Members' bikes

[Frenchie]

Mike - I thought your bars looked a bit high in the bike-only pic, but you look quite aero when riding. Might want to think about going to straight/s-bend extentions to lower you hands though?

+1

Your front end does look high in relation to the saddle height.

I use straight bars as well and have been lowering them in stages. I can't go as low as I would like but it still improves my back postion and aero I think. I'd love a low rider pursuit frame to get lower, "guts" allowing naturally!

Nice bike Mike; looking forward to seeing your times now.

[rogerzilla]

IIRC Armstrong and the Discovery team did load of wind tunnel testing and, if a high position helps you breathe better and put more power in, it can outweigh the aerodynamic benefits of a lower position.  Swings and roundabouts.

[LEE]

IIRC Armstrong and the Discovery team did load of wind tunnel testing and, if a high position helps you breathe better and put more power in, it can outweigh the aerodynamic benefits of a lower position.  Swings and roundabouts.

I assume this one isn't painted by Lawrence Llewellyn Bowen using his 'crackle-glaze' technique?

[David Martin]

Igor the tandem which I made myself (photos of construction in .citycycling).



I made the stoker too, but photos of that process are NOT available.

[hellymedic]

<pedant>
You helped make the stoker.
<pedant>

I'm sure you are a clever biomedical scientist but I don't think we can create little stokers in vitro.
Yet

[Fab Foodie]

The story of my British Eagle Touristique (BET) rennovation (for Fab Foodie, started on another thread and linked to this)

Probably more info than Fab Foodie wanted but he has one hanging in his shed and I think the BET frameset has a reputation good enough to warrant keeping them going.

That's just perfect, LEE, thanks for the trouble taken.
I really must get mine done, just can't decide where to send it to be sprayed 
Will take a look at the Mercian site, they're not so far away so an early Saturday run up the Motorway might get me sorted 
Cheers LEE.

[donpedro]

The story of my British Eagle Touristique (BET) rennovation (for Fab Foodie, started on another thread and linked to this)

Probably more info than Fab Foodie wanted but he has one hanging in his shed and I think the BET frameset has a reputation good enough to warrant keeping them going.

That's just perfect, LEE, thanks for the trouble taken.
I really must get mine done, just can't decide where to send it to be sprayed 
Will take a look at the Mercian site, they're not so far away so an early Saturday run up the Motorway might get me sorted 
Cheers LEE.

Lee, + 1! You gave a good ol' steed a new lease on life and future generations will thank you for it! 

Fab Foodie, if it's not a classic check with firms that do powdercoat. It's cheaper and better in all aspects except maybe outlining the lugs.

[rogerzilla]

Powdercoat can never take a decent shine though.  I've seen more bad powdercoat than good powdercoat (and this includes my Brompton, which has abysmal paint; it's cracked and allowed rust to start round the seat collar although the bike has never been ridden in the wet).

[donpedro]

Powdercoat can never take a decent shine though.  I've seen more bad powdercoat than good powdercoat (and this includes my Brompton, which has abysmal paint; it's cracked and allowed rust to start round the seat collar although the bike has never been ridden in the wet).

Pilot error and nothing to do with the technique in it self. My experience from four frames is that the softer powdercoat types cling to the surface extremely well, small scratches can be buffed out but it has a dull surface. Harder types will have a reasonable shine but lack depth and may flake of if the surface hasn't been properly prepped. If you want deep luster it can be covered with multiple layers of translucent wet paint. But the coat will be thicker than wet paint witch is why I think it's not such a good choice for a classic lugged frame. There is even special rust proofing under coats but only Brompton can say what went wrong with your bike. More info here!

A decent wet paint job with a deep shine need multiple coats with sanding in between and will cost more than what most old frames are worth. It wont be as hard wearing and then there's the environmental impact as most of the paint consist of different types of solvents. 

[Palinurus]

This one isn't very classy. I lent it to someone some years back. Now I've got it back again. On Saturday it got the guards and rack removed, a very good clean, new bar grips, shifters, chain & cassette, hub service, headset adjusted. Needs a new front mech, the current one has loads of play in it, it rattles. I'll change that saddle now it doesn't have guards.

