My '99 Franklin Custom

[Garth]

Patrick asked for another photo of my '99 custom Franklin, here call the Bradley sport/touring model. So rather than post it in someone else's post i may as well do it here.

I've since reconfigured it quite a bit differently than it's ever been. I flipped and lowered the stem so the bars are close to saddle height. I can go lower but I'll take it steps. No more seat packs on my bikes. I tried a Revelate Shrew which didn't attach to the post, thus further back, but my saddles don't allow it to go that far back as product photos show, so out with darn seat packs forever! I took the mini rack from the rear of the Bomba and put it on the back of the Franklin. Much much nicer looking with the mini rack than the seat pack. I'm using a stuff sack with the cargo net for now, but have a Lone Peak micro bag on the way. I hope it doesn't look awful! The Bomba got the full length top rack that Riv used to sell, it can be used front or rear but I don't like front loads up high so it goes behind too. 

The Franklin reach for reference, from the tip of the saddle to middle center of the bars is 63cm. To the bar ends about 54cm. These Alba are the 56 steel, which should still be in production as the 55's were notable narrower at the end of the flats, before it starts curving, so it's now a worthless bar @55cm , for me. The Billie, same story. I've been looking at all those "gravelly" kind of drop bars. I think I may get a Crust Towel bar, in a 63 I think. this is a road bike and only want a bit wide-err, to try at least, I'm more curious than anything what that wide of a drop bar would feel like. At the hoods it would be a bit wider than the upper most flats of the Alba, which I use a lot! I really don't need the reach back of the Alba, so that's why I may get the drops. But the Crust and the like are less deep and less reach than typical drops, which is fine with me. If it's too wide there are plenty  of bars in between that and a 52cm Nitto Dirt Drop, which I originally had on the bike. I would like something with a bit more flare than that. A Towel bar might be even better for the Bomba. The Franklin handles like a fine (80's) European racing bike. I don't think bar width as as much of an issue as bar height. Too high and the Franklin feels all wrong. Saddle height or lower and it's vroooming into those turns with ease!

My under the BB cable-over-and-through-the-casted-guides routing had developed a rough and sharp edge to the groove and was eating a cable a year or so, and getting worse. I wasn't terribly motivated to investigate it, thinking it was just crappy cables. Ooops. So I used an old brake cable as a sort of metal floss and worked that metal guide all nice and smooth. A touch of toe nail polish(it's what I has on hand) and ...... and now what ? I wanted to use some cable liner but it was too big for the holes. Lo and behold, Jagwire sells that stuff in smaller diameter for shift cables. So after the angst of waiting for it arrive, with bait-ed breath that stuff went in all nice like! About 4 inches I used for both sides. I was so impressed I added little bit to my Suntour Power ratchet thumbshifters, where the cable curves around the groove in the body. I've had a cable fray there. It's Jagwire product JSAY051, slick lube liner. It comes in four 2300mm sections.

1.4mm ID, 1.9mm OD.

When I had this made in '99 I was choosing between this and an Atlantis, the original, slightly longer one. I'm glad I chose to have it built by a local Ohio builder. It has the handling I'm accustomed to from riding race bikes of the 70-80's. So you know how people talk all nostalgic about Bridgestone, Trek, or whatever brand ? I had a nice Trek but like all the stock bikes back then and most today, they lacked the reach and length of the front end. It was like sleeping on a mattress that's too short. So while I love the styles of those bikes, particularly the European ones, I don't miss the lack of fitting in them ! All lookey but no fitty ! All those bikes have style, oozing with creativity and flair, done with pride and joy of showing off their ride-able art on wheels. Steel bikes for-ever and ever ..... and ever !

If you're gonna tell a story .... and that's really about all we do .... it may as well be F U N !

