"reciprocal respect.."
ronnie
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i HEART hampsten
http://img18.imageshack.us/img18/395...11010at637.png
Hey. Long time no hear. What's the haps? Or to make some conversation... I saw on your blog you've tweaked the measurements you want from folks. Why and what was the road to discovery?
Happy holidays!
Having gone through the measurement process twice with Steve, I'm going to hazard a guess here at the new additions to the numbers he's looking for. If I eff this up, Mr. Hampco will swoop in and correct me.
- I think the floor to saddle measurement is one of the recent numbers added. I don't seem to recall sending this to Steve four years ago during my first custom frame. When you use this number in conjunction with floor to bar, it takes bb drop into account. For example, if you only compared saddle height from the bb and floor to bar, but you're going from one frame that has, for example, a 6cm drop, to one that has an 8cm drop, you'll be off by 2cm. Having the floor to saddle measurement number prevents that error.
- I don't recall sending centre of post to centre of bar, horizontal, either. This new measurement perhaps takes into account the saddle's setback when combined with the saddle nose behind BB number?
yeah, what marco/fixed said above: it's me trying to dial in saddle position and having some flexibility when a relatively non-standard saddle is being used - like a brooks, which has different contact points compared to most saddles.
Steve,
Would you mind indulging us with a brief synopsis of how the Strada Bianca came to be? What would you now consider to be the "state of the art" as it pertains to the SB?
The Strada Bianca happened because Brother Andy wanted a bike for exploring the gravel roads (covered with crushed limestone, which is white, thus the name...) around Tuscany where he lived at the time. Dave Levy/Ti Cycles was doing most of our steel frames back then and he pretty much worked out the geometry - longer and lower, more trail - for these bikes which has served us to this day. The first couple of bikes were pretty heavy and used cantilever brakes but successive iterations used lighter tubing and featured 57mm-reach calipers and Wound Up forks, followed, inevitably, by the titanium version.
We've done steel, titanium, aluminum, carbon, all types of brakes - you name it, everything rides nice with fat tires or dryer with fenders. Currently my favorite version really takes a step back from the current framebuilding fashion: we're using skinny tubes and 1" steerers. The latest to roll off our robot-welded assembly line here use MiniMAX tubing, 14mm seat stays, curved chainstays, skinny little 33mm head tubes, and 1" steel steerers on the Wound Up fork. I think a little flex here over the big hits is a good thing and the smaller head tube works better visually with the smaller-diameter tubes and we save a little weight on the steerer and HT. Big guys get a stouter front end and stays, however. "Dialed" is a word that gets bandied about, maybe more than it should, but it does describe how I feel about these bikes. They look light, elegant, and as though they should be a lot of fun to ride - which they are.
:::adds another line item to personal bucket list:::
I am the lucky owner of an SB in stainless. It uses the 953 tubeset, which purportedly is slightly less stiff than its XCr equivalent. In comparison to my vintage MX Leader, which is composed mostly of MAX tubing, my SB has a beautiful, springy and comfortable ride. The MX Leader is more of a bruiser, a bulldozer.
For a month now, I've been using my SB for daily commuting, five days a week, just under a 2 hour round trip per day. Mixed surfaces, all weather (even light snow that melted immediately these last few weeks), a few short but steep hills. With it's lively but stable handling, forgiving ride, and Honjo fenders with 25mm 4Season tires, I couldn't imagine a better, light & fast bike combined with a wonderful and comfortable ride quality.
Steve,
Seeing Marcello's pre-HampCo towers Hampsten leaning against the wall at what must be Zi’ Martino brings back fond memories.
Fermaguiana: The first Hampsten bikes
You might like to have this photo that Enrico took of Marcello riding it (I'll send you the link so you can download the original):
http://threadgill.smugmug.com/photos...swVV9TD-X2.jpg
How many of these were built before you started the match-built bikes?
Steve,
The above photo had me wondering - have you built any Team Pros recently? Any in the UOS tube set?
I have a lugged Strada Bianca here - which could be construed as a Team Pro - and we've only done two using the UOS tubes and lugs but there will be more... here's the most recent UOS:
Attachment 43344
Excellent look. Thanks.
I'm 6'1" @ 145lbs. Would you point me towards a more standard dimension tubeset or is the UOS more a performance choice than one determined by rider weight?
Holy toledo, j44ke, you have the build of a PRO Tour climber. I would think OS, rather than UOS tubing, would be appropriate for a rider as light as you are. I'm over 160 lbs, and have a MAX bike, and I can tell you it's a bit too stiff for me. UOS is apparently similar to MAX in terms of stiffness.
