Kaffenback or Casseroll

[Juffled]

Long term lurker first time poster, howeverhaving used the search function for many months its finally time to actuallyask a question.

I bought a boardman hybrid for commuting and occasionalweekend riding, nice bike, cant fault it except I want drop bars......so aftera few weeks of confusing myself I have settled on building it myself (lovetinkering with my car so bikes should be fun/doable also), pretty much everythingelse is sorted however I cant decide between frames, Planet-XKaffenback or Salsa Casseroll.

The differences seem to be about 200GBP andthe Kaffenback has fittings for V brakes/Cantilevers as opposed to the standardside pull callipers (I don’t think theres much difference between these 2systems in performance, correct me if I am wrong please). Otherwise there doesn’tseem to be much in it, both frames get good praise, is it a case of you will behappy with either or is one better than the other.

And unfortunately I cant just ‘go and try themboth’ as neither are very accessible as full bikes.

Many Thanks

 

[John the Monkey]

Look carefully at what you want from the bike.

Do you want clearance for offroad? (means high bottom bracket, space for bigger tyres, maybe a frame that will take 26" wheels).

What fittings do you want for racks, bottles &c?

Others to consider;

Salsa Vaya - more of an off roader, takes BIG tyres & can run disc brakes. http://www.tritoncycles.co.uk/products.php?plid=m4b104s25p6853

Surly Crosscheck/Long Haul Trucker http://www.surlybikes.com/frames/cross_check_frame/ http://surlybikes.com/frames/long_haul_trucker_frame/
(both take very large tyres (my LHT is running 42C at the moment, with mudguards fitted).

On the brake thing, normal dual pivot "road" brakes will limit the tyre size you can use. Cantilever brakes allow easier running of large tyres, but can be a pain to set up. V-brakes won't work with standard road levers, or integrated brake shift levers without modifying the cable pull (basically you have to buy an extra bit to get them running, or use v-brake levers and bar end/down tube gear shifters).

 

[John the Monkey]

My LHT, if you're interested;


LHT sans rack 2: have been using just the carradice for ages, so no need for the rack, i guess... Carradice is the 15-18l Lowsaddle Longflap by John the Monkey, on Flickr

 

[Juffled]

can you not get mini v's which work with road levers? not sure on their compatibility with mudguards though.

Not fussed on doing much offroad.

Use a Carradice currently so racks and panniers not required but the ability to have them would be a bonus but deffo not a requirement, fairly set on one of those frames just wondering if people have any key bits of info that may change my thoughts or experience with the casseroll at all as its fairly rare in the uk

I did look long and hard at the LHT but it seems more aimed at touring which is not what I would really use it for thus a lot of the advantages it has would not be used. Looked at all the usual suspects as well (ribble winter trainer, roadrat, tricross etc)

 

[snailracer]

The effectiveness of V- and caliper-brakes depends on the bike frame and forks.

V-brakes arms work better mounted on stout, stiff tubes, such as those found on MTBs.

At the time V-brakes were introduced on MTBs, road bikes had thin, spindly forks and seat stays that would flex under cable forces, making the braking weak had V-brakes been fitted. A caliper brake does not flex the tubes because the cable forces are contained within the caliper arms and not transmitted to the frame.

I am not sure if modern road bike front forks are stiffer than they used to be, but the seat stays are still as spindly as they ever were.

You would have to make a judgment on whether the Kaffenback has sufficiently stiff tubes/forks for V-brakes to be as effective as you need them to be, if you intend to fit them.