jbpence

I am building a new touring bike for a tour of Yunnan Province, China next spring.

Black Sheep, of Fort Collins Colorado made this TI frame and fork to my specs. THESE GUYS ARE GREAT

Here are the specs:

Top Tube 55
Seat tube angle 73.25
Headtube angle 72.5
Headtube Height 150
Chain Stays 43.5
Spacing 135
Braking Avid Road BB7 disc
water bottle mounts 3
Extras Pump peg/ low rider eyelets, rear rack eyelets, fender eyelets, TI S&S couplers

This bike will have CHris king head and King stainless hubs, and Shimano XTR drivetrain, Shimano bar end shifters, and 44-36-22 rings and and 11-34 cassette. I'll post more as we build it up.

thecrunge

Fabulous looking frame!
I don't see the low-rider eyelets. Could they be the ones just above the front drop outs?
When on tour, don't let your piece of art out of your sight, for gods sake!
You'll have to add a Ti lock to that list above!
Can't wait to see it all ready to go.

valygrl

gorgeous, can't wait to see the build.

twodeadpoets

OMG I can't wait to see this beaut built up!

Please don't mind my drool...

soltour

have been considering such a frame myself. I dont wish to appear vulgar, but what sort of price would be on the complete finished article

Yan 

It's beautiful there, but be mindful of possession security and only drink boiled water.

jbpence

yup - . The fender and rack eyelets are not there yet. They are being added as we speak

ANd yup again, I keep an eye on my bikes.

jbpence

Keeping in mind this is a one of a kind frame and fork: the list price quoted for the frame was 2450.00 not including the titanium S&S coupler (800.00). The fork list price quoted was 475.00. Compares nicely, to, say, a Moots frame with such custom touches (well over 3,000 for just the frame with no couplers).

I am working with a friend of mine, Mike Casey who owns Aberdeen Bike and Fitness in Chelsea Michigan. He helped me with my last touring bike, a trek 520 (with a mountain crank and rear der and lowered gearing). This bike (1300 miles on it) is for sale now that this one is under way.

Mike and I are going to assemble and test ride the loaded bike in mid January. I'll be documenting the build in another thread here on the touring forum

The completed bike will be in the 5500.00 area, which includes a negotiated discount.

I am going to CHina to do volunteer work and will be based in Kunming for a couple months. Then the tour, for anopther month, and then visa requirements will mean that I have to leave China. I may tour in India then, or return to the US.

jbpence

wha-oops - front (lowrider) and rear rack eyelets ARE there, its the fender mounts that are being done now.

and we're looking into titanium front and rear racks.

hardtail

Really nice looking frame . Be sure to get a good lock.

Looks like bars will be well below saddle height. If this is the case will such a set-up be comfortable?

I've spent about 10 or 11 weeks travelling in China. Not cycling though. Yunnan Province is probably the most beautiful part of China (and there are many many beautiful places in that country). Definitely visit Dali and Lijang. If you're feeling adventurous why not visit Yading and Litang in Sichuan Province. Both high altitude (approx 4000 metres) and incredibly beautiful.

Visas can be extended pretty easily. Just go to the PSB office in a large city such as Kunming or Chengdu. Also in touristed areas such as Dali and Lijang but check to make sure. If you do go to Chengdu be sure to go to Peter's Tex Max... fantastic!

From Chengdu you could link up with the new rail line into Lhasa, Tibet and then cycle from there down (literally) to Kathmandu. This is a great cycle passing by Everest and many of the world's highest mountains. You cannot believe how beautiful the scenery is. I did it in a landcruiser, so can't claim to know what it's like to cycle it, but I did meet a few cyclists doing it and while incredibly difficult they really seemed to be enjoying it. If you do this though don't underestimate the rigors. One French guy I met very nearly died (I'm very serious) on this trip and was only saved because he was with conscientious travelling companions whom he'd met only shortly before starting the trip.

One last thing. I think having a good touring bicycle is a really important part of having a good trip. Personally I've got a Thorn Raven with a Rohloff hub. However, the tour itself is really infinitely more important than the bike. Be sure to enjoy China and spend enough time there. It would be a shame to spend $5,500 on a bicycle and then only spend a month touring. I have no idea if cost is an issue for you but for me I'd prefer to spend say $2000 on a bicycle and put the other $3,500 towards the tour. That's just me but I know for sure that 1 month touring in this part of the world simply won't do it justice. Personally I'd pull out all the stops to make sure I had lots of time and a flexible schedule. And enough cash to keep me going.

Good luck and enjoy!

jbpence

bars well below saddle height? On what observation are you basing that comment??

In the specs above, take a look at the length of the head tube, its 150mm. this is pretty long, and 30mm longer than say, my trek 520 with a similar length top tube. This TI frame has a sloping top tube, similarto, but not as sloping as my specialized roubaix. this results in a pretty upright riding position. We used my trek 520 and my Roubaix as a 'go by' but lengthened the head tube (over that on the Trek) to provide an even more upright position then the Trek. We didn't go with as long a head tube as on my Roubaix, which is 190mm.