Evoking laughter .... smiles .... illumination !  Even in all that apparent matter-of-facts ..... which aren't so much factual as they are musical .... yeah .... like notes of music in all their variations. It's a marvelous song playing and We're It. Even those that seem off-key, discordant and such. Like this guy in my locality who thinks I as bike rider, should not be on the road at all, that "if you can't keep up with the flow of traffic, you should have a slow moving vehicle sign at your rear". Straight for the horsey's mouth. No, I'm not an Amish buggy .... but I suppose you "could" call my ride an Amish Whip!  Well, that's another story for later......

[Patrick Moore]

Very nice, Garth, and I apologize if you've posted before and I forgot about it.

Care to sell your Shrew? Can it take a tightly wadded winter cycling jacket, the old fashioned wool mix + nylon wind panels, size Med? And the really big question: is your Shrew black with orange straps?

Thanks.

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Patrick Moore

Alburquerque, Nuevo Mexico, Etats Unis d'Amerique, Orbis Terrarum

[Garth]

You're welcome Patrick !  I had posted it but not as it appears now. i change things now and then. I'm finally embracing returning to using real racks to carry stuff. I quite like it as it now.

I wish it was black and orange, that'd be cool!  They sell it in black with bright red straps, their signature colors. Not pure orange. I went for the visibility factor, the hi-vis lime. I'd gladly sell it but it wouldn't match your bike color themes. Here's their colors https://www.revelatedesigns.com/index.cfm/store.catalog/seat-bags/Shrew. It now says it's 2.25 liters, sheesh, it originally said 2.5L, some websites said 3L. Regardless I can't say if it would fit your jacket. The bag does have a longitudinal adjustable strap that would allow it to be stuffed even if the back wasn't fully closed. the strap would prevent the jacket from falling out of course.

I took some photos of it stuffed with a Polartec 100 fleece pullover, which is likely about 400wt merino wool eq. , size large. It had room to spare as you can see. With the shell it just may fit.

[Patrick Moore]

Hey, Garth, I live my life moment by moment, like Ralph Wiggum. Life is so much more interesting that way.

https://media1.tenor.com/images/20bf05c763d74b1113f84e5ac2b12915/tenor.gif?itemid=13718359

Thanks for the photos of the Shrew. Yes, black and orange would be ideal, and I already have a similar-sized, similarly-designed seat bag, only the attachment (with seatpost strap) is not particularly secure. But at least it's black.

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/3bb87fad-e696-469e-be4c-068ea6e6e8e6n%40googlegroups.com.

[Garth]

So the Lone Peak Micro bag arrived in Red today. It looks okay, clean sides and all, plus it has the bungee top which greatly influenced my decision to buy it. I have a large olive Sackville trunk bag on my Bomba, and would have bought the smaller one but all they had in stock was olive. Hmmm..... not another olive, tan yes ! Olive , no. For my upcoming custom I'll get a tan one if/when they are in stock, but these LP bags are adequate for what they are.

These are nice in that they are made for mini racks, including the extra loop to go over the mini rack hoop. Plus it matches the forward angle, and the velcro straps are in the right places. So for $50 bucks I got a 50 buck bag, very good ! While some readers may scoff at the fabric or the style and such, not everyone does and I bet some people have looked for an alternative to the Sackville rack top bags. Maybe you don't need or want bling for a certain bike. I couldn't find any other mfr who made a bag just for the mini rack, I only found this by sifting through all the nice but non-relevant options.

The rack has a slight down tilt to it. No hacksaw @hand and for now it's close enough. I only see it when I look at it anyways !

The little bag in the water bottle is a Timbuk2 seat bag I've had a long time. I used it to store some tools and such. I used to have on the rear saddle of the Bomba but thought I'd try it elsewhere, it fits into a bottle cage holder just fine. It's .75L.

I saw Wolf Tooth has what's called a B-Rad , for "Bottle Relocation and Accessory Device".  I may play with it some and see if I could eliminate a rack and top bag altogether for my upcoming custom Franklin part duo. Likely not, but what the hey .... it's all play anyways so fun it be !  Play with the clay !
 

