Winters in Korea are harsh. Snow and slush, ice salts, and sub-zero temperatures that constantly leave extremities on the verge of going numb. With all the muck and debris, fenders save the day. They help keep the splatter at bay.
While on a weekend country-road gravel ride outside of Seoul, the rear fender experienced a ductile fatigue failure, splitting cleanly at the bolt mount on the underside of the seat stay bridge. I tried to salvage the broken section since it had the mounting bar and bracket attached. But over the course of the ride it became too cumbersome and was ditched in a garbage can. The half fender was born.
The half fender is easier to mount than a full fender since it only requires two 5mm bolts, one at the chain stay and one at the seat stay bridge. It helps keep the frame cleaner around the bottom bracket and seat tube. Without a fender, this area can easily get dirty with it being so close to the rear wheel. This section is also more difficult to clean with all the small voids around the front derailleur (FD) and if there is a FD clamp.
The half fender doesn’t do a lot in terms of protecting the rider from poopoo splatter and debris, but it does keep the bike cleaner and maintenance down.
Unlike the SKS fender, the gold fender doesn’t have the same cross section to help contain flying debris. The gold fender is just a flat piece of aluminum. This was a repurposed aluminum strip that was originally a doorway seam binder. It is thin and easy to cut and bend, also, gold.
For future or alternative designs, I would consider extending the bottom section of the fender below the seat stay bridge to offer more protection around the bottom bracket.
Disc brakes are great when riding in adverse conditions and offer stronger and more responsive braking control than rim brakes. However, the brake system is more difficult to install, adjust, and harder to maintain. One key aspect of having well working disc brakes is having pistons that articulate smoothly.
Doing a deep cleaning is a sure way to keep the pistons and caliper clean. To this end, a short burst from an air compressor after a ride doesn’t require any disassembly and removes a lot of brake dust, preventing dust buildup and prolonging the time needed before a deep clean.
This second version of the titanium all road build has proven to be a fun, fast ride. The geometry works in such a way that I can ride comfortably and efficiently, in a more tucked aero position if I choose. One area I notice a difference in ride quality compared with the first titanium all road frame is on a climb. When riding just outside of threshold I am able to find a springy rhythm that allows me to keep the pedals turning. The bike also feels very nimble and secure when riding out of the saddle. The front end feels light when sweeping back and forth, responsive, and stiff enough to translate my energy into the forward direction. All of this positive feedback is also noticed when riding on flats but to a lesser degree.
The frame saw some changes compared with the first titanium all road frame, highlighted on the diagram. Some changes that are not highlighted include straight seat stays, a front derailleur mount, and a head tube to accommodate internal routing.
The geometry was adjusted based on my experience with the first all road frame. The top tube was extended and the seat and head tube angles were tightened up. These angle adjustments seemed to pair very well with the enve CX fork that was used.
The frame saw some stiffness upgrades in the form of a larger diameter down tube and a thicker bottom bracket shell.
Lastly, with the bottle cage lowered for easier frame bag access and more tire clearance, this frame leaves little to be desired.
The fork was hand painted, one stripe at a time, in a traditional Korean color scheme called saekdong (색동). This vibrant color pattern is historically associated with cheerful youth who would wear these colors on their traditional hanboks (한복) on special occasions such as lunar new year and thanksgiving (추석). Through the Japanese occupation it also became associated with human rights. Today it is associated with festive Korean events and can be seen in many different versions and forms.
Another upgrade for this build was the new Di2 12 speed Ultegra Group. This version allows for semi-wireless shifting, where the levers do not need to be connected directly to the derailleurs. However, in the hopes of extending the battery life, the shifters were wired directly to the derailleurs.
I had intended on having the wire port on the underside of the chain stay and was amiss when it was on the top. However, its current placement does make for a more natural wire routing curvature.
The rear drop out design has a separate plate that is secured over the thru axle nut. This keeps the thru axle nut attached to the frame making it easier when removing the rear wheel.
Similar to the first version of the all road frame, this frame also has mounts welded to the seat stays.
The front derailleur (FD) mount was added to this version of the frame. The first all road frame had a clamp for the front derailleur and I noticed that it got in the way of the bottle cage and rear wheel/fender. The FD mount cleans up the down tube for a cleaner look. If this bike was ever built up with a single chainring, the mount could be used to install a chain guide.
Similar to the first all road frame, this uses a threaded T47 bottom bracket. If a third iteration of this bike were to be made, I would consider a BB with bearings pressed directly into the shell for simplicity and alignment. This frame It also includes a mount in the chain stay bridge for a fender.
The final aluminum top cap fits the frame as designed, with all rear cables running through the head tube. One design feature this top cap severely lacks is waterproofing. There are multiple entry points where water can easily enter the head tube.
Another consideration that I would like to have on a potential third frame iteration would be a welded seat post clamp.
The biggest upgrade that was made to this frame was the addition of 5mm mounts on the underside of the top tube and one mount on the upper side of the down tube. A frame bag was commissioned from a good friend and local custom seamstress known as Idle Feline. This was her first bike bag, and frame bag she has made. It fits the frame triangle perfectly and includes the holes for the mounts. Wing nuts were used to secure the frame bag and to allow for easier installation and deinstallation.
For future consideration, I would like to have the mounts recessed, or filed down flush with the profile of the top tube to hide the mounts when they are not being used, and to allow the frame bag to sit more flush with the top tube.
