Author Topic: Members' bikes  (Read 2399665 times)

Re: Members' bikes
« Reply #8925 on: 28 October, 2018, 05:10:20 pm »
Quote
Shimano Alfine chainset and bottom bracket

You can do a lot better than those if you want weight saving!
Yep. As I have found, at my expense.

StuAff

  • Folding not boring
Re: Members' bikes
« Reply #8926 on: 29 October, 2018, 11:27:30 pm »
<snip>
BTW, that's still cheap compared to one of these....no, it's not a Brompton, it's all custom...and Ti...


I read somewhere that the tolerances on the few Ti Brompton copies which have been built are spectacularly shite - particularly in areas such as the hinges  and rear triangle swing.
ETA - and what is going on with that forward stem extension? Assuming the rest of the frame geometry is similar/copied, that would surely offer an over-stretched ride position. No?
Having said that, the wheelbase on that Ti example looks significantly shorter than that of current Bromptons.
It looks like a copy of the old style frame.
No idea about those, but the bike in the picture is very different in terms of quality. Online information is sporadic and somewhat vague, I don't think Len Rubin has ever got past the prototyping stage. A few years ago, he sold an early one on eBay, blurb below:
"I became increasingly curious to see what might happen if I crossbred the exciting fruits of my own 20+ years of R&D with the ultra-compact folding design of (British inventor) Andrew Ritchie—the Brompton. ...After riding a Brompton around for a few days, I confirmed that I did not like much about the new bike in its current form (at the time it was equipped with a Sturmey Archer 3-speed internally-geared hub, underwhelming brakes and heavy, low-performance components throughout; it had a very upright riding position, a big squishy saddle and heavy tires—and compared to my own high-performance, racing bike-influenced prototype, which I was accustomed to riding—it still kind of reminded me of that very first folder I owned, that old Raleigh Twenty!) ...It wasn’t long before I stripped that Brompton down—throwing nearly all the stock components into my extra parts box, and then began major surgery on the frame itself, undertaking the complex process of modifying the geometry of the rear triangle (cutting, bending, grinding, fabricating and welding on new bits here and there!) to allow the use of lightweight, efficient, wide-range derailleur gearing, better brakes, etc.. Next I just needed several non-existent custom components! While working for Sutherland’s, I had developed contacts inside several bicycle component manufacturers. I now put those to good use. I convinced Marty Sacks at Sun Metal to custom roll some of their world-class, double wall, super light rim extrusion down to the diminutive 16” wheel size of the Brompton. I asked Ric Hjertberg at Wheelsmith to produce some of their featherweight double-butted spokes in an ultra short 150mm length. I commissioned Virgil Schrauner, formerly of TNT, to build a custom set of very light hybrid titanium & aluminum alloy hubs, optimized for the tight dimensions of my new rear triangle design and the bike’s narrow front fork. By combining Shimano’s seven speed freehub body with TNT’s clever lockring-replacement 10T cog and a Sachs GripShift twistgrip shifter, the lowly 3-speed rear hub had now been superseded by a super-light, wide-range 8-speed cluster! (When Shimano later introduced their 8-speed, titanium freehub body I adopted Tom Ritchey’s newly developed special 9-speed version of that shifter for an even-wider-range 9-speed cluster!) For the front gearing, I developed a custom front derailleur braze-on to mount the widest range front derailleur of all time—the Sachs Quartz Triple. This made possible a full mountain bike-style 24-speed gear train setup [and soon thereafter, 27-speed], using chainrings specially made for the project by Avitare (60T/48T/36T) on the at-that-time world’s lightest crankset—the Sweet Parts’ Sweet Wings TIG welded hollow tubular CroMo crankset that featured an integral CroMo, oversized splined BB spindle and oversized/outboard sealed bearings—revolutionary design elements that are still echoed in most of today’s top cranks! I upgraded the Brompton’s underwhelming side-pull brakes by adding braze-ons for Magura’s hydraulic bicycle brakes (later substituting Shimano’s newly developed, state-of-the-art XTR V-brakes, featuring their patented Parallel Push technology, which proved particularly well-suited to that bike’s geometry.) Further refinements included a specially fabricated, titanium micro-adjust seat post, a nice ti-rail saddle, high quality alloy headset and many custom-made titanium fasteners, such as replacements for Brompton’s heavy seat post quick-release and quite heavy fixing bolts for their folding pedals. Subsequent improvements included the light, wonderfully flexible and nearly indestructible IRD Metawire housing (later discovering the original, superior German-manufactured Nokon housing), a design perfectly suited to the tortuous and abused cable runs on folding bikes; despite its expense, I now use Nokon housing on every bike I build!, and around the same time, MKS’ streamlined, versatile and MUCH lighter (than Brompton’s clever but quite heavy folding pedals) neat quick-release pedal system. Finally, I chose Primo Comet tires, for their light weight and low rolling resistance. The bike met with positive reviews, from the American cycling magazines “Bicycling!” and “Adventure Cyclist” to multiple articles in the British periodical for folder enthusiasts, “The Folder” (later renamed, “A to B”) to stories in several foreign language periodicals devoted to cycling.There was even a nice network news television story with an interview and footage of me riding and folding my bike! It was dubbed, “The SuperBrompton Project” and it began to garner a devoted fan base, including discussions on many web sites, online articles and videos that I continue to stumble upon! I was invited to be a Keynote Speaker at the first “Folder Forum” gathering in Weymouth, England [where I first met Andrew Ritchie in person, who—despite my being forewarned might disapprove of the extensive alterations (and fundamental re-interpretation) I had visited upon his original elegantly simple Brompton design—greeted me with genuine interest and was quite generously supportive, as he has continued to be over the years (as one employee of the company later quipped over a beer, “sure—you’re our free R&D department!”)], and later at the first