my new aluminium O build thread update 10/03/11

[graham1975]

I see you have put your name on the top tube, i take it that you are able to remove it if you ever sell it? i once remember 2 Kleins being for sale on ebay with his and her names on the toptube, if i remember rightly they could not sell them for love nor money. Also someone else did it to a Klein and never took a picture of it so who ever bought it ( someone on here ) got a right shock when they recieved it!

 

[jonnyboy666]

yeah g i have put my user name on it as with most of my bikes but yes it can be removed, i haven't tried to remove one yet but i am sure it will come off no probs.


anyway, latest update!! :roll:

i fitted the girvin fork, it did ride loads better, still has the bar dropping feeling when cornering but by comparison with the carbon fork and the handling of the white ali O it's so slight that i think i could happily ride it! . . . maybe . . . i am gonna try a 10mm shorter stem and a riser bar, see what difference that makes.

also if i decide to use the fork with canti's i have found a solution to the cable guide problem, a seat clamp cable guide.

 

[hamster]

As you say, it sounds like the trail of the fork is all wrong - Thorns always seem to have floppy steering and they have odd fork rakes.

One thought might be to try different versions of sus-corrected rigid forks - say a 390, 410 and a 430mm - this would alter the head angle and might just tidy things up.

 

[jonnyboy666]

ok, so time for an update on this,

i got the bike back from GA's yesterday where it has been in as a lay by job for the toptube cable guides.

Ben from Orange sent me a bunch of them, they needed to be riveted on and they are designed to run an outer cable all the way to the rear brake so with the new cable seat clamp that meant i can run canti brakes no problem.

i should say i have also got another possibility for a fork and if i use that it is a v brake fork so i will go back to v brakes.

also i have changed the chainset and b/b for an older dx set up, i never really liked the 4 bolt lx chainset and i think this suits the bike better.

i also want to change the bar/stem etc, i want something in silver to match the newly fitted USE post as i think the black frame needs lightning up with silvery components. also when i am happy with the stem position i will cut the excess steerer off.

i have also fitted the sticker set supplied by Gil M, all was going well till i got a bit cocky fitting the "orange" logo on the non-driveside downtube, it's not that bad but basically the "g" and then"e" have got a slight crease in them. :x

other things to do are, replace the front rim so it matches the rear, i need some canti brake levers and then i'll cable them up.

here's some pics

 

[jonnyboy666]

more

 

[brocklanders023]

Looking good jb, I should get cracking with mine really. Does Gil have a full set of decals in the style of the top tube ones?

 

[jonnyboy666]

hey Ed, yeah, Gil drew these ones up for me so they should be good for others.

the reason for this comment though is for a frustrating update.

feel like i can't win with this frame, it's been a pig from the start!!!! :x :x :x

anyway, today i decided i'd try and get a few more bits done, one of the things i was gonna do was swap the rear mech for a DX model i have, just because i thought it would look better.

should never have started :roll:

turns out the frame has a helicoil in the drop out, which then came out with the rear mech when i undid it. :x

and will it go back in? :?:



. . . . . . . no . . . . . :roll: :x :x

having looked at it closely though it's a right state in there anyway so i think the best route is to go for the old skool frame saver . . . drill it out and stick a nut behind the drop out.


FFS can't win

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... _832wt_754

 

[brocklanders023]

You're not having a lot of luck with that one mate!

Let mine go after a split Syncros post put me off retro aluminium but am now eyeing up anothe 'O' :roll:

 

[jonnyboy666]

well it'll be alright when it's done but it's just frustrating, when i think of all the things that have been wrong with it then it just wasn't worth it.

purchase price 55 plus postage
paint 40
stickers 18
cable guide repairs 30
frame saver 9

=152

for a frame that i am not sure if i like the ride of. we'll see when it's done. :?

 

[jonnyboy666]

well i got the frame saver sorted, bit of a faff to be honest but it all works fine.

i have almost finished the bike . . . for now :roll:

i still need a saddle and i have used some blue brake levers that will be replaced when i get some silver and black ones, also i only have standard crappy shimano pads which don't feel that powerful so i'll get some new pads at somepoint. also the rims don't match but i have some wheels coming from Wutangled to sort that out, but this evening i wanted to get the rear end sorted and decided to get a few other bits sorted while i was at it.

anyway here's a pic of the frame saver.