Before and After...

[John the Monkey]

These;



Plus this;



Equals "The Sarge" (named by my daughter because of its Olive drab colouring);



First test ride this morning - really liking it so far, very surefooted bike, and handles the nasty bits of the local bridleway easily. Wheels (self built) have stood up ok too, so far. (Touches wood).

Some detail;



Tektro CR-720 cantilevers - a bit of a faff to get them just right, but quite impressive so far. Tyres are Vredestein "Perfect" 700x32c, £2 from a local jumble sale.

The spoke carrying braze ons;



A nifty idea, but the spokes rattle like Marley's ghost - I may well end up taping them to a rack strut instead.

 

[dan_bo]

Well cool.

 

[phil_hg_uk]

Nice bike, my Ultra Galaxy has one of those spoke storage things never seen anyone use on before. I have those brakes as well had a devil of a job stopping them honking but they are excellent brakes one they are setup.

Enjoy your bike youve done good job there it looks very nice.

 

[HLaB]

Nice Job JtM. Its an interesting idea the spoke thing but if it really rattly i would only carry them on long tours and (electrical) tape them to the frame.

 

[Crackle]

That's really nice that, my kind of bike.

 

[yenrod]

No wonder you were buzzed to have all the bits..great to see it together John ! - must totally satisfying to have totally built that man ! ! !

 

[gabriel959]

That is a great build - how much did you pay for all of that?

 

[longers]

Nice bike JTM, I like it. Hope your wheels stay round and true.

 

[fossyant]

I like that.............

The rack is a sturdy thing indeed......

Tape the spokes to themselves, but I doubt you'll be needing any.......

 

[Panter]

That's a fine looking steed.

Congratulations on the successful wheel build, that's still high on my list of things that I want to do

 

[LordoftheTeapot]

Excellent! Looks great.

 

[just jim]

Nice.

I've got a set of CR-720s which I intend to place upon the body of a Kaffenback I've ordered!

 

[John the Monkey]

That is a great build - how much did you pay for all of that?

As I remember, something like £800 - the frame was the biggest chunk of that at £375 (£350 frame and fork, £25 for the LBS to supply and fit an FSA headset). Other than fitting the headset cups, cutting the fork steerer and setting the star nut, all the build was done by me.

The cost breakdown is tricky, because some of the bits I bought (the hollowtech bb & chainset, the FSA wing bars) went on my SCR2, and the parts from that bike went on the Sarge (standard bars are more practical for a bike that needs a bar bag and lights &c on the handlebars.

Nice bike JTM, I like it. Hope your wheels stay round and true.

Ta! They've survived several km of Belgian cobbles this week (whilst carrying luggage). At some point I have to put them back on the truing stand and see how they stood up to that

The rack is a sturdy thing indeed......

Tape the spokes to themselves, but I doubt you'll be needing any.......

The rack is lighter than I thought it would be - having the lower set of bars for panniers was really handy too,as I bungeed a fair bit of stuff to the rack top without worrying about the panniers getting in the way.

As for the spokes... well, I figure I should take them along just in case

Congratulations on the successful wheel build, that's still high on my list of things that I want to do

Roger Musson's book is really, really good, and 9 quid well spent, imo. You could always use shop bought truing jigs & tools if you don't fancy building his wheel jig, but my build was done on a truing stand made from old kitchen cabinets, using a dishing guage made of stiff cardboard and a steel ruler! I've started to write up my experience of my wheel build on my blog - if you want a beginner's point of view, feel free to pm me or ask in know how though.

The attachment is a quick pic of the loaded bike, with bar bag and panniers &c, from our tinytour of Belgium.

 

[John the Monkey]

I've got a set of CR-720s which I intend to place upon the body of a Kaffenback I've ordered!

Quick tip - if you aren't tightening the little grub screws on the straddle immediately (the ones that hold the wire either side) TAKE THEM OUT.

I've lost both of mine on the front straddle already (as having them loose enough for the wire to slide through makes them loose enough to fall out).

 

[soopoot]

Nice colour