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East Coast 29er

drjon

Chimp
Nov 18, 2009
18
0
as you might imagine, looking forward to seeing more on this!...

how are you combining running a rigid fork and the 140mm reba? are you letting the angles steepen with the rigid or is there some trick to lengthen the rigid fork? (a PVD esque steerer tube extender/crown race seat?)

it must be a 60mm difference in a-c which would be roughly (errrrr, quick sums) 3 degree ish? so if you were 67 static with the reba, that would be 70 static with the rigid which would be fine....

sweet!...the chub front is a nice touch....it will be bomber!....ive got a 50mm uma/wHub/jones set up and its ridiculously stiff given the single wall rim! got to love wide and or tall spoke flanges!

cool...
 

jncarpenter

Monkey
Apr 1, 2002
662
0
lynchburg, VA
as you might imagine, looking forward to seeing more on this!...

how are you combining running a rigid fork and the 140mm reba? are you letting the angles steepen with the rigid or is there some trick to lengthen the rigid fork? (a PVD esque steerer tube extender/crown race seat?)

it must be a 60mm difference in a-c which would be roughly (errrrr, quick sums) 3 degree ish? so if you were 67 static with the reba, that would be 70 static with the rigid which would be fine....

sweet!...the chub front is a nice touch....it will be bomber!....ive got a 50mm uma/wHub/jones set up and its ridiculously stiff given the single wall rim! got to love wide and or tall spoke flanges!

cool...
drj, the Reba 140 @ 30% sag will net an A-C of ~ 505mm...that's a 37mm difference from the 468mm Enabler fork. I spec'd the 29er build to run 68.5* at sag, so that should get me close to 70* with the rigid build (where I wanted to be).

Yeah, the single wall rim has me a bit curious (looks like it's pinned to boot)...but I'm hoping the 135mm Chub will provide a great base for the build.

Things are coming along nicely, I know the Hammerschmidt made designing a yoke that accommodates a Phat wheel a bit of a challenge...

Stay tuned :D:thumb:
 

drjon

Chimp
Nov 18, 2009
18
0
that sounds like its going to hit the sweet spot.

i was thinking of fat front wheels the other day and how that new edge composites DH 38mm wide 26" rim the santa cruz boys are going to be using might work out....

expensive no doubt!
 
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jncarpenter

Monkey
Apr 1, 2002
662
0
lynchburg, VA
OK, here goes :D

I have been kicking around the idea of a fat bike for a long time. I really liked the idea alot, but didn't think I'd ever see the kind of snowfall that could justify such a dedicated bike. In recent years, however, it seems more and more folks are opting to ride them on dirt! :thumb::weee:

From about the time that I received the first frame from Steve, I have had a couple tweaks in mind...as well as the pipe-dream of being able to run a fat wheel in back :).

Over the course of the winter, I mulled things over & came to the place where I could really see the possibility of building a bike that will see 29er wheels 80-90% of the time, while still affording me the opportunity to build up a full on fatty!

This frame will feature:

150mm Maxle rear
83mm BB shell
New 44mm head tube to run tapered steerer forks
A design around the new 140mm Reba
Hammerschmidt


The real magic, however, was how Steve Stickel managed to squeeze all of my requests for the 29 AM frame, along with a Hammerschmidt AND fat wheels into one package. Once again I am singing the guys praises...he is such a great builder to work with from start to finish! And his work...well, I think it speaks for itself.

Some concept art







Geometry I sent Steve



Build Pics







































Plenty of room!










We're almost there...then off to paint!!! :thumb:
 
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dump

Turbo Monkey
Oct 12, 2001
8,195
4,419
Wow jncarpenter, I just saw this thread and scanned everything. Great stuff - are you a builder? The black, sov-inspired ride looked really great. I rode my first modern 29er this past weekend. I'm not running out to give up my 26" just yet, but I am slightly intrigued about the concept.
 

