Fifty Plus (50+) - New Bike Specs and Ride Characteristics

Just got the recommended specifications for the Crown Jewel Ti Indy Fab is building for me. So, here's the quiz; given the following measurements, what kind of ride should I expect?

Seat tube length - 54cm
top tube length - 55cm
head tube length - 155mm
head tube angle - 72.5 degrees
seat tube angle - 73.5 degrees
wheelbase - 988.5 mm
standover - 802.5mm
chain stay length - 410mm
fork offset -45mm
trail -59.1mm

Seems like pretty standard road geometry with perhaps a bit longer front center. Ride quality will depend on what tubes IF uses in the frame. You need to communicate what type of ride quality you are looking to get to IF. They can make your frame ride harsh or like a noodle. The selection of chainstay diameter will impact rear triangle stiffness and climbing. It would appear you have chosen a traditional non sloping tt. That will also ride somewhat different than a sloping tt. There are still details to be worked out so talk to IF!

What is the BB drop on this frame?

What is the BB drop on this frame?

I was wondering that too.

The tubing choice (diameter, wall thickness, tapering, butting) will be what determines the ride, where the geometry will determine the handling.

Indy Fab generally does a good job of turning customer desires into rolling metal. So what did you tell them you want it to ride like?

Hey, wait a minute. Didn't weddings eat up the bike budget?

As TSL said- Frame build and materials will affect handling and very few of us will have experience of that. Frame fit will affect you and I take it you have got that correct.

But what will affect the ride are the components. Mainly the wheels but Seat post- and bars will affect the ride if not the handling.

But what will affect the ride are the components. Mainly the wheels but Seat post- and bars will affect the ride if not the handling.

In my experience, tire size makes a bigger difference than the seatpost and handlebars.

The bike above would ride very different on 32c tires vs. 23c tires, in my opinion.

So responses on BB drop without any info as to why the question, Here is a pretty good write up on what it means and why http://davesbikeblog.blogspot.com/2007/02/bottom-bracket-height.html

According to this article, unless you are going for something different than a "road bike" you will probably get a standard BB drop which is most like just where you want to be.

BTW - look at the pictures in the article of the crazy brits cornering on tri's

This ex-frame builder's blog seems to have good information about a lot of items. I am not a frame builder (yet) and have not studied the sensitivities of each of the various design options. If you are really interested in what all these measurements mean there are a lot of sources on line but I also bet IF would be more than happy to discuss the design choices and why and if they are worth their salt they would actually appreciate the interest you take. Very few if any folks here have actually gone through the process of auto-cad to torching up a frame.

I fun process - especially if you are a techie or a gear head.

Simple solution: Just have the frame shipped here and I will test it in my lab for you!:innocent:

I think the best compromise on BB drop for a road bike is 7cm. I have had bikes with different BB drops and the frames that have 7cm seem to handle very well. That is in a size 58-60cm frame.