I knew I wanted 50mm of spacers under the stem and maybe 20mm above it, just to be able to go higher at some point if needed.
That part went well and I was able to get the cables sorted around the fork in a manner which made the most sense. Then I locked the cables down under the metal cable guides and moved on to the front brake.
Now, since I had to disconnect the hose at the lever to thread the cable through the Twin Six's ported fork, I was worried about having to bleed the brake. However, if you are careful, one can move the hose out of the lever and reconnect it again, (with a new barb and compression fitting), and get away with not bleeding the brake.
While I was building up the rest of the bike I had the hose vertical with the caliper at the bottom hanging by a clip out of the way. This kept mineral oil from coming out, but I also pushed a toothpick in the end of the hose just to make sure.
I have a Shimano bleed kit, just in case, but I did not know if I had the barb and compression fitting. Turns out I did have a brand new set of those components, so this was good and I did not have to order those.
So, I pushed in the barb, put the compression nut and the brass compression fitting on the hose. Then I inserted the hose into the lever, threaded in the compression nut, and tightened it down. Now......would it work?
Well, it felt pretty good, so I went with it. But a test ride would have to determine if I was good to go with that. If so, it would be the third time I've gotten away with not bleeding a front Shimano brake after removing the hose and either shortening or rerouting the hose.
One odd thing about the GRX front derailleur is that if you turn the grub screw for the high limit clockwise it pushes the cage outward. Those crazy Shimano guys!
The rear derailleur needed a tweak as well on the limit screw on the high side and low side. Weird, but every bike is slightly different. I also had to adjust cable tension a bit as well. Then the gears clicked off just as one would expect.
I re-wrapped the left side of the lever since I had to unwrap it to get at the brake hose fitting. I may have to put on new tape, but this will do for now. Then after this I was on the home run stretch. I just had a few details to cover and the bike would be finished. And now........
There ya go! The finished bicycle. I did a short neighborhood test ride and I did not die and things did not fail, so now I think the next step will be a gravel ride out in the country. Stay tuned for a ride report. Thanks for following along with this build.
9 comments:
Those build progress photos are nice! Love the whole thing.
Disc Rotors, I have found that I like the TRP rotors of 2.3mm for brakes better. I know it is about 0.5 thicker than Sram or Shimano, but the warping is less, and seem to add a touch of pizazz.
If this bike were a car it would be a Morgan Supersport. It's a beautiful blend of the classic and the modern. Wishing you many happy miles!
That is one handsome bike!
Well done, Brother... I can't wait to ride with you again!
Enjoy, GT. May it take you to new places, and old
Very nice, classic look! I was wondering about the height of the steer tube spacers, could you have sized up? Or then the reach would be too long?
@Derek - The thing is, stand over height becomes an issue with an XL along with reach. The XL would simply have been wrong for me.
I don't see the steer tube spacers as being a 'negative'. I get the feeling you do. This is fine, and you have to make your own judgements there. However, I would note the old quill style stems often had this much rise (or length, if you prefer) above the head set on many bicycles from the past. Different look, but same function as head set spacers and a longer steer tube.
If I were 22 years old, flexible, and skinny, I could slam the stem and be fine. I used to do this with an old Tomassini I once owned, but 30 years later, I'm not so interested in this look or how it feels to ride. I'm not saying you are advocating for a slammed stem, but I think you get my point here.
In the end, it is how a classically informed designs work. You "must" have a level top tube to get the "look". Could this frame have been designed with a top tube which was higher and therefore made less spacers necessary? Yes, but stand over clearance was not a concern in the first half of the 20th Century, and now it is. So this design makes the compromise of lowering the top tube and well..... Spacers.
It is what it is.
Ah ha! Standover, I had forgotten about that as a factor. I think the bike looks awesome. My brain is maybe adjusting to what looks like an old school lugged road frame but with big rubber, short stem, etc :-)
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