MMcG

Ride till you puke!
Dec 10, 2002
15,457
12
Burlington, Connecticut
Wow jncarpenter, I just saw this thread and scanned everything. Great stuff - are you a builder? The black, sov-inspired ride looked really great. I rode my first modern 29er this past weekend. I'm not running out to give up my 26" just yet, but I am slightly intrigued about the concept.
The builder of jncarpenter's most recent frames, including this one, is Steve Stickel who builds under his ByStickel moniker. Steve does incredibly cool work, and is also a super cool and really nice guy. :thumb:
 

jncarpenter

Monkey
Apr 1, 2002
662
0
lynchburg, VA
I rode my first modern 29er this past weekend. I'm not running out to give up my 26" just yet, but I am slightly intrigued about the concept.
The more the 29er geometry/ riding intent matches your 26er, the better it gets. A xc biased 29er is not desirable to me, but the custom built ones I have owned have been magical :D
 

dump

Turbo Monkey
Oct 12, 2001
8,195
4,419
The more the 29er geometry/ riding intent matches your 26er, the better it gets. A xc biased 29er is not desirable to me, but the custom built ones I have owned have been magical :D
Gotcha. This was an XC race bike, hardtail, one of the high end ones, aluminum. I'd love to try one that was less racer boy, shorter stem and wider bars.

I was looking at my sov the other day and came up with a mod to the dropouts that would let me run it in 29er mode and drop the bb a bit. Of course it would require two new dropouts, but the modular concept of the dropouts allow for this. Maybe if I find some time/money this winter.
 
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dump

Turbo Monkey
Oct 12, 2001
8,195
4,419
The builder of jncarpenter's most recent frames, including this one, is Steve Stickel who builds under his ByStickel moniker. Steve does incredibly cool work, and is also a super cool and really nice guy. :thumb:
Cool, thanks for the tip.
 

jncarpenter

Monkey
Apr 1, 2002
662
0
lynchburg, VA
Gotcha. This was an XC race bike, hardtail, one of the high end ones, aluminum. I'd love to try one that was less racer boy, shorter stem and wider bars.

I was looking at my sov the other day and came up with a mod to the dropouts that would let me run it in 29er mode and drop the bb a bit. Of course it would require two new dropouts, but the modular concept of the dropouts allow for this. Maybe if I find some time/money this winter.
Absolutely! If you want to back into this (financially)...that would be a great way to try it out IMHO. I bet Steve Stickel could even help you with some lathe work to make that a reality ;)
 

jncarpenter

Monkey
Apr 1, 2002
662
0
lynchburg, VA
Finally have the front wheel in hand. Nothing better for a fat bike wheel build than a Chub :D



Surprisingly, the wheel only weighs ~1100g!


The happy couple ;)


OK Steve...just need a frame to make this happen :)
 

jncarpenter

Monkey
Apr 1, 2002
662
0
lynchburg, VA
I didn't have enough time to finish the build tonite...so still missing the chain & cog, as well as grips. As it sits, just south of 31 lbs...not too shabby for a phatty :D

 

dump

Turbo Monkey
Oct 12, 2001
8,195
4,419
Crazy stuff man. 31lbs, but those wheels have to make it feel pretty heavy. Are they tubeless wheels?
 

jncarpenter

Monkey
Apr 1, 2002
662
0
lynchburg, VA
Finally had a chance to get out and do an extended ride. Wow, is thing a fun little (well, maybe not little ;)) ride! It feels like a juggernaut in the techy stuff & the cornering traction is really something you have to experience first hand to believe! I need to play with the tire pressure...I think I had too much and it was already under 20 psi. It really feels like you have some suspension (tho, un-damped :D)!

I can tell it's going to make a great winter bike for the sloppy conditions that we often find here in the southeast. Next ride...some rock crawling :)

Still waiting on a fork for the 29er build...but I am really looking forward to it!

Behold...the monster ;) :D

 

jncarpenter

Monkey
Apr 1, 2002
662
0
lynchburg, VA
She sho' is a versatile girl :D







Still waiting on some phatter 29er tires & 140mm Reba...but this should suffice to get in the first 29er ride. Absolutely loving this bike! :thumbsup:



Doesn't even look back with an anemic 2.25 Ardent out back...