I wish. I have, like Andy Schleck, been blown off my bike by a crosswind before. And my wife noticed in the recent Giro and TdF that there were riders (Hesjedal, Froome) as thin as I am. I do like to climb, but I am several Briggs & Strattons short of their sort of power. And I'm nearly 50.
Thanks for the response. I figured anything that oversize would be more than I'd need.
Nice video, Steve!
Fermaguiana: Video time!
a face made for radio...
Nicely done. Well spoken, and nice to hear from Max too!
-g
On a few occassions, I've seen the Schlecks (ToC) and Hesjedal (criterium in Toronto) in person. They are very, very slim, despite all of them being over 6 feet tall. Andy is 149 lbs and Frank is 144 or even lower. They're definitely not hard on their equipment when it comes to their weight.
Talk to Steve, but I'd wager that a Team Pro with OS, rather than a Team UOS, would be perfect for you. The Team Pro is made with PegoRichie/Spirit for Lugs tubing, which is a touch more robust than standard Spirit (for TIG) so would be great for tall frames, but still light.
And to clarify - my bike made from MAX is not a Hampsten, but an old Merckx MX Leader. It's a beast, a steamroller and has a stiff ride, but it's overkill for me at between 158 to 163 lbs. The Merckx is fun to ride, but the bike that hits that sweet spot for me when it comes to ride quality is my Hampsten Strada Bianca made from OS steel tubing. When it comes to that theoretical "If I had to own just one bike, which would it be?" question, the answer is easy - I'd keep the SB over anything else.
Nice little write-up on Bike Rumor: Clicky.
Steve, I know you don't do aluminum anymore, but I have to say - goodness, this is a lovely lovely lovely looking bike. 7 Eleven paint and Record 10. Hard to go wrong with that!
Attachment 78720
That was a fun bike! I sold it to a pal who wrecked it and it's now in my office for some reason. Or maybe I loaned to Ventoux Roasters...
I miss offering aluminum and I still think it's good for some builds: light/stiff/uncompromising. Maybe it's time to build up my Tournesol aluminum frame again.
Hey Mr. Hampco, tell us about the blue color on the steel SB bike of Artie's buddy. It looks like a new and improved Raleigh Pro blue from the 70s. Holy crap that is a nice looking bike. What cha got in stock for swag these days? I saw the tape, schweet... you hidin any socks, t shirts, jerseys, bottles? I don't want you holding out on us with your secret stash.
Coming soonAttachment 102417
New pic of the slurpee Hampco carbon. Lowered the bars, installed Thompson stem, using Shamal Milles with 28mm Corsas--just an amazing bike.
[IMG]http://i1285.photobucket.com/albums/...ps4zybrshp.jpg[/IMG]
Love that grigio, Steve!
I'm currently in Italy - Castegneto Carducci - riding the steel twin to Tim's Slurpee version. Talk about riding a bike on the roads it's intended for... Vittoria Corsa G+ and Super Record, for those who care.
I think it's a Ferrari/Ford colour from the '60s... we have tape and that's about it, maybe some bottles soon. I hate doing clothing because I can't sell it and it just becomes gifts to customers. Not that that's bad but... you know, profit.
Been watching the pics of that tour. That looks like a really fun time on beautiful roads.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MS4VHA-GCm4
"The best road in the world."
—Andy Hampsten
Not fully dialed in, but really nice riding. Attachment 102708Attachment 102708
Looks great Steve. Looking forward to hearing some ride reports as I'm in the cue and the anticipation isn't killing me enough already .....
Let's get this thread off of page 2.
This is a still from a commercial shoot we did a few weeks ago.
Chasing the camera car at full speed.
The Pig looks fast.
http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/800...924/MYb6Hk.jpg
Giving the 9100 Duracci bits a try after the looks of new wide arm crank design and brakes grew on me.
Still not keen on the "floppy" lever design but impressed with the quick and smooth shifting action. My hands find the chunky shifter/hoods comfortable and it's also nice to now have a 30T in the rear :)
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My SB ti S&S (page 102) is going to the Alps in a few weeks to help me with my bucket list. Riding the cols the Tour just passed over - Galibier, Izoard, among others. Nice to be training on it lately. What a great bike.
Easton R90SL rims laced with CX-Rays to 28h DA hubs with Vittoria Corsa Graphenes are pretty nice, too. Think they're gonna be the travel wheels this time, instead of the Zondas that went last time to Italy.
Thanks! The wheels are some older ~@2008-09 Ksyrium Premium SL wheels that I had hanging in the garage. Had not used them for awhile in favor of a couple wider rim campy hub wheelsets on hand.
Had a shimano hub in the parts bin to easily swap out and convert the Ksyriums to use the new DA cassette that came with the group. Could use a new bearing job soon and have been a dependable set through the years so will work for now :)