An interesting place to put stuff would be in the upper triangle behind the seat tube. I wonder what I could fit in there ? I can relocate the pump just fine. It would have to be something non-velcro though, it just looks awful wrapped around frame tubes. It makes it look like a bandaged bike, no way !  If I had three bottle braze-ons there it "might" fit a King Manythings cage, which could hold a bag. I don't think there's enough vertical space however. The lower downtube has width considerations to be clear of the rings. I bought a cheap "cargo cage" from Amazon but am returning it as it's very cheaply made and the "stainless" steel is of the lowest grade I've ever seen. Hah .... another "I got schnookered by the Jungle" purchase ! 

I bought a so-called Rain Trekker jacket from MontBell . It's made from some supposedly super breathable and highly water resistant Gore Infinium Windstopper stuff. It's seam taped, been tested to be waterproof for extended periods. I thought it had 16.5" pit-zips like their other similar model, but this year they changed the fabric to Gore and eliminated them on this model. I'll just have to test it to see. If I can I'd rather not have the complexity of the extra zippers anyways and while they may help some, they don't compensate for fabric that doesn't breathe worth crap in the first place. This jacket supposedly does breathe well without them. Every jacket I've had with pitzips was a roaster and the zips didn't help. I'm a sucker for certain shades of yellow anyways, so I love the color of the MontBell.. It also has a greatly adjustable hood that won't flop around in the wind. It's not a "Cycling jacket" either, it's just called a Rain Trekker for anyone active outdoors, and it comes in at a cool 7 ounces, very squashable !  My main 3-layer "waterproof mostly" Cloudveil jacket I've had for some 15 years and the hood has always driven me nuts as it's cut too far forward of the forehead and can't be adjusted back. If I can wear the MontBell instead of it I'd be happy ! It also has a nice athletic cut, trim around the waist and ergonomically roomy around the upper body, with long sleeves. No body ride up or dragging anywhere, it's brilliant !

I should have carried it today as I was sprinting between rain clouds, at least it was warm enough not to freeze. My go-to not-a-rain-jacket has been a system of a Outdoor Research hooded windbreaker and a Mountain HardWear windbreaker vest. At least when I got soaked the wind wouldn't freeze me ! That got old though ..... so a MontBelli-ing we-a-go !  Ho-ho-ho ... Merry Christmas Everybody !  Every Day and don't you forget it ! 

"message too long" popup ..... sheesh ..... is there a shortage of "cyberspace ? Isn't THAT laughable !  I'll post the pics separate.

[Garth]

On Thursday, May 26, 2022 at 4:35:08 PM UTC-4 Garth wrote:

[Garth]

So "the system" wouldn't even post 2 3.6mb photos, with the dots and all below deleted. Twilight zone moment !

[Craig Montgomery]

The Franklin. Another All Rounder for the Ages. A "lifetime" bike. I see Englishmen, back in the 40's-50's, riding the backroads on bikes like that. Back when you only had one bike and it cost you an arm and a leg (if I were ever to open a pub, that would be its name) and you rode it everywhere and you kept it a long time. What a concept! My '68 Condor is the same principle. 35-38mm tires. Good on pavement, not afraid of dirt. 

Craig in Tucson

[RichS]

Hello Garth:

Thanks for posting pictures of your Franklin. It really hits me! Fun and practical bundled together. Doesn't conform to a particular breed or look. Freewheel, reverse brake levers and simple lugs:-) The bike's simplicity and the mix of parts give it so much personality.

Craig, always a pleasure to see one of the classics from your impressive stable.

Best,

Rich in ATL

[Garth]

Yes Craig and Rich !  "Old time bikes!" (((( laughing heartily ! ))))   I use the term "time" rather loosely here as I figure a working bike and parts at-hand and all are timeless. Their backstory, as interesting as it may or may not be, has no bearing on the present use and working of it, you know ? I mean ... here it is, let's ride and play bike  !

