Here's my latest project. An On One Pompetamine. Its going to be built up as my commuter / work horse / go anywhere / fun bike while i study at University. Last year i took with me a 2 speed vintage falcon, then i sold that in favor of a modern road bike. Now, i want to go back to basics, and build up a simple and reliable bike that wont moan if i show it an unpaved track or two!
Obviously, being a student, its going to have to be a super cheap build. So far, its cost me around £80 to put together. I've been trawling the web, finding the best second hand deals.
I wanted the Pompetamine frame as i own an On One 456, so i thought it would be cool to have a matching bike. I'm building it up as a SSCX bike. Next year, i might re-lace the rim with an Alfine hub and restore the frame with a fresh paintjob but that will have to wait...
Specs - Large On One Pometamine Frame, loads of surface rust, hopefully wont attract too much attention! - Maddux CX 2.0 Disc Cyclocross Wheels - 700x35c Schwalbe Marathon Plus Tyres - On One Midge Bars, Specialized Stem, Raceface Seatpost, Velo Saddle - Vision Trimax Chainset
Looking to get some Avid BB5/BB7 road mechanical disc brakes, a set of single sided Shimano MTB SPDs, and a 110 BCD chainring and SS kit to finish off the build.
Looks good. Cx/gravel bikes are deff the way to go for most people
Yeah I agree, there's a guy who I do couriering with who rides a Pompetamine as above on big tires and swears by it for taking the buzz out of the road etc.
My frame and wheels are pretty damn flexy so I run normal road tires and get that noice smooth ride. That said I run 115-120psi as I hate the squirmy feel of lower pressures combined with flexy wheels. I'm pretty anal about that
once you have a more modern bike squishy soft ass tires are goat. toobless i can run 25psi in 43mm tires
I find the bike feels sluggish with lower pressures at effort levels where frame flex isn't really an issue, idk. Think I just prioritise rolling resistance over comfort for the riding I do. If I did long distances I'd drop my pressure I'd imagine.
Looks good. Cx/gravel bikes are deff the way to go for most people
Yeah I agree, there's a guy who I do couriering with who rides a Pompetamine as above on big tires and swears by it for taking the buzz out of the road etc.
My frame and wheels are pretty damn flexy so I run normal road tires and get that noice smooth ride. That said I run 115-120psi as I hate the squirmy feel of lower pressures combined with flexy wheels. I'm pretty anal about that
Exactly!
As said, this will be my beater bike. I have my MTB for when i want to go have some fun in the woods riding trails and i have my road bike for going out and smashing the miles (or for doing courier work on)
So therefore, this will be my bike which i can take out when i dont have a ride plan so i can link up roads with gravel paths and see where it takes me(It will also be my courier bike in the wet as road caliper brakes are scary!)
once you have a more modern bike squishy soft ass tires are goat. toobless i can run 25psi in 43mm tires
I find the bike feels sluggish with lower pressures at effort levels where frame flex isn't really an issue, idk. Think I just prioritise rolling resistance over comfort for the riding I do. If I did long distances I'd drop my pressure I'd imagine.
In the real world, there's less rolling resistance in a 25c tyre @ 90psi than there is in the same tyre @ 120psi.
Roads aren't perfectly flat, even the nicest ones!
once you have a more modern bike squishy soft ass tires are goat. toobless i can run 25psi in 43mm tires
I find the bike feels sluggish with lower pressures at effort levels where frame flex isn't really an issue, idk. Think I just prioritise rolling resistance over comfort for the riding I do. If I did long distances I'd drop my pressure I'd imagine.
In the real world, there's less rolling resistance in a 25c tyre @ 90psi than there is in the same tyre @ 120psi.
Roads aren't perfectly flat, even the nicest ones!
I find it feels so much more sluggish though, maybe it's the illusion of going slower idk
And regards calliper brakes in the rain, just fixie it . I have a good second or two before the water burns off my smooth, ancient box section rim on the front though which is scary as f*ck sometimes
The whole low-pressure/low rolling resistance thing is awesome, but it is highly dependant on larger volume tires with high quality, supple casings. Shitty hard tires need lots of pressure, as the effort to flex their sidewalls actually saps your energy. And skinny tires have a shitty, longer, surfboard-shaped contact patch, when aired down to the same pressure as a higher volume tires.
Example: My 32c Pasellas roll faster than my 25c Conti GP4s tires.
Threw some 26" wheels with 2.35" tires on the GT Crossover, just for fun.
The 47mm 650b Road Plus tires I plan on running will work out to a near identical diameter, so this is actually a fairly good visualization of the bike's proportions.
Equivalent 2.35" tires on the future 650b rims will up the overall wheel diameter about 25mm.
I was sort of hoping the rear would be a little more 'tukt', but you can't have everything when you're working with a frame designed in the late 1980s.
So rad, I'm looking forward to seeing this build progress. How does that stem work?
It's kind of like a hybrid between a threadless and quill stem. It has a quill at the bottom, like normal, as well as one at the top, both which adjust with a single bolt. It allows for the stem to be flipped for high or low rise.
It works like this:
Pretty cool! And the bike is looking amazing - I'm loving resto-modded bikes at the moment.
I'm really stoked as well. I've managed to secure a bike shop employee-level discount at a Toronto bike store through some community service work i did this summer, so I am preparing an order of parts. This bike is going to be built with my girlfriend in mind, as the bike is maybe a bit small for me. (Although I will be riding it, I just tend to fit better on the next size up.)
I am currently debating getting disk mounts welded to the frame through a friend. If that works out, I will be going disc in a heartbeat. I really don't feel like messing with U-brakes.
I have decided to stray away from Shimano shifting, as I am no longer restricted to ordering from the internet. Shimano has no rational 1x road setup. If I use Shimano brifters, I am forced to buy a set of two STI units- if I want matching levers on either side. That seems like a waste of money, and kind of a messy setup, especially considering the cost of the Tanpan adapter required to make it work with an MTB derailleur. Sorry Shimano, gotta give it to Sram for bringing multiple 1x setups to market in a timely fashion. I had a long hard look at the Gevenalle/Retroshift option, which seemed really awesome, until I read some actual reviews, which mentioned it's nearly impossible to shift while in the drops. Too good to be true. Will go Apex or Rival depending on cost.
Who here can recommend a comfortable set of semi-alternative drop bars, with dirt and commuting in mind? Looking for some flare, and enough leverage to feel confident off road.
I'm doing as much research as I can, but it's so hard to get actual opinions on all these wacky bar options out there now. Everyone hates and loves everything, and I can't exactly go out and test ride em.