Hampsten / Tournesol

[timto]

Hubba hubba!!!! Gotta post a complete pic when done. Spec sounds rad.

[fixednwinter]

Thanks timto. I forgot to mention that the frame comes with narrow, smooth finish Honjo fenders and Sheldon nuts for quick removal/install.

Apparently, I screwed up my Honjo installation on my previous Hampsten so badly that I have been banned by Steve from any further fender work in the near future.

[John Price]

What sparkly red headset is that ?

John
Aurora CO

[hampco]

What sparkly red headset is that ?

John
Aurora CO

chris king sotto voce, red

[SeanEasley]

[QUOTE=fixednwinter;85830]My second frameset from Hampco.

Dayum. I don't think I would do anything differently if I had that beauty. Sorry Darren, but this one replaces yours (barely) as most lust-worthy pig in my book.

[happycampyer]

fixednwinter,

Magnifico! Smilin' Andy as a headbadge—nice touch! Haven't seen that before.

[fixednwinter]

fixednwinter,

Magnifico! Smilin' Andy as a headbadge—nice touch! Haven't seen that before.

It's my tribute to a long-ago Bicycle Guide article that included a conversation between Mr. Andy Hampsten and Mr. Eddy Merckx.

I asked Steve to put the Smilin' Andy on both the seat tube and head tube. This echoed a request that Andy made of Eddy Merckx in that '89 Bicycle Guide article, when Eddy was preparing the 7-11 bikes. Andy had remembered the Smilin' Eddy badges from older Merckx frames and wanted to emulate that.

[fixednwinter]

Sorry Darren, but this one replaces yours (barely) as most lust-worthy pig in my book.

Comparing it to a NAHBS showpiece + it's Darren's - yikes, that's a lot of pressure on my pig!

I better not screw up the build :)

[justinf]

I love this bike, such a wolf in sheep's clothing.

[Bret]

beautiful mix of classic and modern...

[fixednwinter]

Gorgeous!! Love the gray frame with the reddish brown. Great combination of narrow Honjo fenders with a carbon frame. And really like your rear bag set-up.

A winner, I know you're going to have great rides on it.

[The Bridge Guy]

Now has an Aliante and a Moots stem and wheels have been destickered.

[Jklash]

After seeing Steve's Orange Max Classic in person at the Oregon Manifest Bike Show last fall I decided I wanted something similar. It's a strong, versatile steel bike with clearance for 28mm tires and fenders.

The bike behaves a lot like a modern steel frame. I’ve only got about 150 miles on it so far, but my first impressions are that it is more compliant than my big tubed True Temper S3 frame which tends to be a little on the harsh side for steel. This is something you really notice on gravel roads or really shitty pavement. My back and wrists can just take it a little longer.

Overall, I find the ride very similar to my OX Platinum frame, but I think those big chainstays provide a little more responsiveness in three situations , out-of-the-saddle climbing, quick accelerations when you stomp on the peddles and especially descending. The comparison however is queered a little by the fact even though the stays are identical in length, the OX Platinum bike doesn’t have a chainstay bridge. It seems to me like the Max tube set perfect for this sort of recreational/sport type of bike. It’s comfortable for long rides, it’s still pretty responsive to rider input, but it’s by no means harsh.

One of the real stars of this bike is the fork. I’ve had a few other custom steel bikes in the past and I’ve come to realize that for a guy of my stature, carbon forks present a bit of a problem. With a steerer that long it’s got to be thick in order to not flex and resonate under heavy breaking. I know there are a few heavy-duty carbon forks out there that might have fixed this complaint, but I eventually decided to go with the obvious, a steel fork. Boy am I glad I did, this fork is without a doubt the best I’ve ever ridden.

The color turned out great and the little details like the cable bosses and the accent color on the lug cut-out on the fork are exactly the kind of touches that really take a custom bike over the top. It’s a really fun bike that I look forward to riding for a long time.

[lavi]

The comparison however is queered a little....

Nice saying!

Nice bike. How freaking tall are you? 6'8"? It almost looks like your HT is giving your fork length a run for their money!

Once again, great ride.

[Jklash]

I'm only 6'4", but I guess I'm not too flexible. It does however, make it easy to see why a carbon steerer made with a much shorter application in mind might not work that well.

[jimi]

Very nice. What're your thoughts on the TA crank?

jimi

[Jklash]

"Very nice. What're your thoughts on the TA crank?

jimi "


They are still pretty much brand new, but so far I like them. I got them because they are one of the few designs available in a 180mm and a 110 bolt pattern. I'd planned to buy the Carminas, but then I saw these for $100 less and I thought I'd give'em a shot.

My feeling on cranks is that they are something you sould take care to pick the right one in the right size, but then not have to think about for long stretches. This philosphy is the reason why I chose the TAs instead of the Truvative GXPs I'd previously been running. The left arm on those had a nasty habit of loosening up on me which was forcing me to spend far more time thinking about my cranks than I would like. I'm also pretty happy to switch back to a square taper bottom bracket, the GXP never felt smooth enough to me.

[scrooge]

I'm only 6'4", but I guess I'm not too flexible. It does however, make it easy to see why a carbon steerer made with a much shorter application in mind might not work that well.

Great looking bike--looks like we might be able to trade (what's the ST/TT?)

I'm getting a new bike made shortly and have been wondering if I should go with a little less HT and use a pointier stem (I like level TTs)--looking at yours, I think not.

[Jklash]

From memory the TT is 59.5 and the ST is a 66, I believe the stem is a 130mm.

It's funny I really prefer level top tube as well, but Steve suggested about a 2 degree slope to make sure we could get a long enough seat tube and since he's designed more bikes than I have, I defered to him. It turned out to be a total non-issue when I finally got the bike because of the shape and orientation of the Max tube that they used, e.g. the horizontal oval at the head tube flowing back to the vertical oval at the seat tube, there is no visible slope. So in a funny way I got a sloping top tube with no apparent slope.

[lavi]

From memory the TT is 59.5 and the ST is a 66, I believe the stem is a 130mm.

It's funny I really prefer level top tube as well, but Steve suggested about a 2 degree slope to make sure we could get a long enough seat tube and since he's designed more bikes than I have, I defered to him. It turned out to be a total non-issue when I finally got the bike because of the shape and orientation of the Max tube that they used, e.g. the horizontal oval at the head tube flowing back to the vertical oval at the seat tube, there is no visible slope. So in a funny way I got a sloping top tube with no apparent slope.

Your third shot is excellent for pointing this out. The perspective of the concrete wall behind gives perfect reference to the slope or non-slope of the TT.