Just the street.

Scrod,
How much free movement should there be as you begin to pedal before the chain engages fully?

Also, crunchy or creamy PB?

If your cog and lockring are installed properly, none.

Creamy all day long.

Not even enough to take up a little slack in the chain?

He didn't specifically ask about slack in the chain, he asked about the chain "engaging".

I need a threaded 1" headset with 38-39 mm stack height and don't want to pay an arm and a leg. I like the looks of the Tange Levin NJS, but I've had some people telling me needle bearings are the way to go and I should look into something like the Miche Primato headset. Any preferences/other suggestions for me, Scrod?

I was picturing him asking about a track stand kind of situation. It seems to me that if you track stand and there isn't a little bit of movement back and forth without the "chain engaging" then your chain is too tight. I took his question to mean "how far can you move the crank before the wheel is also moving." but you know best.

IRD Technoglide has a stack height of 35.9mm that is available either with sealed cartridge or caged ball/needle lower bearings. You could easily make up the difference with a small 1" headset spacer if you don't want to cut your fork.

I suppose only he knows what he meant. It often blows my mind that people can't figure out how tight their chains should be.

I would think Bill Nye would be able to figure that out on his own. :lol:

General physics I get. Bike physics though...

Anyway, I ask because I just built the bike, brand new chain, and I know chains stretch over time. When I started, the chain tension was pretty tight, but I think it loosened pretty quickly. The other day I was riding home and I went to start pedaling after stopping to drink, and it felt like the chain skipped and caught or binded, not sure I didn't see it, just felt the shudder. Just checking the tension it was much more loose.
The brief moment I was referring to before the chain "engages" was you when you're coasting and you go to pedal again, there might be this split second where there seems to be no resistance before it kicks in and you know you're putting effot into it. I'm guessing that's maybe some slack? I dunno.

maybe i'm crazy.

Thanks. I should have mentioned that I'd like to keep it in the $30-40 range or less if possible. I do have a couple of 1 mm spacers laying around, and I have wanted to try a sealed bearing headset though...

Would The Sci Guy be experiencing what he is if his wheel were somehow sliding toward his crankset, decreasing the distance and, thus, introducing slack into his chain?

Wait, are you now asking about the number of points of engagement in a freewheel?

scrod do you have any experience with ambrosio rims or wheelsets?

ive read they make high quality components but i figured id ask you.

I don't even know what this means

you need to learn the mechanicals of a freewheel. its not wizards and unicorns inside, they are called pawls.

oh. wow.

The rims Miche uses on the Pistard wheelset are Ambrosio Pistas. They are excellent.

Bill Nye let me down.

You answered my next question regarding ambrosio and miche pista/pistard wheel set.
I haven't decided if I'm having another front tb14 wheel built to match the rear or drop the rear tb and get the ambrosio pista wheelset.

would be on a purple pake rr with black lugged fork and components.

just dont know what to do. most places local quote about 140 or so for a front wheel where as ive seen the ambrosio pista set for around 250.

Does the leader 721 not include a seat post clamp? I thought i read that it did, but cant find that now. Anyways its a 31.8mm collar correct?

It's been a few years since the 721 included a collar.

Yes, it's 31.8mm.

dear mr. scrod,

if im not mistaken, retrogression used to carry a compact drop with a clamp section for old school 26.0 quill stems. it may have been made by civia or soma but im not sure. anyways, i need one now. silver in a 420mm width. do you no longer carry this item?

Hey Scrod,

What do you think about the integrated clamp design on the new 725's? I'm debating whether or not to stick with 2014 or go for the newer frame.

Thanks!

We still have the Soma HWY ONE on the site but available sizes are all over the place until Soma makes more.

It's a good design but it looks a little too "futuristic" for my taste.

What's your opinion on Colossi? Specifically the Low Pro model.Any thoughts or experience with them?

Colossi makes very good frames. A lot of the frames coming from pretty big name companies are actually manufactured in the Colossi factory (I can't say which ones but you can probably figure it out with a little bit of research).

I've seen the Low Pro and it's a cool frame. The quality is definitely there.

Scrods, I am looking at buying a new frame and in the description it says that the bottom bracket shell is best suited for 107mm bb. I am hell bent on getting Sugino 75s for this build which suggests a 109.5mm bb. 2.5mm is pretty marginal, but will this be an issue in any way?

That makes absolutely no sense. The BB spindle length is always determined by the crankset being used, not the frame.

I thought it was a bit odd that in the frame description it stated that a 107mm bb would work best with the frame....