deux jambes

:Yours is the standard Limited. Ah man, I bet that’d be a fun ride! Looks a size taller than mine, maybe two. Is it in your size range? If it is, what’s it going to take for ya to resolve the paint issue and build it?

omgar

Excellent build!

deux jambes

Luckily, the restaurant I work at has a dry storage room which those of us who ride bike are allowed to park our rides. Leaving a bike out unattended in downtown Eugene is always risky.

Anyhow, I only live four blocks from the restaurant, but how could I possibly decline to ride there this morning with such a “brand new” bike on hand? Especially when doing so guaranteed that I’d get a ride in before getting back home too!

Fahrenheit531 

Yep. I see a lot of win here. Well done sir!

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So, a little updating...

Weather was spotty for a little while after building, but’s it’s shaped up nicely since, and I’ve been able to put quite a few miles in the bike over the past couple weeks. Some service adjustments have been made too along the way.

— — —

Overall, I’m enjoying the Limited very much. It’s fit is super comfortable, it handles like a champ, and it’s got a lovely spring to it. It’s an added bonus that the Brooks is breaking in wonderfully now with approximately 75 miles on it. It’s the first Brooks I’ve ridden, and I’m beginning to understand what all the fuss is about!

— — —

Anyhow, I was experiencing difficulty keeping the headset in good operation, and properly adjusted. Thought perhaps that the decaluer was suspect, but as it turns out, my bearing count was not optimal. The Levin holds 25 bearings making contact with each other in both the upper, lower races. Initially I went by the suggestion to load each race with 23 bearings. The resulting action was not consistently smooth, and any tweaks which helped wouldn’t hold the preload for long. So it became time to get my hands dirty again...

Here’s the bike back in “the stand,” getting a little service.





After a couple shots at it, I discovered the right combination is 23 balls in the bottom cup, and 24 up top. The headset has been working remarkably well, with no issues at all. Also took the opportunity at this time to get my brakes in final proper adjustment.

— — —

Also, the TA stickers finally arrived early last week, nearly a full month after ordering them. The quality is top notch, and they were definitely worth the money, and the long wait. Here’s the DS crank arm wearing its new clothing which was once missing in action...






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And finally, today, I chose to ride up my first real hill ever! According to Wikipedia, Skinner Butte has an elevation of 682 feet, and is approximately 200 feet above Eugene at its top.

Steepest incline was near the top. I tried dropping into the granny gear at that point, but found the FD had come out of adjustment (probably when I had the cockpit partially disassembled), and I couldn’t get the gear. No worries, I made the whole climb on the middle 38t, and the rear 25t cog. Stayed in the saddle comfortably for the first two thirds of the climb, and the whole task was surprisingly easy. Thighs burned a little at the end.

In the first photo below, we can see a run of the Willamette River just beyond the water reservoir in the foreground. Second photo shows the much taller Spencer’s Butte across town. That butte is not road bike friendly, but offers spectacular views to hikers.







And the ride back down the winding road was a blast if not a bit reserved. While the bike handled steady, and solid, I was a bit scared to completely let go... modulating the brakes to maintain a 20 mph decent. I was impressed with the Grand Compes. With the Kool Stop pads, the old side pulls offered a great deal of control, and assurance! All in all? A really awesome, and inspiring first time experience

motogeek 

Have really enjoyed your documentary on this build. Looks like an awesome bike … just my size, too. I think you've given me the inspiration to start on my all-French build Motobecane Grand Record that has been languishing in the shed.

Very good job, sir!

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Did you ever get stickers for your Moto’s crank?

I didn’t know that TA produced crank arms with two different flute lengths until I received the stickers I ordered for mine. A sheet of four was delivered. One pair 94 mm long, and one pair 100 mm long.

I only needed one sticker as only one was missing on my crank, and the other was in good enough shape to keep. Turned out I needed one of the shorter 94 mm stickers.

So if your crank takes the longer sticker, or if you only need one of the shorter ones like I did, you are welcome to the remaining three stickers.

If you can use ‘em, PM your address, and I’ll ship ‘em out to you.

noobinsf 

I have a stickerless TA crank and could put these to use. Just sent a PM. Thanks!

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I’m happy for anyone to put them to use, but @bikemig has dibs. Let’s give him a little time to check in

noobinsf 

Whoops, missed that part, moving a little too fast... Eep, of course, no worries [embarrassed]...

bikemig 

Who knew about the different flute lengths? Mine are the 100 mm so I'll take them! PM sent.