London Bicycle Show, as well as several other shows and bicycle forums in England and the U.S. and at each, the amazing SuperBrompton and it’s history enthralled audiences, attendees and test riders! ...Over the next several years I built up and sold about twenty or so of these “SuperBromptons”; the first couple (of our custom rear triangles and all the braze-ons) were fabricated (at great expense) entirely freehand, without any real jigs or fixtures, but then for the sake of uniformity/interchangeability (and feasibility!) I spent many thousands of dollars to have Paolo Salvagione design a (clever, as always!) two sided, rotating, adjustable, precision frame building jig for welding the complicated rear triangles (and then spent thousands more having a jig builder build that over the ensuing months!). Also, after laboriously drawing and cutting out the dropouts for that first one, I had Paolo build a computer model of the dropout design (which we fine-tuned in the process) in AutoCAD and thus the subsequent triangles were all TIG welded, and their dropouts were all machined in his shop in Sausalito. I still built up the wheels, and assembled each bike in the garage underneath my modest rented San Bruno apartment!” So what became of that first prototype of the fabled SuperBrompton? It is in the hands of [a collector[ in Copenhagen; but that bike has the first titanium rear triangle that I had built—years later. What happened to that very first, steel rear triangle—with the unique, hand-drawn dropouts that were “...laboriously cut out from steel plate with a hacksaw by Conrad Oho and torch-brazed in place while I held the frame...”, on that late afternoon in his little garage in Corte Madera?! The one that started everything? I have steadfastly held onto it all these years for it’s sentimental value [it was my first and pivotal Brompton upgrade, and one of the very few items that miraculously survived the fire, due to its randomly fortunate location in the shop], having turned down all offers for its purchase over the years! It’s also pretty crude, compared to the slick triangles that Paolo built—but it works great, has travelled the world and back, and is a true piece of folding bike history! Now, however, as I need to raise cash to finish up the next prototype of my current all-titanium, 16.5 lb. “Ultimate Folding Bicycle”—so, in the coming months, we can officially launch our new bike company (The Ultimate Folding Bicycle Company, LLC)—I have finally decided to part with it, and so I built up a bike, mating the twin of a special purple mainframe & fork I had made several years ago for a customer in San Francisco (I liked the color so much I painted an extra to keep) with that very special triangle, found I still had one set of wheels left (my “reference master” set that had been—as luck would have it—up in Seattle at EMFCO on that fateful day most of my world burned up [in the house fire that destroyed our home and all of our possessions in 2002], and, against all odds, successfully tracked down all the remaining parts I needed, and then set about lovingly assembling one last SuperBrompton! And this historic bike can be yours! Photos follow. Note: Although I do still have them, and will include them, I chose NOT to leave the original tires on the wheels, as they would be dangerous to ride, due to their age (unlike some wine, bicycle tires DO NOT improve with age!)—so I have replaced them with the Schwalbe Kojak, which is my favorite tire these days! [Please check out utimatefoldingbicycle d0t c@m for details about our latest project which we hope to bring to market very soon. We will be completely revamping the site over the next few weeks so we encourage you to check in for updates.] The steel SuperBromptons I built back in the 1990’s, sold back then for around $6,000. We have a reserve on this Ebay auction, but it is actually less than that original price and it is up to you (our fan base, collectors, bicycle historians and other potential buyers) to determine the true value of this fascinating piece of bicycle history! The bike we have up for auction is clearly depicted in the photos on this listing, however for clarification, below is a partial list of specifications/ details (most of the history of which can be found in a the above narrative:) Purple powder coat custom painted original Brompton main frame w/custom braze-ons Original Virgil Schrauner-built hubs The first, modified Brompton rear triangle (the later bikes had entirely redesigned batch fabricated triangles with fixture-built and CNC-machined parts)—including the one-off, entirely hand-cut dropouts and I’ll even include the original paper design templates for those, which also miraculously survived the fire—having been protected by the steel filing cabinet that sacrificed it’s life to protect my files—and which I only recently discovered while going through some old documents!) Extremely rare Sweet Wings crankset Len’s custom SuperBrompton titanium micro-adjust seatpost, based on the super-rare Onza head—allows you to quickly remove the seat for fitting into a smaller suitcase! LOTS of history! I’ll even include a personalized video of instructions on how to fold it! It is interesting to consider that, even though Brompton now offers many options for upgrading their bikes, including their own titanium rear triangles, seatposts and forks, this all-steel-frame bike weighs in at a still respectable 21.3 lbs. (with the quick-release pedals in your pocket or bag, which they generally are when you are carrying the folded bike!)—even with it’s super-wide-range 27-speed geartrain and “normal” (non-racing) saddle! Note: Our subsequently developed, patented adjustable stem and custom stem riser unit, that became standard equipment on our later bikes, could be substituted for the stock Brompton components, used at that time,—at additional cost—for greater versatility and performance, but at the cost of diminishing the “historical purity” of this bike. [Alternately, I could if requested “dial it back” to it’s earliest appointments, though if the buyer is interested in it’s ridability, as much or more than it’s collectibility, then the later improvements are definitely preferable! Thank you for looking (and reading!) Please e-mail if you have questions. Sincerely - Len (& Tamara) Rubin'
He put an online order form up a few years back, price was to be somewhere from $12,000-15,000....
If only Brompton would take it on, perhaps get a Ti specialist like Van Nic or Litespeed as subcontractor....

