Planning Ahead

Hotdog

Active Member
johntolhurst wrote: yeah yeah, thats em, thanks Hotdog! :) I figure they could go very nicely.
Glad to help :) As I've already got a set of the bags I'd be happy to try them out for fit and report back, all you have to do is send me a Silvio so I can test them... ;) :lol:

I may give them a go on my Sofrider V2 when it arrives, if they'll go on that OK then they'd probably also work on a Silvio.
 

Nanda H.

Active Member
Beyond "planning ahead" on storage capacity...what I'd really like to see would be a birdcaged Ti rear subframe with either an integrated seat or bolt on seat pan with limited adjustment or no adjustment, that still serves as a structural stressed member. Without the suspension (which I like) this compact frame has the potential to be built up very clean and lite. It looks like the carbon stays will easily allow up to almost a 32mm tire, which for a performance road bike is plenty of plushness for touring and commuting.

I have an innovative friend at RANS :lol: interested in trying the Silvio, so I might get it dialed in and send it his way for further analysis :idea:
 

JonB

Zen MBB Master
How about a cheaper frame made of aluminium not carbon fiber, but still for road racing.
 

Nanda H.

Active Member
JonB wrote: How about a cheaper frame made of aluminium not carbon fiber, but still for road racing.


Yup, the ridgid frame could be made is steel/aluminum/Ti and would $ave $ome money on the lesser materials. I'll try and model up something in Solidworks :cool:
 

Mark B

Zen MBB Master
Nanda H. wrote:
JonB wrote: How about a cheaper frame made of aluminium not carbon fiber, but still for road racing.


Yup, the ridgid frame could be made is steel/aluminum/Ti and would $ave $ome money on the lesser materials. I'll try and model up something in Solidworks :cool:

I could get behind the hardtail, maybe, but I think you want to leave the front suspension alone.


Mark
 

Nanda H.

Active Member
Mark B wrote: I could get behind the hardtail, maybe, but I think you want to leave the front suspension alone.

Mark

I'd 2nd that motion, maybe having 2 fork options, one ridgid (with clearance for a 32mm) and one plush with the head shock.
 

Nanda H.

Active Member
Re: Planning Ahead...disc brake tabs

Disc brake tabs would be on my Silvio II wish list. They'd allow the "touring type's" to run 26" wheels with fairly wide tires, and be more suitable for wet weather riders.
 

Mark B

Zen MBB Master
I look at my conversion frame and the sofrider and cannot help but think about this;

What if you dropped the beam down to the right level so you could eliminate the suspension; just weld it in solid? Sell that as a frameset like the Silvio so people with any kind of mountain bike could take their running gear and build them a really cool commuter, touring, urban assault machine. Sure it would be a hard tail, but so? I'm thinking it could be done pretty inexpensively.

Mark
 

Hotdog

Active Member
Re: Planning Ahead...disc brake tabs

Nanda H. wrote: Disc brake tabs would be on my Silvio II wish list. They'd allow the "touring type's" to run 26" wheels with fairly wide tires, and be more suitable for wet weather riders.
I agree on this point, disc brake tabs would be a nice addition that would make for a more versatile bike without causing problems for those who don't want to use them. Lightweight cable-actuated disc brakes are readily available, include some designed for use with road bike brake levers (e.g. Avid BB7 Road), and they offer a lot of advantages over road calliper brakes.

Now I understand that the majority of prospective Silvio owners will be intending to use the bike primarily for fast fitness/training/group rides in generally good weather and, particularly if they're coming from a road bike background, they'll consider calliper brakes to be 'good enough'. There are potential benefits to using disc brakes even for them, however, because disc brakes are not subject to the rim heating and brake fade problems which can afflict calliper brakes bikes on long, twisty descents. For other types of riding disc brakes offer other advantages too, of course. Powerful, predictable and consistent braking regardless of the weather conditions (wet or dry) is a big deal for some cyclists, such as all-weather commuters (like me) and tourers. Disc brakes also make swapping between tough, wide tyred 26" and fast, skinny tyred 700c wheels quick and simple. And yes, 700c wheels with disc hubs are available, they're used on some cyclocross bikes (though the UCI has recently banned disc brakes from 'cross competition :roll:) and are becoming increasingly common on hybrids, 'city' bikes and flat bar road bikes.
 

xkred27

Member
Quote: We won't see these in production for a good while

Care to hazard a rough guess as to how long that good while might be? I'm a hair shorter than 5'10" and would die on the terrain around here without a triple. OTOH, I may die if I don't get me one of these babies soon. :mrgreen:

Peter
 

Mark B

Zen MBB Master
xkred27 wrote:
Quote: We won't see these in production for a good while

Care to hazard a rough guess as to how long that good while might be? I'm a hair shorter than 5'10" and would die on the terrain around here without a triple. OTOH, I may die if I don't get me one of these babies soon. :mrgreen:

Peter

It all depends on your x-seam.. I'm just a smidgen under 6', but can run a triple on my Silvio with no issues.

Mark
 

Flasharry

Member
I don't yet own a Silvio, but I'd have thought proper rear suspension to match the front, would be a good upgrade and perhaps not to difficult(?)
Something like that shown on the link below would appear to be just right for the job.
http://twentynineinches.com/2008/03/13/on-test-sirens-song-single-speed-29er/

Also, would it be possible to have the Softrider with the option of the same steering tube as the Silvio, I think it looks great, with better lines and is probably stronger too.

All the best.
Stuart.
Softrider V2
 

Robert Stewart

Active Member
Flasharry wrote: I don't yet own a Silvio, but I'd have thought proper rear suspension to match the front, would be a good upgrade and perhaps not to difficult(?)
Something like that shown on the link below would appear to be just right for the job.
http://twentynineinches.com/2008/03/13/on-test-sirens-song-single-speed-29er/

Also, would it be possible to have the Softrider with the option of the same steering tube as the Silvio, I think it looks great, with better lines and is probably stronger too.

All the best.
Stuart.
Softrider V2

I'll second that. A nice rear air shock to match the front would be ideal. Maybe another kind shock unit of some sort would work? They would certainly have to work from the same pump. Other than that, disc brake tabs sound like a good plan, and more storage options would be a bonus.

Cheers,
Rob
 

Mark B

Zen MBB Master
I'm going to bump this thread because I've been thinking. :roll: Yeah, I know, dangerous thing!

I'd really love to see what I would call a hybrid urban assault vehicle. By that, I mean a bicycle that would take all the best ideas from the Silvio and incorporate that into a 26" wheeled commuting/touring rocketship on wheels. Skip the rear suspension and throw in an incorporated rear rack. If you can do the incorporated rack with suspension, well, OK then... Throw on some fender bosses, disc brake tabs and sell the thing as a frameset. I love the concept of the frameset because it gives you so much flexibility in how you build the bike.

Mark
 
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