Good to have it back, it's the only bike I now own which is suitable for pulling the trailer.

Thinking of doing a short off-road tour on it next month.

It looks worse up close, it is absolutely covered with dings and scratches and little rust patches.

[Palinurus]

And the seatpost is stuck, has been for so long I don't think it'll be coming out. It's at the right height anyway.

[Gus]

Powdercoat can never take a decent shine though.  I've seen more bad powdercoat than good powdercoat (and this includes my Brompton, which has abysmal paint; it's cracked and allowed rust to start round the seat collar although the bike has never been ridden in the wet).

Bad powdercoats are because the frame haven't been properly cleaned, degreased and treated before powdercoating. One finger on the frame and you have a spot where the coating won't bond to the surface.
You can get shiny powdercoats, but you'll never be able to recieve the depth in the coating like if it was wet paint. It will always look dull and dead compared to a good wet painting.

[Torslanda]

And the seatpost is stuck, has been for so long I don't think it'll be coming out. It's at the right height anyway.

I froze a seized seatpost out of a steel frame using a product called 'Super Crack' - I should mention that i work for the company that sells it - It is an aerosol which reputedly freezes down to -40!  Turned the frame upside down and sprayed it in through the bottle cage bolt hole. Left it for 2 minutes and took the post out by hand. Before that it wouldn't budge in a vice! Available from Euro Car Parts, about £8 IIRC.

J

[clifftaylor]

It's not the prettiest bike I've ever seen (or owned), but I do like it 

[LEE]

Spot the difference.

I don't think your other one had a Bird-Bath fastened to the crossbar.

[alan]

That's not a bird bath. It's a bike-bog for on-the-move calls of nature.
What is normally a stand-up answer is a sit-down job & vice versa.

[Andrij]

It's not the prettiest bike I've ever seen (or owned), but I do like it 

Stealthy.    (But needs black bar tape )

[Palinurus]

And the seatpost is stuck, has been for so long I don't think it'll be coming out. It's at the right height anyway.

I froze a seized seatpost out of a steel frame using a product called 'Super Crack' - I should mention that i work for the company that sells it - It is an aerosol which reputedly freezes down to -40!  Turned the frame upside down and sprayed it in through the bottle cage bolt hole. Left it for 2 minutes and took the post out by hand. Before that it wouldn't budge in a vice! Available from Euro Car Parts, about £8 IIRC.

J

I'll try it by god!

If it works on this seatpost it'll work on any I reckon.

[David Martin]

When I was one I was just begun. When I was two I was nearly new....

My daddy had a bike trailer


I liked riding in it



with my little brother



My daddy made me a bike trailer too



And I take my little brother for rides.

[chris]

My Thorn Discovery.


Mrs Chris' Thorn Voyager, a bike that I used to ride with a 400mm seat post and a 180mm stem!


Tracey the Triplet, the bike that used to be Trevor the Triplet but got renamed when we went touring near the German border in Denmark and people pointed at it and said 'tre saede' (three seats).

[rogerzilla]

I'm not a Thorn fan, but those are proper double marathon designs, unlike that George Longstaff abomination that was posted recently.

[Torslanda]

And the seatpost is stuck, has been for so long I don't think it'll be coming out. It's at the right height anyway.

I froze a seized seatpost out of a steel frame using a product called 'Super Crack' - I should mention that i work for the company that sells it - It is an aerosol which reputedly freezes down to -40!  Turned the frame upside down and sprayed it in through the bottle cage bolt hole. Left it for 2 minutes and took the post out by hand. Before that it wouldn't budge in a vice! Available from Euro Car Parts, about £8 IIRC.

J

I'll try it by god!

If it works on this seatpost it'll work on any I reckon.

Watford Branch must be just around the corner:

Unit 9B The Imperial Centre

Imperial Way

Watford  WD24 4YH

J

[David Martin]

Watford  WD24 4YH

Shouldn't they relocate to somewhere with postcode WD40?

[ed_o_brain]

Maybe a little presumptiuous ... but I'm very excited.

The deposit has been paid to secure this:

[LEE]

Maybe a little presumptiuous ... but I'm very excited.

The deposit has been paid to secure this:

2 Choc-Ices and a 99 please