rogerzilla

  • When n+1 gets out of hand
Re: Members' bikes
« Reply #8927 on: 30 October, 2018, 04:54:30 pm »
If Van Nic made it, the first few years' production would crack  ;D
Hard work sometimes pays off in the end, but laziness ALWAYS pays off NOW.

StuAff

  • Folding not boring
Re: Members' bikes
« Reply #8928 on: 30 October, 2018, 11:13:36 pm »
If Van Nic made it, the first few years' production would crack  ;D
Perhaps....

mr ben

  • Some routes may be arduous.
    • ramblings and randonees
Re: Members' bikes
« Reply #8929 on: 19 November, 2018, 10:39:22 pm »
n + 1 is getting out of hand.  This is a recent addition to my shed.  I love the sitting-up position although I couldn't go too far on this saddle, and I don't trust the brakes as far as I can pull them on (which is all the way to the bars).  Also white is a silly colour for anything on a bike.




Think it possible that you may be mistaken.

Cudzoziemiec

  • Ride adventurously and stop for a brew.
Re: Members' bikes
« Reply #8930 on: 19 November, 2018, 11:02:11 pm »
I like that. It reminds me of the Raleigh Gresham Flyer I had when I was about 5, right down to the white saddle whitewall tyres (actually those tyres where completely white not just the walls).  :D
Riding a concrete path through the nebulous and chaotic future.

rogerzilla

  • When n+1 gets out of hand
Re: Members' bikes
« Reply #8931 on: 21 November, 2018, 06:46:39 pm »
Good luck with those cotter pins!  The factory didn't often grease them and they can be seized despite low mileage.
Hard work sometimes pays off in the end, but laziness ALWAYS pays off NOW.

Re: Members' bikes
« Reply #8932 on: 05 December, 2018, 01:47:20 pm »
Good luck with those cotter pins!  The factory didn't often grease them and they can be seized despite low mileage.

Big hammer and a drift, it'll be reet.
I think you'll find it's a bit more complicated than that.

mr ben

  • Some routes may be arduous.
    • ramblings and randonees
Re: Members' bikes
« Reply #8933 on: 06 December, 2018, 12:16:59 pm »
Good luck with those cotter pins!  The factory didn't often grease them and they can be seized despite low mileage.

Big hammer and a drift, it'll be reet.

A vice and a friend with stronger arms than me. :thumbsup:
Think it possible that you may be mistaken.

rogerzilla

  • When n+1 gets out of hand
Re: Members' bikes
« Reply #8934 on: 19 January, 2019, 03:04:46 pm »
Just got this





Fed up with putting on cycling shoes when going shopping, couldn't justify a new cargo bike.

It works very well. Next steps are fit some lighting and get some ex. Royal Mail panniers for it.
There's one of those often parked at Cirencester Waitrose.
Hard work sometimes pays off in the end, but laziness ALWAYS pays off NOW.

Re: Members' bikes
« Reply #8935 on: 23 January, 2019, 07:14:45 pm »
I've not been about this parish much over the last few weeks, too much to do and not enough time.  I have found the time to build up this though.

