1st Frame Build. A progress log/"build thread"

[pruckelshaus]

My choice (with steel frames) is to do all the finishing work prior to painting. This way there is less chance to have an expensive boo boo after paint. While often there will be a need to do some thread/face paint clean up the less one has to work on a fresh paint job the better. Andy.

I've seen more than one new paint/powder job marred by facing after paint. Best to do it before and use a razor blade to clean the paint off the faced surfaces. So, yeah, what Andy says.

[mmoore]

I will be facing it after powder. Im going to wrap the edges of the shell with electrical tape to try and prevent the powder from peeling back.

The powder job isn't perfect, and the bike is meant to be ridden... im not too worried about it. I just wanted the frame to look finished so that my wife would be happy to ride it, so I can be proud of my work and to keep the frame from oxidizing.
I have no reasons to think this, but I fully anticipate building an "improved" version of this frame at some point.... likely in a few years.

[Andrew R Stewart]

What I do, and was taught by a painter, is to cut the edges of the soon to be faced surfaces with a small and fine cut thread. Holding the file at about a 45* angle across the edge and stroke toward the surface to be faced. With a light few strokes the paint's corner will be gone through and you'll see a thin line of clean metal. Now when you face off (or just use a file to remove paint) the shell/headtube ends and a flake of paint lifts it won't be able to also lift off a flake on the tube's outer surface. Andy.

[mmoore]

Thanks for the tip! It did grab in a few spots.


... YEP! Head tube and Captain pf30 bottom bracket is reamed and faced. I cleaned it up, put in the eccentric bottom bracket and the headset. I can see why these reamers are so expensive, it worked a charm.... In the aluminum frame. I couldn't imagine stainless or titanium reaming. I see why those that do it use a machine. I made a make shift handle to use the reamers instead of using the park htr1 $600 tool.

Tomorrow I need to trim the steerer tube, install the rear cranks for good and head to the bike shop to get the last few things.

Single speed chain ring bolts
Chains
Tandem cables

I'm waiting until my first ride (by myself) to make sure position is good before I hack the steerer too short, just sitting on the bike it feels like the bars are high with a 10mm spacer under the stem, which is expected...


I designed the bike with an offset seatpost as well, so I will try it with setback and without before I go through the effort of trying out some saddles.

[mmoore]

Position feels decent.... but I forgot to flip my stem and im waiting on a new stack of spacers to really dial position in. That said I only took it for a solo ride around the block.

The bike is together, but without the cables because the ones the bike shop had in as long weren't quite long enough. this bike uses an extra-long boom tube to allow me to dial position a bit more for the stoker... without them breathing the sweat off my back.... new cable inners will be in tomorrow. I wont wrap the handlebars until I get the cables figured out, so im not bothering with a real ride until its totally done

Photo of the bike as it sits.



I really wish there were a stock option out there for road levers and 3x cranks with hydro brakes. That's probably the only thing I would have changed on the whole build.

When I was at the bike shop last we tossed it on the scale. 32lbs without chains, so its roughly 34lbs complete...without any packs or lights.

[mmoore]

Bikes done, I've taken it for a ride... then remembered to flip the stem finally LOL.


Put some 25c tires on it to give a little more fork clearance. All is ready to rock.

[mmoore]

200km checking in.

Havent had much chance to get out on this bike, but we love it when we have been able to. The new bike jitters are over and we are used to it.


I did a derailleur re-tune with the cables unwinding or stretching and should be good to go until its time for a re-cable.

-changed captain stem for a little bit shorter reach from my mtb.
-aimed to please Rody and ordered a new stoker stem... I went adjustable so we can make it comfortable as things change with the wife is getting bigger as we near her due date.
-waxed the puppy up
-ordered a new out front type garmin mount.



Not planning to change much, but im dreaming of some deep profile wheels for it.

[mmoore]

Last ride was really hard on the bike for some reason.

