pinkrobe

I was just complaining to my wife about how none of my cycling goodies had arrived, when I happened to spy the postal delivery guy walking up my front steps. In the boxes were the following tidbits:

• Winwood 700C carbon disc fork
• Avid BB7 road discs - F&R
• Dia-compe V-brake compatible road levers
• Sugino SS crank
• 46cm flat-top road bar
• RCE STI Wagon Springs [okay, these aren't a bike item, but they're still cool]

I'm still waiting for my Hope hubset, spokes, nipples, SS cogs and cable housing, but that's a different vendor.

marqueemoon

Sounds pretty similar to the beast I'm building.

pinkrobe

Oh yeah? I'm converting my old Trek hardtail to 700C for winter. What are you doing?

jyossarian

What's the wagon springs for? The horse drawn wagon?

flipped4bikes

Wow, you have a cool wife to let you get all that stuff!

marqueemoon

Redline Conquest Disc-R build.

Kona Project 2 fork
Salsa Stem/Nitto 115 bars/Cane Creek SCR-5 levers
used King headset
Specialized/WTB wheels
Shimano 600 cranks
Thomson post/Flite saddle
some pedals from the junk bin
my almost-dead Vittoria Randonneur 700x28 tires or Soma Everwear 700x26 if they'll fit
Avid BB-7 discs

It will probably start life as singlespeed. Hopefully I will find a nice magic gear, as I would really prefer not to use a tensioner. I basically need a bottom bracket, a seat collar, a cog, a chain, some bar tape and cables and a few hours (finding the time seems to be the tough part at this point).

Sawtooth

I am very interested in this.... How about clearance on the rear? Was your old Trek Frame disk compatable on the rear? I have an old Jamis that I want to do this to but I don't see how it could work. It is not disk compatible on the rear (or fork, for that matter). I also think rear clearance will be an issue.

Cyclist0383

I hate to rain on your parade, but I have to ask, the road BB7 brakes and the V-compatible levers weren't bought to be used together, were they? If so, sadly they won't due to incompatible cable pull between them.

Phantoj

V-levers + road BB7's might work, but with higher lever force. I have road levers and road BB7's, and the lever force required for braking is pretty low, so V-levers might give similar feel to caliper rim brakes.

V-compatible levers + mountain BB7's would probably work better than road levers + road BB7's (lower cable tension, less flex)

pinkrobe

No, they're for my Subaru WRX wagon. Yes, my wife and I share a car. I'm goin' ta hell!

pinkrobe

New shipment today!

• Hope Pro II hubs [gunmetal!]
• cable housing
• Wheelsmith spokes and nipples
• Surly SS cogs

I built up one wheel tonight [Mavic Open Pro], and I should be able to do the other tomorrow. To answer some questions/comments:
- Yes, the BB7 road and V road levers were purchased to work together, and they should work just fine. I have used V-levers with Ultegra caliper brakes several times in the past with great success, and I doubt this will be any different. V levers pull more cable than regular road levers, so I can get good stopping power with less lever travel. I'll let you know how it works once I've got it all together.
- I checked for clearance on my frame [2004 Trek 8500] before ordering anything. With a 38C studded tire, I have about 10mm on either side of the tire to the chainstays, and about an inch from the center of the tread to the frame. If the frame had a chainstay bridge, this likely wouldn't work. The frame is disc and rim brake compatible, so if I really wanted to, I could set up the bike with a 26 x 2.1" tire in the back and front.
- Marqueemoon, that sounds like a nice build! We should both post some pics after the builds are done...

marqueemoon

Thanks. Looking forward to seeing yours. Maybe if we made it a race I'd finally get it done!

pinkrobe

The only way I'll beat you is if I can get it all taken care of tonight, and since I'm still missing grip tape for the handlebar and some brake cable, I think you'll win...

pinkrobe

I'm getting closer! Built the rear wheel up, triple-checked to make sure both wheels fit in the frame. I compared it to my Cervelo, and It looks like the sizing is almost identical. The 17.5" Trek is apparently equivalent to a 54cm road frame, at least as far as virtual TT goes.

This build will have a fairly high bottom bracket, so that should be interesting. I measured the toe-overlap with the front wheel, and I should have ample clearance. I put on the stem, handlebar and brake levers just to see how that would come together, and it looks pretty good. I'll have to get some spacers under the stem, and maybe swap it for something shorter - ~90mm should do it.

pinkrobe

Done! Well, 99% done. I still need to wrap the bars, but otherwise, this rascal is ready to roll!


On the test ride[s], I found that using a 1986 Suntour rear dérailleur as a chain tensioner wasn't going to work. I was fiddling around and figured I'd try just shortening the chain all the way and... voila! Slack, but it stays in place just fine, even when curb hopping. I am also pleased to report that after breaking in the disc brakes, they provide some pretty damn fine stopping power. I'm glad I didn't match up the road discs with road levers [as on the Bianchi Roger], since they have to be dialled in so tight. The stem is actually a pretty good length as well, and the CX fork rake combined with the slightly slack head angle is making for a pretty stable ride. The 46cm bars will take some getting used to, but they offer plenty of leverage.

If anyone is contemplating doing something similar, I highly recommend it. W00+!