S.0.M.A.2 - 1st Road SS

This marks the first for a lot of things. Been toying with the idea of a road SS for awhile. 10mths of searching and finally work up to getting all the parts. Lots of consideration on this build.

First steel road bike
First road ss
First time working with a color for parts I really never like;
"Polished Silver". Parts hunting was a lesson in patience,
and some of the parts that I really want are still not available.

and this build also marks the first time I actually use the new Parktool workstand!

Been awhile since I worked with any square taper cranks. Doesn't look like I forgotten too much.
Lots of grease and once the bottom bracket was slotted in, it will be awhile when the words "Tange Seiki" will be seen again.

Flip flop flip flop. Nope, not the rear hub but the stem and spacer stack to get the look/ setting and color combo "right" ...

Can't screw it up too much. Chainline checked.
After all its just an SS bike.... and memory was still fresh from building the first one 2 weeks ago.......time to knock off and leave the cables and bar wrapping for tomorrow (build started at 12 am)

 

Fast forward...3rd evening. All done and getting steerer cut. Complete (almost)

"Studio Portrait"

Back from 1st ride

 

 

Not 1 but 2....

  

 

Soma Stanyan Build- Part 2.

Damn...some people cant wait to get a bike up and riding. . Not that there is much of a choice if u have known an overgrown excited kid for 27 years! LOL.  So "die die" we need to have it up and running before Reunion Dinner time. Continuing from the previous night's ordeal till 2 am....

Today is all of the measure twice (make it 10X ) and cut once installations. Brake cables, chain and the dreaded steerer tube sans benefit of a sawing jig. Me old and tried method of scribing the circumference and masking tape will have to suffice...

before the start this afternoon...Not much to look at.

But since the day lighting was good..I thought its a good idea to showcase
the lugs and matching headset before we start work

Despite measuring 10 times and over, yours truly still manage to screw it up with the chain. One link too short and ended up with outer plates on both ends with a master link that has no where to go! 

But remembering a little tip from a friend years ago saved the day. My calculation of the chainline and the 107mm bb was spot on. FINALLY--- a perfect chainline since my first SS (which means the second Stanyan will be getting the same too! Woohoo)

Ok fast forward... brakes are done. Will need to lengthen the front housing a bit the next round.
Sweat dripping and panting all the way from Joo Chiat to Laguna, our long time "pseudo-messenger" friend  appeared just in time. Though his cap was not quite right nor tight enuf to give a headache.


Question: How many men do you need to saw a steerer tube?
Answer: 3.  One to hold and saw, second one to hold and look and the third one to snap a picture of a potential FUBAR operation.

Jitters and minutes later...DONE. Pretty neat edge too. Owner was smug with his saw thrusting skills. He better be! It aint my steerer tube.
Phone rang and wife was yelling where the hell had I been. SHit! and the starnut is not in there yet.
No nut setter tool either. Skill testing time again. Let's see if the Anvil has got the magic hammering touch.
No sweat....5 mins later plus pseudo messenger boy's tip on equalizing pressure on the star and all is done.


So one final pic of today's work...

Front View

2 days and over 100km later without bar tapes...  Bike fitting Day

The usual swapping of saddles, posts and stems and spacer stacks to get the fit right

Now just waiting for the right seatpost, stem and small bits to arrive before putting on the final artisan's touch on
the first instalment of the Evil Twins.


 

Soma Stanyan Build- Part 1. Parts Hunting

Yup its a 4S bike..the Soma Stanyan SingleSpeed Project

Little did I realized that when I started the brain screwing when a buddy was looking for a frame and I posted the Stanyan, in time there would be 2. One of them mine.

I was actually in the midst of building another bike http://bikes-bikes-bikes.blogspot.com/2010/01/project-roastpork.html and wasn't ready for another anytime soon but as fate would have it, all the "parts" of the Stanyan starting falling in place.

The more I was helping my buddy to hunt, the more it grows on me as well.

Luck was on my side... someone was selling a SS eccentric hub wheelset on the marketplace. Just what I was looking for.

All it takes was a little bit of polishing to get it spanking new again




(Pictured here is the front, running a non-disc MI-6, what's more, the "bomb" shaped profile of the hub body matches the one on the rear ecc as well!









Frame prepping was done on Stanyan (no.1) last week.

Beautiful chrome polish lugs... One look and it increased my resolve to hunt out for every possible part in chrome/silver mirror polish finish.


Then came the first cache of components from UK. Except for the headset pictured below.

Unexpected find that gave an exact color match with the headtube lugs. Furthermore no distracting brand logos to detract from the looks when installed.








Not too many 57mm reachcalipers on the market. Choice was down to this or the Shimano. Took a plunge and went with this despite the naggy feeling about the brand. Not too shabby. Caliper action doesn't seem as strong but lets see how it gels with the CC SCR-5C levers





















A box of beef patties from the US today ???? WTF

Oh its just more bike stuff :)

 \@@/ Seeing doubles?
No u're not!

2 x Sugino RD2  48t
2 x Tange BB 107mm
2 x Nitto B-135 Randonneur Bars

Oh yea cos' its
For the 2 x Stanyan Twin Evil builds



Nice crank. But time to hunt for some 50-52t 130 BCD rings

Awesome stuff and hey...they even 

threw in a free COG magazine.

Now I see what those fixie craze is all about...

The second Stanyan should be arriving anytime this week
and its a matter then of waiting for this chain to be restocked....

Simplicity.....2 wheels 1 gearing ratio

Sure enough, just when I was back with the mentality of a 1-bike-do-it-all
or do-most-of-it-all, the lure of building up another will start to rear its evil head in my mind.........

The El Guapo is pretty much done up with only a new coil left to test out and a new Ragley Blue Pig frame is sitting out in the cold of Heathrow Airport making its way to me.

But even in between these two, I just had to whip out something else. The good old days as a schoolkid riding on whatever hand me down are always a fond part of my memories. The bikes are never in tip top condition and mostly too big for me. The joys they brought, however were of a totally different kind from any bikes I have now.

Having recently been riding on a couple of old school steel frame built up as light touring bikes in Malaysia brought back a whole side of what it means to ride a bike at a personal level. Its not the usual weekend fiery runs with the  EG nor the "must keep pushing above 40km an hour" roadie rides. Its the kind of simple no ego involve ride, cruising and watching the world go by.

Whipping out the hand-me-down Trek 800 that was destined to be the kiddo's commuter (that never got built for that purpose) I decided on a slightly different approach. Since its all mostly flat around here, I decided a single speed daily commuter at least for now. Simple!

Slapping up with whatever there is in the bike bin this is the result....

Not too shabby. It has even went on a night offroad ride. A little help with large modern tires to give small bump compliance.

Updated (23 Jan 2010)

Final build. The "Kopi/Errand Tourer"

Just have to find excuse to use up the ever piling mass of bike and bike related stuff around the house.

The 2 x 200L Dinotte are just too "outdated" for my nite offroad rides, so its being "dedicated" here....

A nice 44t Blackspire DH ring, so no more monkey pedalling. After a round island trip of 104km, looks like a 16t cog will go back on the rear instead of the current 18t

Final piece of change before this pic-- H-bar for the better comfort on longr rides.

Oh... and the 2GB Otomo MP3 player mounted on the left of the bar is probably gonna be a "permanent" feature too.