Home brewed Cleland style bikes

With the Alpinesharts nearing completion I'm turning my attention to my next project.

I've always lusted after a Cleland or Highpath but I'm more like to catch Elvis snogging Lord Lucan.

So, I'm thinking of building my own Frankensteins monster in the same general style. Smaller than normal frame, jacked up seat and bars, hub brakes and all the rest of it.

My one concern is the seat post. I'm moderately tall at 6'3" and rather heavy at 242lbs (I'm an amateur power lifter). Because of my size I'd probably go for a medium frame around 17.5" or so, but this is going to leave an immense amount of seat tube sticking out and I'm worried that my weight combined with this extreme leverage will tear the frame apart where the seat tube needs the cross bar.

Does anyone have any ideas on how to combat this? Does anyone know a supplier of long seat tubes or will I be looking at visiting my local Fred in his Shed to machine one up?

And finally, this is all new territory to me so if you've done this before and have any hints or tips I'd be more than happy to steal them.

Cheers,

Chops.

It really won't, unless you go for a stupidly lightweight frame and/or seatpost. But really, I would get something bigger but with a shorter top tube. My new Peugeot is a 19.5", and I'm 5'10". I'm happy.

I appreciate the input, but I think you misunderstand what I'm hoping to create.

Why not try to pick up an 80's bike as in pre compact geometry. Relatively short top tubes compared to the seat tube. Seat post wise look out for Blackspire ones, they made a 450mm one IIRC. Other than that I'll bet there are some weird and wonderful low range stuff kicking about, a browse around SJS might turn something up. For a stem you could look at trials stuff coupled with BMX bars. For sure it'll be Frankenstein ugly but might get the position your after. Also IIRC LGF was going to try something similar and was blown out of the water by one of the Cleland guys, can't remember the specifics though.

Chopper1192":128ezj5w said:

I appreciate the input, but I think you misunderstand what I'm hoping to create.

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What I meant (but didn't say properly because I was coming home from a wild night out) was what Kaiser said this morning. A non-compact frame with a shorter top tube would be the way to go. Not ideal, but nothing is. Also, it's likely to have a 1" headtube, meaning lots of unglamourous but strong tall stems are available. TBH, I probably assumed you weren't using a compact frame.

A couple of years ago, completely independently of knowing about Clelands, I was riding one of this around the woods in Oxfordshire.



I did eventually start another with drum brakes, but the scrap dealers moved in and cleared my shed out. :evil:

Sweet, that's the sort of idea.

I think it's a good idea and well worth pursuing. As you've said, it will be very hard to replicate the real deal, but a bit of thought about what you want and I'm sure you'll come up with a bike that's a real eye-opener.

I seem to recall from posts on here that a big part of the reasoning behind Clelands was to cater for classic UK conditions: uphill and muddy. Alot of thought went into mud clearance and rider position.

While I'm not that fussed for muddy riding, I was very taken by the sit up and beg rider position: it felt like it should be comfortable and efficient, and a 180 degrees from the stretched out racer position that was fine as a 20yr old speed king, but increasingly uneccesary for a lumpy middle age recreational rider. So I've redone my Stumpy accordingly.




By no means a proper Cleland and not meant to be; but the riding position is a revelation. I can thouroughly recommend getting an old school, 'large', horizontal frame and raising the front end.

And look at this pic: it's not necessary to have a monster seat post:

Tell us a bit about your drivetrain chum?

Chopper1192":3mctefyo said:

Tell us a bit about your drivetrain chum?

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3 x 1 set up. I've come to the conclusion that I dont need 21 gears - just three. One for up one for down one for the other bits. Simple and light. Even with canti brakes that actually work, the whole thing comes in at 23.5 lb

Does it have a rear hub brake?