cccorlew

I just have to share.
You may know I've had a weird week, with an injury and a burglary.
But there is a new bike in my life! Forgive me for not wanting to retype and reupload.
https://ccorlew.blogspot.com/2012/05/new-bike-n.html

qcpmsame 

Neat bicycle Curtis! A first ride report with pictures and pie report are now due as quickly as possible, sir!

Bill

CACycling

Very nice. That was one of the bikes I looked at when I bought a new commuter earlier this year. Ended up with a Fuji Cross bike and am really liking the 700x35s I put on it.

gear

Nice! Can you put fenders on it?

NOS88

Sweet looking ride and a nice reward.

GFish

Very nice!!

Would love to have the same bike for commuting too. Except I wasn't sure if I would like the gearing as you already noted.

I really don't like commuting with a flat bar on an older MTB, would like to find a road bike. A bike like your new Motobecane would work great.

cccorlew

Yes indeed, fenders will be added. I'm thinking those nice sliver plastic-covered aluminum SKS ones.

I have taken it to work this week, and have just about got the saddle height and angle dialed in.
And today, at a retirement reception for my dean, I had a very nice three berry pie.

BluesDawg

Congrats on the N+1.

Looks like a good one.

GeoKrpan

About those brakes, Avid BB5.

When you wear out the brake pads replace them with metallic pads.
The original pads are organic and they are quiet but the have two drawbacks. They wear out very quickly and the initial bite is not very good. That's why you had the impression that they're not very strong.
The metallic pads are noisier but the initial bite is better. I have some metallic pads on some Hayes MX cable disks and they put the Avids to shame even though they both use the same size small round pad. They last much longer even though they get far more abuse because they are on my 29er.

I got some Avid BB5 road disks for a Gravity Zilla frameset that I got from Bikesdirect.
I only got 4000 miles from the original pads. That is much worse mileage than I get out of rim brake pads.
I needed some pads in a hurry so I headed down to the LBS and paid $20 a wheel for the same organic pads, ouch.
I will be ordering metallic pads on the Internet for $9 a wheel.

It is also very important to keep those pads adjusted very close to the rotor. I tweak them every other ride.
Also, make sure you adjust them from both sides. With the brake lever applied you should see as much inner pad as outer pad.

Timtruro

It's a beauty, and I like the additions you made. Enjoy, you needed that kind of lift after the week you had. Go forth and prosper.

cccorlew

Thanks for the great advice. As a roadie I was completely befuddled by those discs. I try to get the pads really close, but then I get a slight rub. They are equal distances though. I'll order new pads just to have them in the toolbox.
I look at my road pads to see when they are worn. How do you know when your disc pads are shot?

pontiac_paulie

Nice bike, new bikes are such fun.

billydonn

Hope your new Dean is a good one, the bike sure looks good so maybe that's a good omen. And sorry to hear about the recent bad events. Just when you are flying high and things look great misfortune seems to pop up. I would expect that the calf will take some time to fully recover, so get some rest.

Fantom Outlaw Commuter.... yes, that works for me.

GeoKrpan

You will know when the pads are worn out when the inside adjuster won't turn "in" any more.
Put a set of pads in your seat pack. They are not hard to change when you're out on the road. All you need is a hex wrench to remove/re-install the caliper. There's a clip between the pads that you can remove/re-install with your fingers, very easy.

I adjust them with a little rub. When I actually get on the bike and ride it, there is usually no noise.

stapfam

Commuter bikes will have a different life to the pride and joy of your main ride. It will be used every day without much time for maintenance.May not seem too bad in the summer when the weather is just conducive to riding and mo muck or grime getting around the vital parts- but how about winter when it rains- salt on the roads- and the looks as though it has been dipped in grey paint and the wheels of the rear derailleur get to 3 times their thickness. These conditions will wear a bike out quicker than using grinding paste as a lubricant so the bike has to be set up for those conditions. Disc brakes will be a boon. Not only for consistent braking but it will save a set of wheels a year. The extra weight carried in the panniers "May" require some lower gears that a CX set up would give you but you will find that out.

Looks like a bike set up for the use you are going to give it so ride reports are going to be required now-And pics of it in the winter after 1 weeks commuting in the road grime. Just before you clean it on a Saturday morning to be ready for next weeks foul weather.

seenoweevil

Very nice Curtis! I've been lusting heavily after the Ti models! Let's have a ride report please!

NOS88

+1 AND I'm especially interested in your thoughts about the disc brakes after you've used them a bit. I've started to think about scratching an itch for a road/commuter bike with disc brakes and don't know if it's just because right after I bought my cross bike, they started putting disc brakes on them and mine doesn't have 'em.

gear

I haven't touched mine since they were installed a couple years ago. They work great and make no noise.

bigbadwullf

Disc brakes. You are now officially ruined . You will never want to go back to regular brakes.

GeoKrpan

I ride 1500 miles a month and live in a hilly/mountainous area. Those 4000 miles were on-road miles. The organic pads wouldn't last a month on the dirt.

cccorlew

UPDATE:
When I got my new Motobecane Fantom Outlaw and set it up as a commuter I was pretty dang happy. But it turned out that the gearing was just a hair tall for my headwind commute with parachute-like, wide catching panniers. That, and I'm just not always willing to work really hard on a commute ride.

When I realized my Sora shifters were made to operate a triple, I started looking for something with lower gears. I looked at all kinds of cranks, both road and mountain. Then I came across the Velo Orange VO Triple Crankset with 24, 36, and 48 tooth chainrings. It looked sharp, and was reasonably priced. I needed a different front derailleur, which I found used on eBay for $10. I also needed a long cage rear derailleur too, but I had a nice Ultegra model left over from upgrading Tricia's Ruby. I got a new chain and was in business.

I like the lower gears. The 36 tooth ring is a lot more useful than the 39 was for me. I haven't needed the 24, but I have fantasies of over-night "touring" and think I'll be happy to have it. The amazing part is that it shifts really well. The Sora nine-speed shifters are very positive and the bike shifts with a very reassuring mechanical crispness that I wasn't expecting in a lower-level group. The Velo Orange chain rings are ramped, so both front and rear shifting are pretty swell.

Next up: Fenders, before it starts to rain.


velo orange crank by ccorlew, on Flickr

Cleave

Hi, what kind of panniers are you using? I'm in the process of an extended commuter bike build. I have some old panniers (circa mid-1980s) that I've used on a couple of bike tours and other reasons. They work but they are hard to put on and take off of the rack. I have to park my bike a fair distance from the entrance to our building and I need to carry the panniers into the building every day. My past bike commuting was done with a backpack and I want to avoid that.

TIA for any advice you can provide.

qcpmsame 

Curtis,
The Velo Orange crank set is beautiful, hope it does the job for your commute. I have the RSX drivetrain, save the brifters, from my R500T. I am thinking about finding a suitable frame, say a cyclocross frame from the 90's that would accept the 7 speed spacing on the rear wheelset and building a commuter, lazy, ride around bike. Looks like your commuter is coming together.

Bill

cccorlew

Those are from Detours.
Mine are the "Transit" model, but they aren't made any longer. I think the closest is the D2R Large.
I'm pretty happy with them. They have a system that pops them on and off really easily. I can just grab it and it come with me, but also attaches to teh bike in a way that is really solid.

My wife has an Ortlieb, which she found on sale. She loves it, as it is totally 100% waterproof and built to last forever. They are pricy, but everyone I know who bought one loves it.