Basically, there is plenty of room in the front fork and in the rear between the seat stays and rear brake bridge, however, there is very little room between the chainstays and behind the seat tube. Although the rear dropouts are about 1.5" long, only about 1" is usable, since the tire hits the seat tube if you move the wheel in more than an inch. I changed the gearing from 40x17 to 38x16 (same 64 gear inches) just so I could move the wheel back to provide clearance for removal without having to deflate the tire. At the position I've got it now there is room for a 28mm size tire and you might be able to squeeze a 32mm in there, but it would be a real tight fit. The tires I have now are 23mm wide tubulars.Originally Posted by Triple8Sol
Since other people may be watching this thread, I've posted additional photos of other changes/improvements that I've made. Gone are the ugly old Universal brakes levers with their rotting hoods and old hard cotton bar tape, and in their place are a pair of Dia Compe Aero Grand Comp levers with comfy ergo hoods and some sweet Arundel GeckoGrip soft bar tape. Since the levers are spring loaded, I didn't have to remove the lever handle on the dead grip. Also, note the cool Paul Comp dropout adjuster screws with their large machined knobs to permit tool-free adjustment. Finally, I came to the realization that the 27.2mm seatpost was the wrong size, even though that's what the specs said, and replaced it with a perfect fitting Kalloy 27.4mm silver machined 2-bolt seatpost. I also lowered the stem 5mm.
So far I've put about 400 miles on it and am very pleased with how it rides and performs. Come winter, I expect to change my clipless pedals from Look road to Shimano MTB SPD so I can use my MT51 shoes which are warm and walkable.
Reply With Quote
