Your latest bike purchase?

[hozn]

Is this an open mold frame? It looks fantastic! I've been considering building up a disc brake road or cross bike based on an open mold frame and would love any input you might have.

Thanks! And Yessir! It's a Yishun FM145 frame, which I believe to be the same frame as Hongfu/Dengfu FM166. There's also the Hongfu/Dengfu FM079, which has different geometry, if the FM166 doesn't look like a good fit.

I wrote up a couple blog posts and am [slowly] finishing up the "final-bike impressions" post. See: http://snakesthatbite.blogspot.com/2...t-1-frame.html (and links from there to the follow-on posts).

In short, though, I'm very happy; it is a fantastic bike. I did bend a derailleur hanger somehow on it (I ordered a spare and then ordered another spare which seems to be made of sterner stuff from wheelsmith), but otherwise it has been issue-free and ride is great. I was worried about heel clearance with 135mm rear spacing + 410mm stays + size-48 shoes, but it's just barely not a problem. The frontend is super stiff -- tapered HT, beefy fork, and 9mm thru-bolt wheels. The rear is softer/more forgiving than my previous carbon bike, but bb area is not noticeably flexy -- so really quite perfect. In general I would not hesitate to buy open-mold stuff, in particular from the big players like Hongfu/Dengfu/Yishun (I believe these are all Flybike factory? -but hard to get an official answer on that). There is obviously risk with ordering from China, but there value proposition is pretty high -- I think this Sram Force build w/ 45mm carbon wheels ended up around $2700 and I really wasn't trying to be economical (Sram Force is really a waste of money, but I like it).

[dcv]

Ginormous Purple bikes are awesome!

ftfy

[hozn]

Just curious, what is it about a tapered head tube you would prefer? I know there are advantages (stiffness, strength) but I would have considered those the province of frame designers and mechanics. Are there tangible ride-quality or usability benefits to you?

The reasons *I* would want a tapered HT (may be the same as vvill, we often agree) is that almost all of the full-carbon disc-brake forks out there are for (1.125-1.5) tapered head tubes. The exceptions are the Spot fork and the new/upcoming (maybe released now?) Ritchey WCS fork. The tapered HT is especially a requirement if you want a thru-axle fork.

I don't know if I can feel the difference in tapered HT alone. Certainly my new bike has a much stiffer frontend than previous (Enve 2.0 straight-steerer fork), but it's a completely different frame/fork with different wheels (45mm 28-spoke vs previous 50mm 20-spoke), so hard to know what is the making it feel different.

[dcv]

My most recent bike purchase was my disc-brake road bike project that started last fall and wrapped up late winter. It took awhile to find (and afford) the parts I wanted, build the wheels, decide what stickers to put on it, etc.

love the head badge sticker

[rcannon100]

Going home with the Straggler may be a foregone conclusion anyway. I'm mostly concerned with fit; I already love the thing, and I've done copious amounts of research.

It reads a bit like my urban Canondale. What I like about my bike is that all the geometry adds up to a long reach for me. Some people hate that. It's definately more of a commuter / touring geometry. I find it extremely comfortable, good leg reach, and still pulls my torso down a bit.

[DaveK]

I've since rebuilt the Litespeed as a city bike with decent cargo capacity.

I know that bike! I'll say hi next time I see you on the Hill. I've seen several riders misjudge how quick you move with the e-assist on there.

[vvill]

Just curious, what is it about a tapered head tube you would prefer? I know there are advantages (stiffness, strength) but I would have considered those the province of frame designers and mechanics. Are there tangible ride-quality or usability benefits to you?

