cudak888 

That looks fantastic! It's a shame to see the chaincase go, but the Hollowtech cranks that continue the DA 7800 styling look really good with a single ring.

Not to mention that they eliminate yet another thing for a jean cuff to get caught on; I've found that square taper cranks alone aren't a guarantee you won't somehow get snagged on the crankarm's edge around the bolt mount (then again, 517's are my go-to, so it's not as if I make the situation any easier). This crank design basically makes snags impossible.

Incidentally, I found a similar dropout configuration on an el-cheapo, wannabe-motorcycle moped recently (also found a pair of very Q-factored cranks fitted with cotters - same size as a bicycle. Mad Honk's VAR tool made removal a breeze ).

-Kurt

JaccoW

That's lovely to hear T700! Sounds like a good upgrade and maintenance to that bike. Any chance we might see more of it one day?

The SilverAce is still my commuter and run-about-town bicycle here though it might need a good clean when the weather makes for some warmer evenings.
In the meantime I just added a small modification to my Carradice Bagman support. The mini rack had some issues with the small bag and the heavy Abus Granit CityChain XPlus lock, or mostly the 2+kg (4.6lbs) lock had a tendency to make the bag sag.

So I tried adding some extra supports using some spare stainless steel spokes I removed in the past from a wheel build. It didn't go exacly as planned but here's what I tried:

• Soldering them straight on.
  • Nope. Turns out soldering one steel thing to another big solid steel rod is hard with a soldering iron.
• Soldering but adding some pilot holes
  • Didn't work either. I just couldn't heat up the bug supports enough.
• Superglue
  • Nope
• Drilling holes all the way through and just bending them around
  • Yeah that worked. Not my most gracious approach but highly funtional. 2mm stainless steel drill bit and a pair of lightweight 2mm spokes worked well.

Original. Sagilicious


Supports. Drilled and bent.

Glamour shots:

JaccoW

This might sound silly... but this shifter has completely changed the feel of the bike for me.

The Sturmey Archer RXL-RD5 hub came with the TSC50 twist shifter but that one felt cheap and nasty so I used the nice and sturdy SLC50 thumb shifter for the past couple of years. It has always felt a bit off though. Some of the gears felt a bit vague or would consistently overshift in certain gears which made me primarily use the second gear to start and the fifth gear when cruising.
Especially third gear was never used because the trigger part had too much play and didn't slot nicely into place all these years. And I've tried to adjust things or clean them.

But the third option in shifters is the DLC50 trigger shifter. Thumb to downshift, index finger and thumb to quickly upshift. I had read somewhere that the trigger shifter was the more exact one of the three but I did not expect such a stark difference. I probably want to try and move it up a little bit more so I get more space on the grips for my hands but other than that, let's see how these hold up.

Also, don't bother with the Ergon GP1 bioleder grips. Even when treated they soak up water and after standing and evening in the rain they will have a thin layer of mold on them in the morning. That's the bubbling you see on the grips.



EDIT: Moldy grips

noglider 

I believe it! I don't have a Sturmey Archer, but a few years ago, I upgraded our tandem from 3x7 to 3x11, and I used Deore XT rear derailleur and shifter. I've been riding bikes for a long time, but this is the best shifting I've ever had. In my case, I push with the thumb for either kind of shift, it's just a matter of which paddle to push. It's reliable and very fast.