Quickbeam Gets Fatter - a set on Flickr

[Eric Norris]

Inspired by the ride of the 42mm Grand Bois Hetres on my Bleriot, I spent a couple of hours today changing out the tires on my Quickbeam from the 700x28 size I've been using forever to a set of 700x35s (Paselas, purchased from another member of this list).

Changing the tires was no big deal. The bulk of the time was spent adjusting the fenders to fit around the fatter rubber. That involved, among other things, using a Dremel to cut off the protruding end of the daruma bolt that holds the front fender onto the fork crown. Yes, the 35s needed every millimeter of clearance I could get (the rear wheel wouldn't even spin when I first put it in, due to a lack of clearance, even though the 28s had gobs of room).

Results are in the photos here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/campyonlyguy/sets/72157639957181314/

I haven't had a chance to ride it yet, other that a spin up and down the block, but from an appearance standpoint alone it was worth it. The fatter tires certainly fill out the fenders much better.

Ride report once I've had a chance to get it on the road.

--Eric

campyo...@me.com

www.campyonly.com

www.wheelsnorth.org

Blog: http://campyonlyguy.blogspot.com

Twitter: @campyonlyguy

[Robert F. Harrison]

I ruin my QB on 35mm paselas and love 'em. Waiting on your first ride report.

Aloha,
Bob

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[cyclotourist]

35mm Paselas are pretty hard to beat.

Cheers,
David

"it isn't a contest. Just enjoy the ride." - Seth Vidal

[dailyrandonneur]

Good choice. I've only run Pasela TG 700 x 35 on my SimpleOne and enjoyed the ride. I use the same tires on my Atlantis.

I grew to like the Pasela and Pasela TG when it could be bought cheaper than these days. Those and the Schwalbe Marathon Racer fit the bill for me in the budget 700c 32-35mm tire range.

Ed
Washington DC

[Philip Williamson]

I do like fat tires on the Quickbeam! The rear axle position becomes an important consideration, though, and you find that darumas are from the devil. 

If we ever get any rain in California again, I'll see how the metal fenders fit over the 37mm Ocean Air / Soma C-lines. It should be fine. 

Philip

www.biketinker.com

[cyclotourist]

What is this "rain" of which you speak?

Cheers,
David

"it isn't a contest. Just enjoy the ride." - Seth Vidal

[Marty]

I have marathon XR 40s on my 64cm QB - with and without fenders. I would not call them fat at all. In fact, I can't imagine using anything skinnier. More pics here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/32306142@N07/sets/72157629123462990/

[Ted Shwartz]

My green QB was originally setup as a fixie with Speed Blends, fenders and SON lighting for commuting. My thought was that any thief would get mesmerized by the tires changing color, while the headlight lit up my itself, and they would crash on the first corner when they tried to coast.

I eventually switched to Jack Browns which ride great, but my fenders were setup for the smaller tires. Now I need to carry a wrench, to loosed the fenders, if I need to change the rear tube.

This year will be my 10th year with the QB

[Roy Drinkwater]

Eric,

Off the subject of tires, is your Quickbeam a regular or fixed 3-spd, or more? I'm thinking of converting my fixed to multi-speed (with 700x40's).

Roy H. Drinkwater
Lititz, PA

[Eric Norris]

Roy:

In its current incarnation, my QB has a Sturmey-Archer 3-speed fixed hub (S3X) with a one-speed freewheel, making it a "standard" 3-speed. I'm really enjoying this setup, which expands the range of terrain that I can comfortably cross.

Gearing starts at about 74 inches in third gear (direct drive through the hub), then goes down to about 56 and 44 inches. That's enough to get me up hills to about 10% or so. Beyond that, I just get off and push.

The combination of the S3X hub and a freewheel, I think, provides a more durable and easily reparable system. Because it's a fixed gear hub, the S3X doesn't have any pawls on the inside, making it simpler and stronger. All of the pawls on my QB are outside of the hub in the freewheel, which can be easily fixed or replaced. Without pawls on the inside, the system is also silent while pedaling--a standard S-A hub is always ticking.

Eric N
www.CampyOnly.com
CampyOnlyGuy.blogspot.com
Twitter: @CampyOnlyGuy

[Steve Palincsar]

On 01/21/2014 11:34 AM, Eric Norris wrote:
> Roy:
>
> In its current incarnation, my QB has a Sturmey-Archer 3-speed fixed hub (S3X) with a one-speed freewheel, making it a "standard" 3-speed. I'm really enjoying this setup, which expands the range of terrain that I can comfortably cross.
>
> Gearing starts at about 74 inches in third gear (direct drive through the hub), then goes down to about 56 and 44 inches. That's enough to get me up hills to about 10% or so. Beyond that, I just get off and push.
>
> The combination of the S3X hub and a freewheel, I think, provides a more durable and easily reparable system. Because it's a fixed gear hub, the S3X doesn't have any pawls on the inside, making it simpler and stronger. All of the pawls on my QB are outside of the hub in the freewheel, which can be easily fixed or replaced. Without pawls on the inside, the system is also silent while pedaling--a standard S-A hub is always ticking.
>

Other than the ticking, what's the advantage over a Sturmey AW? Those
certainly have a history of reliability and a track record that extends
if not back to the mists of time, certainly back to the dawn of the last
century.

[Eric Norris]

I've had trouble with S-A hubs (although only the 8-speed version) that were all the result of pawls breaking inside the hub. The S3X is a simpler hub that should be more reliable. I'll let you know in 20 years ;-)

And of course the lack of ticking while pedaling is nice for those of us who prize a quiet bike.

--Eric N
www.CampyOnly.com
CampyOnlyGuy.blogspot.com
Twitter: @CampyOnlyGuy

[Tom Goodmann]

35 Paselas are what I ride on my new-to-me QB, and I like 'em a lot on the road . . . though I will go fatter still for some trail/levee riding (almost totally level) in the near future.  --Tom (Miami, where the weather for winter riding is about perfect right now)

 

[Peter Pesce]

Nothing but 35s on my QB. Paselas, Kojaks, currently Schwalbe Marathon Supremes.

Pete in CT
(Still in process of Norris-izing my QB with an S3X)

[Mojo]

In the warm season, my Q has 28 or 32mm tires roadish tires. This winter I put on a BG RocknRoad 43mm front and Schwalbe Cross 38mm rear. These have been great for winter commuting, except for the toe overlap. The overlap bothers me.  The 43mm front tire requires deflation to be removed or installed to clear the canti pads, and the 38mm rear just clears the chainstays requiring precise rear wheel placement.

I like the idea of a three speed Q. But I already have a 3-speed townie, and gosh I spent a lot of time figuring out how to maximize my multi-gear range on that bike. I think that is what makes that bike unique and interesting *for me.* That said I rarely shift into all those other gears. I have ridden it into the mountains, but I get tired of the shifting, especially the flip-flopping. After those rides, I truly appreciate the miracle that is the modern derailer system.

Anyway the Quickbeam is an interesting and fun bike, and I think I will keep it for the foreseeable future.

[Steven Frederick]

My QB is one of the 650b-wheeled versions from the last run of silver models and it rocks with Hetres, and rolls with PariMotos.  B-)

Steve

[Tom Goodmann]

That 650B QB sounds interesting; I'd love to try one of those sometime.  Does it yield a bit more clearance, then, in terms of potential toe overlap?  --Tom

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[Steven Frederick]

It was only done for 50cm and 52 frames.  No TCO on my 52 as far as I can recall!