Newer (especially full carbon) disc brake front forks tend to require tapered head tubes (there are only a couple straight disc carbon fork). It's more just keeping up with current standards than a tangible benefit, but given that my CX bike is disc only I would've preferred to be compatible with more rather than less of the market. (In the model year I bought my Jake, the next level up Jake the Snake had a tapered head tube, but wasn't disc - I couldn't win!) Also, I assume that frame designers prefer a larger fork for disc braking stresses, and that this would be better managed with a beefier headtube/fork interface (I don't know the mechanics of this for sure, but it seems to make sense.) Given that I don't bomb downhills and I'm not heavy it's probably a moot point, but a disc frame without a tapered headtube is less upgradeable.

What is it about FG that you find less practical than SS? Honest question, as I'm just curious about your preferences/experiences...not trying to challenge your thinking or anything.

Steeper/longer downhills, pedal strike on turns, and riding over bumps/bridge joints/potholes/etc. I do often wonder (and ask) other FG riders about how they handle those things. How are they for you? I noticed you took to FG like a duck to water!

I think if I just commit to riding a few days in a row on FG I'd feel more comfortable overall, but when I need to brake suddenly (a situation I encounter more often than I'd like on my commutes), my natural reaction is to stop pedaling and concentrate on handling the bike and braking (with brake levers). I do love the ability to modulate speed with your legs though. Rim brakes feel so clumsy after a FG ride (and coasting almost feels like some part of the bike fell apart).

I am planning to switch out my stock dropbars for a more compact set, and probably the stock 23mm tires as well. I'm sure I'll try FG again after I get those set up right, at some point.

[consularrider]

My most recent bike purchase was almost four years ago and was four days after I crashed my '84 Raleigh road bike and thought I had bent part too much ride it in the Reston Century the upcoming weekend. I hit four different shops and rode eight bikes from six manufacturers. I rode a three aluminium, four carbon, and one steel frames. Of those five has Shimano 105, two had SRAM Rival and one was a mix of 105 and Ultrega. I got in at least 30 minutes on each bike and tried to factor in a couple of hills on each ride. In the end I went with the steel frame Salsa Pistola because it was the one that felt the best.

Earlier in 2010 I purchased a new Giant Transend hybrid to replace a '94 rigid Raleigh mtb I was using as my daily commuter. I did not ride the bike (or any other) before ordering it, but had look at numerous bikes online to get a sense for what I wanted. While this bike has served my needs, I keep thinking I should have bought something else.

In the end I did not end up getting rid of my older two bikes. Instead I kept them in running shape and the mtb lives on as my winter bike (and backup commuter) while the old road bike lives at my parents' home in Indiana and I use it there when I visit.

While I keep looking at new bikes, probably the only one I would consider is a folder that I would use while traveling. Of course that doesn't stop me from coveting all kinds of things.

[83(b)]

Thanks! I had actually run across your review of the FM145/166 via google. Small world! I've been thinking of doing a very similar build but would really like to spring for hydraulic brakes and Di2. I think it'll be a few seasons before the tech has settled down to an acceptable price point and worked out any kinks. Hopefully by then I'll have worn out something significant on the Lemond and can easily justify it!

[dkel]

While I keep looking at new bikes, probably the only one I would consider is a folder that I would use while traveling. Of course that doesn't stop me from coveting all kinds of things.

Sounds like you've got your bike needs pretty well worked out. This is what I'm aiming for, too. If I get the Straggler, it will be my all-purpose bike for commuting, family rides, whatever. I'll hold onto the Quick as a backup and secondary all-purpose bike. I have a 1980s Schwinn that will become SS/FG sometime in the future (right now it's not quite rideable, but I don't really want to tune it up if I'm going to strip all the components off anyway). If I find that I love FG (as many do, apparently), one of the advantages of the Straggler is that its funky rear dropout is designed to go FG in no time, so I could convert it to a FG all-rounder. I'm wondering if I couldn't go with an Xtracycle FreeRadical on my old Trek someday; I could replace the suspension fork with a disc fork, and use a disc on the back (would mean a new wheelset and brakes, of course). And then a fatbike for killing it in the snow. Maybe a skinny-tire road bike for keeping up on certain group rides...I figure 4 or 5 bikes would be plenty.