Workswell 093
 

Yup.
https://i.imgur.com/2ZlG2wz.jpg
So .... just in time for whichever holiday .... I don’t do holidays ... but ...

I did finally get my latest Workswell frame on the road.

It is the 093 “endurance geometry” model, built up with 105 (except an Ultegra rear derailleur) which weighed in at 16.27 lbs “showroom,” and about 19 ready to ride (lights, cages, tools, tubes, pump.)

Frame went together well, no problems. I used a Wheels Mfgr. screw-in BB86 because I hate press-doesn’t fit. I needed an extra washer because the hole on the back of the fork was a little bit big for the brake-caliper fixing bolt ... but I have boxes full of random hardware.

I used 28-mm tires (Maxxis Padrone Tubeless Ready Road Tires) with a tube in back because I couldn’t find a compressor and I wasn’t about to not get the bike built because of one recalcitrant tire. I think maybe the valve had issues—I have managed to get three tubeless wheels working by pulling the valve core and pumping vigorously with a floor pump. This one worked once, and seated and sealed, but the leaky valve let the tire drain ... After I replaced the valve I couldn’t get it to seat with the floor pump. So ... so far I am not sold on tubeless.

The frame has clearance for 28s ... but a wide 28 ... not so sure. I will test later with a Conti Ultrasport, because I know they run about 30 mm ... but it Looks like there is 1.5 mm clearance all around with the Maxxis 28s.

The real clearance issue was the rear (this says "Front." It has always said "Front") derailleur—that long-arm 5800/6800 design we all love so much. I had to play around with the derailleur mount and ended up mounting it a little higher than I wanted, because the arm hit the tire in full top gear. I had to fiddle with the mounting position for a while, and even now there is less than a millimeter when the thing is in full top gear. Anyone buying this frame might want to consider all that.

I am happy with the tires, but I know that whenever I need to replace them, I will have to consider carefully the actual versus the advertised width.

Other than that, I love the bike. I wanted something a little less aggressive than my 066—I figured I could take the 066 in a more sporty, longer/lower direction and have the 093 for longer rides where stretching might get tiring.

One last thing—I splurged and got some very nice wheels made by a mysterious person from far away from everywhere ... s/he has asked that I not reveal his/her identity (actually I made that up .... ) but ....

Kinlin rims, Bitex hubs, Laser spokes .... very nice wheels. Round, and full of spokes. :D

People always say stuff like “They spin up fast,” which to me is like saying “Our beer is always cold” (which I actually heard in a commercial ... )

Wheels spin up fast if you pedal hard. Beer is cold if you chill it. I can make any wheel slow ... just by riding my normal pace.

These wheels, however are light and spin easily (low friction in the hubs I guess) and like any lighter wheelset, are very rewarding in that when you decide to punch it up a little, you can feel an immediate surge.

I have only once did comparison testing, going from heavy to lighter to very light wheels on the same frame, and though I may be fooling myself, the bike did seem to accelerate a lot better with the lighter wheels.

The set I have on the 093 aren’t spindly-light—1430 grams for the pair, but they support my enormous weight—and I did hit one familiar pavement imperfection this morning just to see .... (rather break some spokes close to home than 50 miles out.) I slammed a set of asphalt gouges at a decent pace and the wheels didn’t protest at all.

So ... now I have two favorite riding bikes, two grocery bikes, a trainer bike, and an MTB. I will happily trade the trainer bike or one of the grocery bikes for more time off to go riding, if anyone wants to make the swap.

Soooo jealous!

Got a pic of the rear derailleur almost hitting the tire?

Oi. I am an idiot.

It is the FRONT derailleur that hits the tire when mounted at the 1.5 mm clearance over the chain ring that I wanted.

Arghhh .... why do people let me type things when they know i will get it all wrong? It's all everybody else's fault!

The rear derailleur is normal. The front derailleur touched the tire---more than touched it---until i fiddled with the mounting position.

Very nice, like that paint! How did you decide what size to order?

I measured all my bikes, I measured myself with the Competitive Cycle site, (https://www.competitivecyclist.com/S...ulatorBike.jsp) I did a mechanical drawing before I ordered my last Workswell (066) and I made sure of the range where I wanted my contact points .... I know what range I can handle with stack, reach, effective top tube, and how long a stem and what angle I might need to get the bars right given those measurements.

This time I also I took the side-elevation photos off the site, and sized them in photoshop to scale, and added parts cut out of photos of my existing bikes. That was unnecessary and very time consuming.

I can't tell what I am looking at... ; )

Nice little bike there!

YUGE saddle bag. What brand/model?

I would comment on the bike, but i cant see it.

It looks like the Axiom Grand Fondo. I think they do two versions one with water bottle storage and one without but I could be wrong.

It is no doubt an intellectual theft of that bag. I have seen a few versions; one carries one bottle, one carries two. It is for exceedingly long rides on exceedingly hot summer days--or carrying sleeves and such in the winter. I plan to swap out the bag with something more reasonable for most rides ... and add a top-tube and handlebar bag as needed.

