Classic & Vintage - The Ultimate 'suicide' bicycle thread.

Reading the 'Cinelli Suicide Pedals' thread just now prompted me to think of what would happen if we combined all the 'suicide' components in one machine?
The ultimate put off?

How about a frame with Viscount forks, Cinelli pedals and various vintage shifters etc.
I'm not aware (yet) of a suicide frame but I bet there is one somewhere:p
Lets hear some suggestions....

Although I've never seen one actually broken, the Cannondale Crit frame with the cantilever dropouts could qualify.

Frame: Cannondale canitliver, Teledyne Titan, Kirk Precision, or Exxon Graftek
Fork: Viscount Aerospace Pro
Stem: AVA
Handlebar: AVA
Seatpost: Campagnolo C-Record or Triomphe/Victory taper (heard through the grape vine that a few might have cracked in the past)
Saddle: Anything with a carbon frame.
Crankset: Nuovo Record w/stress cracks
Derailers: Simplex Prestige
Pedals: Aformentioned Cinellis
Brake calipers: Campagnolo Delta
Brake levers: Modolo plastic?

-Kurt

According to M. Barry (http://bicyclespecialties.blogspot.com/2008_12_01_archive.html) (Mariposa bikes), about the Mafac GT centre pull:

''the Mafacs had one disconcerting feature: the brake quick release mechanism would snap open when one braked really hard''

way back in the archives of another section of BF there is a long thread about this.
I have to input that the front derailleur should be simplex but the rear should be an electric Mavic.

A while back someone posted a picture of a Kamikazi brand bike. That would probably be appropriate for the frame.

A pennyfarthing with a Viscount fork.

The '74 Fujis had some real thin spokes.

Be sure to build it with chromed steel rims (no hook edge) and high pressure Kevlar bead tires.

The '74 Fujis had some real thin spokes.

I had a Raleigh from that era with the same "feature". They also rusted as I recall.

A pennyfarthing with a Viscount fork.

I like this one:thumb:

Frame: Cannondale canitliver, Teledyne Titan, Kirk Precision, or Exxon Graftek
Fork: Viscount Aerospace Pro
Stem: AVA
Handlebar: AVA
Seatpost: Campagnolo C-Record or Triomphe/Victory taper (heard through the grape vine that a few might have cracked in the past)
Saddle: Anything with a carbon frame.
Crankset: Nuovo Record w/stress cracks
Derailers: Simplex Prestige
Pedals: Aformentioned Cinellis
Brake calipers: Campagnolo Delta
Brake levers: Modolo plastic?

-Kurt

Pretty good, I'll add that the matching plastic simplex shifters would be good with this set-up.

Stem could also be a modolo equipe.

Could make it a single speed and take any freewheel hub with a track gear for the "suicide hub"

Whatever is used for the brakes, brake levers, crank arms, and derailleurs, be sure they get the "drillium" feature. Heck, while we're at it, drill out the handle bars, seat post and maybe the stem, too.

As for the frame, pretty much any first-gen screwed-and-glued carbon fiber frame with aluminum lugs.

And if we can't find a Viscount/Lambert "death fork," maybe we could use George Hincapie's fork from Paris-Roubaix a year or two ago. I doubt if he needs it for anything . . . .

Be sure to build it with chromed steel rims (no hook edge) and high pressure Kevlar bead tires.

Oh, yes! Make sure the brake surface is smooooooooth (no "bumps) and then ride downhill in the rain.

I'd toss in a Huret Allvit RD. They might not break, but they could convince a person to kill themselves.:D

Shimano Death Cranks (http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml97/97149.html)

Stronglight plastic headset.

Any "suicide" FD from Huret, Simplex, Cyclo or Campagnolo.


Edit: Rims could be Fiamme Ergals, Nisi Sludis or Gel 280s (at least for riders over 140 :))

OK, the new build reads:
Frame: Cannondale canitliver, Teledyne Titan, Kirk Precision, or Exxon Graftek
Fork: Viscount Aerospace Pro
Stem: 3TTT/Modolo Equipe/AVA
Handlebar: AVA (alternates with proper clamp diameter needed for the 3TTT and Modolo setups)
Seatpost: Campagnolo C-Record or Triomphe/Victory aero
Saddle: Anything with a carbon frame.
Crankset: Shimano MTB death cranks
Derailers: Simplex Prestige
Pedals: Aformentioned Cinellis
Brake calipers: Campagnolo Delta
Brake levers: Modolo plastic?
Rims: Steel, single wall 700C, smooth-edge
Hubs: Campagnolo C-Record Sheriff Star
Tires: Anything made to be run at 100+ PSI

-Kurt

Add the "safety" brake levers a.k.a. turkey wings. And if it's a fixie, no sprocket locknut, just Loctite (like some fixie fans apparently do).