I do love freewheels Rich !  Love love love ! Love the feel, the sound, the look, the simple function, everything about them. I still have all my Suntours I ever rode and have 3 more new Sachs 13-32 7-speeds on hand. They sound great !  Besides 2 sets of Phil FW hubs I have 2 sets of Specialized FW hubs too. While those are 126mm I could apply them to 135mm spacing by using a solid axle. I did that on my Stumpie so I could use a slightly larger/wider freewheel.

I saw a video the other day about Sean Kelley reuniting with his bonded/lugged/made-to-measure aluminum and carbon fiber Vitus racing bikes from the 80's. He and the host were marveling over the "manual" nature of the shifting, and the lovely sound of the freewheel. "How did you ride such a bike Sean ?" "It's what we had and it was the best at that time" replied Sean.

I haven't seen a Condor a long time Craig ! Isn't it amazing how an "old time bike" can be so all-around useful for so may conditions ? They were all-around before anyone even applied the phrase to a bicycle. What's great is always great, forever and ever !

My Franklin here was called a Bradley model and yes it Rich, it was the "basic" custom option. I didn't know there was any other options at the time though, nor would I know what to opt for even if I could. I mainly wanted a bike with 18" chainstays and much longer TT, reach and front-center than any production model. I got that, but wasn't aware that to use fenders on that model I'd have to use 28mm tires. I was using 30 or 32's I think. I had the width, but not the height. No regrets though, as honestly I like seeing the tires bare from above and hear the changes in sounds of the tires from various road surfaces. I've ridden it in the rain more than my fendered Bomba and while the fenders do keep some junk off the frame and headset, I can't say I've ever experienced anything adverse not having them. Growing up in Minnesota nobody had fenders, at least in my small city. In the Twin Cities people may have. I tried some fenders on my '83 Stumpjumper with some smaller knobbies in '89 for commuting but the fenders fit and rode poorly, Zefal I think. I took them off, for ever and ever !

Speaking of which that's where I got the uncommon Shimano "Sport LX" rear derailleur from, my Stumpie. The Mountech it came with was "Mission-Impossible-like" self-exploding..... so this is what the shop had at hand. It works just fine, shifts a 32 with ease ! I had an XC Pro on there originally but in attempting to quell a squeaking "sealed" pulley it didn't go back together right and is draggy despite many fiddles, the pulley that is. Frankly those "sealed" pulleys are for the birds ! The Suntour Power Thumb Shifters were also taken from the Stumpie. I have a NOS pair on hand also that I bought from Kraynick's in Pittsburgh for a song. Same with an extra set of the NOS Suntour XC Pro cantis, they were in a parts bin all loose so I assembled them right there and he was happy to sell them ! That's where the Suntour Power rings are from too, all chainrings were $10. He had a bunch of Suntour freewheels but none in sizes I wanted, they were all $20 I think. I haven't been there in a decade ... I wonder what's still in there ? !!!! Upstairs was a treasure trove of various odd parts. Sift through at your own pace, bring a flashlight and some gloves ! I love all that "old" bike stuff ! Not old, fresh as a daisy !

Talk about a practicable bike shop !  He even had a diy repair shop in the back with any tool you'd need. The whole bike shop was help yourself, roam freely. If you needed help, Jerry could point you in the right direction. It's a cyclists Wonderland really.

 

 

[Wesley]

Re: "old time bikes" - I was recently struck by how recently bicycles of any kind first existed, when I learned that Jonathan the tortoise lives on Saint Helena in the South Atlantic and was at least 40 years old when the penny-farthing bicycle was invented! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_(tortoise)

[Andy Beichler]

Craig, I would love to see more pictures of that Condor. 

