Ultimate Bike Thread....

[CurtEgerer]

[CurtEgerer]

UCI TT Specs.

[CurtEgerer]

What is the advantage to this new wide fork design by Factor? I've read something about added stiffness but that doesn't really make sense to me.

[LEAKYSEALS951]

my limited YT understanding is that it supposedly blocks the air more inline with where the legs are (which is going to block air anyway)-Indoor track bikes are big into this design- but perhaps even more marginally importantly, having a tight clearance between the tire and the forks creates more vortices and drag than having a lot of space to reduce pressure. This makes a bit of sense for me near the fork crown, where the top of the tire and spokes are pushing air (frontwards?) as it spins, and the forks themselves are pushing air (rearwards) into the same tight area as the bike moves forward.

This was from watching some Dylan Johnson gravel video where his suspension gravel fork was more aero than his stock gravel fork (in a wind tunnel). The suspension fork looked very un- aero, but has wide space for air to flow through, so it reduced wattage. He and the wind tunnel guy were surprised by the results, but that's what they concluded.
I'm going to go put on my aero socks now and go ride

[CurtEgerer]

^^^ OK, that makes some sense. I noticed BMC has a wide fork as well.

[look 171]

Originally Posted by CurtEgerer

So annoying Is there any way to spray some silicone between the rail and saddle material?? Or maybe take a heat gun and see if you can make something change. That would drive me nuts.

Also: it could be between the rails and clamp. Might try some carbon paste, re-attach and tighten.

I want to throw the thing out the window already. Only good thing was, I didn't hear a sound this morning because I was busy on a break away with 5 others (It doesn't happen often). One dead beat, the other two were hanging on dear life. Myself and another guy were working like hell trying to stay away. We were successful for about 5-6 miles of rollers. It nearly killed me so no time to listen to a creaky saddle.

Tighten the hell out of the clamp already. Calls for 10Nm, but I am up to 12 with carbon paste. I discovered it wasn't the rail and clamp. When I move my fat ass around, it sure lets me know. I dripped 3in1 oil on all the contact points where the rails meet the saddle. No dice. I am going to buy a new saddle.

Tell me about your heat gun suggestion?

[look 171]

Originally Posted by CurtEgerer

^^^ OK, that makes some sense. I noticed BMC has a wide fork as well.

I noticed them on British track riders couple years back.

[herr_oberst]

Originally Posted by look 171

When I move my fat ass around, it sure lets me know. I dripped 3in1 oil on all the contact points where the rails meet the saddle.

I just spent about a week and a half with a creak. First thing I checked was my seatpost into the frame. Didn't see anything, so I mucked around with the pedals, the derailleur, the thru axles, the cassette, the headset, the chainline, the bottom bracket, the bb axle spline and bolts.

Pulling my hair out. I was hating the bike.

I took one more look at the seatpost where it fits into the frame. This time I saw a dry spot about as big as my little fingernail. A smear of carbon paste and now I'm ridin' quiet again. What the actual F? Did I just miss it the first time around?

[wswartzwel]

I chased one for a few weeks. finally found it It was my sunglasses just barely rubbing on my helmet.

[CurtEgerer]

Originally Posted by wswartzwel

I chased one for a few weeks. finally found it It was my sunglasses just barely rubbing on my helmet.

That's awesome! I love tracking down noises on bikes ...

**My heat gun suggestion was just thinking that maybe some heat/cool cycles might alter the material (either rail to saddle, saddle itself, or rails) just enough to make a difference.

[LEAKYSEALS951]

[greglepore]

Look, carbon rail saddle? Likely a bad bond at the rail/seat junction. If mfg doesn't make good, get some good 2 part epoxy and apply to the joints.

[ramonesfreak]

Finished this project yesterday. Took my Cannondale MTB bike I bought in 1991 and turned into an upright cruiser. If I lived in Key West this bike would be perfect. When I bought this bike I was working at a bike shop as a mechanic and was able to upgrade a bunch of stuff with the hot parts of the day. It was an awesome bike so I kept it safe and as-is all these years. Ringle water bottle cage, XT shifters and XT rear derailleur , Richey seat post, and wheels, hubs and cranks still on the bike now.

At 53 I couldn’t handle the extreme riding position any more and before spending a zillion dollars on a Rivendale or something, I figured I would see what I could do with this. Replaced the head set and bars with Velo Orange. Nitto stem, NOS XT skewers, Paul brakes…..the brakes cost more than the entire bike cost new LOL…but wanted them forever so treated myself along with a Thomson SP clamp, new seat, pedals, rack, bags, chain rings, tires, grips etc all changed. The biggest challenge was I found the fork threads badly damaged when I removed the old headset from that washer tab spinning around the threads. I had to do some math and get a thread cutter and re-thread the forks…worked out perfect. The other challenge was dealing with that short head tube. It was tricky finding a stem that would be tall enough to make this project work. In the end, this barely worked. The stem is at the max height, right at the line. I got lucky.

Anyway, this thing is damn comfortable and I love it. With one pedal stroke it rolls a mile. And without the rear bag of tools, it’s super light. It’s only problem is the 24” wheels are slow. I can’t keep up with my wife on her 700c wheels so with her, I have to ride my other X-county bike that is awesome but again, very uncomfortable.

I should have taken before and after photos.. oh well

[herr_oberst]

^ That cannondale would be right at home in Portland.
Get yourself a bluetooth speaker and soak up some vibes while you soak up the scene.

[herr_oberst]

This is one of the worst punctures I think I've ever had.

[greglepore]

At least it didn't go thru the carbon rim. I've seen that happen.

[look 171]

Originally Posted by greglepore

Look, carbon rail saddle? Likely a bad bond at the rail/seat junction. If mfg doesn't make good, get some good 2 part epoxy and apply to the joints.

Ti rails. Its the part that goes up into the rear of the saddle. When I move my fat ass back a bit, I can really hear it or even feel a slight saddle shell movement after that, its every pedal stroke or when the saddle flexes.

[herr_oberst]

Originally Posted by greglepore

At least it didn't go thru the carbon rim. I've seen that happen.

Yeah, that would'a been ugly!

[rwest]

Originally Posted by herr_oberst

This is one of the worst punctures I think I've ever had.

Did the sealant seal it?

[herr_oberst]

Nope. 2 holes. 2 much.