-We bent the 39t chainring at one of the ramp/pins. The chain just grabbed the pin and pulled the whole quarter of the gear right over. I bent it back, but I will be looking for a good replacement-ive been told on a tandem forum that shimano rings are much better and I can appreciate it but I wonder why that is. The FSA chainring on their high end cranks should be made of similar materials to the shimano bits... but shimano is known to build durable products and not worry about weight as much as some other brands.

-One of the spokes on the rear wheel unwound itself and it feels like there is some others following suit. I will re-tension the rear wheel and see how that goes. The front wheel seems to be fine.

-The braking is fine, but im thinking that I should up the rotor size and/or get metallic pads for the long hills. The rear braking doesn't feel as strong as the front, so I will probably do the biggest rotor that will fit in the rear end with the same pads for the time being and see how that goes. We've just barely turned the rear rotor one shade of color and barely ride in any hills and definitely not mountains. But Im planning an anniversary ride in "Lake-on-the-mountain" in Picton, Ontario.... there is a 1/2km, 25% decent, around a corner in the ride among others and I think the added braking would be great there.


The bike is amazing. We love getting out on it though we haven't had a day together to get a real ride being that I work week days and she works an odd 4 on 5 off shift work.

[Andrew R Stewart]

Matt- So goes the learning curve of a single mind trying tandems. Tandems are a lot more stressful in so many ways. Andy

[duanedr]

The FSA chainring on their high end cranks should be made of similar materials to the shimano bits... but shimano is known to build durable products and not worry about weight as much as some other brands.

I would guess the Shimano's are thicker. I haven't measured mine but, just from feel, I seem to remember thinking the FSA ones were thinner than usual.

-One of the spokes on the rear wheel unwound itself and it feels like there is some others following suit. I will re-tension the rear wheel and see how that goes. The front wheel seems to be fine.

More weight, more power, more braking...lots of stress in that rear wheel. Most tandems use at least 40 spokes back there. If I'm counting right, you seem to be using 32 which is too few with disc on a tandem. Those rims aren't particularly beefy either so, that adds to the flex that the spokes need to deal with. I'll bet the ride is nice because of the cushy rear wheel but I would also bet it won't last very long. And if you increase disc size, you're adding more stress...

Did you use 135mm spacing or 145? Most tandems use wider spacing to get the flanges out wider which helps with wheel strength as well.

Have fun! I loved our tandem but no one wants to ride with me anymore...

[Gattonero]

Last ride was really hard on the bike for some reason.

-We bent the 39t chainring at one of the ramp/pins. The chain just grabbed the pin and pulled the whole quarter of the gear right over. I bent it back, but I will be looking for a good replacement-ive been told on a tandem forum that shimano rings are much better and I can appreciate it but I wonder why that is. The FSA chainring on their high end cranks should be made of similar materials to the shimano bits... but shimano is known to build durable products and not worry about weight as much as some other brands.

-One of the spokes on the rear wheel unwound itself and it feels like there is some others following suit. I will re-tension the rear wheel and see how that goes. The front wheel seems to be fine.

-The braking is fine, but im thinking that I should up the rotor size and/or get metallic pads for the long hills. The rear braking doesn't feel as strong as the front, so I will probably do the biggest rotor that will fit in the rear end with the same pads for the time being and see how that goes. We've just barely turned the rear rotor one shade of color and barely ride in any hills and definitely not mountains. But Im planning an anniversary ride in "Lake-on-the-mountain" in Picton, Ontario.... there is a 1/2km, 25% decent, around a corner in the ride among others and I think the added braking would be great there.


The bike is amazing. We love getting out on it though we haven't had a day together to get a real ride being that I work week days and she works an odd 4 on 5 off shift work.

I would advise for a stronger rear wheel.
Am I wrong, or is 32 spokes there? Surely not enough. Go for 36h, good quality of spokes (DT Alpine3 are the best for this application), and a stronger rim. ProLock nipples should go without saying