The New Bike Thread - Forum Archive

Aug 08, 2013 at 11:46 PM

The bipartite purpose of this thread is to:

1. Brag about your new bike (photo is mandatory)

2. Talk trash and/or compliment others' new bikes

I'll start.

I GOT A NEW BIKE!!!

2013 Specialized Langster Pro with ceramic BB bearings, 80mm Thomson stem, and Easton EC90 carbon track bars. Her name is Zula (Grace Jones's character in Conan the Destroyer). Kieran will be happy to know I plan to race it at the track.

normanzo

May 29, 2013 at 04:56 AM

Hi Guys --just thought I'd give you fellas a peek at my new bike that Rob English built for me. I've had the bike for about a month and really like it --handles nice and tight like my Spookys. It seems similar in stiffness (BB and front-end) as the Spookys too. I was worried about getting another steel bike after the handling issues (and slightly irksome softness in the rear) of my stainless steel I.F. --but, Rob said I not nothing to fear... I was skeptical, but I have ridden the new bike in all kinds of situations and I don't have to think about the bike... just having fun.

Check it out:

http://www.englishcycles.com/custombikes/norms-frc/

Ciao,

Norm

ian ellis

May 29, 2013 at 07:26 AM

Norm, this awesome.

I like that matte BRG (British Racing Green) on the bike (coupled with the name it makes me think of the verdant rolling hillsides of home, but I digress).

Is the whole bike made from Life or is a combination of Life and Spirit tubing ?

Why the folding solution and not S&S couplers ? The latter are not supposed to detract from the stiffness but the huge advantage I can see with this hinged BB solution over S&S is the ability to run electronic shifting.

mperlberg

May 29, 2013 at 10:13 AM

awesome norm!

josephmueller

May 29, 2013 at 11:42 AM

Wow Norm really nice. And she can fly too!

eragot

May 29, 2013 at 01:26 PM

Nice bike Norm. But, ah, umm, the kit seems to have faded in color and acquired some different lettering on it.

Jeffrey White

May 29, 2013 at 02:33 PM

Classy. (Of course, it's Norm.)

ian ellis said:

... coupled with the name it makes me think of the verdant rolling hillsides of home ...

LOL'd when I read that. So droll coming from Ian.

Adam

May 29, 2013 at 03:08 PM

Fantastic stuff Norm!

Truly beautiful. I have a few questions?

-What's with the wheels? They look super light, is that the case? Look cool.

-Is that some sort of special edition SRAM Red levers you have? They seem to be missing all the crappy SRAM branding and look really cool and stealth. Can't tell if it's the angle or for real.

-Weight, well, how fat is it?

-Cheeky one, you mind giving any indication as to how much you parted with for that wonderful creation.

I love buying bikes, happiest day in the world when you get on it and it's perfect, just how you want it. I'm sharing your joy!

alyoshas

May 29, 2013 at 03:39 PM

yea looks really good Norm- make good usage of it!

Jeff Owens

May 29, 2013 at 04:12 PM

Hot damn that's dope. So I can buy one of your old Spooky's right?

normanzo

May 29, 2013 at 05:30 PM

@Ian - Thanks for the compliments... I've been wanting a BRG bike, Rob seemed like the right guy for the job. Of course, I ended-up getting on his build list purely by impulse as he was coaching me last year and when I visited him in Eugene and saw all his bikes, well I wanted one. The other tubings are S3 for the downtube and 4130 for the super thin seat stays. I went for Rob's folding options cause I wanted to ditch the Iron Case but didn't want the S&S coupler look. You really can't tell this thing is a travel bike.

@Ragot --Rob photoshopped his own kit into that snapshot... it was part of the contract, having to market the English Cycles brand. Only kidding of course... the bike pickup was impromtu/rushed, and all me Kissena kits were in the laundry.

@Adam - The Rolf wheels: I wanted another pair of clinchers, something light and a little more aero than my Heds... and I liked the idea of supporting another USA/Oregon company. The Rolfs are great, quite stiff and the feel like they roll very fast (but maybe that was a tailwind). However, though they are advertised at 1450g for the set (light for that rim depth in all alu), Rob weighed them at 1520g. I was going to remove the decals, but I found that Ilike seeing the white bits spinning... research show that this optical inducement saves me 3 seconds in a 25k time-trial.

-The Sram Red stuff - I sent my old Red stuff to Ruckus Components here in Portland.... they refinished the carbon parts to my specifications.

- 17.2lbs. with pedals. The frame is 3.6 lbs, which is pretty good for a steel 57cm bike that's got the extra little folding components built-in. The way it's designed will enable me to swap-out the rear triangle for a disc-brake rear-end... whenever I decide to jump onto that bandwagon I will ask Rob to build the disc-tabbed rear which won't cost much and I'll have two bikes in one, sorta.

- Cost: well, I already had the groupset... the total was just under $6500, including the wheels which were expensive for aluminum ($1250), and the Ruckus Sram refinishing ($250).

@Jeff - I would like to sell a Spooky to make more room in my Apt and get a little cash, but the spookys are just too nice and impossible to replace at such a low cost (I basically got those frames for $600 each... and the groupsets for little more than cost).

normanzo

May 29, 2013 at 07:40 PM

@Ian - correction, I meant S3 for the seat tube.

