Ribble R4 or Planet X London Road..

[nathb]

Bear with me, this is a incredibly dull post but all advice is appreciated!

So I built a 26" Ribble R4 MTB a few years ago when I lived up narth and could take it off road quite easily...

How it used to be: http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r129 ... D4B2A4.jpg

However since moving to London I bought a dedicated road bike, which I used for commuting to Slough on (it was parked unlocked under the stairs at work as it was a very small office), all the while the Ribble sat collecting dust.

Recently I've changed jobs which means my commute is into the city (circa 7 miles). Parking the bike is fairly secure but outside, the bike racks aren't visible but can be accessed by the public. So I don't want to use my road bike and so started converting my Ribble into a commuterish? bike.

Here's how it looked fitted with some 29er wheels:



Clearance wise:

To me it looks out of proportion/the geometry is all messed up?
The frame weighs 1948g and the forks 909g..

Anyway to the point: should I continue my build with that setup or cut my losses and swap to a Planet X london road (which I've just ordered but can cancel), I can go home via Richmond park which is why I ordered the PXLR. I have all the parts to complete either, but cannot for the life of me decide....


Help!

[the snail]

Cant comment on the geometry, but if it works for you, well it works doesn't it? I think if you're worried about theft though, it looks too nice and nickable - you'd be better off with something cheap and ratty looking, or just make sure your bike is insured and ride whatever you like.

[Brucey]

If you put 700C wheels into a MTB frame that is meant for 26" wheels then the (typically already high) BB will be even higher than it was before. It may seem tempting to use skinny tyres, but then the (typically) stiff frame/fork may well prove themselves somewhat uncomfortable.

There can be issues with running 'road' chainsets on MTB frames too, because the chainstays are fatter and are meant with smaller chainrings in mind as well.

Often the reach is too long (usually you will need a very short stem to use drops), the seat angle too steep (unless you get the correct fork height) etc so you may not even be comfy on the thing when you have built it.

But if you have most of the bits (or can re-use them on some later project) you may as well give it a go and see how you get on.

cheers

[nathb]

Cheers guys!

I've somewhat grown an attachment to this frame/ the black and white look. Hence attempting to do the 26 > 700 conversion.

I think you're right brucey, it's going to be a rubbish ride particularly as the BB is a few more cm off the ground now...

I also think the bright white of it makes it look more expensive than it actually is/ draws the eye more?

I've got insurance out on both my bikes, DNA stuff and I spent a bit of money on decent locks (inc a seat one haha).

I placed an order for a black London road frameset earlier this evening, hopefully that's stealthy enough for thieves to ignore and also get okay times around richmond park after work. Can even fit mudguards and panniers to it for next winter..(like how I am selling myself this idea ha).

Thanks for your inputs!

[Redvee]

Go with the PXLR frame, I'm on my second frame. The first is built as a single speed, the second will have 10sp 105 kit off my C2W bike. I bagged a zesty lime frame for £200 on Christmas Day but had to suffer with a Yodel delivery cause of it. Before you build the frame up wrap the main tubes with inner tubes, I've done it with my PX, I started with the top of the forks and seatstays where the sheffield stands in work make contact with the frame then wrapped the top, down and seattube later and held them in place with cable ties.

[irc]

Flashy wheels? carbon forks? Theft magnet?

Looks a bit odd to me geometery wise but then I don't like super compact frames anyway. If you like the look that is all that counts.

To some extent the theft risk at work can be countered by using multiple big locks left in situ. Hard to stop components being targeted though.

If I was starting from scratch to build a work bike parked in the street I'd be thinking scruffy second hand touring/road frame with decent but non flashy bits. 700c 36 spoke wheels. Slick tyres. Full mudguards. Maybe remove any branding from wheels deraillers.

Ideally you want your bike to be the least flashy in the bike rack.

[colin54]

Why not just put some 26'' road tyres on it ? Vittoria Randonneur Pro's, Schwalbe City Jets or the like, better for the rough roads than a skinny tyre and your geometry won't be altered.

[nathb]

Go with the PXLR frame, I'm on my second frame. The first is built as a single speed, the second will have 10sp 105 kit off my C2W bike. I bagged a zesty lime frame for £200 on Christmas Day but had to suffer with a Yodel delivery cause of it. Before you build the frame up wrap the main tubes with inner tubes, I've done it with my PX, I started with the top of the forks and seatstays where the sheffield stands in work make contact with the frame then wrapped the top, down and seattube later and held them in place with cable ties.

