The Quickbeam Rides Again!

[Birdman]

Hey bunch,

I discovered a cracked bottom bracket shell on my beloved 66cm Quickbeam back in April, as chronicled in this thread. After a lot of back and forth, I decided to get it repaired and repainted, as it is, after all, my all time favorite bicycle. I got a replacement shell and decals from Riv HQ. Dave Levy at Ti Cycles here in Portland did an amazing job on the repair, and then the folks at Black Magic Paint, a local painter that came highly recommended by Will, nailed the wet paint. 

I went with the painter's stock British racing green as a nod to Tolkein, the Ents, and the fact that the Quickbeam has always reminded me of an old British path racer. Besides, I've always liked BRG on its own merit.

Here she is:

[Kainalu V. -Brooklyn NY]

Dreamy...
I've got a couple jealous 68's that are glad to be a few steps back from the scrap yard. Can we get a close-up of the new bottom bracket? Any surprises? Was it easier/harder than the builder expected? Thanks for doing this
-Kai

[Birdman]

Sure, I can snap BB photo. The only surprise is that once the paint was stripped, the frame builder found several gaps in various lugs where the bronze had not properly penetrated when it was originally built, he got all of those fixed up. His approach to the BB shell was to saw the old shell into four separate pieces and then remove each piece from the corresponding tube. This allowed him to remove the old shell without overheating any of the tubes. He said it was less of a pain than he had expected, because with the poor welds, the BB shell pieces came off pretty easily. 

[Abcyclehank]

Birdman,
That is stunning. You perfectly emphasis the special relationship one can develop between themselves and a favorite bike.
Where others on the list may question your motive or the cost; I am supportive of everything that went into the revival of that Beautiful Ent. The British Racing Green will cause me nightmares because I like it even better than my original Quickbeam green 🤦🏻‍♂️👍.
Happy riding!

Ryan Hankinson
West Michigan

[Joe Bernard]

Nice work!

[ted]

Fabulous

[Birdman]

Thanks y’all. Ryan, the BRG is stunning in person. Depending on the light, it ranges from a very dark green to a shimmery metallic.

Isaac

[Philip Williamson]

Wow, is that beautiful!
That’s British Racing Green Plus.

Good work on the repair. Better than new!

Philip
Santa Rosa, CA

[Rob Kristoff]

Looks wonderful. As someone else said, better than new!

[RichS]

What a stunning Quickbeam. Thumbs up on the BRG paint. Glad you were able to get the distinctive QB down tube decal! The finishing touch.

Best,
Rich in ATL

[Eric Daume]

Interesting to hear about the shoddy brazing of the original QB. Better than new now!

Eric

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[J L]

This looks sweet! I’m glad everything worked out with the repairs. That BB removal trick sounds very clever.

Jason

[Michael Baquerizo]

Reading about the construction flaws on this bike reminds me of a story / gripe grant posted about in a reader around the time the QB was released. someone made a stink about flaws in the bikes welding and grant told her it was nothing to worry about. 

it seems like he was wrong, there are a few stories about qb's failing at lug points, no?

[Birdman]

There are stories, but it’s hard to know. On the one hand, single speed frames have to contend with a lot of forces, especially around the bottom bracket, and I would imagine that larger riders on the larger frames could exacerbate the situation. On the other hand, my frame did have some manufacturing flaws, though it could have been the exception. Hard to say.

[Eric Norris]

I recall someone with an early green Quickbeam had a failure where the seat tube enters the bottom bracket shell. Looked like it had rusted from the inside?

Fingers crossed, no problems with my first-gen QB, which has been everywhere and is still going strong.

--Eric Norris
campyo...@me.com

Insta: @CampyOnlyGuy

YouTube: YouTube.com/CampyOnlyGuy 

On Aug 3, 2020, at 8:01 PM, Birdman <ien...@gmail.com> wrote:

There are stories, but it’s hard to know. Single speed frames have to contend with a lot of forces, especially around the bottom bracket, and I would imagine that larger riders on the larger frames could exasperate the situation. On the other hand, my frame did have some manufacturing flaws...

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[christian poppell]

Hey Bird,

I'm glad you took the plunge and got the Quickbeam back on the road. Something that gives so much joy deserves to be repaired and brought back to life. Plus, its not like you could go out and pick another up! The paint work on yours looks stunning! 

I think I mentioned it on the other thread but my QB also has a few gaps along the shorelines. The gaps that I can see are just the ones visible through the paint. Its possible there are more but the paint is not very thick to begin with. If I ever get around to making a few mods and repainting, I'll surly be adding filler in those joints. I am curious as well, what joints were left open? 

To new life!

Christian

Berkeley, CA

[Joe Bernard]

The QB in the Reader had a bulge in the seattube near the seatlug. There definitely seems to have been a string of issues with the Panasonic frames.

[John G]

It me.

The orange replacement is still going strong.

John G, Union Bridge, MD

[Abcyclehank]

All I know is that I love my Quickbeam to death. Maybe the amazing ride that so many of know should be credited to the manufacturing by Panasonic being less than perfect (saying this tongue in cheek; sorta).

Can anyone specify the manufacturing timelines: colors and or serial number to identify for us uncertain of our 68cm Quickbeam origins?

Sincerely,
Ryan Hankinson
West Michigan

[Joe Bernard]

I wouldn't sweat it, Ryan. Ride it til it breaks, it probably won't break!

[Wally Estrella]

WOW! WOW! WOW!  Now I feel I should send my orange (was the fastest color) 64 out just to get painted BRG!  I'm a green lover all the way! #BRGisthefastestandmoststunningcolor.   

[Eric Norris]

At least the brazing held!

--Eric Norris
campyo...@me.com

Insta: @CampyOnlyGuy

YouTube: YouTube.com/CampyOnlyGuy 

On Aug 4, 2020, at 11:34 AM, John G <jfgo...@att.net> wrote:

It me.

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