Primus Mootry/ Joe DePalmalaere

[mrlee]

So I came to find out that one of the drawbacks about getting a custom frame, besides the serious lightening of one's wallet and the somewhat tedious wait time for those of us who love instant gratification , is the cold hard fact that none of your other bikes seem to fit like they used to anymore.

Well, at least that's the way it seemed to me after taking delivery of my Crumpton earlier this year. I immediately started thinking about a custom geo Aluminum frame to mimic my Pegoretti 830am with a smaller HT and longer TT. I like 'em low and long with a non-sloping TT.

Joe Depalmaelare , owner of Primus Mootry, came on my radar after some searching and then when JERK comissioned him to build his Gaulzetti bikes I knew I had found the guy.
We talked about what I wanted , a full blown, pukka race bike with no real regard to light weight , but more to stiffness/razor sharp handling and Joe replied that it was right up his alley.

From first contact to the arrival of the frame last Friday, delivery was right at 5 months and Joe is an absolute dream to work with. He went the total extra step , searching out the right tubes and continually checking in with me about certain thoughts and opinions. Those chainstays , BTW, are 25.6 mm at the SMALL end and 44mm tall where it joins the BB. I'll post more pics later including some Joe sent me of the frame unpainted so you can see just how amazing this guy can weld. It's staggering.

I got in back to back 5 hour rides on it over the weekend and it's spot on.
I think Joe said it best in his email upon completion, " Yes David, It's as stiff as it looks."

[CXinNH]

drool... glad it's not my keyboard.

[mrlee]

What lives under the paint in case you were wondering.

[acotts]

That bike is hoss!

[Too Tall]

That's a real real special ride. Let's hear some more about it.

[suspectdevice]

You have to love a builder who uses a Powertap wheel to check alignment...

That is a kickass looking ride. Very.

[jimi]

Dig the chainstay bridge... it's almost all weld. What's going on with the top tube right before it connects to the head tube? Is it a gusset?

jimi

[Curt Goodrich]

Great looking bike. What's the story behind the name Primus Mootry and why is this bike badged DePalmalaere? Perhaps Joe can fill us in?

[DOOFUS]

that is a serious asswhoop machine

I want one

[suspectdevice]

Dig the chainstay bridge... it's almost all weld. What's going on with the top tube right before it connects to the head tube? Is it a gusset?

jimi

Most super-modern alu tubesets utilize a flare by the headtube, either cold worked, in the case of my tubes, or the ones that Cannondale uses, or hydroformed as that tube, which I think is Columbus, but could be Deda uses.


An increase in cross sectional area by the headtube like that allows a lot of positive things in terms of stiffness and weight savings, without the mitering hassle of a much larger tube...

[mrlee]

Great looking bike. What's the story behind the name Primus Mootry and why is this bike badged DePalmalaere? Perhaps Joe can fill us in?

He explains the Primus Mootry moniker on his website , I can't remember the details but there is a cool story behind it.

When we talked about the logo I asked if he had ever put his last name on a frameset bc I thought it sounded great. He said that he hadn't but he would ,and POOF , there it was.
d

[swoop]

that is exactly perfect and the world is exactly as it should be, because that's a real bike.

[54ny77]

aluminum rocks. sweet bike!

[jim d]

yes.

:)

jim

[zank]

damn. that thing is bad ass.

[Booger]

Wow. I'm looking for something very similar. Can you give details on tube selection? Out of curiosity, what does a "no concern for weight" frame weigh?

[72gmc]

oof. That thing is robogeisha.* Please talk a little more about it.






*look it up on iwatchstuff--not quite safe for more civilized workplaces--don't blame me for resulting brain damage.

[KeithNYC]

Oh my.

[curtisvill]

I'd hit it.

[mrlee]

So I'll try to answer the questions all in one post if I can.

Hmmm , IDK if his standard lead time is 5 months . I asked if I could get the bike before Masters Nationals with the intent of possibly running it in the crit but my body needs a little more than 5 days on it to ride it in full anger this Saturday , so the Crumpton gets the nod there. I honestly think ,though ,that it's gonna be the best Crit bike I've ever owned , it's an absolute rocket , but more on that later.

Yep, with those tubes, tolerances are TIGHT all the way around , I'll post some close ups of the driveside rear dropout and let's just say : make sure your limit screws are perfect on your rear D or there will be aluminum shavings.

Don't know if you noticed , but through some horse trading, I ended up with a Chorus 11 rear and front derailleur and thought I'd throw it on an otherwise stock Record 10 Grouppo ( upgraded to Red springs @ lever) and see if it works. I just can't bring myself to make the full leap to 11 and, just so you know, the derailleurs work perfectly and run super quiet . Shifting is spot on and no issues what-so-ever so far.

Onto the frame and ride..

No regard to weight translates to 4lbs for the frame( 17.8lbs in pics) and the tubes were hand chosen by Joe for maximum stiffness. Period. The chainstays are designed for a tandem, as well as the downtube , to resist ALL torsional movement. Joe went so far out of his way to get that downtube , and all the tubes for that matter , that he should be given a medal.
He was calling his suppliers and getting them to rummage around through new old stock that probably hasn't seen the light of day in years. Hooded dropouts had to be fabricated to accomodate the massive chainstays and they turned out spectacular. The pics dont really do it justice, the tubes are just that BIG and GNARLY.

Sans the rear wheel, the chainstays are unmovable. You can put the bike on its side on the ground and stand on the dropout with no give, zero, nada. I'm not joking , its really that stout.
Try that with carbon bike and see what happens. :eek:

So all this being said , I was assuming that the ride was going to be a bone jarring , jackhammer speedfest , and make no mistake about it , every bit of pedal movement lurches you forward with astonising speed.
But honestly , this bike is smooth , really smooth, and whilst you feel the road surface, it's more akin to gliding over it than then actually being muted, which is the way I perceive carbon bikes.
Out of the saddle efforts get you to speed with breathtaking ease and while I haven't taken it to the mountains yet, on the bridges and overpasses here which are short and steep, the weight penalty disappears instantly and you feel like Svein Devolder climbing the hills of Flanders.
It's a lovely machine.

Thanks for reading
david