Titanium bikes

[vickster]

I don't know if it was because it was just before the York bike show, but the shop appeared to consist of mostly demo models of various sizes and a few bits of clothing and accessories. It's not as big as you'd think, or that may have been because I only had eyes for the Elans!

From what you say, the Reilly would appear the better option with full customisation available.

Or possibly Enigma once they get their TA Etape sorted but I do like the idea of supporting the smaller business (they're all ex Enigma pretty much too)

 

[Jenkins]

Don't get too hung up on the TA thing (wasn't that covered on this or another thread?) - QR will be around for many years to come and TA isn't really necessary for your riding style or routes. I had the Spa out for a decent run (100km) on Sunday and the wheels didn't fall out or the discs rub once.

 

[vickster]

Don't get too hung up on the TA thing (wasn't that covered on this or another thread?) - QR will be around for many years to come and TA isn't really necessary for your riding style or routes. I had the Spa out for a decent run (100km) on Sunday and the wheels didn't fall out or the discs rub once.

If I'm spending over £3k, I'd like to have the latest standard ideally. Unlike Enigma (who don't have TA yet but I have since been told it's coming on the Etape), Reilly are going that way with their disc models with an explanation that made sense to my highly non technical brain

I'm not the best at reseating wheels regardless, so TA might actually be better for me

 

[MacB]

If I'm spending over £3k, I'd like to have the latest standard ideally. Unlike Enigma (who don't have TA yet but I have since been told it's coming on the Etape), Reilly are going that way with their disc models with an explanation that made sense to my highly non technical brain

I'm not the best at reseating wheels regardless, so TA might actually be better for me

I wish they'd just settle on some standards, one that is worth considering, if you want a jack of all trades type setup, is going the same front and back. I have specced up a 135mm front and back bike with the same disc brake fittings and utilising a Pinion P18 BB mounted gearbox. I have a thing about multiple redundancy so adjustable dropouts with mech hanger as well and chainring on both wheels.

Again this is something achievable with a different fork so nothing to stop a standard 100mm front being used as well. I just like the thought of every wheel I own being interchangeable.

 

[vickster]

I wish they'd just settle on some standards, one that is worth considering, if you want a jack of all trades type setup, is going the same front and back. I have specced up a 135mm front and back bike with the same disc brake fittings and utilising a Pinion P18 BB mounted gearbox. I have a thing about multiple redundancy so adjustable dropouts with mech hanger as well and chainring on both wheels.

Again this is something achievable with a different fork so nothing to stop a standard 100mm front being used as well. I just like the thought of every wheel I own being interchangeable.

Reilly chap said 12mm (??) is being settled upon as the standard

 

[MacB]

Reilly chap said 12mm (??) is being settled upon as the standard

Ah I wasn't clear I really meant having the same front spacing and disc brake standard as the rear, whatever you go with. Basically having two SS wheels via a custom fork, this was a touring idea and only really that viable if using the Pinion gearing. With the new 650B you could set the geometry to work with fat 650B to skinnyish road and even 29+ with a bit of thought. Sort of one bike that could be:-

1. a 650B fat bike or semi fat hard core tourer
2. a 700c road/cross/gravel machine
3. a 29 to 29+ MTB

If you do the math of the wheel diameters once shod then the BB height actually works out quite well. But fully rigid only if using matching front and back wheels. Though I'm happy switching out forks and wheels to suit, a couple of spare crown races is all that's needed.

You could f course do all of this with derailleurs but a high end hub gear would be rather expensive.

 

[MacB]

Just to elaborate a bit further I originally, because 650b wasn't a thing then, looked at having a frame made that could accommodate fat 26inch up to 29er and everything in between. The boom in the 650b size has made this concept even easier, so you have:-

700c/29er - 622mm rim diameter - add tires and 23mm is around 670mm diameter up to 3" at 780mm diameter
650b - 584mm rim diameter - add tires from 38mm which is about 660mm diameter up to 4" at 787mm diameter
26" - 559mm rim diameter - add tires from 50mm which is about 660mm diameter up to 4" at 762mm diameter or 5" at 807mm diameter

My thought was to have a frame that could cope with fat or semi fat tires at a smaller rim diameter up to narrower tires at a bigger rim diameter. As you can see from the above the BB height variance(which is 50% of the diameter variance) isn't too significant. Basically you get a lower BB for road use and a higher BB for offroad which makes sense to me. Further alterations can be managed by fork length and also offset. Tire sizes can be further accommodated via the adjustable rear dropouts, further back for wider, etc. The main downside would be having big gaps/chainstay clearances when running skinnier tires...if that bothers you.

This is my Swiss Army Knife frame concept.