Hubs: Campagnolo C-Record Sheriff Star

-Kurt[/QUOTE]

Laced 2 cross having been laced radial and 3x in the past, alternating leading an trailing spoke holes from past lacing patterns.

Just lace them radial and be done with it.

Better yet, lace them radial into one of those crappy, 20-spoke, non-eyeletted Bontrager Race Lite rims. Can you say "snap, crackle, pop?"

-Kurt

and no plugs on the end of the bars.

and from the world of MTB, how about the old-style bridge on the straddle-cable of canti brakes so that if the straddle wire jumped out of the bridge, or if the anchor bolt slipped, the straddle wire falls down and catches on the knobby tires and stops the bike instantly.

OK, the new build reads:
Frame: Cannondale canitliver, Teledyne Titan, Kirk Precision, or Exxon Graftek
Fork: Viscount Aerospace Pro
Stem: 3TTT/Modolo Equipe/AVA
Handlebar: AVA (alternates with proper clamp diameter needed for the 3TTT and Modolo setups)
Seatpost: Campagnolo C-Record or Triomphe/Victory aero
Saddle: Anything with a carbon frame.
Crankset: Shimano MTB death cranks
Derailers: Simplex Prestige
Pedals: Aformentioned Cinellis
Brake calipers: Campagnolo Delta
Brake levers: Modolo plastic?
Rims: Steel, single wall 700C, smooth-edge
Hubs: Campagnolo C-Record Sheriff Star
Tires: Anything made to be run at 100+ PSI

-Kurt

No...seatpost must be the Shiba Western plastic.

As for calipers, a properly set up set of Deltas was adequate. There was no way to set up Universal AERs to stop. Period.

Just lace them radial and be done with it.

Better yet, lace them radial into one of those crappy, 20-spoke, non-eyeletted Bontrager Race Lite rims. Can you say "snap, crackle, pop?"

-Kurt

:roflmao2: I have one of those mechanical failures-waiting-to-happen. Off a Trek FX 7.5. I built new wheels - of course. Still can't figure out what to do with this monster. Get this: Spoke-tension between over 220 Kgf and 145 Kgf. Not snap, crackle, pop - more like Bang! Bang! Bang! :lol:

I have your front derailleur right here...

http://www.ravingbikefiend.com/bikepics/edithcompetition.jpg

There's nothing "suicide" about a lever front derailleur. You take your hand off the handlebars to shift it?? ... so that's suicidal? Then downtube shifters are "suicide downtube shifters", and water bottles are "suicide water bottles". Only Americans, and only newbies, call a lever front derailleur a suicide front derailleur. They weren't called that in the US back in the day, and they aren't called that anywhere else to this day.

why not stem shifters? xtra long suntour power ratchets. SNG aftermarket levers. Worse than kronos

I have your front derailleur right here...

If you think a simple "grab and shift" rod is suicide-stuff, you can send that PX over to me right now, along with all your Cambio Corsa equipped machines (in fact, I've been dying to try out something equipped with the latter...)

-Kurt

Suicide brake levers: Universal 69 levers
http://i430.photobucket.com/albums/qq29/abarthbikes/UniversalBrakeLevers3.jpg (http://i430.photobucket.com/albums/qq29/abarthbikes/UniversalBrakeLevers3.jpg)
http://i430.photobucket.com/albums/qq29/abarthbikes/UniversalBrakeLevers2.jpg
(http://i430.photobucket.com/albums/qq29/abarthbikes/UniversalBrakeLevers2.jpg)

Revised list #3:

Frame: Cannondale canitliver, Teledyne Titan, Kirk Precision, or Exxon Graftek
Fork: Viscount Aerospace Pro
Stem: 3TTT/Modolo Equipe/AVA
Handlebar: AVA (alternates with proper clamp diameter needed for the 3TTT and Modolo setups)
Seatpost: Shiba Western, plastic
Saddle: Anything with a carbon frame.
Crankset: Shimano MTB death cranks
Derailers: Simplex Prestige
Pedals: Aformentioned Cinellis
Brake calipers: Campagnolo Delta (not necessarily set up with care)
Brake levers: Universal 69
Rims: Steel, single wall 700C, smooth-edge
Hubs: Campagnolo C-Record Sheriff Star, radial front, 2 cross rear
Tires: Anything made to be run at 100+ PSI

-Kurt

Oh, yes! Make sure the brake surface is smooooooooth (no "bumps) and then ride downhill in the rain.

Per both Frank Berto and Bicycling Science the dimpled steel wheels were even worse in the rain. The dimples acted as water traps which kept a supply available to keep everything nice and wet for longer than the smooth steel rims.

Just lace them radial and be done with it.