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No worries indeed. I think we can all understand the exciting rush that comes up in instances like this. C&V desire is a hell of a thing sometimes. Anyhow, the stickers are going to Miguel. However, I’d highly recommend grabbing a sheet from eBay. The quality is amazing. The price is right. It just requires an extra bit of patience as shipping from Australia is torturously slow.


Right? C&V seems to always be full of surprises!

Glad you can put a finishing touch on your Grand Record now.

cs1

I need a set of those.

Bad Lag

That's a nice bike, congratulations!

I noticed you set it up to carry all the weight up front, as opposed to in the rear. Why is that?

I've been thinking about either a much bigger front bag or (more likely) adding a rear rack. Why one versus the other?

TenGrainBread 

I've touring a variety of ways (rear-only load, front-only load, front and rear panniers, bike packing bags with no racks) and I'd say the sweet spot for me is mostly loading the front, with maybe some weight in a saddle bag in the rear. I find the handling to be much better that way. The weight feels more distributed, I can climb out of the saddle without the "wag" of a heavy rear load, and handling isn't that affected. Obviously if you way overload the front or have a lot of weight up high it will start to affect the handling too much. But with two medium-sized low rider panniers and a handlebar bag I get used to the handling in 5 minutes and the bike feels great. I don't have enough experience with low trail bikes to have an opinion on whether it helps or not.

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This bike was built as my first touring bike, and my first tour had yet to take place. I’m planning on making that happen as soon as spring is settled in.

So I have no personal experience from which I was able to draw from in basing my decision on bag placement, and weight distribution. However, I read quite a few forum threads on the subject, and found the general consensus which reasoned for a front loaded bike to be in line with what @TenGrainBread explained in his above comments.

I have ridden the bike locally on the flats under load since building. I’ve taken it in grocery runs to test things out. And my experience rings a bell with statement that within minutes, I develop a feel for the altered handling experience. And once that happens, it’s smooth sailing! For this frame in particular, which has a long wheel base, and a slack headtube angle (though not exactly what I think most would consider “low trail”), I’m confident that going with front low riders was the right choice.

My handlebar bag had a rather large capacity, and I feared that I would be inclined to overload it. Also my saddle bag turned to be too small for what I think I’ll need it for. So I’ve recently sold the handlebar bag, purchased a new saddle bag. I plan to design a new handlebar bag, and see it up this winter. If after my first tour or two I suspect that a rear load may suit me better, or that I might need extra cargo carrying capabilities, I have a matching Jim Blackburn rear rack, and a second pair of Jandd panniers waiting on standby.

Here’s a link to an article which summarizes the reasons I subscribed to in making the choice to set the bike up for a front load carry. The mention of crosswinds seems pertinent imho. Only thing I can add in all honesty is that I’m a bit of a sucker for the aesthetic of bags hung low and upfront on a C&V bike

Front Loading Basics

ryansu

Totally forgot about Skinners butte, Spencers stuck in my head but not Skinners of course it has been 45 years since I was a kid in Eugene. very cool that the bike is performing to expectations and you're getting all the kinks ironed out. I am sure there are lots of great tours to do from Eugene whether its an overnight or a week. Wineries in the Willamette valley, wooden bridges, Coast, dry side, etc. I have this hare brained scheme to one day do a credit card tour of McMenimans from Tacoma, Centrailia, and PDX

Have fun on your cool touring bike!

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@ryansu Skinner Butte definitely stands in the shadow of Spencer’s. I would think that 45 yrs away would make that even more the case.

Yes, the is surprising expectations, around town anyway. Next spring will be the real test. I’ve no doubts it’ll do it’s job just fine though. All kinks pretty much have been worked out save for the need to chase down a couple of squeaks (recently installed aluminum fenders). And I should check the rims in a stand to see how they’re holding up after the rebuild. They seem fine however.

Indeed, I’m in good coordinates for some fantastic overnight rides in either direction. I’d really like to ride up the McKenzie next year, and the Dorena Lake area outside of Cottage Grove is supposed to offer some excellent riding with recently repaved paths.

I like your idea of a McMenimans tour. That’d be a blast for sure. We’ve got three of them here in Eugene, and I had the pleasure of staying a few night at the Crystal Ballroom a couple of years ago during the Waterfront Blues festival. Definitely a cool business model... McMenimans.

JayVee

Your bike turned out really nice!

GrainBrain

Wow I missed this build thread until now. Awesome work! We ride the same size, and everything about the build clicks with me - nice!