 

[jiberjaber]

If I'm spending over £3k, I'd like to have the latest standard ideally. Unlike Enigma (who don't have TA yet but I have since been told it's coming on the Etape), Reilly are going that way with their disc models with an explanation that made sense to my highly non technical brain

I'm not the best at reseating wheels regardless, so TA might actually be better for me

So some feedback now I'm 1500km in on the J.Ack, front T/A is OK, fairly easy to remove & fit. Rear is a bit more interesting, I have not needed to remove and re-fit the wheel on the ground yet (thankfully) but on the workstand, it is a bit hard to get the wheel in and get the axle aligned to the far end. I sort of prefered the QR approach of get the wheel in, drop the bike on to the floor and align and tighten the QR.

It's a bit of a battle to get the wheel in, RD in the right place, chain on the cog, disc aligned with caliper & pads then slide into the rear triangle, perhaps also opening the rear out a bit (there are slots for the wheel hub ends to slide in to.)

I suspect overtime I will workout an easier way to get the rear wheel and the T/A in, perhaps grow an extra hand!

It might be easier on the floor as the weight of the bike will be in my favour - so won't be trying to push the wheel up in to the bike then....

Hope that makes sense!

ETA: If you can, try out removal and fitting of the T/A rear on a demo bike?

 

[vickster]

I only ever turn a bike upside down to get wheels in and out...and I only ever do if I have to...puncture or new tyre

 

[ianrauk]

So some feedback now I'm 1500km in on the J.Ack, front T/A is OK, fairly easy to remove & fit. Rear is a bit more interesting, I have not needed to remove and re-fit the wheel on the ground yet (thankfully) but on the workstand, it is a bit hard to get the wheel in and get the axle aligned to the far end. I sort of prefered the QR approach of get the wheel in, drop the bike on to the floor and align and tighten the QR.

It's a bit of a battle to get the wheel in, RD in the right place, chain on the cog, disc aligned with caliper & pads then slide into the rear triangle, perhaps also opening the rear out a bit (there are slots for the wheel hub ends to slide in to.)

I suspect overtime I will workout an easier way to get the rear wheel and the T/A in, perhaps grow an extra hand!

It might be easier on the floor as the weight of the bike will be in my favour - so won't be trying to push the wheel up in to the bike then....

Hope that makes sense!

ETA: If you can, try out removal and fitting of the T/A rear on a demo bike?

We had the same problem with @StuAff 's bike when he had a puncture on a FNR. It took a little while to get the TA in. Took a bit of a fiddle. The wheel has to be set in the dropouts spot on. I think a QR would have been or is in fact a little easier and quicker.

 

[MacB]

We had the same problem with @StuAff 's bike when he had a puncture on a FNR. It took a little while to get the TA in. Took a bit of a fiddle. The wheel has to be set in the dropouts spot on. I think a QR would have been or is in fact a little easier and quicker.

I've read the bumph(marketing speak) on TAs but never used one, is there a real benefit to an amateur/pootling rider? Maybe I'm just cynical but it feels like they keep bringing out a new standard like Apple bring out I-phones.

 

[ianrauk]

I've read the bumph(marketing speak) on TAs but never used one, is there a real benefit to an amateur/pootling rider? Maybe I'm just cynical but it feels like they keep bringing out a new standard like Apple bring out I-phones.

Well Mac, after using disc braked bikes with QR''s for the past 5 years with no problem's what so ever. I can't really see any benefit to them.
But I suppose it's good to have a choice.

 

[MacB]

Well Mac, after using disc braked bikes with QR''s for the past 5 years with no problem's what so ever. I can't really see any benefit to them.
But I suppose it's good to have a choice.

Agree I see no issues with QR but choice is good if it's choice and not a marketing gouge....as I say colour me cynical

 

[SpokeyDokey]

Just taken delivery of new bike (Trek Domane ALR 5 Disc) and it has thru axles (DT Swiss make them for Trek although they are not DT Swiss branded).

They are so very easy to use. They are simply turned clockwise to tighten and that's it. No levering inwards required & no denting the palm of your hand stuff as per QR's. What's more you then pull the lever straight outwards at right angles to the axle and spin it through a gently ratcheted arc and just leave it in whatever position takes your fancy - align with forks, point back etc. Simplicity itself.

Wheels are very easy to put in too - I found it quicker (not that speed is of any real importance to me) than the QR's on my old bike.

The wheels go back in in exactly the same position as they came out - on my old bike with TRP 9 Mini V's, that you have to run with wafer thin pad to rim clearance, I always had to readjust the brake balance settings whenever the wheels had been off otherwise the pads would rub.

The same used to happen on my Pace MTB a decade or so back. That had discs and QR's and wheel out and wheel in was a bugger as the calliper would always need slight realignment not matter how careful I was making sure the wheels were compressed tight into the dropouts before tightening the QR's.

If there is an option to have TA's then I'd say why not?

 

[Milkfloat]

I am not sure if this is of interest.

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/...8_1500488900_452709103978a9144d3bc4a093ddae87