Yeah I really wanted the Zesty frame, but I thought the black would be more subtle/stealthy

Plus my road bike is green ish.

Flashy wheels? carbon forks? Theft magnet?
Looks a bit odd to me geometery wise but then I don't like super compact frames anyway. If you like the look that is all that counts.
To some extent the theft risk at work can be countered by using multiple big locks left in situ. Hard to stop components being targeted though.
If I was starting from scratch to build a work bike parked in the street I'd be thinking scruffy second hand touring/road frame with decent but non flashy bits. 700c 36 spoke wheels. Slick tyres. Full mudguards. Maybe remove any branding from wheels deraillers.
Ideally you want your bike to be the least flashy in the bike rack.

Yeah I've got a kryptonite lock, the one below the new york one, with a few ft of cables to entangle everything. I've also got DNA/Smart water (with a high viz sticker stating that) and finally insurance (all parts will be logged and smart watered).

Also I should have mentioned that although Joe blogs off the street can walk down through the unlocked gate into the rack area, two entire departments and cctv overlook the bikes/entrance point - hopefully that'll be enough.

Why not just put some 26'' road tyres on it ? Vittoria Randonneur Pro's, Schwalbe City Jets or the like, better for the rough roads than a skinny tyre and your geometry won't be altered.

Too late for that - I just sold my last 26" wheelset



Cheers for all the inputs guys.

[nathb]

I decided to build the Planet X London Road.

It looks really nice in the flesh (a bit too nice - the missus thinks it's worth more than my road bike oops!).

But I have receipts for everything and therefore will be fully insured should the worst happen....

If anyone's interest I can post up pictures / specs once I've got it all running smoothly.

[mercalia]

what ever you do if u lock it up out side it will still eventually get stolen.......

and will the insurance still cough up - parked out side in the street for any one to lift?

[Bonefishblues]

what ever you do if u lock it up out side it will still eventually get stolen.......

and will the insurance still cough up - parked out side in the street for any one to lift?

Sad but true

[nathb]

Well this is my LR:



I added this shiny sticker, which alerts potential crims that EVERYTHING is covered in DNA/smart water and it'll take you ages to get it all off (if you find it all)



The hideous green tape was a temporary solution (I was trying to decide what colour to go for) however it has grown on me and I have a bottle holder arriving tomorrow. I've protected the chainstay arm? as this is the bit in contact with the bike stand.

It's a really nice bike to ride, if a little heavy at 10.75kg but the majority of that bulk is in the wheels (29er mtb ones for London's potholes). I've tried to compensate for this by going down to 172.5mm arms versus the 175mm I have on the "weekend" bike and this seems to have worked well.

Only issues I have now are:
- brakes, they're MTB BB5's and I'm not confident in them (already need adjusting), so they will be swapped out for some BB7 roads soon.
- cassette is 11-32, I think it's a bit excessive for my commute which is relatively flat, so I'm thinking 11-28 to leave me the option of Richmond Park when I summon the energy.

The ribble has just gone to it's new owner.

[Redvee]

I'll be building my zesty lime London Road up in a few weeks time and bought some Supacaz bartape for it in this colour combo.Green on the drops where my hands will rarely venture and black on the tops where they will.

[nathb]

Ah I was very split between stealth black and the zesty like... In the end I had to slap myself and curb my spending on this bike as its a commuter. But that tape will look really nice!! What spec will it have?

FYI the frameset comes with nothing but the hanger! Had to buy the bottom bracket cable guide, rear brake cable clips, bottle cage bolts and I used rotor bolts to go in the pannier holes to stop dirt/water getting in. Still need to figure out what size the big hole is on the front of the fork above the wheel, I think it's an M7/8. Oh and I went for the wiggle lifeline headset for £15 as oppose to the FSA one, the general consensus on STW is that it's just as good/easier to get on, but you do get a couple of mm gap.

I'm 6ft and went for the large, with a 120mm stem and it seems to fit be great. Really am happy with it and should I ever run out of space I think the road bike will be the first to go, and I'd just buy some weekend wheels for the LR.

[Redvee]

What spec will it have?

The old 5700 105 kit off my old Forme bike. Luckily I had BB cable guide but did by new stainless bolts for mudguard and rack so that they all matched.