single speed with Hyraulic disks

kuwa

My Specialised Tricross just died on me when the front fork snapped off on the way into work. It sucks, but I got away with only minor scrapes.

I've been cheesed off for a little with how much maintenance is needed to maintain a geared bike on a 9 mile daily commute, winter, water, grit and salt are no fun for any gears if you rack up 90 miles a week on the commute alone. Plus rim brakes seem to fade a lot in bad weather and the grit grinds away your rims rather quickly if you break for RLs and zebras.

So my ideal shopping list is a single speed, steel frame, with hydraulic front disks. I've spend hours going through all manufacturers I know to find such a combo, but so far no luck.

Would be great if you could share your ideas on how I'd get my ideal commuter!

Cheers,

kuwa

supersonic

Have a look at this:

http://www.on-one.co.uk/i/q/FROOSD1229/ ... ot_dropout

corshamjim

I think this ticks those three boxes ...

http://chargebikes.com/products/cooker-ss/

... not too sure it it's what you're after though.

arthur_scrimshaw

Even better, belt drive ss?

http://www.bikeradar.com/news/article/b ... -3f-36097/

oops just noticed, cable discs, still makes the other bikes look a bit tame!

iPete

Sounds like a self build, what's your budget?

Check out the fixed with dics thread, the new bb7 road mechanicals look the best options with maybe an on one frame or surly steamroller, lots of options! Mtb disc wheels might be easier to source on a budget, you'll probably need to get 700c handbuilt.

viewtopic.php?f=40012&t=12890415

WisePranker

It's worth looking at the Cotic Roadrat. They do a singlespeed flat bar version with cable discs but you could upgrade them to hydraulic discs like Deore's for about £60 or so.
I run one with Magura hydraulic discs on it, it's a great commuting bike.

kuwa

Thanks for the tips, I'll check them all out - the Cotic is a certainly worth a closer look.

iPete:
I'm also considering that route, thanks for sharing the post!
I'm not approaching the buy from a budget perspective - I commute every day by bike so I can afford to invest a years worth of Zone 2 Underground passes (which is what I would need to cover the distance) without blinking twice - a good bike will live longer than that. So the budget could even be higher, but equally I'm not on a mission to burn cash where it's not needed.

WisePranker - Yes I had magura's a while back and loved them. That's why I'd like to go back the disk route. It's got to be based on on mineral oil though, which the Magura and Deore's are.

Cheers,

kuwa

kuwa

iPete,

The viewtopic.php?f=40012&t=12890415 thread links to the on-one pomino bikes/frames which also look pretty good! Exciting!
http://www.on-one.co.uk/c/q/frames

MichaelW

Just out of interest, how/where did your Tricross fork break.

kuwa

MichaelW:

"where" Is assume means "which part of the fork", not which part of town. Just where the fork leaves the frame.

I felt a judder the day before on the way into work when I was breaking, so I took it to a bike shop to be looked at and when I collected it they said the they had replaced the pads, tightened the headset and trued the front wheel.

There was still some judder on the way back home that day, but I noticed that the front tire was only on half pressure (~50 PSI instead of a full 110). These "FACT" carbon forks have a habit of being a bit shaky when the tires are soft, so when I got home I pumped it up and assumed that there was no more to it. When I touched the brakes next time the fork broke properly (the brakes tighten more as the wheel travels away from the handlebars - faceplant) !

There's a scary looking picture of a tricross fork snapping off outright on http://www.bustedcarbon.com/2009/09/spe ... cross.html

regards,
Kuwa

iPete

Ooof!

I commute from outside zone 6 and was thinking of a similar project, as you can imagine the travel card is quite something :twisted: do keep us posted on what you go with.

There is a v good wheel builder on here from west London who could certainly build up a nice 700c disc wheel, happy to PM details if needed.

Rudd

Hi,

I'm just about to commission a very similar project. Have a Pompetamine frame and forks arriving tomorrow and am getting my LBS to finish the build next week. I'll post the spec they have proposed if you are interested. Whole thing will probably cost a grand but that includes Chris King Headset and Brooks saddle..........

redhanded

I use a Roadrat for my London commute and really like it.

I had it built with Deore discs and an Alfine hub gear.

The Rookie

How old is the Tricross.....I'd be looking for a free replacement!