It’s that time in the list. Fat bikes abound. In the next two weeks or so, two fat bikes should be done, 4 x 135mm unicrown steel forks should be finished and 3 different giant wheelsets should come in and out of the shop. 2 of which are HED Big Deal’s laced to I9 in 170 and 190mm spacing. There’s a 3rd secret bike happening in August. That’s all I’m saying on that one. You’ll just have to keep your nose to air for the internet scent to be picked up when the time comes. Here’s the start of Gordon’s Fat bike, 135mm front, 190mm rear.
I’m considering rebuilding my own around 190mm to make more room for those 5″ fatties. Race Face finally dialed in their game and offered the Turbine in their Cinch platform with both 170mm and 190mm specific spindle lengths. A true modular system that allows you to eliminate that damnable spider and crank arm bolts that always seem to creak eventually in the summer do to all the dry, dusty trails (I have to clean and grease my own cranks AGAIN). The 190mm spindle really allows for a lot of chainring/chainstay clearance which is the trouble spot on these types of bikes. I can build in all kinds of tire clearance, but those spindle lengths and the lack there of choice like we used to have with square taper just are not there anymore, but Race Face changed that. I was a devote Race Face crank guy until their X-Type stuff turned me off. Race Face is back baby. Here’s a few more of Gordon’s front triangle, internal cable routing and other odd’s and ends coming together:
One note about 190mm: My tooling is beyond that spacing. I actually will rebuild my chainstay mitering jig in a while to be a bit beefier, but to accept that really WIDE 5″ stance and spread of the chainstays. Basically it will be a bigger, meatier version of what I have here with some new improvements. 170mm works thought, so I miter the 190mm set up using a 170mm dummy – just effectively moving everything a tad closer together, and then moving them back out again with the 190mm dummy when being tacked. Works like a charm, but it means I have to load/unload things from one dummy axle to the other. The way my system works is the dummy axle travels all the way from start to finish cutting down on time and increasing efficiency. Small but each little bit helps.
You’ll also note I was tacking things together using a 135mm dummy. Moving them closer to the tool allows for a little more stiffness and rigidity. You’d be surprised just how much the tubes and parts pull on each other even with a small tack. So having a rigid setup is very important. IF any of you are building your own tools out there and just starting, I always recommend to OVERBUILD everything. The more mass the better-especially for tools that are used for tacking and cutting. For tools used to miter/cutting purposes, the mass of the jig/tool helps to soak up and dampen all of the cutting “noise”. A rigid setup also allows for the tool not to vibrate or subsequently resonate with the cutting action.
I hope to finish tacking the frame this monday and move on to the seat stays and final welding. Here’s Gordon’s HED Big Deal Wheelset. These are truly a work of art and incredibly light. These are another game changer in the Wide World of Fat.
Fistful of Fat
It’s that time in the list. Fat bikes abound. In the next two weeks or so, two fat bikes should be done, 4 x 135mm unicrown steel forks should be finished and 3 different giant wheelsets should come in and out of the shop. 2 of which are HED Big Deal’s laced to I9 in 170 and 190mm spacing. There’s a 3rd secret bike happening in August. That’s all I’m saying on that one. You’ll just have to keep your nose to air for the internet scent to be picked up when the time comes. Here’s the start of Gordon’s Fat bike, 135mm front, 190mm rear.
I’m considering rebuilding my own around 190mm to make more room for those 5″ fatties. Race Face finally dialed in their game and offered the Turbine in their Cinch platform with both 170mm and 190mm specific spindle lengths. A true modular system that allows you to eliminate that damnable spider and crank arm bolts that always seem to creak eventually in the summer do to all the dry, dusty trails (I have to clean and grease my own cranks AGAIN). The 190mm spindle really allows for a lot of chainring/chainstay clearance which is the trouble spot on these types of bikes. I can build in all kinds of tire clearance, but those spindle lengths and the lack there of choice like we used to have with square taper just are not there anymore, but Race Face changed that. I was a devote Race Face crank guy until their X-Type stuff turned me off. Race Face is back baby. Here’s a few more of Gordon’s front triangle, internal cable routing and other odd’s and ends coming together:
One note about 190mm: My tooling is beyond that spacing. I actually will rebuild my chainstay mitering jig in a while to be a bit beefier, but to accept that really WIDE 5″ stance and spread of the chainstays. Basically it will be a bigger, meatier version of what I have here with some new improvements. 170mm works thought, so I miter the 190mm set up using a 170mm dummy – just effectively moving everything a tad closer together, and then moving them back out again with the 190mm dummy when being tacked. Works like a charm, but it means I have to load/unload things from one dummy axle to the other. The way my system works is the dummy axle travels all the way from start to finish cutting down on time and increasing efficiency. Small but each little bit helps.
You’ll also note I was tacking things together using a 135mm dummy. Moving them closer to the tool allows for a little more stiffness and rigidity. You’d be surprised just how much the tubes and parts pull on each other even with a small tack. So having a rigid setup is very important. IF any of you are building your own tools out there and just starting, I always recommend to OVERBUILD everything. The more mass the better-especially for tools that are used for tacking and cutting. For tools used to miter/cutting purposes, the mass of the jig/tool helps to soak up and dampen all of the cutting “noise”. A rigid setup also allows for the tool not to vibrate or subsequently resonate with the cutting action.
I hope to finish tacking the frame this monday and move on to the seat stays and final welding. Here’s Gordon’s HED Big Deal Wheelset. These are truly a work of art and incredibly light. These are another game changer in the Wide World of Fat.