On my Trek 520 the seat is not very much higher than the bar. On the TI frame, it should be even closer to the level of the bar. I should also point out that I have a LONG torso and VERY short legs for a guy that is 5' 10 1/2". Your comments in response to this additional info would of course be appreciated.

thanks for all the comments, I am doing two months of volunteer work, then a month tour IN CHINA before my visa requires me to leave, whereupon I'll likely head for India (more touring), then back to china after the monsoon is over, but maybe not.

It is likely that I will be in China 6 months a year for the foreseeable future. My S.O. runs a non profit organization that works out of Kunming with a group of college students there in order to foster local volunteerism in the area. No problem getting enough tour time over the next few years. On your closing points, I do appreciate your comments, and fortunately I have no shortage of bicycles, time, ability, or resources.

And I do love a great bike, almost as much as I love a great tour.

hardtail

bars well below saddle height? On what observation are you basing that comment??

Very simply on the length of the fork steerer tube in relation to the overall frame size. Looks like you've got all the angles covered though and obviously if the bike is being built to your specific design and body type it should be just right.

Enjoy China! It'll be a blast

jbpence

must be an illusion of some sorts. BTW fork is going to be cut off a bunch, its not been trimmed yet. seat post is WAY up too.

again thanks for the info in your post

i86o

why not keep the fork? whats it going to hurt, keep your options open

and 26 or 700? i suppose there is nothing stopping you from running either.

onbike 1939

Using XTR as your drive train on a touring machine might cause you trouble. I've found that the rear block is too fragile for pulling the loaded bike and the sprockets do bend out of true. If I were you I'd stick to XT as XTR is aimed at the Pro MTB guys who only use it for a limited mount of time in races.

NeezyDeezy

and how much do the frame and work weigh

jbpence

onbike 1939: thanks. We are using XTR since the crank is available in 172.5mm. NOt true for XT. ANd we aren't using XTR cassette, instead we are using SRAM for the rear cassette, and salsa chainrings on the front.

glad to take your advice on the rear der, if XT is more durable. Any other comments on say, the XTR crank and bottom bracket would be appreciated.

NeezyDeezy: I'll get it weighed and report it in this threao. Builder was surprised how much lighter it seemed than the Moots Psychlo-x frame.

i86o
we are keeping the fork. we are also cutting the fork tube to the proper length with we build the bike. 700c will be the wheel size, using 700c Salsa Delgado Cross rims.

MrPolak

Oh.. I just wet my pants. That is GORGEOUS! Please follow up with full build pics!

Camel

Nice frame. Seems expense is not an issue for your build. Why not go with a Rohloff hub then? It would seem that the weight should be about equal for Rohloff vs Cassette/deraileurs/chain rings. A rohloff wheel would be much stronger than any cassette wheel.

Edit: adding-If i were using a 5000$ bike as a commuter I'd "dirty" it up a bit. (especially in a 2nd/3rd world area). Perhaps wrap all the tubing/tape the tubing? I took my Waterford on my year tour, and used fabric with some tape to cover over the decals rather than removing them.

jbpence

rohloff? I dont think so. I am not at all worried about the wheel being strong enough with traditional drivetrains. I would be worried about getting such an item fixed in the remote parts of china to which I am going, and I know how to keep a traditional system going under duress. And though I might not know what I am talking about here, I can't imagine riding a system with only 14 gears in the mountains. I live in the rockies. WHere I am going in china is very mountainous too. I have also read they dont work with bar end shifters, a must for me. The only 14 speed shifter I can see on their website is a twist grip. eeeyuck.

that said, I will read the rohloff threads here in the touring section of BF. Thanks for the advice, I will check it out.

Lost again

Agreed, stay with the Shimano stuff as it would be the easiest of componets to get replaced/repaired.
Love the bike and I'll eventually get a custom myself after I figure out what I really want. How did you come to these dimensions? Is it of your own choice or are these recommendations? I've done a few tours and can't seem to figure out what I'd like best. The LHT seems to fit the best but it's still lacking in some ways. There isn't a bike made that meets the spec I want, so I'll just try to find something as close as I can.
I'm 5'3" tall so my options are limited.
Once again beautiful bike.

FKMTB07

GREAT rims. I've got them on my cross racing bike. They'll take a beating. Also nice are the Mavic A719's I've got on my touring rig. Both equally as nice, in my opinion (both sets use the same spokes and were built by the same builder).

jbpence

lost again: the dimensions are custom for me, based on several fittings and about 6 different bikes I ride. I am 5"10", so lots of options, but wanted a custom TI frame for this next bike. all the bikes I ride fit perfectly, so aside from having a longish torso and needing a longer top tube (like the felt I ride) I am easy to fit. Wanted a tour bike, in TI, with a highter head tube and disk brakes so that required a custom frame.

anomaly

Why did you choose 700 wheels over 26?

jbpence

no real reason. everything I own is 700c except my MTB, so have a few new and newish tires laying around that fit my other touring bike and my cyclocross bike and so will fit this too.

why do you ask?