New(-to-me) Quickbeam

[Tully Lanter]

This 58cm Quickbeam is my first personal Riv. It arrived from a list member (thanks!) in early July, just in time to languish on the patio amid the craziness of our first kid's birth that same week. After weeks of sporadic tweaking and waiting on a few small parts, it's about done! 

Three commutes in, and it rides beautifully--fully up to my (high) expectations. I'm now starting to understanding the whole "smooth yet spry" description I've often read. Quite something!

I'm particularly happy with how my first tape + shellac attempt turned out. Also a fan of these tidy little PDW fender mounts (per another member's recommendation) that let me mount the rack/basket and fenders cleanly in a single eyelet, both front and rear. All that remains is to adjust the rear brake (the arms don't retract symmetrically, so one pad ends up dragging). I'll also experiment with Albastache bars in the next few weeks, since more leverage and a slightly higher front end would be helpful.

[Eric Norris]

Tully:

There should be an adjustment on the brakes to align them. On the Tektro Oryx cantis on my QB, there’s a little Allen fitting:

You’ll probably need to adjust both sides to get the brakes centered around the rim.

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

@CampyOnlyguy (Twitter/Instagram)

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bun...@googlegroups.com.
To post to this group, send email to rbw-owne...@googlegroups.com.
Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
<IMG_20180829_164859169.jpg><IMG_20180829_164936457.jpg><IMG_20180829_164955988.jpg>

[John G.]

Welcome to ‘Beamhood! I worship mine. Wish I could have the exact same frame with gears, though I think part of the Quickbeam’s magic is its simplicity.

[Deacon Patrick]

Welcome, Tully, to the sub-sub-cycling culture that is Quickbeamhood! Let your bike teach you and you will learn much! Now, go and fix the problem of having a way too clean bike! Grin. Here’s my musings on my Quickbeam after three years (which was a few years ago now): https://thegrid.ai/withabandon/quickbeam-sightings

John, you DO have exactly the same frame with gears. All bikes come with LCG (lowest common gear), so all bikes, even SS and Fixed come with gears. Grin. I mentioned this to some poor hiker the other day and he couldn’t stop laughing. Heard him the entire time I was in earshot climbing up the hill. I think he may still be there. Maybe I should take food, just in case. Grin.

With abandon,
Patrick

[Tully Lanter]

Thanks, all. Ample dirty, muddy, meandering to come!

Eric - The maddening thing is that no amount of loosening/tightening the springs on either/both arms has done trick. Surely there's a simple solution for that simple device, but I'm low on ideas. Fortunately, as long as I don't pull the rear lever, it spins freely and gets me to work in the mean time!

[Tully Lanter]

And, Patrick, that was a terrific read. Thanks for sharing that link....and I'm glad to know I'm not the only one inclined to wax poetic about single-speeding!

On Thursday, August 30, 2018 at 7:30:40 PM UTC-7, Deacon Patrick wrote:

[Joe Bernard]

Tully, do your canti mounts have the 3 holes for anchoring the springs? I'm thinking you're getting enough drag on the cable through the bends under the tape and at the rear loop that the springs aren't overcoming it enough. Maybe you can mount the rear springs to have more tension, then start adjusting from there.

[Wally Estrella]

Welcome to the Entmoot!  Be hasty and enjoy the ride!

Great job w/ the shellac.

[DarinM]

To add to what Joe said, you may also have the arms mounted in mismatched holes. If that is the case, no amount of tension adjustment with the screws will overcome that tension difference.

Darin

[Philip Williamson]

Congratulations on the child! And the Quickbeam. The Quickbeam may stay in the house longer than the kid...

That's a great looking build. The shiny fenders over the Delta Cruisers is a nice look, and complements the clean chainguard. Thanks for bringing those PDW fender mounts to my attention, too. I have yet to cut the fender stays on my green Quickbeam after... many years, and the PDW attachment looks so clean. Might be just what I need to finish the bike. 

Shame about the brakes. What kind are they? I would second the other suggestions to check the cable drag (does the lever return snappily and fully?), spring tension, symmetrical setup, etc. You might double-check that the wheel is straight in the frame, but it would probably rub the fenders if it wasn't. 

Philip

Santa Rosa, CA

[Pondero]

Tully, I just wanted to chime in with my congrats on the beautifully build QB.  I've owned mine for several years, and the ride quality still delights me.  Since mine is orange, I'd be pleased to see more photos of yours in the future to provide some balance.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BieaUVcBova/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet

Chris Johnson

Sanger, Texas

[Tully Lanter]

Thanks, all, for the brake tips. The mounts do have three holes, but this particular model (Suntour XC Pro) uses an internal spring. Haven't opened it up yet, but should be simple enough, based on this explanation. There's more cable drag than I'd like for the rear (probably my own fault!) so I haven't ruled that out, either.

Meanwhile, the front feels excellent and is already making me a fan of canti's!

Philip - The other neat thing about the PDW mounts, as you might already know, is that they can break away. Quite reassuring on wooded trails!

[iamkeith]

Wait, did you say XC pro?! If I'm not mistaken, those are self energizing which licensed the pederson technology - which means that they are front and rear specific and, if you accidentally mix things up, they wont work well. (I've also heard it could be dangerous by causing them to lock up, but that might be an urban myth for all I know.) I'd look for F&R markings to make sure you haven't mis-matched halves or bought two "front" sets or something, and then search mtbr using "pederson" or "self energizing" or "xc pro canti setup help." You'll probably find what you need. Seems like they were a bit of an acquired taste, but well built.

[iamkeith]

Backpedaling here...