Better yet, lace them radial into one of those crappy, 20-spoke, non-eyeletted Bontrager Race Lite rims. Can you say "snap, crackle, pop?"

-Kurt

You can say "snap, crackle, crash!"

Didn't Viscount have a problem with their bottom brackets? I thought I read that somewhere, but I could be wrong. Aluminum spindles, maybe?

whats an mtb death crank?

...And if it's a fixie, no sprocket locknut, just Loctite (like some fixie fans apparently do).

I use JB Weld :innocent:

geek

Be sure to build it with chromed steel rims (no hook edge) and high pressure Kevlar bead tires.
Oh, yes! Make sure the brake surface is smooooooooth (no "bumps) and then ride downhill in the rain.
Per both Frank Berto and Bicycling Science the dimpled steel wheels were even worse in the rain. The dimples acted as water traps which kept a supply available to keep everything nice and wet for longer than the smooth steel rims.What about the brake pads? Leather?

why not stem shifters? xtra long suntour power ratchets. SNG aftermarket levers. Worse than kronosHow about a top tube shifter, ala the Schwin Krates?

What about the brake pads? Leather?

Brake-Pads: Modolo sintered off the original Modolo Speedy brake-sets. Guaranteed not to stop you. And do what I did once when I actually built a 'suicide-bike' - grease the rims with Teflon.

For the handlebars, I used old-style BMX handlebars held in place with a shim cut from a beer can. Deadly! :lol:

Why bother with brakes levers? Just hack them off and leave a nice set of suicide levers.

And with all of these valuable suggestions, why stop at just one frame? Why not use two or three - chopped/stretched/welded - something worthy of the 'Alt Bike Culture' forum?

stem might be a Cinelli !R. The ones on my racing bike broke, and now the ones on my commuter are slipping. Afraid to tighten them up tight enough.

http://i232.photobucket.com/albums/ee42/Reynolds51/seatpost.jpg
http://i232.photobucket.com/albums/ee42/Reynolds51/alfs3.jpg
http://i232.photobucket.com/albums/ee42/Reynolds51/0620-170639.jpg

If you think a simple "grab and shift" rod is suicide-stuff, you can send that PX over to me right now, along with all your Cambio Corsa equipped machines (in fact, I've been dying to try out something equipped with the latter...)

-Kurt

I posted that in an attempt at humour... the Simplex Competition is actually a pretty smooth and fairly bombproof shifter that isn't that hard to use.

I only wish I had a bike that was equipped with Cambio Corsa shifters.

And Edith (The '57 Peugeot) will be staying right here thankyouverymuch.

I could send you some AVA stems...

Didn't Viscount have a problem with their bottom brackets? I thought I read that somewhere, but I could be wrong. Aluminum spindles, maybe?

Their axle spindles are notoriously weak but thankfully... they are serviceable.

http://bikecult.com/works/parts/bbViscount.html

My friend rides a Viscount (fixed gear conversion) and has replaced the death fork with a nice fully chromed Reynolds fork and his bb is looking like it is also due to be replaced.

How about a top tube shifter, ala the Schwin Krates?

Stick with C&V stuff. If that was the type of suicide bike you had in mind, one could just as well take a Schwinn Varsity frame, make it a fixie, put a fork on it with V-brake mounts, set the V-brakes too tight, and wait for a bike thief to steal it (and subsequently throw himself over the bars when he realizes that he can't ride fixed, and jams the front brake).

The trick is to build a machine with hazardous-by-nature components that are not out of the ordinary for any C&V road machine.

-Kurt

Be sure to build it with chromed steel rims (no hook edge) and high pressure Kevlar bead tires.

Nice one.....

Mention of Viscounts (knew they would feature:) reminds me of a certain problem I had....
http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g58/duktig/DSCN2411.jpg
To be fair though it was nothing to do with the Viscount, and luckily it went "wooly" at 5mph on the pavement.
Probably the result of a mild impact a week or so before.

Campy NR's need to be put back on the list. while Shimano did have problem with that particular crank they did recall them versus Campy who B.S.'d the public for years.

Everyone knows about the Campy's cracking yet they still pay top dollar....that right there is reason to be on the list.

Fair enough. NR on the right side, Shimano MTB on the left ;)

-Kurt

There's nothing "suicide" about a lever front derailleur. You take your hand off the handlebars to shift it?? ... so that's suicidal? Then downtube shifters are "suicide downtube shifters", and water bottles are "suicide water bottles". Only Americans, and only newbies, call a lever front derailleur a suicide front derailleur. They weren't called that in the US back in the day, and they aren't called that anywhere else to this day.

How true.
Suicide just seems a convenient, sensationalist, eye grabbing tag to add to something you may not like, or never grew up with.
I think Penny Farthings look dangerous, but they were the only thing available at a certain place in time.