learning how to build them, I'd say getting a hold of all the back issues of Bicycle Quarterly is practically a requirement. There is more info about this stuff in those magazines than any other source I've seen. At the very least, get a copy opf volume three, issue three, which includes a serious investigation of what made the old French bikes handle, along with a dozen or so drawings of various constructeur frames with lengths and geometries included. Invaluable; I've been essentially copying them.

Six jours

Yeah. It's not really bothering me though. She had her last day at work today and is now going on vacation, so she's very relaxed and ready, which makes it easy on me too. I do have the sinking feeling that these are the last restful days we'll be having for the foreseeable future...

Lamplight

Thanks, I've been meaning to do that but just haven't gotten around to it. I subscribe to the magazine already but have only been getting it for the last three issues.

matthew_deaner

Here are some pics of my recently finished Salsa Casseroll.








Build list:
Frame/Fork: Salsa Casseroll, 60cm
Pedals: Shimano SPD A-520
Handlebars: Bontrager Race Lite 44cm (from my Trek 5200)
Bar Tape: Fizik Microtex
Headset: Cane Creek S-8
Stem: Cannondale 110mm (from e-bay)
Wheelset: Open Pro / Ultegra hubs with Wheelsmith DB spokes
Crankset: Campy Ultra Torque Centuar CT (compact 50/34)
Chain: SRAM PC971
Rear Der: Shimano XT med. cage
Front Der: Shimano 105
Shifters: Shimano Dura Ace bar-ends, 9-speed
Brakes: Tektro R556 with Kool Stop pads
Brake levers: Tektro R200
Seatpost: Thomson Elite
Saddle: Brooks B-17
Fenders: SKS P35
Water bottle cages: King
Cassette: Shimano 105 13-25T
Bag: Carradice Barley
Tires: Michelin Carbon 23c right now, switching to Panaracer Pasela 32c soon.

biffstephens

Mine is on page 7 as well....I had done 7 up too then...

I did 17 last year....hopefully more this year and a few under 5 hours..

huerro

I just realized I never posted this...My first century bike, immeadiately after the fact:

ianjk

That's my kind of bike right there! (except for the saddle, looks like a butt-hatchet).

huerro

Thanks! I'm fond of it.

The saddle is actually great. It fit's my skinny butt perfectly and I actually find it more comfortable than my b17.

Barabus

WOW- really WOWWW!

ncherry

Okay, here's my current century ride:



I did a double century last year on this bike. I love this bike for long rides.

JasonJ

I'm a huge Salsa fan -- I ride a La Raza now and I'm building up an El Santo right now -- and I love your Casseroll. Have you been out on it yet? It looks great.

I'm sure my La Raza would be fine for the odd century, but I keep looking at the Casseroll and wondering if it wouldn't be a better bike for me. The kicker is that I'm lopsided -- my legs want a 58 cm frame while my torso and arms want a 54. Do you think the sloping geometry would help me with that?

I'm planning to be in Minneapolis over March Break, so I'm going to try and see if I can find a shop with a Casseroll I can swing a leg over.

JJ

nine

here's my lemond but i'm hoping to build this up before the end of the rando season

Hocam

My only concern with reproducing french geometry is the rides where I don't need a handlebar bag. It's almost like you're designing a car around your favorite suitcase. Is this bike going be specifically for long distance rides where you really want to use the bag?

matthew_deaner

I've put about 400 miles on the Casseroll so far. I haven't ridden it over 70 miles in one go yet, but plan to do some centuries on it in the spring and some doubles in the late spring/summer.

I'm probably built a lot like you... my legs are really long for my height. The sloping geometry and high head tube do seem to bring the bars in a bit closer as compared to racing-style geometry, but honestly I can't tell a big difference between this bike and my more "racey" ones.

The handling characteristics have been a bit of a surprise. I was expecting really relaxed, slow handling. Instead, the Salsa has somewhat quick steering, much quicker than my Surly LHT and Nishiki Prestige but not as quick as my Centurion LeMans and definitely not as quick as my Trek 5200. The handling seems like a nice compromise for a long distance bike. I thought it was a little too quick at first, but I've gotten used to it and I'm glad the handling is somewhat relaxed but still very much like that of a traditional road-racing bike.

The frame has a nice supple ride, and is surprisingly stiff. For reference, I weigh 170 lbs and am 6-feet tall. I can detect some chainstay flex when climbing seated in a low gear, and I can feel a touch of flex when climbing while standing, but overall the casseroll is one of the stiffer steel frames that I've ridden, while still delivering a nice ride.

Where the Casseroll really shines is fit and finish. The drop outs are hardened, polished stainless steel. The paint is simply perfect. It's a beautiful, rich metal flake, gold color, with a thick clearcoat. It looks so good I hate to take it out in the rain.

I got a good deal on this frame ($289 USD) but now that I've had it for a couple of months, I would have easily have paid full price for it.

Six jours

I have a "standard" load that doesn't really change whether it's a 40 mile ride or a 400k. I don't mind carrying a couple of unnecessary pounds on the weekly club rides, etc., so it actually does make sense for me to "design around the bag".

ncherry

A man after my own heart!

See this link for details: https://www.linuxha.com/other/non-ha/...ded_view_b.jpg (it's my camelbak after a long ride, there wasn't much change in the pack).

Hocam

Makes sense, it is a beautiful bike btw.