Looks like all the self energizing ones were black. I thought non-SE like on the bike pro page were vapor ware and never really made it to market, but I appear to be wrong. I'd still check the internal springs to make sure they didn't get switched to the wrong sides. Since they were made by dia compe, they likely have the same springs as 987s which are color coded. As you look at the bike from the front or rear, the arm on the left should use the yellow spring, with silver on the right. I think. ( might also be backwards since your adjuster nut is on the other side of the arm compared to the dia compes?) It will work with the springs reversed, just barely, because even a spring that is UN-wound will want to return to its neutral position. Also, there are little holes that either end of the spring needs to plug into, at the arm and tension adjuster nut. It will fit together even if not engaged, so verify that the are.

[Deacon Patrick]

Tully, I was amazed by how simple Paul’s Neo-Retro Canti’s were to set up (be sure to get the moon hangers!) when I switched to them after fiddling with the stock brakes and being frustrated with them and my inability to adjust them properly (different than the brakes you’re running, of course). Well worth the cost, in my experience, if you decide to try something different.

With abandon,
Patrick

[Dave Grossman]

Firstly, I agree with Deacon Patrick that the Paul's are the bomb for setting up.  Once you get the spring tension right they are dynamite and so easily adjustable.  

I did have a question though, as I recently picked up a QB frame locally..............whats max clearance?  I need to make my BMC MC into a geared bike now that I have the QB but I'm still gathering parts.  Can't wait to get it going and join the QB Kool Aid drinkers club!  Its a bucket list frame in my opinion!

[Deacon Patrick]

Dave, 38mm is safe max (I’ve ridden Barlow Pass and currently Steilacooms), but you can squeeze in Snowsqualme (44) so long as everything is true and you don’t need to go too far forward with the rear wheel.

With abandon,
Patrick

[Philip Williamson]

Blew my mind when I realized I could fit Bruce Gordon RnRs (“available from brucegordon.com”) in the Quickbeam. Felt like I wasted my life. That said, 38s and fenders is ideal. We are living through a great age for tires.

Philip
Santa Rosa, CA

[James Copp]

I've been in the market for one of these beauties, and a SimpleOne came up for sale locally for me.  How do ya'll see these in comparison?

[John G]

I've been running 45 Specialized Fatboy slicks for a while now and I'm pleased with them. 

Sometimes clearance is an issue...

Cheers,

John Gorham

Union Bridge, MD

[Tully Lanter]

Keith - That's an interesting note about the spring colors and insertion holes. Will confirm!

Dave - I'm running 35mm Delta Cruisers under 50mm fenders, and it's tight but not worrisome. Wouldn't be surprised if (some) 38s also fit.

On Sun, Sep 2, 2018 at 10:00 AM iamkeith <keith...@gmail.com> wrote:

Backpedaling here...

Looks like all the self energizing ones were black.  I thought non-SE like on the bike pro page were vapor ware and never really made it to market, but I appear to be wrong.  I'd still check the internal springs to make sure they didn't get switched to the wrong sides.  Since they were made by dia compe, they likely have the same springs as 987s which are color coded.  As you look at the bike from the front or rear, the arm on the left should use the yellow spring, with silver on the right.  I think.  ( might also be backwards since your adjuster nut is on the other side of the arm compared to the dia compes?)  It will work with the springs reversed, just barely, because even a spring that is UN-wound will want to return to its neutral position.  Also, there are little holes that either end of the spring needs to plug into, at the arm and tension adjuster nut.  It will fit together even if not engaged, so verify that the are. 

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to a topic in the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group.
To unsubscribe from this topic, visit https://groups.google.com/d/topic/rbw-owners-bunch/ScQIrdkv9gc/unsubscribe.
To unsubscribe from this group and all its topics, send an email to rbw-owners-bun...@googlegroups.com.

[Wally Estrella]

I'm running Soma Shikoro 38s on mine.  Measured on Velocity Atlas rims they come in at just slightly over 36mm.  

I may break down and try the Shikoro 42s.

[jandrews]

I had both a 58 QB and a 58 SO.  I kept the SO.

They have identical geo. and only slight variations with regards to things like drop-out eyelets and rack attachments.

I don't know about tubing differences.  The QB was made by Panasonic and the SO by Maxway, I think. However, my feeling between the two bikes was that the QB was a little spritelier and the SO a little more heavy duty.    Maybe different tubing specs, not sure?

[Tully Lanter]

I finally found time to disassemble the rear brake. Looks like the spring is slipping out of its hole in the washer. The gouged metal certainly explains the weak and "scratchy"-feeling return I noticed in the left arm this morning. 

Presumably, it's an easy fix but spares are scarce (anybody got one?!). I'll probably just install a current-production brake, e.g., Dia Compe 980.

--

[iamkeith]

Sure enough. I could be wrong, but i doubt it "slipped" out of the hole. It's really easy to install them without being lined up. I've done it a dozen times, which is why I mentioned it. I'd take a file and smooth the rough spots, reassemble, and see if it stays in place.

If it still doesn't work, send me a PM. I might have something to trade, and my MB-1 has a complete XC Pro group with the exception of brakes.

[Tully Lanter]

I should have mentioned earlier that I aligned and re-installed the arm about five times, and noticed the exact same slip each time, even after cleaning up the gouges as well as I could. All that to say, Keith: PM on its way!

On Sun, Sep 9, 2018 at 12:23 PM iamkeith <keith...@gmail.com> wrote:

Sure enough.  I could be wrong, but i doubt it "slipped" out of the hole.  It's really easy to install them without being lined up.  I've done it a dozen times, which is why I mentioned it.  I'd take a file and smooth the rough spots, reassemble, and see if it stays in place.

If it still doesn't work, send me a PM.  I might have something to trade, and my MB-1 has a complete XC Pro group with the exception of brakes.