Having lived in many small apartments, creating safe and secure bike storage for multiple bikes is a challenge. The end of this post will have details about an adaptable hanging and sliding bike storage design.
A lot of mainstream bike storage solutions can be less than ideal when space is limited, such as the wall mounted bike racks.
These static wall-mounted bike racks have their time and place. They’re great if you have one or two bikes, and the floor and wall area to spare. When installed at the proper height, they can be easy to take the bike on and off. Furthermore, this style of rack can be a nice alternative bike stand when doing any type of bike maintenance. It can also be pleasing having the bike on full display.
There are a wide range of static, wall mounted bike racks available. One thing they have in common is that once installed, that is where the bike will stay and cannot easily be moved or placed anywhere else.
Typical commercial bike rack storage
When working and living in more confined spaces, a hanging bike rack can help save wall space as well as having a smaller footprint area. It takes some strength to be able to hoist the bike off the hook, but properly leveraging the bike can make this easier and safer.
Although this type of storage allows for some degree of rearranging by sliding the hooks, the rack itself is still static. When using this type of storage rack, it would be important to consider what type of bike(s) would be hung since the rack should have enough of a setback from the wall to ensure the bike can fit.
The sliding bike rack
Compared with other static wall mounted racks discussed earlier, this hanging bike rack can store upwards of 5 bikes in the same amount of space.
Sliding Rack Design
This rack uses an aluminum extrusion rail, similar to those used with sliding french doors. The cross section allows for a hanger to be installed and the weight properly distributed to the rails. Rails can be found online or in local hardware stores for a very reasonable price.
Note. It is important to install the rail into a solid wood ceiling member, utilizing all mounting holes for support strength.
The nut and bolt head lay in the rail guide
Although not the most elegant solution, a nut and bolt can suffice when hanging heavy duty hooks. The bolt head and nut keep the bolt aligned in the rails, preventing it from turning or coming loose. A heavy duty hook can be placed around the bolt and support the bike. The bolts can also slide along the rail to allow for the bikes to be placed at any suitable point.
Variable Ceiling Conditions
If the ceiling heights are variable or if the ceiling can not be screwed into, or if you want something completely modular, closet tension racks can offer a more adaptable solution.
The rods are compressed between the floor and ceiling and the horizontal rod heights are also adjustable. These designs are made to be adjustable in order to accommodate a wide range of closet and interior space dimensions. The rack shown below was used in an apartment where the walls were concrete. The tension rack was sturdy and very adjustable.
When it comes to bike storage, there’s no one-size-fits-all solution. The limitations of the space and personal preferences will help find the best bike storage solution.
A panasonic track bike was posted for sale at a price that was right. Little information was written and I was only expecting what was pictured and nothing more. After inspecting it and taking a closer look, it turned out to be an NJS frame with beautiful lug work. After bringing it home it was rebuilt.
The original for-sale listing photo
The bike was deconstructed, including removal of all the stickers, and all components were replaced to something more appropriate.
Seatpost Binder Bolt
The original seatpost bolt was missing and the previous owner was using a nut and bolt. I removed it and opted for a nut and bolt that fits the recessed area in the frame. The nut needed to be ground down to fit the notched grooves in the frame.
The Build
There were no issues removing any of the old components. Everything was replaced except the bottom bracket and headset.
The HB017 is a carbon fiber aero frame and fork. The lines and design of the frame and seatpost are clean; there are no awkward bends or curves. It is what one might think a straight-forward modern aero frame would be. As with other modern aero framesets, the assembly is fully integrated, meaning the cables are all hidden inside the frame and this can easily lead to assembly issues, particularly when building a non-brand bike.
With internally routed aero bikes, the cables from the levers run inside the frame as do the cables from the derailleurs. The one-piece handlebar and stem component that is compatible with the frame was purchased separately. However, it did not fit my geometry nor was it at an aesthetically pleasing angle. The angle of the stem was 6 degrees, and I was going for a zero degree stem. The aftermarket for building integrated bikes is limited. Bike companies like specialized, Willier, Cannondale, and any other commercial brands have their own designs that are not cross-compatible. There are after-market options but these are often hundreds of dollars, far more than I was willing to spend.
With the limited availability of compatible parts, I decided that the BMC integrated stem would work, as it is available in different sizes and for a reasonable price. The details of this build are described below.
The Frameset
The frameset was purchased from Aliexpress. The geometry was acceptable. The frameset included all parts, including seatpost, stem, and handlebars.
The included stem and handlebars.
Aero Cockpit
I intended to build an aero bike with the fully integrated handlebars and ordered the handlebars that were compatible with the frame.
The stem angle of these bars was higher than I wanted. Something visually unpleasing and less aero. Due to the nature of the internal routing through the headset, using a different stem is simplified if the headset hardware, including the spacers could still be reused. Fortunately, I found out the BMC stem has a similar cross section at the steerer as the existing headset. The BMC stem also has a better stem angle, 12.5 degrees. This matches the slope of the top tube which is aesthetically pleasing.
There are additional benefits of having a separate stem and handlebar: handlebar mounting accessories for round cross-sections, adjustable handlebar pitch, and the option of changing the stem. I used a generic carbon road handlebar and routed the cables from the outside of the bar, under the stem, and through the spacers, into the frame.
Zacksunsang 