Talk to me about 700c's on a Bleriot

[pruckelshaus]

Well, I just sold my old (and slightly too large...it was a 60cm, I'm
a 58cm) early 90's Specialized Allez steel, and it's time for a new
steed. I keep going back and forth between the Soma Speedster
(lugged, nice looking, but a couple of things I don't like...1.125
aheadset, short head tube) and a Bleriot (nicer lugged, nice looking,
standard headset/stem...but I'd rather stay with 700c wheels). I'm
getting older and slower, and my riding style has definitely changed
from "FRED fast" to "Ambling Slowly", so I think the switch to a
different style frame will be fine. Either way, I'm looking for a
fairly old school ride; sidepulls, 1" headset and quill stem
(preferred for adjustability), nicely lugged steel, ability to ride
700x28's with fenders (or my old fat Clement CDM sewups), nice
matching fork.

Anyway, as much as an AHH would be great to have, it ain't going to
happen...I have 2 kids, a mortgage, a car payment or two, a wife who
wants a new kitchen, and I'm a high school teacher...with a school
teacher's salary. So, my frame budget is about $750 max (and even
that is stretching it). I'm thinking a Bleriot with 700c wheels would
work well for me, but I wanted to see if anyone here has a 700c
wheeled Bleriot with a significant amount of miles under their belt
that would care to share their thoughts on how that setup would work.

Thanks,

Pete

[rcnute]

Pete, I like Rivs as much as the next man (I have a Bleriot and a
Rambouillet), but why not stick with a bike that's built for 700c
wheels if that's what your're after--for example, a Kogswell 700c P/
R? Or hold out on ebay for an old Trek, Miyata, etc. A Kogswell or
used bike should fit your budget nicely. I really like my 650b
Bleriot.

My unsolicited two cents.

Ryan

[stanw...@bellsouth.net]

Pete,

I have 1800 miles on a 60cm Bleriot equipped with 700C Krysirum wheels. My
LBS built the bike for me last fall and made me the proverbial offer I
couldn't refuse for the rims. For reference, I also ride a Cad 4 Canondale
R600 and '91 Trek 720 hybrid. The Trek's a commuter and the R600 is now a
roller ride.

I am very happy with the Bleriot in its current configuration. It handles
well, tracks straight, is easy to ride no hands, holds a line in a curve and
is not upset should I decide to change the line in a curve. Kinda' like
my Ducati. I haven't carried any weight to speak of, other than myself -
195 lbs.

Having said all that, I'm pretty sure that the widest tire you'll be able to
run is a 28. There's plenty of clearance between the fork tubes, chain and
seat stays for wider 700C tires. There's some room under the fork crown as
well. The problem is the fender boss on the back side bottom of the seat
tube. I had to remove the hex head bolt that is mounted in the boss to run
28's I'm currently running Conti Ultragatorskins, which are pretty nice
tires. I run 85-90 psi in the rear and 80-85 in the front. The Contis are
decent riding tires and I've had no flats in probably 1200 miles.

To be honest though, I had the LBS order a pair of 650B rims for it today.
I put a pair of Jack Brown greens on the Trek earlier this year for
commuting, and have been spoiled. So I ordered the 650B rims and am going
to order a pair of Grand Bois Cypress tires. I'm also going to look into
putting a 30 - 32 mm tire on the R600. The go-fast guys on the Wednesday
ride will get a kick out of that!

So, as long as 28mm tires are okay with you, then I'd say a 700C equipped
Bleriot is a nice rig. If you want wider tires though, you're going to have
to go with the 650B's. If you 'd like, after I get several hundred miles on
the 650B set-up, I'll be happy to report back.

Take care.

Stan

[Grantm...@gmail.com]

Here's some technical (numbers are technical?) stuff that tells the
story:

The radius of a 650B wheel is 292mm.
The brake reach of a Bleriot is 65mm.
That means the brake centerbolt is 65mm above the braking surface of
the rim.
So, everything is measured from the wheel axle. Like this:
Wheel axle plus 292 brings you to the braking surface of a 650B wheel.
Go up 65mm more (for a total of 357mm) and you're at the brake
centerbolt.


The radius of a 700c wheel is 311mm.

The Bleriot's centerbolt is 357mm up.
357 minus 311 is 46mm.
That's the distance from centerbolt to braking surface on the Bleriot
with a 700c rim.
That 46mm is the "brake reach" with a 700c rim, on the Bleriot.

A typical road bike has a brake reach of 44mm, which is 3mm less.

But on the fork, the brake hole is high above the botto of the crown,
usually about 11mm, so some of that 44mm is used up with carbon fiber.
Forty-four minus 11 is 33. That's how much air you get for a tire,
which isn't much.
On the Bleriot, the center of the hold is just 6mm up from the bottom
of the crown, and 46 minus 6 is 40, so you get an extra 7mm of
clearance.