On Thursday, May 26, 2022 at 6:39:05 PM UTC-4 Craig Montgomery wrote:

[Craig Montgomery]

Here you go Andrew, in various iterations. Built by Vic Edwards in 1968  https://www.classiclightweights.co.uk/classic_builders/edwards-vic/  using his take on Bill Hurlow #1 lugs. It's a Jack-of-all-Trades. Handles 38's with fenders. Can't argue with that. Technically the English called these All Rounders or Maybe Club bikes. They were the bikes you saw on group rides, tours, and Rough Stuffing. Will most likely sell the frame. Fallen into the dark pit of redundancy and doesn't see the light of day like it should. But as you can tell it is a thoroughbred of the highest order.

Craig in Tucson

[Garth]

So I'm apparently going back to drop bars and downtube shifters. Lowering the Alba bars has been so nice I find myself bending my elbows so much and reaching out I may as well just use some drop bars. I have some Zipp Service Course 70 Xsomethingsomethingsomething coming. They have the sort of flair that the Nitto Dirt Drop has, but with less reach, less drop and the drops hand position a little more flat rather than curved. It's a bead blasted silver, not my favorite but surely not the least ! The brake levers mount straight,/vertical not flaired, just the drop ends flair. 46cm width @hoods and 52-54 @ends. Good enough !

More and more I find more and more stuff I've tried from Riv, like higher bars for example, well it was good up to the point of raising drop bars to the saddle height in the 90's early 2000's. Beyond that the bikes handling goes wonky from what seems natural to me. Even swept back bars, a little bit is okay, like the Alba IF you have a long stem AND sufficient reach inherent in the frame itself. Big IFS !

I say the "raise your bars for every decade you age" thing is also a no-go. Why would you do that ? Planning for a limitation with another limitation is the very limitation that the planning for the limitation can't compensate for, so what's the point ? !!!  ((( laughing wholeheartily )))  I'm as if not more flexible/corestrong than I ever was . The big wide bar crayze ... and the big wide tires, the big wide cassettes ..... sheesh ... all of it .... kaput !  Wide-r is only good to a point, to each their own to reveal that as no one can do it for you. I remember my 1983 Stumpjumper and how I disliked the 66cm bars that I got after mine were damaged in a botched theft attempt in Arizona(don't ask as I don't know what they were doing !). I went to a 56 or something like that and that was better but even to this day while I like the "idea" of mountain bikes I find many of the specialized parts just not to my liking. My idea of a nice mountain bike is one that feels like a road bike but with cushier tires.

Not a cross bike, not a gravel bike, a this that or the other bike ...... nope.

How about just a Bike that does Bikey stuff ....a do it all Bike for all seasons and terrain ..... A Bikes Bike ! 

Back to the Franklin Bikey !

I'll have to get some new brake levers and the only ones I have are Campy NR/SR and a Shimano 400 aero, both of which were always too darn small for my hands. Nowadays they make the bodies much bigger !

I saw some NOS Shimano 105 Golden Arrow downtube shifters for sale. What's tempting to me besides the gold painting of the engraving is they use a star washer in there to prevent loosening, nice !
Dia-compe Ene has a serrated Campy look-like set with ratchets. If I knew they held without heroics I'd consider those. I still have my Campys, I may try some different washers in those first. I've got a bunch of the Sprint shifters but those too always loosened. Only the sweet Power thumb Shifters form SunTour DON'T slip !  I know there's loctite hero-glue, but ... well .... that's just it, there's  "but' with all those shifters that don't hold their tune !

While I have 2 sets of Phil FW hubs, I'm considering some Suntour 135mm Grease Guard FW hubs.... call me crazy ! I love 70's and 80's era parts. I could lengthen my Specialized to 135mm with wheels MFG axles, or I could not.... you know how that goes. The only axles I ever broke were Campy and I weighed a whole lot more then, and on 25mm tires pumped up to 100 psi. Campy axles, like their crown races, were not the best.

I may change the crank to an Andel triple, the RSC6's, silver, 150mm, 110/74.  I can order directly from Andel in Taiwan. I have some black ones shortened by Bikesmith Designs, but Andel makes them in silver 150mm , so I can't say no ! If not on this bike then on my upcoming custom, maybe with half-step gearing again.

That's all folks, for now !