That bag was exceedingly cheap and might not even be workable----I think I might hit it with my thighs when riding vigorously. It might need some modification.

I also dropped the bars just a bit. Still seeking the perfect balance.

Light wheels = the best upgrade after finding a decent saddle.


I kinda like the camo. Nice bar tape match.

Was going to say.... that would have to be a really long cage rear derailleur.

Like the paint, was that an orderable option or did you have that done after receiving it?

Paint is aftermarket, Wheels are already under 1450 grams .... custom Kinlin/Bitex/laser build for a fairly reasonable price. The "big splurge" part of the build.

What model Kinlin rim and Bitex hubs?

I don’t have the parts numbers handy but the rims are 24 mm wide and 26 mm deep. I will get more detailed info from the builder if I cannot find it on my PC somewhere, at some other time.

Tell us about the paint, please.

Yeah, it looks very well applied. A very impressive job. Not sure it's to my particular taste for a bike, but just judged for what it is, I'm very impressed.

Very nice bike -- thanks for the write up.
I'm curious about your impressions of the Bitex hubs and how well they hold up. I've been thinking of having some wheels built with them, but I don't know anyone with experience of them.

pics of tire clearance? How'd the headset and bb go in? I have this nagging idea of building up a carbon frame, but don't want to elephant my way into a $500 mistake...

I can't say much about the hubs so far .... I don't have enough mile son them. I am impressed with the whole wheel set so far. They spin very well, the rear hub seemed loud during the bike build but got much quieter during the first ride, and when I deliberately whacked some paved ruts I normally avoid (having slammed them in thee dark before and not finding it enjoyable) the wheels seemed sturdier than the Vueltas on my other bike.

I am sure someone on the site must have some miles on a set---they seem to be a readily available midrange hub---not too heavy, not too pricey. If I get more time to ride I'll update ... miles have been hard to find latley.

Someone told me Kinlin rims were flexy, too ... and I am a megaclyde riding a 24/28 spoke lightweight wheelset and I don't feel it. I have deliberately hit some other, more minor bumps just to get a feel for the wheels (break 'em close to home, I say) and with 28s pump[ed up to over 110 psi they seems completely solid and strong and still suck up the bad bumps.

I'll tell you, nothing sucks like having too many good bikes.

pcis later, remind me if I forget ... I love taking pictures but I want to use every free moment to ride.

Headset and BB went in prefectly. headset was supplied by the vendor, and I used a Wheels thread-in BB86 with angular bearings. I have a press-in BB-Right in my other CF bike and it was a Bear to get in (even with a pro-quality press) and now, two years later, is making a little noise. I ma going to yank it out and thread in a Wheels unit there too.

I also replaced the BB86-Evo or whatever in my Fuji with a Wheels unit. Press-doesnt-fit BBs are not to my taste. Nothing on a bike should creak but the bones of the aging rider.

As far as all that goes, i can also recommend Workswell as a frame supplier. This is my second and I have zero complaints---except they wouldn't do the five-color camo pattern I wanted. But they did two-tone on my other bike and it is first-rate ... cost less than $100 as I recall, and they bargained with me for a cut price CF seat too.

All the plugs for the cables fit, the cable guide fit, I didn't need a headset press (I used a home-made press on the 066) The seat clamp actually holds the seat post .... and stripped for paint the ultra-light 093 in 56 cm weighed 800 grams. i paid extra for the ultralight, but I priced it against the similar frames from Dengfu/Hongfu and it was the same ... and I had dealt with WW before.

I wish i could by and build another one---I have all the parts----but i don't have time to ride what I have ...... It's tough, all these First-World problems....

So here they are ----- clearance photos.

Oh, you wanted sharp, clear, informative pictures? Well, you should have paid holiday rates.

I had a particularly hard time getting a clear shot or rear tire clearance just because I wasn’t that interested in crawling or climbing or setting up special lighting. It looks to me like there is two mm all around though.

Sub 1-mmm between front derailleur arm and tire .... I had to fiddle with that again today. But it worked and it rides fantastically.

I think I have room for Conti Ultasports or GP4K Except maybe at the derailleur arm ... and I assume I could raise it even higher above the chain and gain another mm there if needed.
https://i.imgur.com/jZU8jQ8.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/YBRG0AR.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/JV5zFRy.jpg

I'm not following , did it come with the headset installed?

No but the headset was supplied, and it fit snugly without the use of any mechanical assistance.

Other bikes, I have had to use PVC tubes, bits of wood, hammers ... various devices to persuade the headset to seat properly. This one was the perfect size ... manual pressure was enough to get it in place.

Cool, that must be a new thing (or maybe just new to me!)

Given the large amount of seatpost showing and the positive angle on the stem, the frame looks too small for you. Did you want a short reach?