IMG_20190121_114559169 by Joe B, on Flickr
IMG_20190122_000047924 by Joe B, on Flickr

Rides lovely, solid, dependable, predicable, just what I needed.

Its mostly built up with parts removed from my Challenge recumbent and bits I've been keeping to one side in the loft.  Apart from the frame only the guards and seat post are new.

Guards are I bit narrow for the Top Contact Winters that I've fitted but then I was originally planning to fit 42mm Supreme's.  I'm commuting 10 miles to Barrow-in-Furness from a hotel in Ulverston each day next week so the Winter's are probably wise.  I've also gone and fitted the Rohloff shifter cables the wrong way round so 14=1 and vise-versa; I'll sort that out next weekend, probably cut the steer down too.
 

Cudzoziemiec

  • Ride adventurously and stop for a brew.
Re: Members' bikes
« Reply #8936 on: 23 January, 2019, 08:40:03 pm »
Always good to see a Trucker.  :thumbsup:
Riding a concrete path through the nebulous and chaotic future.

IanDG

  • The p*** artist formerly known as 'Windy'
    • the_dandg_rouleur
Re: Members' bikes
« Reply #8937 on: 24 February, 2019, 02:26:02 pm »
Another 'Trucker' - "Hawkwind" - my new Surly

IMG_0849 by ian, on Flickr

IMG_0847 by ian, on Flickr

IMG_0848 by ian, on Flickr




Oscar's dad

  • aka Septimus Fitzwilliam Beauregard Partridge
Re: Members' bikes
« Reply #8938 on: 24 February, 2019, 04:03:11 pm »
Smashing. You can’t beat a Surly!

mcshroom

  • Mushroom
Re: Members' bikes
« Reply #8939 on: 02 March, 2019, 05:58:02 pm »
New to me, a Genesis Vapour CX20. The saddle and seat post need changing, and I'm not sure the disc brakes are working quite as well as they should yet; but so far I like it.
Climbs like a sprinter, sprints like a climber!

ElyDave

  • Royal and Ancient Polar Bear Society member 263583
Re: Members' bikes
« Reply #8940 on: 09 March, 2019, 08:44:32 am »
Smashing. You can’t beat a Surly!

Surely you just need a big enough hammer?
“Procrastination is the thief of time, collar him.” –Charles Dickens

Oscar's dad

  • aka Septimus Fitzwilliam Beauregard Partridge
Re: Members' bikes
« Reply #8941 on: 09 March, 2019, 08:58:58 am »
Smashing. You can’t beat a Surly!

Surely you just need a big enough hammer?

 ;D

rogerzilla

  • When n+1 gets out of hand
Re: Members' bikes
« Reply #8942 on: 09 March, 2019, 08:59:50 am »
Smashing. You can’t beat a Surly!
Another varicose vein blue one like mine, too!
Hard work sometimes pays off in the end, but laziness ALWAYS pays off NOW.

IanDG

  • The p*** artist formerly known as 'Windy'
    • the_dandg_rouleur
Re: Members' bikes
« Reply #8943 on: 09 March, 2019, 10:27:08 am »
Smashing. You can’t beat a Surly!
Another varicose vein blue one like mine, too!

They were on offer ;)

Re: Members' bikes
« Reply #8944 on: 05 April, 2019, 06:05:55 pm »
Purple and shiny! (Yes, the handlebars are at a weird angle - it's only been round the block, quite literally, so far, and I need to adjust them-..)


Kim

  • Timelord
    • Fediverse
Re: Members' bikes
« Reply #8945 on: 05 April, 2019, 06:10:44 pm »
Noice  :thumbsup:

Cudzoziemiec

  • Ride adventurously and stop for a brew.
Re: Members' bikes
« Reply #8946 on: 05 April, 2019, 06:33:03 pm »
It's not just purple, it's multiple shades of purple!
Riding a concrete path through the nebulous and chaotic future.

Re: Members' bikes
« Reply #8947 on: 05 April, 2019, 06:35:41 pm »
That looks like it is moving, when it is not.  :thumbsup:

Paul

  • L'enfer, c'est les autos.
Re: Members' bikes
« Reply #8948 on: 05 April, 2019, 07:09:21 pm »
I'm off-the-scale colour-blind, and for years I thought my favourite colour was blue, but people (parents, siblings, colleagues, socio-economic-sexual partners) kept saying how purple my socks/shirts/jackets/everything was until I finally got the message.

I adore your bike.
What's so funny about peace, love and understanding?

Re: Members' bikes
« Reply #8949 on: 05 April, 2019, 09:03:05 pm »
That's a fantastic purple!  :thumbsup:
Old enough to know better, but young enough to do it anyway