DScience

I'm creating this thread mainly to consolidate the questions i'll have during my first build. But to keep it interesting i'll try to upload a lot of photos.

I went with the Wabi for several reasons. The first is that I personally jived with the Wabi philosophy. The second is that the frame was a good price for some decent metal. lastly the geometry is described as being a little more relaxed than a typical track bike, which is what I was looking for. For parts, I wanted to go all Nitto and Sugino, but I couldn't afford it. Basically I tried to get the best quality parts I could afford, with aesthetics taking lower priority than function.

Here it is so far: Wabi Classic, SRAM Omnium & GXP bb, Nitto RB-019 bars



Now, on to my first (newest) question. I just installed the SRAM Omnium, and I was a little surprised at how poorly it seemed to spin. I uploaded a video, and wanted your opinions on if this is what to expect from a newly installed crank/bb.

TejanoTrackie 

i don't see anything unusual in your crank spin test. There is probably some drag in the bearing seals, which you will not even notice when riding the bike. I'm not familiar with the GXP BB, so I don't know if it's possible to get the bearings too tight.

jeremybrooks

That's a gorgeous frame. Looking forward to seeing the finished bike!

murrellington

I second that. Such a nice frame and great color. I'm looking to buy the same soon

DScience

Thanks for the response. I was very careful when installing the bb, especially tightening the external bearings. Hopefully everything is normal.

Thanks! I should have more parts come in over the next few days.

SquidPuppet

I am unfamiliar with that particular style crank/BB and their instalation. That said, it looks like something is really wrong there. It looks like it makes only ~8 revolutions and comes to a stiff abrupt stop. I've never had a square taper crank on a cartridge decelerate so rapidy. They usually spin and spin and take forever to come to a very "floaty" stop.

DScience

Small update:

Over the past two years of riding a fixed/single speed i've been using Nitto rb-002 bullhorn handlebars, with in-line brake levers on the top. The was not ideal because every time I needed to stop I would have to switch my hands to the top bar. Thus for a while now i've wanted reverse bar-end brake levers, so I ended up getting the Cane Creek 200TT's; anyone have experience with these?

Wspsux

I've got them. I have very little to say about them. I believe that like a saddle, the less you notice them, the better. Right?

DScience

Cool, so they must work well is what you're saying. I can dig it!

hockeyteeth

Careful with causing alarm because of your unfamiliarity. That looks perfectly normal for a GXP BB. As @TejanoTrackie stated, the cartridge bearing seals plus external dust seals cause quite a bit of drag, which is not noticeable when riding or detrimental in any meaningful way.

GXP bottom brackets have no reliable, simple adjustability on the bearing preload, which honestly kinda sucks. If the BB is a bit loose upon initial installation and torquing to ~40nm you can apply additional torque to a max value of 48-54nm to eliminate play by removing crankset, regreasing spindle, and tightening again. It's a lame design. Assuming you match BB shell width, BB, and crankset compatibility then you should be fine.

Wspsux

Yes, if I had to give any particular reason, the contours are very ergonomic

DScience

I don't have a torque wrench, and installed the BB with a park bbt-9. Initially I thought I may have tightened the external bearings too tight, so I took the crank off and reinstalled everything. I can't say exactly how much force I used to tighten it, but it seems ok. There is no play in the crank arms.

Slight of using a torque wrench, is there any other way to ensure the BB is installed correctly? It's definitely an english bb, and the crank comes with the GXP, so hopefully it's fine.

hockeyteeth

Well, you should consider checking the torque on the bolt. If you have the bolt tightened appropriately and the bearings feel noticeably compressed then you would be wise to check your BB shell width and make sure it isn't more than 68mm, in which case you would have to face the BB down to the correct width.

DScience

I used a cheap digital caliper to measure the bb, and it read about 68.12 mm, which I assume is from the layer of paint. Would .12 mm make a difference?

DScience

Update:

Yesterday I assembled the bike, and the hardest thing was putting the tires on. OMG. Anyway, everything seems to be good and i'll take some detailed picks when it's done, but for now the only concern I have is the noise the chain is making via the cog. It's a KMC K710SL chain, white industries hub and cog. I checked the chainline with the omnium crank and both are at 42mm. Is this sound normal for a brand new drivetrain?

SquidPuppet

At the risk of causing alarm, again, , that sounds nasty to me. New chain and perfect chain line, so my guess is something is amiss in the hub.

bikemig 

I need another bike like I need the proverbial hole in a head. Still this is a really pretty bike.

DScience

I thought it indeed sounded nasty. However I just got back from my LBS and the guy didn't think there was anything wrong with the hub, and thought it wasn't anything abnormal; just chain noise. Also, it is not noticeable when riding and at high speeds it seems silent.

I dunno.

SquidPuppet

Weird. How much slack is in the chain?

DScience

I've been messing with the tension and have tried everything from very loose, to very tight and nothing makes a difference with the noise.

SquidPuppet

IMO the guy at the shop is wrong. That noise is not normal. It should be silent. To me though, it doesn't sound like a chain issue. It has a rattlly quality. It is weird too that it is silent when you ride it. Odd for sure.

DScience

White industries track hubs are relatively simple, that being an instruction manual to disassemble them. If there was a problem with the hub, are there any other signs or ways to diagnose it?

When I watch the video I posted it does sound like a rattle of some sort. But in person, it sounds more like a chain/cog noise. The 18t white industries 1/8 cog is HUGE and with the big chain I think that's what's causing it.

GENESTARWIND

do you get any noise when spinning the wheel while holding it by the axel? or is this only a noise when on the bike and chain setup.

SquidPuppet

I have bikes with 3/32 rear sprockets and run a 1/8 chain. They have a lot of potential side to side slop, but when under pedaling torque the are dead quiet. And I have bikes with 3/32 + 3/32 set ups and zero noise.

Thinking out loud here...... Is your chain line 42mms because all the component literature says you will achieve that? Or did you actually measure it? I have had some components NOT produce what they advertised.

DScience

No, it's completely silent and spins smooth as butter.