Jules

May 29, 2013 at 08:02 PM

@Norm bloody lovely!

JohnMalcolmson

May 29, 2013 at 10:00 PM

Custom 'racing green' anodized lock ring on the cassette!?
That machine belongs on the mantelpiece.

WilliamDC

May 29, 2013 at 11:48 PM

that's hot!

@norm: can we get a picture with it all folded up?

Thierry Bonnaire

May 30, 2013 at 01:29 AM

The folded bike is described on the website. Very cool idea by the way.

normanzo

Jun 02, 2013 at 05:03 AM

@WilliamDC --unfortunately the bike in SC right now, awaiting my return in a coupla' weeks. But, you can see the folding mechanism-isms as shown for Rob's personal folding machine here:

http://www.englishcycles.com/custombikes/folding-road-concept/

twoyacks

Aug 09, 2013 at 02:54 AM

what are those things on your pedals ???

Jeffrey White

Aug 09, 2013 at 10:29 AM

@Yacks - I thought you'd approve of dead cow on a bike. You're such a sphinx when it comes to acceptable build materials. (Real pedals are going on once they arrive.)

@Aaron - You'll be happy to know I rode her in San Francisco a couple times last week in my Vans and rolled-up raw selvedge denim dungarees. Pink chambray oxford from J. Crew, no-show socks. True story.

Side note: San Francisco is a town with hills, and no matter how hard you try, you will not be able to avoid riding some. My legs were fucking SHREDDED after a 35-mile day of just riding around. No joke, it was probably five times more difficult going downhill than up. Having only my legs as brakes is new.

twoyacks

Aug 09, 2013 at 01:37 PM

She is a lovely piece of machinery and I wish you good fortune and God's speed with her....there that's better

Brendan Rigby

Aug 09, 2013 at 02:00 PM

don't real track people also have the straps because their legs are too superhuman for the mere mortal strength of a metal clipping mechanisms alone? thought i remembered seeing some video of Hoy or someone getting their shoe strapped onto the pedal as well as clipping in

ian ellis

Aug 09, 2013 at 02:27 PM

NB.jpg

Jules

Aug 09, 2013 at 02:42 PM

kieranleahy

Aug 09, 2013 at 06:45 PM

Nice work Jeff! In the words of that great Kazakh track cyclist, Borat, sexy times! What's with the paint job, or rather, the lack of it? Looks pretty cool though. You should come and race the Omnium at the track next Sat 17!

Brendan Rigby said:

don't real track people also have the straps because their legs are too superhuman for the mere mortal strength of a metal clipping mechanisms alone? thought i remembered seeing some video of Hoy or someone getting their shoe strapped onto the pedal as well as clipping in

Yes, Brendan, you're right - proper track sprinters have clips / clipless pedals AND straps. Some used the old skool cleats with a cage, more modern technique was to adapt a clipless pedal, like the now extinct SPD-R (sob) or more recently Look Keo. I was always too lazy to bother with straps / clearly not strong enough to really need them. Might get some this winter though.

Andrew Da Silva

Aug 09, 2013 at 09:26 PM

Sick bars!!!

JohnMalcolmson

Aug 10, 2013 at 03:25 PM

@Jeff

What's its payload?

JohnMalcolmson

Aug 10, 2013 at 03:44 PM

P.S. Maybe it's my 90's feminist studies 101, but the inanimate object/gender combo weirds me out... Or am I exhibiting poor sportsMANship? I'm naming my bike Sandy. Discuss.

Jeffrey White

Aug 11, 2013 at 05:11 PM

John Malcolmson said:

P.S. Maybe it's my 90's feminist studies 101, but the inanimate object/gender combo weirds me out... Or am I exhibiting poor sportsMANship? I'm naming my bike Sandy. Discuss.

I was tossing "Thad" around for a while, but Zula just seemed to work better. My other two named bikes have been El Salvador and The Big Red Machine.

John Malcolmson said:

@Jeff
What's its payload?

You calling me fat?

dstokes

Aug 11, 2013 at 05:31 PM

My favorite name was for my beater bike in college: Ubi, which is short for ubiquinone.

Ubiquinone functions as an electron carrier from enzyme complex I and enzyme complex II to complex III in the cascade of reactions that generate ATP in mitochondria.

You can think of me as the electron . . .

There was Bella and there was Shadowfax and a whole host off nameless bikes, all of which were a hell of a lot faster and more beautiful, but I think I miss Ubi the most . . .

JohnMalcolmson

Aug 14, 2013 at 05:21 PM

@Jeff

Definitely not Mr skinny Alpineer, there's only room for one grande Jeff in this club. I was referring to it's ability to drop 10,000 lb bombs (I guess you could go two ways with that as well).

Seriously, that thing is so badass, I'm calling Area 51.

Jules

Aug 14, 2013 at 05:27 PM

Seriously, that thing is so badass, I'm calling Area 51.

Now *That* is a bike name...

(It's no "Porkchop Express" but it'll do...)