 

jncarpenter

Monkey
Apr 1, 2002
662
0
lynchburg, VA
Any updates? I have been thinking about building a fat tire rock crawler.
Looking for anything in particular?
Loving the bike...currently running it with the fat front and having a blast. If you have never ridden a fat bike setup before, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised by how fast they are. For me, the insane grip is worth the additional heft of the wheels/tires.

 

shiggy

Monkey
Oct 3, 2006
155
0
PDX
jncarpenter said:
Looking for anything in particular?
Loving the bike...currently running it with the fat front and having a blast. If you have never ridden a fat bike setup before, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised by how fast they are. For me, the insane grip is worth the additional heft of the wheels/tires.
Mainly checking to see how you are liking it.

I have thought the fat tires would be great for some of the chunky basalt rack trails around here. Not high speed. Lots of ledges, gaps. Imbedded and loose.

One of the small, easy rock gardens. There are some "tombstone" slabs in this trail 18-20" high.



Then there are these


And this is a trail.
 
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jncarpenter

Monkey
Apr 1, 2002
662
0
lynchburg, VA
That looks great...I think the fat bike would really excel in that terrain. If you intend it mostly for dirt, I'd stick with a ~50mm or similar rim...if you want to mix in some snow rides a 70mm would likely be a better balance between the two.

Are you thinking of building a full fat or just a fat front?
 

shiggy

Monkey
Oct 3, 2006
155
0
PDX
jncarpenter said:
That looks great...I think the fat bike would really excel in that terrain. If you intend it mostly for dirt, I'd stick with a ~50mm or similar rim...if you want to mix in some snow rides a 70mm would likely be a better balance between the two.

Are you thinking of building a full fat or just a fat front?
Full fat for a new build. Though I am planning to put an Enabler fork on one of my 29ers in the meantime.
 

shiggy

Monkey
Oct 3, 2006
155
0
PDX
jncarpenter said:
That looks great...I think the fat bike would really excel in that terrain. If you intend it mostly for dirt, I'd stick with a ~50mm or similar rim...if you want to mix in some snow rides a 70mm would likely be a better balance between the two.

Are you thinking of building a full fat or just a fat front?
Are you suggesting the narrower rims for weight or tire performance reasons?
 

shiggy

Monkey
Oct 3, 2006
155
0
PDX
jncarpenter said:
Tire performance. Wider rim produces more float, which is better for snow...narrower produces a more useful profile for dirt (as I'm sure you know) ;)
But I have not used the >3" tires yet! I know enough to ask the question. :D

I have a rear wheel with a 45mm rim. Tacoed the matching front in my crash two years ago.
 

shiggy

Monkey
Oct 3, 2006
155
0
PDX
jncarpenter said:
Keep us posted...I'd like to follow the build.
Will do, but the new build will be a while. No shop or torch ATM.

Probably just make do with the fat front.
 

Leppah

Turbo Monkey
Mar 12, 2008
2,294
3
Utar
Looking for anything in particular?
Loving the bike...currently running it with the fat front and having a blast. If you have never ridden a fat bike setup before, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised by how fast they are. For me, the insane grip is worth the additional heft of the wheels/tires.

Trippy. I borrowed a fat tired bike last winter in hopes of taking it out on some cross country ski trails, but i never got around to it. I did ride it a little bit around the hood and in the snow. Pretty weird. When i got going fast on the smooth stuff, you could feel the tires bouncing around and starting to bounce even more. When they're that big, you can tell when they aren't balanced.
 

jncarpenter

Monkey
Apr 1, 2002
662
0
lynchburg, VA
Trippy. I borrowed a fat tired bike last winter in hopes of taking it out on some cross country ski trails, but i never got around to it. I did ride it a little bit around the hood and in the snow. Pretty weird. When i got going fast on the smooth stuff, you could feel the tires bouncing around and starting to bounce even more. When they're that big, you can tell when they aren't balanced.
Tire pressure is critical on these bikes....sounds like you missed the mark.