Kinesis Decade Virsa - finished ..... almost!

[Exeter Man]

About 6 months ago I decided I needed a new frame (alright, I didn't "need" it, but you know how it is ). It had to be steel, disc only, and suitable for 100mm or 120mm forks. All of the usual suspects were possibilities, and after a couple of weeks scouring the 'Bay, and being outbid on a Salsa Ala Carte and a Cove Handjob, I bagged myself a nice Kinesis Decade Virsa for the right price .

I've been tinkering with it for a few months now, but never really getting around to finishing it, or taking parts off it for other things. Anyway, after an unprecedented bout of productivity :shock: it's now finished, and I'm very pleased with it . I'll get some better photographs using a proper camera when the sun is out, when I will hopefully be in the process of getting it dirty.

Just needs a small amount of tweaking on the gears, some kind of clip for the front brake hose, helicopter tape on the cable rub points, and a bit of chainstay protection. I'm trying an experimental simple DIY chain device up front, so will have to see how that goes.

Oh yes, the rims and tyres are both UST, but I'm currently running with inner tubes. I want to try tubeless, but can't quite bring myself to shell out 20 odd quid for the valves and sealant when I could buy 6 inner tubes for the same price. Curiosity will get the better of me at some point .

Any comments, good or bad, very welcome.

Regards

 

[trek_y]

Ahah ! So thats where "my" wheels went !
Looks nice, but maybe black and less chunky than those XT cranks would suit it better as steelies always have quite narrow tubing - but thats just me so feel free to ignore that comment !
With UST tyres you don't need sealant as they will seal to the rim without it but there will be no protection from thorns or penetrating punctures. No pinch flats though and you can at least get a feel for how they ride, it will feel different compared to tubes, then always add the goop later.

 

[Exeter Man]

Ahah ! So thats where "my" wheels went !
Looks nice, but maybe black and less chunky than those XT cranks would suit it better as steelies always have quite narrow tubing - but thats just me so feel free to ignore that comment !
With UST tyres you don't need sealant as they will seal to the rim without it but there will be no protection from thorns or penetrating punctures. No pinch flats though and you can at least get a feel for how they ride, it will feel different compared to tubes, then always add the goop later.

He he . I actually bought them for the missus (this build ..... viewtopic.php?t=247963&p=1860197 ), but realised that the silver rims looked better on hers. Now you mention it, I might also consider swapping the drivetrains at some point. Not 100% sure though, as her black cranks are 'only' Alivio, plus heel rub shows up a bit more.

Take your point about the XT cranks looking heavy against the skinny tubes - at least in the photographs anyway. Is there such a thing as a slender crank that works with an external bottom bracket? I've seen plenty for square taper/Octalink/ISIS, but not much for the more recent bottom brackets.

Thanks for the tubeless tip . I'll get hold of some valves and see how it goes.

Regards

 

[Exeter Man]

Right, after doing a bit of poking around I've realised I'm handing out duff information here. My tyres are actually 'tubeless ready' which I think means a UST-style bead with a regular sidewall. On that basis I'll get hold of some sealant, especially as they are a complete pain in the ar$e to get on the rim, so I don't want to be taking them off any more times than necessary!

Regards

 

[trek_y]

Yes tubeless tyres are a total pain to get on. Use some soapy water around the bead as it really helps not only getting the tyre onto the rim but also to seal into the rim when inflating, pump like b*ggery and wait for the BANG as it snaps into place - remember when tyres going bang was bad ? lol.
By the way the only sealant worth using is Stans - I tried Joe's and another latex one from Halfords but they are nowhere near as good.

 

[Exeter Man]

First time I tried to get them on I gave up in a huff . Second time I followed the guidance - install on another set of rims at 60psi for a few days, soapy water, and heavy duty tyre levers (Pedros). Easier this time, but I still wouldn't want to do it more often than necessary!

Thanks for the tip on Stans btw.

Regards

 

[albash82]

Looks nice, see mine in my sig, gone through a few different drive train changes and has a fair few war wounds. Need to play around with bar/stem again as not happy with current flatbar setup.
What's ur chain device?

 

[Exeter Man]

Looks nice, see mine in my sig, gone through a few different drive train changes and has a fair few war wounds. Need to play around with bar/stem again as not happy with current flatbar setup.
What's ur chain device?

Just had a read through your thread - very nice Virtue you have there . Bit of a collector's item being from the period before they had to change the name .

I ran a front mech as a chain device for a previous temporary setup on this frame, but as I'm pretty much XC only I thought I'd try and come up with something a bit more simple/elegant without shelling out big money. I figured that main aim is to prevent the chain lifting off the chainring teeth, so this is what I came up with. Not really tried it in anger yet, so will report back when I have ...........



Regards

 

[coomber]

Love the frame, hope to see it at Haldon if you are Exeter based!

Device looks OK, but I would put a washer or bushing/roller over it so if the chain catches it keeps spinning?

 

[Mindmap3]

That's a really nice looking bike. I like the XT cranks on it but I'd get a proper chain device for it.; you can get some pretty minimalist ones these days.

I'm totally sold on tubeless after resisting it for ages. My Schwable's were so easy to set up tubeless...no soapy water, they just popped on and inflated with a few pumps of my track pump. I use the Just Riding Along wheel milk which seems ok.