BB drop:

The Bleriot's is 67.
A typical road bike's is 70.
Most Bianchi road bikes were 68.

So the Bleriot with a 700c gives you a normal-to-high bb height by
typical standards, but a quite high BB by Riv stds.

It still works, still isn't too funky, but we're the big tire/good
clearance/fenderable people, so we like 650B wheels in bikes designed
for 650B. But even though the Bleriot isn't designed for 700c, it
still gives you a more usable bike with 700c wheels than 95 percent of
typical new road bikes.

On Jul 17, 6:32 pm, pruckelshaus <pruckelsh...@gmail.com> wrote:

[PATRICK MOORE]

Isn't Rivendell coming out in the not too distant future with some new, lower priced models? I can see waiting until you can get a Riv; in my experience they fit and handle so well that the wait is worth it. I'd not limit myself to a 584 wheeled frame, though, if you want to run 622s.

[John at Rivendell]

We will have a Hilsen-like frame next Spring. 700C in bigger sizes.

Cheers,

John

[cha...@gmail.com]

Thanks for all this info!

In lieu of visiting the Bay Area and joining the Riv folks for the
ride (and sale - Aarrg! - blame it on messed up plans), my wife is the
proud owner of a brand new Bleriot frame, and while she has approval
to call Riv at her convenience for a full set of 650b's, we are still
unsure of which tires to request, and (another thread?)... trying to
regulate the cash flow for the month.

It's off to the LBS (Ordinary Bikes) tonight to have the BB shell
faced, etc, and then hopefully build tonight - temporarily - with some
realy ugly 700c Araya wheels.

This will help that shiny frame look less silly next to my beausaged
Rambouillet, at least for the time being, and allow a ride in this
weekend!

Chris
Tucson, AZ

[SJB]

I have a Waterford frame that might fit your needs nicely.

Check this link for more info and email if you're interested or need
more info.

http://www.serotta.com/forum/showthread.php?t=45134&highlight=waterford

New price-$300 plus shipping

Steve
Tucson

[David Faller]

Too bad you have to log in to see the images...

bugs in this e-mail!
Checked by AVG - http://www.avg.com
Version: 8.0.138 / Virus Database: 270.5.2/1562 - Release Date: 7/19/2008 2:01 PM

[SJB]

Waterford pics. Just email me and I'll send you electronical copies of
real pictures through the internetness.

Steve

On Jul 20, 12:40 pm, "David Faller" <dfal...@charter.net> wrote:
> Too bad you have to log in to see the images...
>
>   ----- Original Message -----
>   From: SJB
>   To: RBW Owners Bunch
>   Sent: Sunday, July 20, 2008 12:33 PM
>   Subject: [RBW] Re: Talk to me about 700c's on a Bleriot
>
>   I have a Waterford frame that might fit your needs nicely.
>
>   Check this link for more info and email if you're interested or need
>   more info.
>
>  http://www.serotta.com/forum/showthread.php?t=45134&highlight=waterford
>
>   New price-$300 plus shipping
>
>   Steve
>   Tucson
>

>   No bugs in this e-mail!
>   Checked by AVG -http://www.avg.com

[charlie]

I wanted to do the same thing due to cost and the fact that I had
decent 700c wheels already. I like lugs but was ultimately forced to
purchase a tigged frame from another company in the interim. I would
have rather purchased a Riv lugged frame and could have used all of my
older parts without a switch to threadless stem etc. but you do what
you have to do. I have bicycling priorities for sure and an income,
just not a big enough one apparently. Regardless, I would like to own
a Riv frame in the future and may soon. I'll probably end up with a
heavier tubed Hilsen since I like the concept and am currently riding
an Atlantis style tigged frame that seems a little less than ideal for
my general style of riding. Of course you can never have too many
bikes and a beefed up QB is on my mind also if there is such a thing
planned. I like the Bombadil but am not as enthused about 650B and as
my weight continues to drop and my riding becomes easier, I am liking
the idea of a sportier all around geared bike that can use side/center
pulls and take wider tires with fenders in 700c. I guess you can't
please all the people all the time and I certainly don't expect Riv to
make production decisions based on my preferences.

On Jul 17, 6:32 pm, pruckelshaus <pruckelsh...@gmail.com> wrote:

[David Estes]

Charlie, I can only recommend being patient and waiting for the right used (pre-owned???) bike to come your way.  My Riv Road and my Quickbeam were both purchased that way and are wonderful!

Patience Grasshopper, patience... :-)

Cheers,
DE

--
Cheers,
David
Redlands, CA

[charlie]

That's a good point and may be the way to go. I just have to stash the
cash and be ready when the opportunity arises.

[David Estes]

I try real hard at spending other people's money!  :-)

[David Estes]

Or should I say helping other people spend their money...